Gordan Giriček (born June 20, 1977) is a Croatian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. Standing at , he played the shooting guard and

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

positions. Over eighteen years of professional basketball, he played in the NBA for several teams, including

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

, Orlando Magic,

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Phoenix Suns. He also played for several European teams, including Cibona,

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...

and Fenerbahçe.

Professional career

Early years

Giriček, the shooting guard–

started playing basketball with the youth section of a small local club in Zagreb called Jedinstvo. Later on, he joined the Zagreb-based club Cibona, and while playing there he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round (40th pick overall) in the 1999 NBA draft and traded by the Mavericks to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

for Leon Smith. However, he never played for the Spurs, who traded his draft rights to the

for a second-round pick in the 2004 NBA draft. He stayed in his native country Croatia until 2001. In the summer of 2001, he signed a contract with the Russian team

, playing the 2001–2002 season there. He had a breakthrough season, averaging 22.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists over 18 games of the Euroleague.

Memphis Grizzlies (2002–2003)

He came to the United States in 2002. In his NBA debut game with the

, he scored 29 points. He played a total of 49 regular season games for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 11.2 points per game.

Orlando Magic (2003–2004)

On February 19, 2003, day before trade deadline, he was traded by Memphis, with Drew Gooden, to the Orlando Magic for Mike Miller,

Ryan Humphrey Ryan Ashley Humphrey (born July 24, 1979) is a former American professional basketball player, at the power forward position. Humphrey is currently an assistant basketball coach at The University of Oklahoma. Previously he was a coach at Notre ...

, a future first-round draft pick and a future second-round draft pick. He ended that season on the NBA's All-Rookie second team.

Utah Jazz (2004–2007)

On February 19, 2004, Giricek was traded by the Orlando Magic to the

for

DeShawn Stevenson DeShawn Stevenson (born April 3, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Stevenson played for six teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during a 13-year career. He originally committed to play at the University of ...

and a future second-round draft pick. He scored a career-high 33 points against the Phoenix Suns on March 12, 2004. With Utah, his main role was that of a shooting threat off the bench; he was also a part-time starter. While a competent defender, his best asset was his efficient three-point shooting. During the 2007 playoffs, he shot 53.8% from the three point line en route to an appearance in the Western Conference Finals. After their loss to the Spurs in five games,

Deron Williams Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. A thr ...

ripped the efforts of Giriček and

Mehmet Okur Mehmet Murat Okur (born 26 May 1979) is a Turkish former professional basketball player. Listed at , he played as a power forward and center. Okur is known for his three-point shooting and ability to space the floor. In his seven seasons with ...

. Ronnie Brewer was named Utah's starting shooting guard after a strong performance in the 2007–08 preseason, relegating Giriček back to the bench. On December 19, Giriček was sent home from a game in Charlotte after a heated argument with coach

Jerry Sloan Gerald Eugene Sloan (March 28, 1942 – May 22, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent ...

. Though Giriček and Sloan indicated they moved on from the incident, Utah was reportedly intent on trading him, and the game in Charlotte would indeed be his last with the Jazz.

Philadelphia 76ers (2007–2008)

Giriček was traded from the Jazz to the Philadelphia 76ers on December 26, 2007, in exchange for

Kyle Korver Kyle Elliot Korver (born March 17, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who currently serves as the director of player affairs and development for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played col ...

and a future first-round draft pick from the Jazz. He played as a Sixer against the Jazz five days later, and was booed in his return to Utah. On February 29, 2008, he was waived by the 76ers, after appearing in 12 games with the team. He was waived in time to allow him to join a playoff team and qualify for their postseason roster.

Phoenix Suns (2008)

On March 4, 2008, the Phoenix Suns signed Giriček for the remainder of the season. He was involved in an altercation with Suns teammate

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

, and was choked out.

Fenerbahçe (2008–2010)

In August 2008, 31-year-old Giriček left the NBA and returned to Europe. He signed a 2-year

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

4 million euros

net income In business and accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest, a ...

contract with the Turkish team Fenerbahçe. He was released on May 15, 2010.Giricek ile Yollarımız Ayrıldı

Cibona Zagreb (2010–2011)

In December 2010, he signed a contract with

Cibona Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and competes ...

in his native country of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

until the end of the 2010–11 season. After this season, he retired from professional basketball.

Croatian national basketball team

Giriček was a member of the

Croatian national basketball team The Croatia men's national basketball team ( hr, Hrvatska košarkaška reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international basketball matches. The team is controlled by the Croatian Basketball Federation (HKS). The biggest success Croatia has ...

. With Croatia, he played at 5 consecutive European Championships: the 1997 European Championship, 1999 European Championship, 2001 European Championship, 2003 European Championship, and the 2005 European Championship.

Personal life

In December 2003 Giriček married his long-time girlfriend Nataša Gulan, in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

. In February 2004 Nataša gave birth to their first and only child, a girl they named Lara. In July 2004 Giriček signed a contract with the Jazz worth $16 million through 4 years. At that time, Giriček asked his wife to sign a

postnuptial agreement A postnuptial agreement is a written agreement executed after a couple gets married, or have entered a civil union, to settle the couple's affairs and assets in the event of a separation or divorce. It may be "notarized" or acknowledged and may ...

. His lawyers drew up the agreement so that in case of a divorce, his wife would get the total salaries that she would have earned had she stayed at

VIPnet A1 Hrvatska d.o.o. is a Croatian telecommunications company owned by A1 Telekom Austria Group. The comapny was launched in July 1999 as Vipnet and rebranded to A1 in 2018. History 1999–2009 Granted the concession for the second GSM networ ...

, the mobile telephony company that she worked for before meeting Giriček. Gulan refused to sign the agreement and, in August 2004, Giriček decided to file for divorce after his wife had left him and moved to her mother's house with their child, with Gulan demanding $1.5 million. In February 2007, a court in Croatia decided that Giriček's wife was to get $102,500. Giriček pays $1,500 per month in child support. During court trial his wife's lawyer wrote to Giriček's present and past clubs, requesting information about the player's earnings but, as such information was not demanded by Croatian courts, it was never disclosed by any of the teams. In July 2007, he decided not to join the Croatian national team for the 2007 European Championship because of dissidence with his ex-wife, as Gulan did not honor a child visiting agreement ordered by court, by which the player was to be with Lara during July, thus arriving on time for national team pre-tournament camp. Gulan argued that she got her holiday at that time and that it was unchangeable, also wanting to spend time with her daughter.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 49 , , 35 , , 24.2 , , .433 , , .354 , , .822 , , 2.2 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .1 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

, 27 , , 27 , , 35.6 , , .440 , , .328 , , .816 , , 4.8 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 14.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 48 , , 25 , , 29.9 , , .440 , , .407 , , .827 , , 3.4 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .2 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, 25 , , 18 , , 24.2 , , .431 , , .359 , , .883 , , 2.5 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .2 , , 13.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 44 , , 20.5 , , .448 , , .362 , , .810 , , 2.2 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .1 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 37 , , 36 , , 25.8 , , .433 , , .305 , , .754 , , 1.9 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , .1 , , 10.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 61 , , 6 , , 19.5 , , .462 , , .426 , , .816 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .1 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 22 , , 0 , , 12.7 , , .402 , , .353 , , 1.000 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .6 , , .0 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 12 , , 0 , , 9.2 , , .317 , , .333 , , .750 , , 1.2 , , .9 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 22 , , 0 , , 20.1 , , .497 , , .380 , , .941 , , 2.3 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 8.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 384 , , 191 , , 23.0 , , .442 , , .368 , , .823 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .1 , , 9.6

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2003 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , 7 , , 31.9 , , .464 , , .333 , , .818 , , 3.1 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .1 , , 9.4 , - , align="left" , 2007 , align="left" ,

, 17 , , 3 , , 18.1 , , .418 , , .538 , , .875 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .1 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , 2008 , align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 16.0 , , .333 , , .250 , , 1.000 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 29 , , 10 , , 21.0 , , .424 , , .444 , , .871 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .2 , , .1 , , 6.4

Euroleague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2000–01 , style="text-align:left;", Cibona , 6 , , 4 , , 27.0 , , .232 , , .129 , , .788 , , 3.0 , , .8 , , .3 , , .0 , , 10.3 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2001–02 , style="text-align:left;",

, 18 , , 17 , , 32.9 , , .528 , , .373 , , .808 , , 3.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 22.9 , , 20.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;", Fenerbahçe , 5 , , 3 , , 28.1 , , .353 , , .250 , , .842 , , 3.2 , , 1.2 , , 1.6 , , .0 , , 11.4 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;", Fenerbahçe , 10 , , 3 , , 21.2 , , .394 , , .367 , , .833 , , 2.9 , , .8 , , .3 , , .0 , , 8.2 , , 4.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 39 , , 27 , , 28.4 , , .446 , , .311 , , .810 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .0 , , 15.7 , , 12.3

Notes

External links

NBA.com Profile

Euroleague.net Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giricek, Gordan 1977 births Living people Croatian expatriate basketball people in Turkey Croatian expatriate basketball people in the United States Croatian expatriate basketball people in Russia Croatian people of Czech descent Croatian men's basketball players Dallas Mavericks draft picks Fenerbahçe men's basketball players KK Cibona players Memphis Grizzlies players National Basketball Association players from Croatia Orlando Magic players PBC CSKA Moscow players Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns players Shooting guards Small forwards Basketball players from Zagreb Utah Jazz players