Meet the NBA Players From Slovenia

If you don’t know much about Slovenia, you might not know that this small European country has produced some of the best basketball players in the world.

Goran Dragic

In 2006, Goran Dragic was the 45th pick in the NBA draft He was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs, but was immediately traded to the Phoenix Suns Dragic is originally from Slovenia, and he is one of only a handful of players from his country to make it to the NBA.

Dragic is a combo guard who can play both point guard and shooting guard He is 6’3″ tall and weighs 190 pounds. Dragic is known for his quickness and playmaking ability. He has averaged over 20 points per game in each of the last two seasons.

Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for Real Madrid of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague prior to being drafted 3rd overall in the 2018 NBA Draft Doncic was named the 2018 EuroLeague MVP, the Final Four MVP, and the EuroLeague rising star

Drazen Petrovic

Before there was Luka Doncic there was Drazen Petrovic. Arguably the most famous athlete in Slovenia’s history, Petrovic is considered one of the best International Players ever and one of the best shooters in NBA history

Petrovic was born in Zagreb, Croatia, in 1964 and began playing Professional Basketball at the age of 16. He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1986 but only played a limited role on the team. In 1989, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets where he became a star, averaging 22 points per game over three seasons.

In 1991, Petrovic helped lead Yugoslavia to a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship and he was named tournament MVP. He also won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics

Petrovic’s NBA Career came to an abrupt end when he was killed in a car accident in 1993 at the age of 28. He had just finished his third season with the Nets and was averaging 20 points per game His No. 3 jersey is retired by both the Nets and by his former team in Croatia.

Vlade Divac

Vlade Divac is a retired professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 17 seasons. Born in Yugoslavia, Divac was drafted into the NBA by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1989. He played for the Lakers for seven seasons before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 1996. He then went on to play for the Sacramento Kings Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets before retiring in 2005.

Divac is one of only two players born outside the United States to have played over 1,000 games in the NBA, and he is also one of only four players to have been an All-Star and win an NBA Championship In addition to his basketball career Divac is also known for his humanitarian work. He was named a Goodwill Ambassador by the UN Refugee Agency in 2004, and he has also worked with UNICEF and other organizations to help children affected by war and natural disasters.

Tony Kukoc

Tony Kukoc was born in Croatia but moved with his family to Slovenia when he was just a Young Boy He began playing basketball at the age of 8 and soon developed into a star player In 1990, Kukoc came to the United States to play for the University of Arizona After just one year in college, he declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round.

Kukoc quickly became a key member of the Bulls, playing a vital role in their back-to-back championship wins in 1996 and 1997. He continued to play for the Bulls until 2000, when he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks He then played for a number of other teams before retiring from the NBA in 2006.

Since retiring from basketball, Kukoc has become a successful businessman. He has also been very active in philanthropy, especially when it comes to helping children in Slovenia and Croatia.

Sasha Vujacic

Sasha Vujacic is a professional basketball player who plays for the NBA team the Cleveland Cavaliers He was born on March 8, 1984, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He is 6’7” tall and weighs around 200 pounds.

He started to play basketball when he was 8 years old. He played for the Slovenian National Team when he was 16 years old. He also played for the Italian League team Benetton Treviso from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA draft

He played for the Lakers for six years and won two NBA championships with them in 2009 and 2010. In 2010, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets He played for the Nets for two years before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2012. He played for the Clippers for one year before being traded back to the Lakers in 2014. He became a free agent in 2015 and signed with the Knicks.

In 2016, he signed with the Turkish team, Anadolu Efes Istanbul. He played there for one year before returning to the NBA and signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017.

Zoran Planinic

Zoran Planinic, nicknamed “Masha”, is a Slovenian professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Slovenian national team Standing at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), he plays at the point guard and shooting guard positions.

Bostjan Nachbar

Bostjan Nachbar is a professional basketball player from Slovenia. He was born on September 30, 1979, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Nachbar began his professional career with the Slovenian team Union Olimpija in 1996. He later played for the Houston Rockets New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets of the NBA. In 2014, Nachbar returned to Europe and joined the Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker.

Primoz Brezec

At 7’2″, Brezec is one of the tallest players in the NBA. He originally played professionally in Slovenia before being drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 1999. He spent the first five years of his NBA career with the Pacers, then had shorter stints with the Charlotte Bobcats Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors He last played in the NBA in 2010.

Beno Udrih

Beno Udrih is a professional basketball player who was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He is currently a free agent last playing for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA. He is also a member of the Slovenian National Team Udrih has played for various teams throughout his career including the San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks Orlando Magic Sacramento Kings New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons