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Dražen Petrović (; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s, before joining the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1989. A star on multiple international basketball stages, Petrović earned two silver medals (
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicentenn ...
,
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
) and one bronze (
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
) at the
Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
, a gold (
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
) and a bronze (
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal ent ...
) at the
FIBA World Cup The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...
, and a gold (
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
) and a bronze (
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
) at the
FIBA EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...
. He was the FIBA World Championship MVP in 1986 and the
FIBA EuroBasket MVP The FIBA EuroBasket MVP is the FIBA Europe honor that is bestowed upon the Most Valuable Player of each FIBA EuroBasket tournament. Pau Gasol and Krešimir Ćosić share the record for most EuroBasket MVP awards, with two each. Modestas Paulausk ...
in 1989. With
Cibona Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball sports club, club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the ABA League JTD, Adriatic Basketba ...
, Petrović also won two consecutive EuroLeague championships in
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
and
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal ent ...
. He first represented Yugoslavia's senior
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
and, later, Croatia's senior
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
. He earned four
Euroscar The Euroscar European Player of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given to the year's best male European basketball player. Its name is a portmanteau of Europe and Oscar, and the award is often referred to as "European basketball’s O ...
s, and was named
Mr. Europa The Mister Europa European Player of the Year Award was an annual basketball award created in 1976, and given until 2010, by the panel of journalists of the Italian weekly magazine ''Superbasket''. Its purpose was to praise the best basketball p ...
twice. In 1985, he received the
Golden Badge ''Sport'' ( sr-Cyrl, Спорт) was a Serbian daily sports newspaper. The first edition was published on 5 May 1945 under the name ''Fiskultura'' and the last edition went out on 17 September 2016. Since the mid-2000s it was billed as "Dnevni ...
award for the best athlete of Yugoslavia. Seeking a bigger arena after his career start in Europe, Petrović joined the NBA in 1989, as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. After playing mostly off the bench that year, Petrović experienced a breakthrough following a trade to the New Jersey Nets. While starting for the Nets, he became one of the league's best shooting guards. He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. On 7 June 1993, Petrović's career and life were cut short, after he died in a car accident, at the age of 28.SI.co
The tragic death of Drazen Petrovic
/ref> In 1993, Petrović's jersey number 3 was retired by the Nets, and the
Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall The Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall ( hr, Košarkaški centar Dražen Petrović), formerly known as Cibona Sports Centre ( hr, Sportski centar Cibona), is an indoor sports arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The official seating capacity of the ...
was named after him in his honor. He also received the Olympic Order in 1993. In 2002, he was posthumously enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.NBA.com
Drazen Petrovic
/ref> In 2006, the Dražen Petrović Award was created in his honor. In 2007, he was posthumously inducted into the
FIBA Hall of Fame The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA, in 1991. It includes the " Sam ...
. He was named one of the
50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
in 2008. In 2013, he was voted the best European Basketball player in history, by players at the 2013 FIBA EuroBasket.CroatiaWeek.co
The Best European Basketballer Ever
/ref> Petrović is considered a crucial part of the vanguard to the present-day mass influx of European players into the NBA, and to this day he is viewed as a national hero in Croatia.


Early years

Born in Šibenik, Yugoslavia (present-day Croatia), Dražen Petrović was the second child of Jovan "Jole" Petrović, a police officer, and Biserka (), a librarian. His father was born in a Serb family in Zagora, near
Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the re ...
in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
. His mother was born in Bilice, near Šibenik, and was from a traditional conservative
Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...
family, devoutly Roman Catholic. The couple's eldest child,
Aleksandar Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
, was the first to play basketball and rose to become one of the top point guards in former Yugoslavia. The Petrović brothers are second cousins to the Serbian basketball player
Dejan Bodiroga Dejan Bodiroga ( sr-Cyrl, Дејан Бодирога; born 2 March 1973) is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player who is the Chairman of the Euroleague Basketball. During his playing career, he mainly played at the smal ...
.


Šibenka (1979–1983)

At the age of 13, Petrović started playing in the youth selections of the local club Šibenka; at the age of 15, he had already made the club's first team, just as Šibenka had earned a place in the Yugoslav national first division. With young Petrović as the star of the team, Šibenka reached the final of the third level Pan-European club competition, the FIBA Radivoj Korać Cup twice ( 1981–82 and 1982–83), where they lost to the French League club Limoges CSP both times. In 1983, the 18-year-old Petrović hit two free throws in Šibenka's victory over Bosna Sarajevo in the final playoff game of the Yugoslavian League's 1982–83 season's club championship. However, on the day after the club won the championship, the
Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia The Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Košarkaški savez Jugoslavije, Кошаркашки савез Југославије; sl, Košarkarska zveza Jugoslavije; mk, Кошаркарска федерација на Југосл ...
stripped the title from Šibenka, because of irregularities in refereeing. The league's championship was then awarded to Bosna, after Šibenka refused to play in a rematch.Sibenik.hr
Drazen Petrović profile
, sibenik.hr; accessed 19 August 2015.
Petrović increased his scoring numbers in each successive season that he played with Šibenka. In the 1979–80 Yugoslav FFL season, he scored 13 points in 16 games, for an average of 0.8 points per game. In the 1980–81 Yugoslav FFL season, he scored 39 points in 20 games, for an average of 2.0 points per game. In the 1981–82 Yugoslav FFL season, he scored 392 points in 24 games, for an average of 16.3 points per game. In the 1982–83 Yugoslav FFL season, he scored 758 points in 31 games, for an average of 24.5 points per game. In total, he scored 1,202 points in 91 games played with Šibenka in the Yugoslav first division, for a scoring average of 13.2 points per game.


Rise to European stardom


Cibona Zagreb (1984–1988)


1984–85 season

After a year's mandatory service in the Yugoslav military, Petrović joined his older brother Aco and moved to
Cibona Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball sports club, club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the ABA League JTD, Adriatic Basketba ...
, to form what was at that time, the best back court duo in Europe. In his first season in Cibona, Petrović won both the national
Yugoslav League The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
championship and the Yugoslav National Cup title. In national domestic league play, in the 1984–85 Yugoslav FFL season, Petrović scored a total of 878 points in 27 games played, for a scoring average of 32.5 points per game. On 6 December 1984, in the 1984–85 season of Europe's top-level club competition, the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague), Petrović scored 44 points in a game against the Spanish League club Real Madrid. He scored 29 of the 44 points in the second half of the game. Petrović also scored 36 points in the league's 1985 Final against Real Madrid. Cibona won the game, by a score of 87–78, and the win brought the club their first top-tier level European Champions Cup title. That season, in Europe's top-level club competition, which eventually became known as the EuroLeague, Petrović scored a total of 463 points in 15 games played, for a scoring average of 30.9 points per game.


1985–86 season

On 5 October 1985, in a Yugoslav First Federal League game against Union Olimpija Ljubljana, Petrović scored 112 points, in Cibona's 158–77 blowout win. He scored 67 of the 112 points in the first half of the game. During the game, Petrović shot 40/60 from the field, 10/20 from 3-point range, and 22/22 from the free-throw line. The 112 points scored was the most points ever scored in a single game in the history of the Yugoslav First Federal League. It broke the league's previous single-game scoring record of 74 points, which was set in 1962, by
Radivoj Korać Radivoj Korać ( sr-cyrl, Радивој Кораћ; 5 November 1938 – 2 June 1969) was a Serbian and Yugoslav professional basketball player. He represented the Yugoslavia national basketball team internationally. Korać is well-known ...
. Korać achieved that record while playing with
OKK Beograd Omladinski košarkaški klub Beograd ( sr-cyr, Омладински кошаркашки клуб Београд), commonly referred to as OKK Beograd, is a men's professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. They are currently competi ...
, in a game against
Mladost Zagreb HAŠK Mladost (''Mladost'', lit. "Youth") is an academic sports society from Zagreb, Croatia, sponsored by the University of Zagreb. Clubs named Mladost exist in athletics, field hockey, judo, basketball, bowling on ice and asphalt, fencing, vol ...
. The record was achieved under unusual circumstances. Olimpija Ljubljana had failed to fulfill their player registration administrative obligations in time for the game. Olimpija general manager Radovan Lorbek was reportedly late with submitting a registration letter to the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia (KSJ) headquarters in
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 m ...
. That rendered their entire men's first team roster ineligible for the Yugoslav First Federal League's regular season opening game, and forced them to instead field players for the game from their youth systems. Unfortunately, Olimpija didn't have an under-18 youth squad that season. So the club had to go to Zagreb to play the game with even younger players. In the end, the team that Olimpija took to Zagreb to play against Cibona, consisted of players in the under-16 and under-17 age groups, which included: Igor Đurović, Matjaž Strmole, Jože Maček, Dag Kralj, Tine Erjavec, Jure Zorčič, Gregor Stražiščar, Andrej Novina, and Tine Merzelj. Cibona, for their part, decided to use a mixed roster for the game, consisting of players from their youth system, plus their senior men's team's twenty-one-year-old young superstar Dražen Petrović, who used the opportunity of playing against the inferior youth squad opposition to shatter Korać's single-game Yugoslav League scoring record of 74 points. Petrović ended up with 112 points scored in the game, despite the fact that before the game, he had reportedly announced his intention to exit from the game, once he had surpassed Korać's 74 points record. Petrović was one of only five Cibona players to get on the score sheet that day. The other four were eighteen-year-old
Dražen Anzulović Dražen Anzulović (born 7 May 1967) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for BC Enisey of the VTB United League. Playing career Anzulović spent most of his playing career in Cibona. ...
with 16 points, eighteen-year-old Vladimir Rizman with 14 points, nineteen-year-old
Ivo Nakić Ivo Nakić (born May 26, 1966) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, who is now a coach. Personal life He lives in Belgrade and works as an agent in Bill Duffy's BDA Sports Management agency. Ivo Nakić married Zorica Desnica ...
with 12 points, and Ivan Šoštarec with 4 points. Overall, in the 1985–86 Yugoslav FFL season, Petrović scored a total of 1,241 points in 30 games played, for a scoring average of 41.4 points per game. That season, Petrović also won another Yugoslav National Cup title with Cibona. On 7 February 1986, Petrović scored 55 points in a Yugoslav Cup game against Union Olimpija Ljubljana. He also scored 46 points in the 1986 Yugoslav Cup's Final against Cibona's old rivals Bosna Sarajevo. On 4 December 1985, in a 1985–86 season FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) game against the Israeli Super League club Maccabi Tel Aviv, Petrović scored 44 points. In the same European Champions Cup season, on 11 December 1985, he had 47 points and 25 assists in a game against the then reigning
Italian League The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the T ...
champions Simac Milano.24sec.net
Hall of Fame
, drazenpetrovic.com; accessed 19 August 2015.
In another European Champions Cup game that season, on 16 January 1986, Petrović scored 49 points, and had 20 assists against the Spanish League club Real Madrid. On 22 January 1986, in a European Champions Cup game against the French League club
Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated on the first western foothi ...
, Petrović made ten 3-pointers, including seven in a row during a first-half stretch, for a final tally of 51 points and 10 assists in the game. The 51 points scored was also his personal career-high scored in a single EuroLeague game. Eventually, Petrović won his second straight FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) title with Cibona, as he scored 22 points in the league's 1986 Final, in which Cibona defeated the USSR Premier League club Žalgiris Kaunas, which starred the legendary
Arvydas Sabonis Arvydas Romas Sabonis (; born December 19, 1964) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and businessman. Recognized as one of the best European players of all time, he won the Euroscar six times and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He ...
. In the 1985–86 European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) season, Petrović scored a total of 555 points in 15 games played, for a scoring average of 37.0 points per game.


1986–87 season

In the 1986–87 Yugoslav FFL season, Petrović scored a total of 932 points in 25 games played, for a scoring average of 37.3 points per game. In that same season, Cibona competed in the European-wide secondary level
FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...
competition. Petrović led Cibona to the championship, as he scored 28 points against the
Italian League The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the T ...
club
Scavolini Pesaro Victoria Libertas (also known as "VL" or in Italian ''Vuelle''), full name Unione Sportiva Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro, is a professional basketball team that is based in Pesaro, Italy. The club competes in the top level Italian professiona ...
, in the league's 1986–87 season Final. It was the third straight European-wide club championship for Petrović and Cibona. In the 1986–87 FIBA European Cup Winners Cup season, Petrović scored a total of 270 points in 8 games played, for a scoring average of 33.8 points per game.


1987–88 season

With Cibona, Petrović again won the Yugoslav National Cup title in 1988. In the 1987–88 Yugoslav FFL season, Petrović scored a total of 860 points in 24 games played, for a scoring average of 35.8 points per game. In that same season, Cibona competed in Europe's third level club competition, the
FIBA Korać Cup The FIBA Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971–72 and 2001–02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the FIBA European Champions' Cup (later renamed t ...
. On 14 October 1987, Petrović scored 62 points in a
1987–88 FIBA Korać Cup The 1987–88 FIBA Korać Cup season occurred between September 23, 1987, and March 9, 1988. The final was played by Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, ...
season game against the Finnish League club
KTP Kotka KTP or KTp may refer to: * Kappa Theta Pi * Karl Parker (1895–1992), British art historian * Kartu Tanda Penduduk, the Indonesian identity card * Kissing the Pink * Kitchen table polyamory, a style of polyamory * Knowledge Transfer Partnerships ...
. Petrović led Cibona to the Finals of the Korać Cup, where they lost to the Spanish League club Real Madrid. During the Korać Cup season, Petrović scored a total of 401 points in 12 games played, for a scoring average of 33.4 points per game. During his four seasons with Cibona, Petrović scored a total of 3,911 points, in 106 games played in the national Yugoslav First Federal League, for a scoring average of 36.9 points per game. With Cibona, he also scored a total of 559 points, in 20 games played, for a scoring average of 28.0 points per game, in the
Yugoslav Cup The Yugoslav Cup ( hr, Pokal Jugoslavije; sr, Куп Југославије; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Kup kralja Aleksandra, ...
competition. In the three Pan-European club competitions that he played in with Cibona, he scored a total of 1,689 points in 50 games played, for a scoring average of 33.8 points per game. With both Šibenka and Cibona, Petrović's career scoring numbers in the Yugoslav First Federal League were 5,113 points scored, in 197 games played, for a career scoring average of 26.0 points per game. In the top-level European-wide club competition, the FIBA European Champions Cup, which is now known as the EuroLeague, Petrović scored a career total of 1,018 points in 30 games played, for a career scoring average of 33.9 points per game.


Real Madrid (1988–1989)

After his string of very successful seasons with
Cibona Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball sports club, club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the ABA League JTD, Adriatic Basketba ...
, Petrović needed new challenges that Cibona and the Yugoslav First Federal League could no longer offer him. The NBA's Portland Trail Blazers had already used their third-round draft pick on the young Petrović, in the 1986 NBA draft, but he had decided to postpone his departure to the United States. In 1988, rather than go to the NBA, he instead signed with the Spanish League club Real Madrid, for around US$4 million in net income.Real Madrid Story
, drazenpetrovic.com; accessed 19 August 2015.
At that time, Yugoslav sporting laws stipulated that players could not professionally move abroad until they had reached the age of 28. Petrović was still only 23 when he signed with Real Madrid. In 2014, José Antonio Arízaga, the sports agent who played a key role in Petrović's 1988 summer transfer from Cibona to Real, recalled a few details from the transaction: "I spoke to
Mirko Novosel Mirko Novosel (born 30 June 1938) is a Croatian former professional basketball coach and player. Novosel coached some of the greatest players in former Yugoslavia and Croatia, such as Croatian Hall of Fame players Krešimir Ćosić and Dražen P ...
, Dražen's head coach at Cibona, and he told me two things. One, every problem in Yugoslavia can be taken care of with the right amount of money, and two, if Dražen leaves, every other player under 28 will be leaving and it'll be chaos. So, you can imagine all the individuals I had to bribe and all the places where I had to pay up, in order to circumvent this law".


1988–89 season

Petrović helped Real to win the title of the 1989 edition of the Spanish King's Cup, over their
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
rivals, Barcelona. In the
Spanish ACB League The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...
's Finals, Real Madrid narrowly lost to Barcelona, in the fifth and decisive game of the series. In the Spanish League's
1988–89 ACB season The 1988–89 ACB season was the 6th season of the Liga ACB, after changing its name. The number of teams increased from 16 to 24. The format also changed. The 24 teams were divided into two groups of 12. After playing a league, 24 teams were divid ...
, Petrović was the league's regular season top scorer. Including the playoffs, he scored a total of 1,327 points, in 47 games played, for a scoring average of 28.2 points per game. Petrović's first season in Spain's ACB was also his last, but he still holds the ACB's single-game Finals records for the most points scored, with 42, and for the most three-pointers made, with 8. In European-wide club competition, Real Madrid competed in the European secondary level
FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...
. On 14 March 1989, in the 1988–89 Cup Winners' Cup Final against the
Italian League The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the T ...
club
Snaidero Caserta Sporting Club JuveCaserta (sometimes spelled Juve Caserta), also known as Decò Caserta after its title sponsor, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Caserta, Campania. The team currently plays in the Serie A2, the second tier of Ita ...
, Petrović tied his previous best scoring performance in a European-wide club competition with 62 points. Petrović was pressured to join the NBA, by the Trail Blazers, who had drafted him 60th overall in
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal ent ...
. Being motivated by the potential new challenges that the NBA presented, Petrović finally decided to try to establish himself in the league. He left Spain rather abruptly, at the end of the season; the Blazers assisted him in the process, by buying out his contract with Real Madrid, for as much as US$1.5 million.NBA.com
Dražen Petrović legacy
, drazenpetrovic.html; accessed 19 August 2015.
Petrović finally joined the Blazers for the 1989–90 season.


NBA career


Portland Trail Blazers (1989–1991)

The Blazers valued Petrović as a shooter, but were concerned that he might not possess the quickness to play guard or the foot speed to play defense. They brought him onto the team primarily as an outside threat to shoot three-pointers. In the Blazers' offensive scheme he was to set up behind the line, receive a passed ball and go directly up to release his shot. Petrović was an aggressive, attacking player who was used to creating his shot and shots for his teammates. Taking the ball out of his hands and making him a static shooter was foreign to him. Making matters worse, the Blazers already had a full rotation of guards, with a starting backcourt of
Clyde Drexler Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association ...
and
Terry Porter Terry Porter (born April 8, 1963) is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. A native of Wis ...
, and with veteran Danny Young as a reserve. Consequently, the reigning La Gazzetta dello Sport Euroscar European Player of the Year saw limited playing time. He had difficulty being productive in the limited role the Blazers had for him. In his rookie year during the 1989–90 NBA season, he averaged 7.4 points in 12 minutes per game.Basketball-Reference.com
Drazen Petrovic
The following season, veteran guard
Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and former professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-sp ...
was added to the team, and Petrović's playing time dropped further to 7 minutes a game. In many statements made prior to arriving in Portland, Petrović had said he saw a lack of playing time as the only possible obstacle to his success in the NBA.DrazenPetrovic.com
Blazers Portland Story
He was determined to be a success in basketball's highest arena. His lack of playing time during his second season in the league brought Petrović's frustration to a climax: "I have nothing to say to Adelman any more and vice versa. Eighteen months have passed by, too long. I have to leave to prove how much I am worth. Never in my life did I sit on the bench and I don’t intend to do that in Portland."DrazenPetrovic.com
Memories of Drazen Petrovic
At his insistence, 38 games into the season (20 of which held no playing time for Petrović), a three-way trade with the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
sent him to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for a first-round pick in the following draft and Walter Davis, who was sent from Denver to Portland.Mike Freeman
Details Emerge, but Petrovic's Death Still Baffles
'' The New York Times'', 9 June 1993


New Jersey Nets (1991–1993)

On 23 January 1991, Petrović became a member of the New Jersey Nets. He joined a team that had not reached the playoffs since
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal ent ...
, but had rookie
Derrick Coleman Derrick Demetrius Coleman (born June 21, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. Coleman was born in Mobile, Alabama, but grew up and attended high school in Detroit, and attended college at Syracuse University. He was selec ...
, the number one selection from the 1990 draft. He was immediately given a role on the floor, with 20.5 minutes per game. His scoring over the remaining 43 games increased to 12.6 points per game, one of the league's best points-per-minute ratios. The following year, he and Coleman were joined by Kenny Anderson, giving the team a third talented new addition, and forming was expected to grow into a "big three". Petrović was made a starter for the 1991–92 season, his first full season with the Nets. "Petro", as the Americans had dubbed him, did not miss a single game. On 13 March 1992, Petrović scored 39 points while shooting 65% from the field, and 100% (3 of 3) from 3 point range, in a 110–108 win against the
Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
. His determination, hard work and aggressive on-court demeanor established him as a team leader. In 36.9 minutes on the floor he averaged 20.6 points. Petrović led the Nets in field-goal shooting and free-throw shooting, and his field goal percentage of 51% placed him near the top of all NBA Shooting guard, guards. More importantly, his success translated into success for the team. The Nets made the playoffs, recording 14 more wins than the previous year. On 23 April 1992, in Game 1 of their first round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Petrović scored a playoff career-high 40 points. The Nets would eventually lose the best of 5 series 3 games to 1. The following 1992–93 NBA season, season saw Petrović increase his scoring average to 22.3 ppg, 11th best in the league. On 6 December 1992, he was named MVP of the Week. On 4 February 1993, Petrović played a career-high 53 minutes and scored 35 points in an overtime win against the Seattle SuperSonics. For the second season in a row he shot 45% from the three-point arc. His field goal percentage of 52% was again near the top for all guards. American media honored him with a selection to the All-NBA Third Team. However, he did not receive an invitation to the 1993 NBA All-Star Game, 1993 National Basketball Association All-Star Game, All-Star game. Among the top 13 scorers in the NBA that season, he was the only one not invited. In an interview on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Petrović's Nets teammate, Chucky Brown marveled at Petrović's healing ability. Brown told Brandon Scoop B Robinson that he remembered Petrović spraining his knee and was slated to miss two months. Petrović rehabbed so hard that he ended up only missing two weeks.


Career statistics


NBA


Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland Trail Blazers, Portland , 77 , , 0 , , 12.6 , , .485 , , .459 , , .844 , , 1.4 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , .0 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland Trail Blazers, Portland , 18 , , 0 , , 7.4 , , .451 , , .167 , , .682 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .0 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", 1990–91 New Jersey Nets season, New Jersey , 43 , , 0 , , 20.5 , , .500 , , .373 , , .861 , , 2.1 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .0 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", 1991–92 New Jersey Nets season, New Jersey , 82 , , 82 , , 36.9 , , .508 , , .444 , , .808 , , 3.1 , , 3.1 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 20.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", 1992–93 New Jersey Nets season, New Jersey , 70 , , 67 , , 38.0 , , .518 , , .449 , , .870 , , 2.7 , , 3.5 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 22.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 290 , , 149 , , 26.4 , , .506 , , .437 , , .841 , , 2.3 , , 2.4 , , .9 , , .1 , , 15.4


Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1990 NBA Playoffs, 1990 , style="text-align:left;", Portland Trail Blazers, Portland , 20 , , 0 , , 12.7 , , .440 , , .313 , , .583 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992 NBA Playoffs, 1992 , style="text-align:left;", 1991–92 New Jersey Nets season, New Jersey , 4 , , 4 , , 40.8 , , .539 , , .333 , , .846 , , 2.5 , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 24.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993 NBA Playoffs, 1993 , style="text-align:left;", 1992–93 New Jersey Nets season, New Jersey , 5 , , 5 , , 38.6 , , .455 , , .333 , , .800 , , 1.8 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , .0 , , 15.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 29 , , 9 , , 21.0 , , .474 , , .324 , , .696 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .0 , , 10.2


EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1984–85 FIBA EuroLeague, 1984–85† , style="text-align:left;",
Cibona Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball sports club, club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the ABA League JTD, Adriatic Basketba ...
, 15 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 30.9 , , , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1985–86 FIBA EuroLeague, 1985–86† , style="text-align:left;",
Cibona Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball sports club, club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the ABA League JTD, Adriatic Basketba ...
, 15 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 37.0 , , , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 30 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


National team career


Yugoslavia

Petrović's national team debut came at the age of 15, at the Under-18 Balkan Championship in Turkey, where the Yugoslavia junior team won the bronze. The young man regularly played for the Yugoslavia national team in the Balkan Athletics Championships, Balkan Championships, also winning gold with the junior team and silver with the senior team. He also brought back the silver from the 1982 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in Bulgaria. The Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 Summer Olympics were Petrović's first competition of a grand scale with the Yugoslavia men's national basketball team, Yugoslavia senior national team, and the bronze medal won in Los Angeles that summer became his first Olympic medal. Third place was also earned at the 1986 FIBA World Championship, remembered for the last minute thriller in the semi-final game against the Soviet Union national basketball team, Soviet Union. Petrović was named the FIBA World Cup MVP, MVP of the tournament. At the 1987 EuroBasket, Petrović again returned with bronze, as Yugoslavia lost to the hosts and gold medalists Greek national basketball team, Greece. The Basketball at the Summer Universiade, University Games, held in Basketball at the 1987 Summer Universiade, Zagreb in 1987, saw the Yugoslavian squad with Petrović win the gold. In the Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament, 1988 Summer Olympics, Yugoslavia with Petrović, earned 2nd place, as they lost once more to the Soviet powerhouse. An excellent sports club, club season with Real Madrid Baloncesto, Real Madrid was topped by Petrović's 1989 accomplishment with the Yugoslavia national team: at EuroBasket 1989, the EuroBasket in Zagreb, the young Yugoslavian team went all the way, defeating Greece more than comfortably in the championship game. Petrović was the tournament's second leading scorer and FIBA EuroBasket MVP, Most Valuable Player. The very next year, the summer in between the two most frustrating seasons of his professional career, as he struggled for playing time with the Trail Blazers, Petrović was again making history with the national team, as Yugoslavia became world champions, after beating the Soviet Union for the gold in Buenos Aires, at the 1990 FIBA World Championship. Overall, Petrović represented Yugoslavia's senior national team in 155 games, in which he scored a total of 3,258 points, for a career scoring average of 21.0 points per game.


Croatia

The 1992 Summer Olympics, 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, marked the first summer Olympics featuring the independent Croatia, and Petrović was the leader of the Croatia men's national basketball team, Croatian national basketball team at the Basketball at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament, Olympic basketball tournament. Losing only to the American 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Dream Team in the group stage, a strong and inspired Croatian team emerged victorious from the Semifinals against Unified Team at the Olympics, the revamped Soviet team, thanks to clutch free throws executed by Petrović, and faced off against the Americans for the gold. Urged on by Petrović's competitiveness and confidence, the Croatians fared well in the first ten minutes of the game, taking a 25–23 lead on a Franjo Arapović dunk and the subsequent made free throw. As the game progressed, however, the now-legendary team composed of NBA stars proved too tough for Croatia: the Americans won 117–85, sending Petrović, the game's leading scorer with 24 points, and his teammates, home with silver medals.DrazenPetrovic.com
Nets New Jersey Story
/ref> In the period during which Petrović played for the senior Croatian national team (1992–1993), he appeared in 40 games and scored a total of 1,002 points, for a career scoring average of 25.1 points per game. His highest single-game point tally came against Estonia men's national basketball team, Estonia, on 31 May 1993 (48 points). Counting the senior national sports team, national team games that he played in with both Yugoslavia's and Croatia's national teams, Petrović scored a total of 4,260 points in 195 games played, for a career scoring average of 21.8 points per game.


Death and legacy

In the summer of 1993, after his best NBA season and the Nets' first-round elimination by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Petrović traveled to Wrocław, where the Croatia men's national basketball team, Croatian national team was playing a FIBA EuroBasket 1993 qualification, qualification tournament for the 1993 EuroBasket. He was contemplating departure from the Nets, disappointed with the fact that the Nets had not yet extended his contract. He told American reporters that the lack of recognition in the league made him also consider leaving the NBA completely and playing club basketball in Greece. There were at least two Greek clubs ready to offer Petrović three-year contracts worth US$7.5 million net. Petrović decided to skip the connection flight back to Zagreb and drive with his girlfriend back to Croatia. Petrović died in a traffic accident at about 5:20 p.m. on 7 June 1993. On the rain-drenched Bundesautobahn 9, Autobahn 9, he was a passenger in a car that was cut off by a semi-truck at Denkendorf, Bavaria, Denkendorf near Ingolstadt in the German state of Bavaria. According to the report of the Ingolstadt police, that afternoon a truck broke through the Autobahn central reservation, median; the driver was trying to avoid a collision with a personal vehicle in his own lane and lost control of the truck, crashing through the median barrier and finally coming to a stop and blocking all three lanes of traffic going in the opposite direction. Seconds later, the Volkswagen Golf carrying a sleeping Petrović in the passenger seat crashed into the truck, and Petrovic was ejected from the vehicle. According to the autopsy report, Petrovic died of severe head injuries on impact. The driver, Klara Szalantzy, a Hungarian model and basketball player with whom Petrović was romantically involved, and :tr:Hilal Edebal, Hilal Edebal, a female Turkey, Turkish basketball player, sustained serious injuries.HRT.hr
"Today in History - July 7th"
It was established that visibility on the road was very poor and neither Petrovic nor Edebal wore their seatbelts. According to Edebal, who incurred severe memory loss as a result of the accident and would never play basketball again, Szalantzy was driving , which was legal on the Autobahn. Szalantzy would return to modeling and basketball not long after. Petrović's tomb at Mirogoj Cemetery instantly became a sanctuary for his compatriots. The Cibona stadium was renamed the
Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall The Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall ( hr, Košarkaški centar Dražen Petrović), formerly known as Cibona Sports Centre ( hr, Sportski centar Cibona), is an indoor sports arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The official seating capacity of the ...
on 4 October 1993, and the city of Zagreb dedicated a square in his name, which was later followed by Šibenik and Vukovar, while Petrinja dedicated a street to him. Before Game 1 of the 1993 NBA Finals, the NBA held a moment of silence for Petrović, whose death occurred two days before the event began. The Nets retired his number 3 jersey on 11 November 1993. After 1994, the MVP award at the McDonald's Championship bore the name Dražen Petrović Trophy, and the Croatian Olympic Committee's award for young athletes was named for him in 2006. On 29 April 1995, a statue commemorating Petrović's significance to the world of sports was erected in front of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, thus making him only the second athlete to receive this honor. On 9 July 2001, having defeated Patrick Rafter to win the men's singles title at The Championships, Wimbledon, Wimbledon, Croatian tennis player Goran Ivanišević dedicated the win to Petrović; Ivanišević wore Petrović's Nets jersey amidst the 100,000 strong crowd celebrating his victory in Split (city), Split. Petrović was inducted posthumously into the List of players in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2006, the 13th anniversary of Petrović's death was marked with the opening of the Dražen Petrović Memorial Center in Zagreb, dedicated to his life and achievements, with ten themed galleries of multimedia content outlining his entire career and a statue of Dražen in shooting position in front of it. Petrović was enshrined in the
FIBA Hall of Fame The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA, in 1991. It includes the " Sam ...
in 2007.FIBA.com
FIBA Hall of Fame Profile
The 2010 documentary, ''Once Brothers'' (part of the ESPN ''30 for 30'' series), portrays the achievements of the Yugoslavia national basketball team in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and how the Yugoslav Wars tore the team apart. It explores Petrović's broken friendship with Serbian/Yugoslav player Vlade Divac. In 2011, a statue of him as a little boy sitting on a bench with a ball was unveiled in Šibenik, and his old room was renovated the way it looked when he was young, as a first part of opening a Memorial Center in his hometown. During the 2012 Three Point Shootout, New Jersey Nets guard Anthony Morrow wore Petrović's jersey in the latter's honor. In 2015, Australian writer Todd Spehr released a 470-page biography on Petrović, titled ''Dražen: The Remarkable Life & Legacy of the Mozart of Basketball''. On 3 June 2015, Croatian basketball journalists Marjan Crnogaj and Vlado Radicevic released a 487-page biography, the global paperback edition of which was released on 14 October 2017.


Reactions


Accomplishments and awards


Club competitions

;EuroLeague, European Champions Cup * Champion: 1984–85 FIBA European Champions Cup, 1985, 1985–86 FIBA European Champions Cup, 1986 ;Saporta Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup * Champion: 1986–87 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup, 1987, 1988–89 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup, 1989 ;Yugoslav First Basketball League, Yugoslavian Championship * Champion: 1984–85 Yugoslav First Basketball League, 1985 ;Yugoslav Basketball Cup, Yugoslavian Cup * Winner: 1985, 1986, 1988 ;Spanish Basketball King's Cup, Spanish Cup * Winner: 1989 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto, 1989 ;NBA Finals * Runner-up: 1990 NBA Finals, 1990 ;FIBA Korać Cup, Korać Cup * Runner-up: 1981–82 FIBA Korać Cup, 1982, 1982–83 FIBA Korać Cup, 1983, 1987–88 FIBA Korać Cup, 1988 ;Liga ACB, Spanish Championship * Runner-up: 1988–89 ACB season, 1989 ;Personal * Yugoslav First Basketball League, Yugoslav First League: most points scored by an individual, in a league game (112). *
Spanish ACB League The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...
: most points scored by an individual, in a final series game (42). * Spanish ACB League: most 3-point field goals made by an individual, in a final series game (8). * NBA: second highest 3-point field goal percentage (.444) in 1991–92 NBA season, 1991–92. * NBA: fourth highest field goal percentage among guards (.508) in 1991–92. * NBA: second highest 3-point field goal percentage (.449) 1992–93 NBA season, 1992–93. * NBA: second highest field goal percentage among guards (.518) 1992–93. * NBA: third best career 3-point field goal percentage (.437).


National teams

;Basketball at the Summer Olympics, Summer Olympics * :
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicentenn ...
,
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
* :
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
;FIBA World Championship * :
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
* :
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal ent ...
;
FIBA EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...
* :
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
* :
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
;Basketball at the Summer Universiade, Summer Universiade * : Basketball at the 1987 Summer Universiade, 1987 * : Basketball at the 1983 Summer Universiade, 1983 ;Balkan Championship for Junior Men * : 1982 * : 1982 ;Balkan Championship for Cadets * : 1981 ;Balkan Basketball Championship, Balkan Championship * : 1984 ;FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship * : 1982 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, 1982 ;Personal * Balkan Championship for Junior Men Best Player: 1982 * FIBA World Cup MVP:
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal ent ...
*
FIBA EuroBasket MVP The FIBA EuroBasket MVP is the FIBA Europe honor that is bestowed upon the Most Valuable Player of each FIBA EuroBasket tournament. Pau Gasol and Krešimir Ćosić share the record for most EuroBasket MVP awards, with two each. Modestas Paulausk ...
:
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...


Dražen Petrović Memorial Center

A museum named "The Dražen Petrović Memorial Center" was founded in his honor, and constitutes a co-operative effort led by the Dražen Petrović Foundation in conjunction with the Croatian government, the city of Zagreb and the Croatian Museum of Sports. The memorial center idea originated from Petrović's parents, Biserka and Jole Petrovic, and was supported with the contributions of Croatian architects Andrija Rusan and Niksa Bilic. All of the articles presented in the center have been collected and categorized by the Croatian Museum of Sports. The organization and operations of the center have been provided by the Dražen Petrović Foundation, which is led by Petrović's family. The Center contains his No. 3 New Jersey Nets jersey and the watch that stopped when he died in a car crash. The center features 1,000 memorabilia items and a video of his basketball highlights. The official opening of the museum was held on 7 June 2006, while the official opening of the center to the public began at the end of December 2006. The square on which the center is operated upon has been renamed to ''Dražen Petrović Square'' in his honor.Hawkesworth, Celia. (2007). Zagreb: a cultural and literary history, Signal Books. , , page 188. https://books.google.com/books?id=eBSxMUKFJDEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=&f=false In 2013, former NBA MVP Derrick Rose visited the museum. File:Drazen Statue6b.jpg File:Drazen Statue5b.jpg File:Drazen Statue9b.jpg File:Drazen Statue8b.jpg File:Dražen Petrović.jpg


See also

* List of basketball players who died during their careers * List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game * Yugoslav First Federal Basketball League career stats leaders


References


Sources

* * * *


External links

*
Drazen Petrovic Museum







Drazen Petrovic at the Basketball Hall of Fame

Euroleague.net 50 greatest contributors




* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petrovic, Drazen 1964 births 1993 deaths 1986 FIBA World Championship players 1990 FIBA World Championship players Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Šibenik Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Croatian expatriate basketball people in Spain Croatian expatriate basketball people in the United States Croatian men's basketball players Croatian people of Serbian descent Euroscar award winners FIBA EuroBasket-winning players FIBA Hall of Fame inductees FIBA World Championship-winning players KK Cibona players KK Šibenik players Liga ACB players Medalists at the 1983 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association players from Croatia National Basketball Association players with retired numbers New Jersey Nets players Olympic basketball players of Croatia Olympic basketball players of Yugoslavia Olympic bronze medalists for Yugoslavia Olympic medalists in basketball Olympic silver medalists for Croatia Olympic silver medalists for Yugoslavia Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Real Madrid Baloncesto players Recipients of the Olympic Order Road incident deaths in Germany Shooting guards Universiade gold medalists for Yugoslavia Universiade medalists in basketball Universiade silver medalists for Yugoslavia Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Spain Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in the United States Yugoslav men's basketball players