Drazen Petrovic

By Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent

The U.S. Dream Team that won the Gold Medal in the 1992 Olympics is often credited with enhancing the popularity of basketball worldwide, leading to an influx of foreign born players to the NBA the past 15 years.

However, it was European trailblazers like Drazen Petrovic, Sarunas Marciulionis and Detlef Schrempf who inspired basketball players from other countries with the belief they could compete with the Americans.

Petrovic was born in Croatia, in the former Yugoslavia. He played ball professionally in Europe throughout the 1980s, where his silky shooting earned him a reputation as one of the best players in the world. He once scored a ridiculous 112 points in a Croatian League game.

From 1989 to 1991 Petrovic played for the Yugoslavian National Team, which included NBA players Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc and Predrag Danilovic. They dominated international play, winning European Championships in 1989 and 1990 and the World Championship in 1991.

In 1992, Petrovic led a newly independent Croatian team to the Silver Medal at the Barcelona Olympics, falling to the U.S. Dream Team in the finals in a game where he scored 19 points.

The Portland Trailblazers had selected Petrovic in the third round of the 1986 Draft, and after the 1988-89 season they convinced the European star to come to the NBA.

At the time, very few foreign players had attempted to make the jump overseas, and there were numerous stereotypes about European players. They were viewed as mechanical, soft and poor defenders.

The Trailblazers went to the NBA Finals the year Petrovic joined the team, and he was buried on the depth chart behind shooting guards Clyde Drexler and Danny Ainge. Midway through his second season with the Blazers, he was playing just seven minutes a game and finally asked to be traded.

In January 1991, he was sent to the Nets as part of three-way deal also involving the Nuggets. Petrovic received increased playing time in New Jersey, and his career took off.

The Nets had two of the most talented young prospects in the league in Kenny Anderson and Derrick Coleman, but Petrovic quickly became the team’s go-to-guy. In his first full season with the Nets, he scored 20.6 points per game, shooting 51 percent from the field and finishing second in the NBA in three-point percentage (44%). He led the Nets to the playoffs for the first time since 1986 and was voted team MVP.

Petrovic played the game with tremendous enthusiasm, pumping his fists in the air when he made big shots. “I have never seen any pro or amateur player work as hard,” former Nets assistant coach Tom Newell said of him. “He’s the consummate pro in commitment and dedication.”

Petro’s dedication and exuberance caught on with his teammates, Nets fans and the entire franchise. In addition to his passionate play, his quick release and endless range made him a joy to watch. Nets commentator Spencer Ross would raise his voice several octaves as he screamed “Petro … for three!” He was the team’s most popular player since Dr. J.

He followed up his breakout season with an even more impressive 1992-93 campaign in which he raised his scoring average to 22.3 a game, while still shooting over 50%. He was named to the All-NBA Third Team and had become one of the most feared shooters in the league.

Tragically, just after that season, Petrovic was killed in a car accident on the Autobahn in Germany on June 7, 1993. He was just 28 years old.

Basketball fans around the world went into mourning. The Nets retired Petrovic’s #3 jersey later that year.

“You couldn’t have wanted a better teammate,” Petrovic’s coach Chuck Daly said, “He was very talented, he played very hard and was able to lead by his example. He was indefatigable.”

Petrovic remains a hero throughout Europe, especially in his native Croatia, where a stadium was named after him and a memorial temple was built in his honor.

On April 29, 1995, a statue commemorating Petrovic’s significance to the world of sports was erected in front of the Olympic Museum in Laussane, Switzerland, and the Drazen Petrovic Trophy is now traditionally awarded to the MVP of the McDonalds Championship, the series between the NBA Champion and the European Champion.

Petrovic’s fellow countryman and friend, Goran Ivanisevic, dedicated his 2001 Wimbledon title to Petro and adorned his #3 Nets jersey after his victory. Ivanisevic referred to his old friend as “the Michael Jordan of Europe.”

In 2002, Petrovic was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Drazen Petrovic was one of the best three-point shooters the NBA has ever seen, a terrific teammate and a passionate competitor. His greatest legacy is the road he paved to the NBA for so many European ballplayers to follow.

That’s why we’re giving Drazen Petrovic some Old School Love today.