Vlade Divac
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Vlade_divac.jpg
Vlade_divac.jpg
Divac playing for the national team of the former Yugoslavia
He began his professional basketball in then-Yugoslavia playing for Partizan Belgrade.
Drafted into the NBA in 1989, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers until 1996 when he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant, and played for the Sacramento Kings from 1998 to 2004 alongside his countryman Peja Stojaković. After the 2003-04 season, he became a free agent, and signed a deal to return to the Lakers.
Vlade is an active restaurant investor in the Sacramento area. Vlade is also a prominent philanthropist who runs his own charity. He and his wife have two children, both of whom are Serb war orphans, one from Bosnia, the other from Kosovo.
Major career achievements
- Earned first selection to NBA All-Star Game in 2001
- Ranked 12th in the NBA in field-goal percentage (.503) in 1999-2000
- Ranked 2nd on the Kings in scoring (14.3 ppg), rebounds (10.0 rpg, 10th in the NBA), assists (4.3 apg) and blocked shots (1.02 bpg) in 1998-99
- Ranks 3rd in Lakers' franchise history with 833 blocked shots
- Appeared in the 1991 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls and has averaged 12.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 2.4 apg in 63 career NBA Playoff games
- Named to the 1989-90 NBA All-Rookie First Team after averaging 8.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg for the Lakers
- Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 nationals at the FIBA World Junior Championships of Basketball in Bormio, Italy in 1987, defeating Team USA twice in that tournament
- Earned silver medals with Yugoslavia at the 1988 and with FRY at the 1996 Olympics
- Earned gold medals with FRY at the 1990 and 2002 FIBA World Championshipshe:ולאדה דיבאץ