Vlade Divac Paved Way For Serbian Players Nikola Jokic And Nikola Jovic

The NBA can thank former center Vlade Divac for putting Serbia on its radar

Right now, Serbia is among the hottest topics in the NBA. 

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is arguably the league's best player after winning his first championship last June. He has already won two regular season MVP awards. 

And the next generation, Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic, caused an Internet storm after scoring 25 points in Serbia's win against South Sudan in the FIBA World Cup. 

Before both began their careers, there was center Vlade Divac in 1989 when he became the first Serb drafted in the league. 

“I remember picking Vlade up at the airport,” then-Lakers general manager Jerry West once told the Srpska Times, a Serbian media outlet . “He didn’t speak any English and he had these two big duffel bags."

Divac was a 2019 Hall of Fame inductee after being a one-time All-Star in his 16 seasons, which included stops with the Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings. While he is mostly noted for being traded for Kobe Bryant on draft day in 1996, he had an everlasting impact on young Serbian players. 

Jokic and Jovic have only expanded Divac's original ability to provide versatility as a big man. 

“Vlade was a special player,” said Chris Webber, who played with Divac on the Kings. “He was one of the first big men hybrids and his impact on the game was felt worldwide.”

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