Marko Savkovic today takes a look at Radnički’s comeback, particularly in light of exciting things from American players David Simon and Michael Scott.

“Until one’s star fades the other does not begin to shine,” goes a well known Serbian proverb. While news of the week depicted Hemofarm’s imminent collapse, the players of Radnički Kragujevac meanwhile reserved their time under the spotlight. After a disappointing start, they have beaten the likes of Red Star Belgrade, Cibona Zagreb and Partizan, to mention just a few, and are a strong – some even argue the strongest – contender ahead of the Serbian Korac Cup.

One should not be surprised. Although a relative newcomer to the Adriatic League (as well as to Serbian basketball), this team has evolved. Built around the charismatic persona of Miroslav Muta Nikolic, well known for his direct, no-nonsense approach to basketball, supported by an ambitious organization,* Radnički has managed to beat opponents with star-laden rosters. And in this modern Cinderella story, two Americans – playing their first ever season in Serbia – have proven vital for the team’s success.

(*How ambitious? The mayor of Kragujevac and former Vice-President of the Serbian Government, to cite two names, helped initiate the club’s move to Kragujevac and attracted sponsors.)

David Simon, first of the two U.S. players on the squad, has been good enough that he’s on the way to becoming the ABA regular-season MVP. After suffering early injuries to both his knees, which prevented him from playing in the NBA out of Indiana University Perdue (IPFW), Simon came to Serbia after building his career in Korea, Bulgaria and France.

Along with two other “regular underdogs,” Miljan Pavkovic and Steven Markovic, Simon exemplifies the way Radnički likes to play basketball: wide. Most offensive plays start with Pavkovic/Markovic and Simon going for the pick. If it goes in, great; if not, there will be someone lying in wait for the perimeter shot. When and if opponent’s defense is well set, isolation is played for Michael Scott or Boris Bakic, a surprise package on the low post. Although Scott can get carried away – once managing eight turnovers in a single game – he is better known for his ability to posterize anyone who stands in his way, say, Marino Bazdaric.

Simon and Scott’s numbers are at times impressive. For example, in Radnički’s away win at Cibona Zagreb, Scott scored 31 points on 10-of-14 field goal shooting while Simon, despite limited playing time, managed to score 26 with a hard-to-believe 11-of-14 from inside the paint. Against Partizan, it was Pavkovic’s turn to shine: The team captain scored 23, followed by Simon and Markovic, with 18 and 17 points respectively.

With Europe already in sight, Radnički could actually reach another milestone, this year’s ABA Final Four in Tel Aviv. In order to do so, the defense must improve, something coach Muta has been insisting on. Yet, aside from Bakic and Stefan Sinovec, there are no dedicated and hardworking defensive-minded players in the rest of the team: This is why Radnički allows its opponents way too many offensive rebounds and second-chance points.

Nevertheless, Radnički’s amazing comeback has been the story of the season so far. More surprise results are sure to come.

Marko Savkovic fell in love with basketball because: a) his older brother used to play, so it must have been a cool thing to do; and b) he witnessed Vlade Divac, Dino Radja and Toni Kukoc play an exhibition match back in 1988. After learning the fundamentals with Partizan Belgrade, Marko spent four years in FMP Zeleznik’s youth system and another three playing lower-division ball. Years later, as a political science graduate, he found a different career for himself, yet remained devoted to hoops. For BallinEurope, he will be closely following developments in the Adriatic league. You may write him at markosavkovic@gmail.com.

Most recent departures from the club include coach Zeljko Lukjić, who resigned his position yesterday, and Galatasaray addition Boris Savovic.

The perhaps soon to be renamed Vrsac is currently mired near the bottom of the Adriatic League table, tied for 11th of 14 teams with a record of 5-12 after the disastrous nine-game losing streak leading to Lukjić’s departure.

The news marks quite a blow for a club that has enjoyed some fantastic success since the millennium turned, with a 2004-05 Adriatic League championship and a second place finish in 2007-08; a silver medal in the 2000-01 Korac Cup; three seconds in the Serbian Cup tournament; and five appearances in the Serbian league finals, including back-to-back showings in the past two seasons.

While indicative of the general financial problems affecting professional sports in certain European nations, fans cannot be happy with another step back in what some see as a general devolution of Serbian basketball.

Ask any coach what a young player needs to develop, and he will answer: “playing time.” Readiness to open the floor to skinny teenagers in order to gradually turn them into match winners used to be one of defining features of ex-Yu ball. Coaches were not advised only by their instinct. The talent pool was wider and deeper. The league was more competitive. Local teams were built on youth systems and were proud of the talent in store. Due to restrictions, these teenagers were not sold abroad early, while guys with more experience were kept on the roster. What was the end result? When one team that was neither from Belgrade or Zagreb – namely, Jugoplastika Split – achieved its unforgettable threepeat.

Two decades later, things have changed dramatically. There are fewer players to choose from. Many youth systems have collapsed due to lack of funding. Yet, teams still must win in order to attract publicity and sponsorships. In doing this, defense is the key. Points are built on discipline, patience, positioning and calculated aggression: This in turn translates into fewer minutes for the youngsters who must learn fast and impress quickly or leave.

Take for instance Danilo Andjusic, who rose to prominence as a 19-year old sharpshooter with Hemofarm. He has struggled with playing time since his arrival at Partizan, earning his right to become the team’s go-to guy in Saturday’s Adriatic League loss against Maccabi Tel Aviv only after Acie Law’s controversial departure.

Though questioned about inconsistency, Andjusic played superbly against the Pride of Israel. Positioned as a combo guard by coach Vladimir Jovanovic, he passed the ball around, made steals, forced fouls, and did what he does best: drained two successive three-pointers to open a run which ended in game’s 15th minute with Partizan up 34-21. Andjusic’s offensive intensity was paired with fine role-filling by Vladimir Lučić and Milan Mačvan. It was only Maccabi’s depth – Jon Scheyer and Yogev Ohayon somewhat unexpectedly scored important points – that forced Partizan into defeat.

Having no point guard in sight might just turn out OK for Partizan, as long as young guys get the space they need. Things won’t necessarily go that way, however.

One year Andjusic’s senior, Nemanja Nedovic has to fight for his minutes again after a move to Vilnius was reportedly called off at the last moment. What was his main concern? You guessed it: playing time. An explosive fast breaker who helped the fledgling Red Star avoid relegation last season, Nedovic found himself sitting on the bench as renowned coach Svetislav Pesic looked for options on both sides of the floor, not only in offense. It remains unclear who exactly started the rumor of imminent transfer or whether the player was in fact really halfway out the door. But we do know that, after what must have been a sleepless night, he paid a house call to his coach, humbly choosing to stay and improve his game.

(The top bolded bit in the Serbian-language Mondo article has Pesic stating that he is proud to have Nedovic on the team and that the player came to him for a tete-a-tete. Pesic also confirms that Nedovic had received an offer from another club. –Ed.)

Whether Nedovic staying will pay dividends for Red Star is still unknown. But so far, so good: in Friday’s opening game, Red Star topped Zlatorog 70-56, with six points scored by Nedovic.

Marko Savkovic fell in love with basketball because: a) his older brother used to play, so it must have been a cool thing to do; and b) he witnessed Vlade Divac, Dino Radja and Toni Kukoc play an exhibition match back in 1988. After learning the fundamentals with Partizan Belgrade, Marko spent four years in FMP Zeleznik’s youth system and another three playing lower-division ball. Years later, as a political science graduate, he found a different career for himself, yet remained devoted to hoops. For BallinEurope, he will be closely following developments in the Adriatic League. You may write him at markosavkovic@gmail.com.

In December, Armani Jeans Milano denied Partizan Belgrade from playing in its sixth consecutive Top 16 phase of the Euroleague. And yet again, in what is now considered a trademark display of affection, fans continued singing to their players and the team they love after the buzzer. They were grateful for what they considered a memorable season in which their team again defeated the likes of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Real Madrid.

This stood in sharp contrast with results of KK Zagreb and Union Olimpija, representing what is left of the Yugoslav basketball school. Only Partizan came close (in fact, a mere two points close) to a second-phase berth. Perhaps this was expected from the league’s powerhouse, recognized for being “a system” by many, including current Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Ettore Messina. Yet, how do they do it? What makes them competitive year after year?

Partizan plays tough on both sides of the court. Points are earned through hard work, constant screens, ferocious offensive rebounding. High-low ball movement gets repeated on and on, tiring the opponent’s defense, while agile forwards lie in wait for the scoring opportunity. Defensive intensity, trapping and pressing is equally impressive, and fast-forwards into crowd-pleasing slam dunks – This is why conditioning is everything.

Goran Grbovic, who back in 1988 took part in Partizan’s first EL Final Four appearance, affirmed this by saying “we are not artists [anymore], we are hard workers.” And he should know, since Vlade Divac, Žarko Paspalj, and Alexander Djordjevic – all basketball magicians in their time – were his teammates.

No one can explain “the system” better than the man who created it. Dusko “Dule” Vujosevic, Partizan’s legendary coach who now presides over Partizan’s entire sports association, presented some of its underpinnings in several of the “year’s wrap up” interviews. For Vujosevic, an avid reader and collector of fine arts, training one player can equal to transforming his personality: His role was to detach every individual from his own, egoistic self and subdue him to a greater, collective good. And one true personality is best discovered in a game. “You can easily discern if somebody is selfish, vain or prone to manipulation,” Vujosevic argues. What he gets in return is the ultimate reward: his players improving, not only on the court.

Every year, this system Dule helped set up gives birth to at least one outstanding young player. This season it was Vladimir Lucic’s turn to shine. Before Lucic, there was Jan Vesely in 2010; before Vesely, there were Novica Velickovic, Milenko Tepic, and many more. The sad truth behind this is that in order to survive financially, Partizan must sell its best players, most likely to the same teams they have helped beat in the first place (Pekovic and Tepic, for instance, were both sold to Panathinaikos).

Yet with the system in place, this is not an issue. Players overlooked by scouts, rejected for either being untalented or prone to injuries, forgotten as they reach their mid-20s, used to come to Partizan not knowing what to expect. Today, after Milt Palacio, Stephane Lasme, Alex Maric, Lawrence Roberts, Bo McCalebb and many others jumpstarted their careers after spending only one year with the club, Belgrade has become a desired destination. As Vujosevic puts it, “these foreigners were not nearly that good when they arrived. We place them in the system and they improve, too.” The same goes for homegrown talent: After leaving Hemofarm for Maccabi, Milan Macvan was determined to find his playing time in Partizan.

In effect, Partizan has transformed the way basketball is being played in the Adriatic. They not only have changed the pace of the game, introducing their distinctive style of physical basketball: What this club has achieved is more – a bond of love and respect between players, coaching staff and the fans – to last for years to come.

Marko Savkovic fell in love with basketball because: a) his older brother used to play, so it must have been a cool thing to do; and b) he witnessed Vlade Divac, Dino Radja and Toni Kukoc play an exhibition match back in 1988. After learning the fundamentals with Partizan Belgrade, Marko spent four years in FMP Zeleznik’s youth system and another three playing lower-division ball. Years later, as a political science graduate, he found a different career for himself, yet remained devoted to hoops. For BallinEurope, he will be closely following developments in the Adriatic league. You may write him at markosavkovic@gmail.com.

Though still technically contracted to Olimpija, alleged lack of payment caused Bertans to look for a better offer in Europe. (BiE believes the Latvian couldn’t have been too happy about a relative lack of playing time early in 2011-12, either.) According to Partizan officials, Bertans could suit up in black and white as early as Saturday, when the Grobari host Zagreb CO in Adriatic League play.

In the midst of the NBA’s labor issues, Acie signed with Partizan Belgrade from the Golden State Warriors as a free agent to a contract containing no opt-out clause should the player lockout be lifted. Nevertheless, he informed coach Vladimir Jovanica that he wouldn’t continue with the Grobari into 2012. Partizan officials, as they say, accepted his resignation.

But BiE can dig nothing up on the Knicks’ interest in the Law man. Anyone know something substantial about this…?

With a loss to Emporio Armani Milano in the final game of the Euroleague regular season, the Black-and-Whites did not qualify for the Top 16 round. Law had a decent 2011-12 with Partizan, averaging 35.3 minutes, 12.7 points, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steal per EL game and 9.8 points in 24.8 minutes per in the Adriatic League. He twice went for 20 or more in matches against Belgacom Spirou.

In a game tournament officials are calling “very scorching,” consisting of “forty tremendous minutes of pure basketball,” tourney MVP Luka Maksimovic tallied the two clutchest shots of the Rinus de Jong final. Maksimovic tied the game at 74-74 with 0:01 remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter to send the teams to OT, and drove the lane for a layup to score the game’s final points.

Placing third was U.S.-based Wilbraham & Monson Academy prep, while hometown Eiffel Towers den Bosch finished fourth.

In the U18 final, undefeated VEF Riga took on Canarias, whom they’d destroyed in game two of pool play, 80-58. This “attractive match” stayed close until the fourth quarter, when Riga finally managed to pull away after threes from Davis Geks and Kristaps Gluditis; the Bulgarian side ultimately won by a final score of 77-66. Gluditis was good for 20 points, and Netherlands players Shane Hammink and Floris Versteeg were top scorers for Canarias, with 18 and 16 points, respectively.

For third place, IBA Tel Aviv went off on Atletas Kaunas, winning 106-79 for the bronze.

Top scorer of the tournament was Boris Bojanovsky of CBA’s U21 side; the best defensive player went to Janis Berzins of VEF Riga; and Riga’s Ivars Rihards Zvigurs was named the “most talented player.”

Serbian team Mega Vizura took the inaugural competition in the U20 bracket of the Dutch invitational tourney last year. This year, Belgrade Select brings twin towers from the Partizan organization in 6’10½ (210cm) Dusan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Miskovic; Bogdanovic was pursued by Real Madrid earlier this year and is said to be undergoing scouting from the NBA.

Competing with the Belgrade squad in the U21 bracket are Wilbraham & Monson Academy of the US, Canarias Basketball Academy and home team Eiffel Towers Den Bosch.

Rinus de Jong Invitational officials have also announced a basketball clinic will precede the tournament with coaches Raoul Korner of Eiffel Towers and Wilbraham & Monson’s Chris Sparks will be tutoring coaches in basketball tactics and practice from 9.30am to 1pm on December 30.

Alas, it was not to be. The Serbian sharpshooter will not be part of the Dallas Mavericks’ quest to repeat as NBA champions, announcing his retirement from professional basketball late Monday night. Citing injuries to his neck and back, Stojakovic decided his physical struggles were “a wakeup call” for him to leave the game at this point.

On the plus side, Peja has the privilege of going out on top, in 2011 not only topping his seeming long-time personal rivals the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA playoffs, but also finally earning the ring which had eluded him for a dozen seasons ‘Stateside.

Today BallinEurope pays tribute to the gold-medal winning, NBA title having, future FIBA Hall of Fame nod achieving legend in the traditional fashion … let’s go to the ‘Tube!

• Stojakovic broke into the professional ranks with Crvena Zvedzda Beograd (a.k.a. Red Star Belgrade) at the age of 15 (!) and soon this once-dominant side enjoyed back-to-back Yugoslavian championships in taking out Partizan Belgrade in the finals both years.

• After three seasons of development (and plenty of bench time), Peja was ready to take on a more decisive role with a club. That club turned out to be PAOK; for his newly-prized Greek citizenship, Stojakovic would eventually bag the Greek League MVP nod in 1998.

Unfortunately for club and player, the sole hardware Peja’s PAOK teams could collect was the 1994-95 Greek Cup. On the other hand, in these four years PAOK did manage a second-place Europe finish in ’96 and in Greece in ’98 (losing to former Laker Byron Scott and Panathinaikos; see second video directly below) plus two Euroleague Top 16 runs: The team hasn’t come close to this sort of success since.

• And then the NBA came calling. Having been drafted at no. 14 in the 1996 NBA Draft, by 1998 Stojakovic felt ready to cross the Atlantic. He’d join up with the Sacramento Kings – the team with which he’ll always be associated worldwide – at a most fortuitous time, as the pieces to build a perpetual playoff contender were falling into place … and perhaps personally key for Peja was the acquisition of his Yugoslavian teammate Vlade Divac for 1999-2000.

• Speaking of Yugoslavia, Peja was happily able to enjoy success on perhaps the greatest national team of the ‘00s. Playing alongside the likes of Divac, Dejan Bodiroga, Marko Jaric, Dejan Milojevic and Vladimir Radmanovic, the side took the 2001 Eurobasket tournament and the 2002 FIBA World Championship.

On his part, Stojakovic was second-highest scorer in the 2001 competition (behind Team Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki) at 23 points per game, good for tournament MVP honors.

And in Indianapolis’ FIBA Worlds of 2002, Peja was again his team’s high scorer, still managing to help Yugoslavia over Argentina in the final match with 26 points despite uncharacteristic 2-of-12 shooting on threes. Stojakovic snagged an all-tournament nod for his efforts.

• Meanwhile, back with the Kings, Stojakovic worked his way into the starting lineup for 2000-01. Over the next five years, Peja would contribute lines 19.2-24.2 points and 4.3-6.3 rebounds per game while hitting enough three points to eventually place him at no. 4 on the all-time list in the statistical category.

• Though team-wise Sacramento had limited success from 2000 to 2005 in being forced to compete with Shaq ‘n’ Kobe’s Los Angeles monsters, the accolades for Stojakovic kept followed. He won back-to-back “Mister Europa” awards as Continental player of the year in 2001 and 2002 while receiving invites to three NBA All-Star games.

In fact, it was at the all-star games that perhaps Stojakovic earned the greatest amount of appreciation throughout the U.S., as he consistently became a Larry Bird-like force in the annual 3-point shootout competition. In 2001, Peja took current all-time threes leader Ray “He Got Game” Allen down to the wire, but ultimately had to settle for second place.

No matter, Peja came back in 2002 to take care of Steve Nash and outlast his personal foil in the contest, Wesley Person, to win the title…

…and again in 2003…

…ultimately falling short of the threepeat in 2004, but defying Charles Barkley’s prediction along the way, at least.

• One more highlight reel from the Sacramento days came in 2004, when Stojakovic set his then career-high mark in scoring with 37 points against the Lakers.

• But the Kings’ golden era was ending and in 2005, Peja was dealt to the Indiana Pacers for Ron Artest; he lasted 40 games there before a sign-and-trade agreement the following preseason had him shipped to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for the rights to Andrew Betts (really).

Around this time, Peja’s well-chronicled back problems began. Due to injury, Stojakovic appeared in just 13 games in 2006-07; unfortunate, indeed, as Peja had given the Hornets a most masterful performance early on, scoring the team’s first 20 points in a November game against the Charlotte Bobcats. This was the first time in NBA history such a feat had been accomplished and Stojakovic’s 42 in the game became his personal high in scoring.

• Things really got percolating between Peja and Chris Paul over the next few years, as the Hornets made the playoffs in ’08 and ’09 (and just two years later, the league wants to contract this franchise – go figure). A representative example? Check out this team record-setting show in which Stojakovic sinks 10 three pointers against those dread Lakers in a game that saw Paul dish 21 assists.

• Another move would come for Peja after the Hornets’ poor 2009-10 and the Serb was shipped to the Toronto Raptors, thereby filling the apparent obligation for every European NBA player to do a shift in Canada. At the time, Stojakovic called the trade “a new chapter in [his] career, [his] life,” it wasn’t much of a read. Peja played just two games as a Raptor before landing in Dallas.

• We all recall what happened next. In a more limited role with the Mavericks, Stojakovic shot right at his career three-point success rate at 40% with a statistical line of 8.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per in 25 games there. Best of all, Peja was able to punish the Lakers along the way to his first NBA title with 15 and 21 points in games three and four, respectively, of the Western Conference semifinals – a nice capper to a legendary career.

BallinEurope wishes best of luck to Peja in the future and, as BiE always says upon retirement of an all-time great, thanks for the memories!

While Divac may be known as a famous trivia answer (“Who was traded for Kobe Bryant?”) or by the dreaded “F-word” (i.e. “flopper” as used in – really – this Los Angeles Times blog entry detailing the story of Vlade’s honor), this nomination shows a lifetime of accomplishment on the basketball court. Heck, in the NBA alone, Divac topped 13,000 points, 9000 rebounds, 3000 assists and 1500 blocked shots over 16 seasons. And then there were those “Dream Team” years with Team Yugoslavia and the glorious early days with KK Partizan in the 1980s, highlighted by Korać Cup titles and Divac’s “Mr. Europa” trophy.

Today, BallinEurope pays tribute to a personal favorite on the occasion in the best way possible: With a YouTube-laden rundown of his long and memorable career! Check out Divac’s progress through turns with Partizan Belgrade, the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, the “Dream Team” Yugoslavian squads, and of course KK Crvena Zvezda during the 1999 NBA player lockout…

• Divac broke into the professional level at 18 years old with KK Sloga Kraljevo and early on contributed 27 points in a game against Crvena Zvezda. At this time, Divac first played with the Yugoslavian national team, ultimately to become an integral part of those monstrous Team Yugoslavia sides which would also feature the likes of Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja.

• From 1986 through 1989, Divac was with KK Partizan. Teaming with players such as Aleksandar Đorđević, Žarko Paspalj, Željko Obradović, Milenko Savović and Goran Grbović, coach Duško Vujošević’s teams carved a spot among the top teams on the Continent. In these years, Partizan took three Korać Cups, including one over Kukoc’s Euroleague champion KK Split team; won one Yugoslavian national title and one Yugoslavian Cup; and finished third in 1988 in Euroleague, the same year Divac was named European Player of the Year by FIBA.

Below runs some rare footage of the 1988 and ’89 Yugoslavian finals – yep, sonny, we once recorded TV on this device called the VCR…

• Just for the heck of it, here’s a profile piece on Divac from Belgrade news and thus in Serbian only. Well worth a brief view for at least the awesome retro look and the oddity of seeing Divac *that young.*

(Incidentally, if any Serbian-speakers can tell us about anything being discussed in this clip, BallinEurope would much appreciate it.)

• Having enjoyed three years in international play, Divac would amass Olympic silver, plus EuroBasket gold and bronze medals before even suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 23 in 1989.

• Despite what some informal revisionists might have you think, Lakers fans weren’t exactly 100% unanimous in confidence in their new foreign player – particularly with the act Divac had to follow – in those days when Europeans comprised a tiny fraction of NBA rosters. On a personal note, this Laker fan distinctly remembers (still!) the line from one beat writer in the preseason which ran, “Going from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is like trading in a Cadillac for a Yugo.”

Nevertheless, Divac soon stilled the haters (What term did we use back then? “Detractors,” maybe?) in compiling some decent stats in his rookie season with Pat Reilly’s guys, going for 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 19.6 minutes per game. Though almost never in the starting lineup, Divac appeared in all 82 games and displayed an awesome skill set.

• Unfortunately (and somewhat ironically) for him, Divac’s sole appearance in the NBA Finals would come in his first as a starter. Of course, that 1990-91 Lakers team was dismantled by the insurgent Chicago Bulls, losing four games to one. And when Magic bowed out of basketball in November of ’91, Los Angeles would not become a force in the league again until … well, we’ll get to that.

• Meanwhile, geopolitics was happening. Team Yugoslavia finally hit its peak in the years 1989 to ’91, sandwiching EuroBasket titles with the huge gold-medal win at the 1990 FIBA World Championship; Divac’s controversial interaction with a Croatian fan immediately following the final game triggered the events documented most extensively and excellently documented in the ESPN-produced “Once Brothers.”

Due to civil war, Team Yugoslavia no longer existed as before in 1992, but Divac would stay with the team for years to come…

• Back in the NBA, Divac’s most fateful day came in 1996 when he was traded by the Lakers to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant – also implying that Los Angeles would also soon be signing the free-agent prize that offseason, Shaquille O’Neal …

• By the way, all this stuff about NBA players in Europe during a lockout is nothing new: Divac played two games with KK Crvena Zvezda in 1999…

• In a way, the exit from the Lakers would ultimately be both a blessing in disguise and his career’s biggest frustration. After two years playing out his contract in Charlotte, Divac joined the Sacramento Kings of Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic. The teams would form quite the feud while the Lakers were winning titles in the 2000s, though the Kings could never quite top their California rivals in the playoffs.

• The frustration may be best encapsulated by – look away now, Sacramento fans! – that game-winning shot by Robert Horry in game four of the 2002 Western Conference finals. Said Vlade, “It was a lucky shot.” Retorted Horry: “I don’t know, maybe he said read a ‘paper or something.”

• Still with the national team at the turn of the millennium, Divac was now with a Team Yugoslavia drawing on a smaller pool of talent but almost as preeminent in international ball in the early 2000s. BiE sticks by his assessment of the 2001-02 Teams Yugoslavia as the top European national team of that decade: “In 2002, the Yugoslavian team slammed the door on American preeminence in basketball forever. And this was after breezing through Eurobasket 2001, winning five of six games by double-digit margins. Yugoslavia was the only country to take golds at Eurobasket and FIBA World competitions with (basically) the same team; the 2002 roster included Dejan Bodiroga, Peja Stojakovic, Marko Jaric, Dejan Milojevic, Vlade Divac and Vladimir Radmanovic, a roster good enough to merit mention among a discussion of greatest basketball teams ever assembled, period.”

• Returning to the Lakers for 2004-05 in largely a ceremonial capacity, Divac retired at the end of that season, but the accolades continued. He’s in the FIBA Hall of Fame and on the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors list; in 2009, he was named Serbia Olympic Committee president. And naturally the Kings retired his jersey.

As for the “flopping” thing, well, the video directly below shows he’s got a sense of humor about things. A Hall of Fame-level sense of humor, perhaps … we’ll have to wait until February to hear if Divac enters the hallowed halls in Springfield, but until then, BiE thanks him for the memories.