If you remember watching Drazen Petrovic play the game of basketball, consider yourself lucky. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have those memories. A native of Croatia, Petrovic played college ball at the University of Zagreb in Yugoslavia. He was drafted in the third round of the 1986 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers.
Petro, as he was called my most, became a fan-favorite wherever he played. For the Blazers, and later in New Jersey when he was traded to the Nets before the trade deadline in January 1991.
For those not familiar with Petrovic, his coming to the NBA in ’86 was the move that started to shift the dynamic of the league. He was one of the most talked about international players at the time, if not the most talked about. To go with that, he was arguably the best international player as well, and is still regarded as that today by many fans.
He made his NBA debut in 1989 with Portland after spending three years overseas after being drafted. Petro played only a little more than a full season for the team who drafted him. He was traded to the New Jersey Nets, and the rest was history.
Instantly becoming the fan-favorite in Jersey, Drazen proved why he was the talk of international players. He averaged more than 37 minutes per game in his two years there, putting up nearly 22 points a night. Coaches, players and media said he played with a rare mentality and intensity that was hard to match.
Wednesday would’ve been his 50th birthday, and in his honor, the NBA and players across the league showed their respect and love for his game. Blazers guard/forward Nicolas Batum posted this picture of Petro to his Instagram in his memory.
Batum captioned under the photo: “He would have been 50 today #Petrovic #Legend #RIP”.
Tragedy truly struck on June 7, 1993. Drazen Petrovic was in a car accident that took his life much too soon while he was in Germany. After just four seasons in the NBA, the league and fans lost one of the most beloved, talented players in the game.
In 2002, he was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player. The legacy of Drazen is carried on in Croatia, where they have set up The Drazen Petrovic Memorial Center and the Drazen Petrovic Foundation, which also boasts a museum with a number of memorabilia and tributes to Drazen.
Croatia’s government and the city of Zagreb are large sponsors and collaborators of the foundation. It is said that the Croatian people celebrate and party at his grave every year in his homeland.
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