Even with a relatively injury-riddled season with the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic remained the object of great expectations. Although he managed some of his best statistical defenses, offense, and playmaking last season, his health, especially his injuries, hampered him. For this reason, Doncic was advised by both the league and the Mavericks to fully rest during the entire off-season in a bid to prevent any form of setback. Nonetheless, Luka Doncic is scheduled to join a special memorial game honoring the late Croat shooting guard Drazen Petrovic on the 5th of September.
Memorial Game for Drazen Petrovic
Croats also lost one of the most talented basketball players of the NBA, Drazen Petrovic, who was involved in a serious road accident that claimed his life in 1993 while on his way to Zagreb. He was a point guard, and now Doncic, a similarly positioned basketball player, is set to attend the memorial event to celebrate the memory of the dead Croat. Doncic will be there though he won’t be able to suit up since the court does not meet NBA specifications especially concerning the LED lights at the backboards.
Drazen Petrovic’s Legacy
Originally from Croatia, Petrovic started his basketball at Cibona and Real Madrid before moving to join the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers in 198ff. He was a 2x Olympic silver medalist as well as a 2x FIBA EuroBasket gold medal holder and had two back-to-back Euroleague titles in his name. During his four-year stint in the NBA, Petrovic was averaging 15.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2. It averages 4 assists per game, 50.6% field goal shooting, and 43.7% three-point shooting.
In Petrovic, basketball felt the sting of losing one of its greatest players, a man who tragically never reached his full potential. Recalling Petrovic’s legacy, Doncic said, “He was a great player. Everybody who knew him stated he was a good person. If I could take something from his play, it is the three-point shots. He would never miss. ”
While Luka Doncic honors Drazen Petrovic, the basketball world keeps on reminding itself about a Croatian superstar who might have been the next big thing in the NBA.
