Vlade Divac was born Prijepolje, February 3, 1968. He is an ex-basketball player from Serbia. Vlade played as a big guy for numerous teams including Partizan, Lakers, and the Sacramento Kings. He was one of the first Europeans to play in the US and leave a mark. He won two world championships, three European championships, and two silver medals at the Olympic Games with the national team. He played 145 games for the national team of Yugoslavia and scored 1345 points.
Although an active player, Divac was President of Partizan from 2000 to 2004. After the end of his playing career, he became a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers and the sports director of the Real Madrid basketball section. In 2008, ULEB ranked him among the 50 people most deserving of basketball development in Europe.
Vlade Divac – Yugoslavian National Team
His professional career in Yugoslavia began when he played for Sloga from Kraljevo, and he immediately drew attention to himself by scoring 27 points in the match with Crvena Zvezda. In the summer of 1986, Vlade was the biggest star of the offseason, signing for Partizan.
At the age of 18, he made his debut for the senior national team of Yugoslavia in the qualifications for the 1986 World Cup in Madrid, at the invitation of coach Krešimir Ćosić. He scored 4 points in his debut game for seniors against the Netherlands. A week later, in the match against Hungary, he scored 27 points. However, the excellent debut performance at the World Cup was overshadowed by the event in the semifinals against the Soviet Union. One minute before the end of the game, Yugoslavia led with a convincing 9 points difference. Still, the Soviets equalized with three shots for three points: one shot was after Divac’s lost ball in the middle of the court after unnecessary dribbles. The Soviets easily defeated the shocked Yugoslavs in the overtime, who eventually won the bronze medal.
The following year, Divac was part of the squad that won a bronze medal at the 1987 European Championships in Greece, a gold medal at the 1987 Summer Universiade in Zagreb, and a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Bormio. This event was a springboard for the young generation of Yugoslav basketball players, with stars such as Aleksandar Djordjevic, Dino Radja, and Toni Kukoc. Before the break-up of Yugoslavia, this generation brought Yugoslavia silver at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, gold at the 1989 European Basketball Championships in Zagreb, gold at the 1990 World Basketball Championships in Argentina, and gold at the 1991 European Championships in Rome.
Vlade Divac had an unusual style for the center at the time; despite his height, he had good mobility, dribbled the ball well, and had a good shot from a distance. Sometimes he acted as a playmaker. Divac also liked to make funny moves on the field: at the 1989 European Championships, he raised his teammate Zoran Radović so that he could dunk. In just 4 professional seasons in Europe, Divac and Arvidas Sabonis have become one of the best European centers of all time.
Vlade Divac – Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers selected Divac in the 1989 draft as the 26th pick. Along with Sabonis, Drazen Petrovic, Sarunas Marculionis, and Zarko Paspalj, Divac was a member of the first wave of Euro players who paved the way for other non-American players to the NBA. The Lakers had a great roster that season led by Karim Abdul-Jabar (he ended his career at the end of that season), the best passer in NBA history Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and AC Green.
Under Jabar’s and Johnson’s tutoring, Divac improved his game and adopted the American style of play. Despite not knowing English, he quickly became popular among teammates and fans for his charm and positive spirit. In the 1989-90 season, Divac played 82 games, sharing minutes with Michael Thompson, and averaged 8.5 points in 19.6 minutes per game. Vlade was the best among the Lakers in the number of blocks and second in rebounding. His commitment earned him a place on the rookie team at the 1990 NBA All-Star Weekend.
In the following season, Divac became the starting center of the Lakers, leading in rebounds per game and achieving fifth place in the field goals in the NBA league. Many were surprised when Los Angeles reached the finals of the NBA League in 1991, where it was defeated by the Bulls led by Michael Jordan.
After the end of his career in 2005, Divac was a Lakers scout in Europe. He remained in that position until 2006.
TweetDivac’s back surgery prevented him from playing in 44 games of the 1992-1993 season, but he returned to the Lakers’ first team immediately after his complete recovery. In the 1993-1994 season, Divac’s name appeared on the lists of the best centers in the league, and that year he was twelfth in the NBA with 40 double-doubles. He had 24 rebounds in one game that season, the highest for the Lakers since 1979 when Abdul-Jabar recorded 25 rebounds. Divac was among the top 40 in the league in the number of field goals scored, rebounds, blocks, assists, and rebounds.
Vlade Divac – Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets traded Alonso Morning and Larry Johnson to the Miami Heat for Glenn Rice and Matt Geiger, and in the 1996-1997 season, they also got Vlade in big Kobe Bryant trade and managed to win 54 games (the highest in the club’s history). Divac and Matt Geiger formed the center line-up in the 1997/98 season, and together they contributed to Charlotte’s quality play in the center position. Together, they scored almost 22 points and 15 rebounds per game. Divac was ranked among the leading players in the league regarding the number of rebounds and blocks, and he surpassed all centers in assists.
Vlade Divac – Sacramento Kings
Divac signed a contract with the Kings in January 1999. Sacramento traded Mitch Richmond for Chris Weber, chose Jason Williams in the draft, and the previously selected Predrag Stojakovic joined the franchise. The new line-up of the Kings managed to get the club out of the years of mediocrity and reach the playoffs, where it was stopped by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoff series.
The Kings repeated this success the following season, and this time they were stopped by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Kings exchanged defender Corlis Williamson for Doug Christie the following season and selected Hidayet Turkoglu on the draft. Because of their beautiful style of play, the Kings were nicknamed “The Greatest Show on the court.” That season, they took a step further in the playoffs, knocking out the Suns, but the new-old champions, the Lakers, beat them smoothly this time in the semifinals with 4: 0. That season was remembered for Divac by participating in the All-Star Weekend in 2001 and thus becoming the first European to do so without playing college basketball.
Divac perfected the technique of taking charge, which was crucial in the fight against physically stronger centers, such as Shaquille O’Neill. Determined to finally be better than the Lakers and win the title, the Kings traded Williams with the Grizzlies for playmaker Mike Bibby. They became a championship contender, with 61 wins and 21 losses, and won first place in the Western Conference and the entire league, ahead of the biggest rivals, the Lakers and the Mavericks. In the final of the Western Conference, the final before the final, the Lakers defeated Sacramento 4: 3 in a very tied series.
Vlade Divac – Return to the Lakers
After the expiration of his contract with Sacramento in 2004, Divac returned to the Lakers in his final season. After losing to Detroit in the NBA Finals, the Lakers traded or fired most of their players, including Shaquille O’Neill, and Divac was supposed to fill that gap. However, he missed most of the season due to a back injury. Finally, on July 14, 2005, he announced his retirement after 16 years in the league.
Vlade Divac – Real Madrid
In June 2006, Divac joined Ramon Calderon as part of Calderon’s candidacy for President of the Real Madrid sports association. When Calderon won the election on July 2, 2006, Divac became the sports director of the Real Madrid basketball section where he stayed for two seasons.
Vlade Divac – President of the Olympic Committee of Serbia
At the end of 2008, Divac candidate for the President of the Serbian Olympic Committee. Although according to the statute, Divac did not meet the criteria of at least 10 years of work in sports organizations, his candidacy was adopted by the Serbian government, and he became President. At the same time, he was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of fame. He helped a lot of times with humanitarian issues and he still owns his humanitarian organization.
Vlade Divac – Kings GM
Divac was promoted to the Sacramento vice president of basketball operations and general manager in August 2015. At the 2017 draft, Divac selected young guard De’Aaron Fox out of Kentucky as the fifth pick. At the next draft, the Kings selected Marvin Bagley III with the second overall pick, passing on Luka Dončić, who would become an MVP candidate two years into his NBA career. Those draft choices were Divac’s big mistakes. In 2018–19, the Sacramento Kings ended the season one spot away from the Playoffs. Ironically, it was still considered a positive season for the team.
The 2019–20 season was stopped in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Sacramento Kings were not invited to the 22-team 2020 NBA Bubble. The Kings did not qualify for the playoffs, their 14th consecutive season without playoffs. They finished with a 31–41 record. Shortly after that, in August 2020, Divac stepped down as general manager of the franchise.
Vlade Divac – Net Worth
Vlade Divac is a Serbian former professional basketball player who had a successful career in the NBA. He currently has an estimated net worth of $45 million dollars. Divac earned most of his wealth through his long career in the NBA playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings.
Does Vlade Divac have a ring?
No, Vlade Divac does not have an NBA ring. He played for 16 seasons in the NBA and was a part of some very successful teams, but he never won a championship.
Did Vlade Divac play with Kobe Bryant?
Yes, they played 13 games together.
Who drafted Vlade Divac?
It was the Los Angeles Lakers in 1989. Divac, who was barely out of his teens and knew very little English, was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers as the 26th draft pick, becoming the representation of international basketball.
