Bleeding and leading: Goran Dragic's unlikely rise

Before long he had fallen in love with the game, going online to watch And1 mixtapes and NBA highlights, and bringing some of the moves of the flashier stars,

Phil Taylor | Apr 7, 2014

Bleeding and leading: Goran Dragic's unlikely rise /

Goran Dragic's willingness to sacrifice his body and drive into the lane often produces battle scars. — Goran Dragic's willingness to sacrifice his body and drive into the lane often produces battle scars / AP (3)

Before long he had fallen in love with the game, going online to watch And1 mixtapes and NBA highlights, and bringing some of the moves of the flashier stars, like Allen Iverson, to the courts of Ljubljana. That playground flair is still evident in his game today, with his acrobatic finishes in traffic, deft crossovers and one of his favorite moves, the between-the-legs dribble into the step-back lefty jumper. Dragic is sweetly unassuming, even shy, yet he's also part showman. "I like to give a little something to the fans for entertainment," he said.

Goran Dragic (left) has silenced critics who were skeptical of his game after being drafted No. 48 in '08. — Goran Dragic (left) has silenced critics who were skeptical of his game after being drafted No. 48 in '08 :: Ales Fevzer/Getty Images

Published Apr 7, 2014

PHIL TAYLOR

Senior writer, Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor has covered a variety of sports in his more than two decades with the magazine, including pro and college basketball as well as college football. He has written The Hot Button column for SI.com and frequently writes the magazine's Point After column, for which he won a National Headliner Award in 2012. During his years as the magazine's lead NBA writer, Taylor profiled many of the league's stars. Among his most memorable stories were a piece on Michael Jordan's return from baseball to the NBA and an in-depth profile of reclusive Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton. Some of the historic sports events he has covered include the earthquake-struck 1989 World Series at Candlestick Park, Chris Webber's infamous timeout in the 1993 NCAA tournament title game and Jordan's epic "flu-game" in the 1997 NBA Finals. Prior to joining SI, Taylor began his career at the Miami Herald, where he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for feature writing. He has also written for the San Jose Mercury News and the now-defunct sports daily, The National. Born in Flushing, N.Y. and raised on Long Island, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College in 1982 and a Masters in communications from Stanford University in 1983. Taylor and his wife, who have three children, live in northern California.