Vlade Divac
| File:Vlade Divac.png | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 3, 1968 Prijepolje, Serbia, Yugoslavia |
| Nationality | Serbia |
| Listed height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) |
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1989: 26th |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Playing career | 1986–2005 |
| Position | Center |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| European Champion (1989; 1991; 1995; 1997; 2001) World Champion (1990; 1998; 2002) | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | ||
 |
1988 Seoul | Yugoslavia |
|
1996 Atlanta | Yugoslavia |
Vlade Divac (Serbian: Владе Дивац) (Born 3 February, 1968) is a former NBA player. He was born in Prijepolje, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) and played as a center known for his great passing skills.
Basketball career
He began his professional basketball in then-Yugoslavia playing for Sloga Kraljevo. In 1986 started to play for KK Partizan Belgrade.
Drafted into the NBA in 1989, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers and was one of the first European players to have an impact on the league. He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant in 1996. He later signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings where he played from 1998 to 2004 alongside fellow countryman Peja Stojakovic.
After the 2003-2004 season, he became a free agent. He signed a deal to return to the Lakers and was part of a grand plan to overhaul Laker basketball. The Lakers, following a defeat in the NBA Finals, had traded away or released most of their players, including star center Shaquille O'Neal; Divac was supposed to fill that void. However, Divac had back problems and was unsure if he could play. On 14 July, 2005, Divac announced his retirement, ending his sixteen year basketball career.
Post-basketball career
Vlade is an active restaurant investor in the Sacramento area. He is also a prominent philanthropist who runs his own charity, called Group Seven. He and his wife have four children, two of which are war orphans, from Bosnia and Kosovo.
From 2005-2006, Vlade was employed as European scout for Los Angeles Lakers.
Vlade is currently the head of operations for Real Madrid basketball club.
In mid-2005, there was controversy over him avoiding the military draft in his native Yugoslavia. The incident has since been resolved.
Vlade has been involved in many non-basketball endevours while still actively playing in the NBA, and especially after he retired.
KK Partizan president
In late 2000, after the overthrow of Milosevic regime, Vlade and former teammate Predrag Danilovic took over their former club KK Partizan. The club was a launching pad for both of their basketball careers in late 1980s and early 1990s and it was only fitting they'd now play prominent parts in its management. Vlade became the club's president while Danilovic took the vice-president role. Freshly retired Danilovic was actually running the club's day-to-day operations since Divac was still very actively involved with the Sacramento Kings at the time.
Though the duo never stated so outright, their main motivation in getting involved with KK Partizan again was perceived to be gaining the upper hand on club's eventual privatisation process once the new Law on Sports gets passed in Serbian parliament. Since the exact ownership structure of publicly owned KK Partizan isn't really clear, potential investors decided to stay away, at least until the law appears. Divac and Danilovic appeared pretty much out of nowhere in this regard but enjoyed plenty of fan and public support because most preferred to see their beloved club owned and operated by its former stars rather than a faceless corporation. However, after few years the duo ran out of patience and pulled out of the venture in late 2004 because it became too much of a financial burden with no end goal in sight.
While they currently perform no official functions at the club, Divac and Danilovic continue to be involved with it in lesser capacity.
Attempt to buy Knjaz Miloš
Simultaneously with his NBA career and KK Partizan involvement, Vlade had his hand in another highly publicized business venture - Knjaz Miloš takeover bid.
Knjaz Miloš is a leading Serbian distributor of bottled spring and mineral water. Based in Arandjelovac, the company owns a couple of springs in the town and has over the years built a sizable distribution network in addition to respected and recognizable brand.
When the government of Serbia decided to sell its majority stake in the company, potential buyers started lining around the block. Divac hooked up with the French food products giants Danone, but they ended up losing out to a competing offer from FPP Balkan Ltd. that bought 212,223 shares of the company, which made it the majority owner (58.07%)[1].
Real Madrid head of basketball operations
In June 2006, Divac linked up with Ramón Calderón as part of his candidate bid for the presidency of Real Madrid polideportivo. When Calderón closely won the club elections on July 2, 2006, Divac became the head of operations at Real Madrid basketball club.
Major career achievements
- Won gold medal with Yugoslavia at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis, USA.
- Earned first selection to NBA All-Star Game in 2001
- Ranked 12th in the NBA in field-goal percentage (.503) in 1999-2000
- Ranked 2nd on the Kings in scoring (14.3 ppg), rebounds (10.0 rpg, 10th in the NBA), assists (4.3 apg) and blocked shots (1.02 bpg) in 1998-99
- Ranks 4th in Lakers' franchise history with 830 blocked shots
- Appeared in the 1991 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls and has averaged 12.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 2.4 apg in 63 career NBA Playoff games
- Named to the 1989-90 NBA All-Rookie First Team after averaging 8.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg for the Lakers
- Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-18 nationals at the European Kadet Championships of Basketball in Rousse, Bulgaria in 1985
- Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 nationals at the European Junior Championships of Basketball in Gmunden, Austria in 1986
- Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 nationals at the FIBA World Junior Championships of Basketball in Bormio, Italy in 1987, defeating Team USA twice in that tournament
- Earned silver medals with Yugoslavia at the 1988 and with FRY at the 1996 Olympics
- Earned gold medals with Yugoslavia at the 1990 Argentina and with FRY at the 2002 USA FIBA World Championships
- Earned gold medals with Yugoslavia at the 1989 Zagreb, Yugoslavia 1991 Rome, Italy and with FRY at the 1995 Athens, Greece European Championships
- KK Partizan Belgrade Yugoslavia Championship in 1987
- KK Partizan Belgrade Yugoslavia National Cup Winer 1989
- KK Partizan Belgrade Yugoslavia European Cup Winer 1989
- Joins Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA History to amass 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocked shots
Quotes
- "It's been a great ride, and I wish I could have stayed longer and been a factor, but that is just basketball" -Divac when he announced his retirement from the NBA.
Trivia
- During his time with the Lakers, Vlade's popularity and marketing potential, in addition to his entertaining and good-natured personality, were picked up on by the American TV industry. As a result he appeared quite a few times on Los Angeles-based late night programmes such as The Arsenio Hall Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He also appeared in American sitcoms Married... with Children and Coach, as well as in the short lived Good Sports sitcom starring Farrah Fawcett. On the big screen Divac took part in basketball based movies Eddie, Space Jam and Juwanna Mann.
- Divac is genuinely adored by most of the public in his native Serbia. As such he is in major demand for high profile marketing campaigns, even well after his playing career has ended. He regularly appears in commercials pitching products ranging from Atlas Beer to Societe Generale Bank mortgage credit plans.
- Democratic Party (DS) candidate Boris Tadić received a major boost when Divac backed him in the 2004 Serbian Presidental Elections. The two played a game of one-on-one street basketball as part of a campaign photo-op leading up to the second round runoff vote. Tadić ended up winning the election.
- He was one of the few NBA players who regularly smoked cigarettes throughout the course of his career.