I actually knew Dražen personally as a kid. My grandpa had a vacation house at the seacoast and Dražen's family had his/their house, few houses down the street, so all of us kids played with him and swam in the Adriatic sea with him, hung out. We were much younger. He was already a b-ball star in Croatia, well, back then it was still Yugoslavia. But he always found time for us kids, even used to buy us ice cream etc. Regular modest and humble guy. I lived in the capital and when I told my classmates from my elementary school that I know him, I got ridiculed and laughed at, called a liar. Funny thing, my school was right across the Cibona basketball club, and I literally ran there during our big recess, as an 8 year old kid (2nd grade I think it was, perhaps 3rd), crashed his training and kinda "complained" that no one believes me that I know him. And I kid you not, he took me by my hand, all sweaty from the training session, still in his jersey and went with me to my class and like : "My good friend Ivan told me you guys want to meet me". He never said anything bad or scolded them for calling me a liar. But I was never called a liar in school again. I could have told them all my father was a NASA astronaut and the would probably believe me, lol. When he died in the car wreck I cried like rain.
@@oxydo9936 sadašnji Tin Ujević u Koturaškoj,nekad se zvao Hasan Kikić u bivšoj Jugi. Drito na spajanju Savske i Koturaške. Tehnički muzej je s druge strane više na Sjever na samoj Savskoj,i nasuprot tiskare novca. Btw. ako je ovo nekakav pokušaj nekome indirektno reći da laže,jako je neuspio i zapravo jadan pokušaj. Sve se moglo preko čiče Googleta provjeriti.
@@headbangercamaro A sad znam na koju skolu mislite, ispricavam se ako sam ostavio takav dojam kao da vas napadam ili optuzujem. Inace super prica, volio bih da sam covjeka mogel upoznat. Ovako samo mogu gledat video i citat tekstove o njemu. Pozdrav iz gajnica 😃
Won’t forget coming to watch the Nets as always 2-3 hours before game started and Petrovic was shooting for one hour by himself. He saw me standing alone watching him and invited me to shoot some hoops with him. It was amazing.
Ja mnogo volim malog Luku, fantastičan je igrač, ali smešno mi je kad čujem ove mlađe da pričaju kako je već nadmašio Dražena zato što ima takve brojke u NBA. Svaka čast, ali treba razumeti kontekst, a Ameri su tada bili skeptični prema evropskim igračima i bilo je nezamislivo da tamo neki Evropljanin bude glavni igrač oko koga se gradi ekipa. Pozdrav iz Beograda.
Drazen was one of the best shooters I have ever seen. His release was so quick, the defense had no time to react. That combined with his basketball IQ, shooting accuracy, and non stop hustle is why he is regarded as the best European player ever. He died way too young and wasn’t even in his prime yet. His death and the death of Len Bias were the two biggest losses in the history of the NBA for both the league and the fans. Truly a shame. I’m glad he has been enshrined in the Hall of Fame because even though his career was cut short, he deserved it. He definitely was the real deal.
The biggest losses in the history of the NBA? Ummm as great as these guys were.. no doubt, I SERIOUSLY beg to differ.. especially as of late. One name .... KOBE
@@ericaferguson7169 smh it isn't a loss to nba as kobe was retired when the accident happened,drazen was about to have a beast season when he passed away...
@@ericaferguson7169Kobe retired before unfortunately and tragically passing away, yes it is a loss but not for the NBA, he was a legend and will always be remembered as one. RIP, he is dunking in Heaven now
@@ericaferguson7169 Kobe was retired. Drazen was in the beginning of his career. Try to pick someone that was active in the NBA. Kobe did his thing for as long as he wanted. Drazen's career was cut short.
We in Croatia will never ever forget Dražen. He became a legend. His path was tought, in this time he would shine full, but back then europeans were not trusted and he waited for his chances, he cried inside himself because he knew he is one of the best. He was beautiful man and sportsmen. Legend! Croatia, small country of 4.5 million people was second to best Dream team ever at Olympics. What a generation that was!
Yes, that was Drazens "trademark", what we can see these days in Bogdan Bogdanovic style of practicing, and Ray Allen also had that kind of work ethic, 1000 shootings every single day ... But, something else is interesting in this video what I didn't hear before, when Lebron said "Drazen was very very athletic type of player .." .... Listen, if Lebron said so, who are we to denied it? I had a chance to watch Drazen live 1990 in Novi Sad, it was game Yugoslavia-Germany, I sat in first row, and I remember very well that I was in shock, when I realized the same thing that Lebron said, beacuse it's not so obvious when you watched him on tv ... first impression was, how quick he was moving through the court, his footwork, etc ... he had XXL body for his position (SG), he was as strong as rock but at the same time also he was very very quick as a snake, he had perfect jump shot that was almost impossible to guard...But this is no so strange cause his father is Serbian from Hercegovina and it's interesting to know, that Dejan Bodiroga and Drazen are very close cousins, or better to say, they are brothers, they both have Serbian roots from Hercegovina but Drazen raised in catholic manner by his mother who is Croatian...better to say Serbian, Croatian, Montenegro highlanders from Dinara region(chain of mountains that are passing through Montenegro, Hercegovina, Dalmacija and Lika), they are born for any sport, especially for basketball, because they have very strong genetics, height and strenght, best in this part of the world...
@@ishsnikaishsnika2066 Herzegovina, Serbian town Čačak and Croatian town Zadar gave the best players from the region of former Yugoslavia, which was a basketball superpower, and it would still be if it didn't fell apart, because Yugoslav basketball school continue to produce great players like Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, Nikola Vučević, Bogdan & Bojan Bogdanović, Jusuf Nurkić, Goran Dragić, Dario Šarić, Nikola Mirotić, Aleksej Pokuševski, etc.
Me too, I used to watch all his games in former Jugoslavia when I was a kid. His talent, obsession with perfection and winner mentality and the fact that he was leagues above the rest at a young age were mesmerising. I do miss him and I do believe that he would have grown to become one of the greates of the NBA.
Mozart of basketball was in my opinion one of the greatest players I have ever seen.Attacking machine with variety defense never knew what hit them.Reggie Miller admitting his nemesis was better shooter basically confirms if Drazen was american he would be superstar.
when reggie admitted to himself that he is the greatest shooter, but there is one guy that tops over him, the late great Drazen Petrovich, I salute to you reggie
I remember the 1992 Olympics and the Dream Team just crushing all competitors by 40+ points... until Croatia. There was this side story about the US team, that they were so dominant, that head coach Chuck Daly never called a timeout. Then Drazen hit a three, stole the ball and hit another three (I think in Jordan's face) to tie the game (!) and that's when Daly *almost called a timeout.
@@deant3980 Of course the Dream Team crushed them. My point is that Croatia was the only team to challenge them to the point of even coming remotely close for the briefest of moments because of the play of Petrovic.
I just read comments,replays etc...and see that people worldwide respect him,but I wish that new generations could see him playing and feel what we ALL feel for Drazen in this part of world-every single person of my age would tell you the same...no matter if(ex-YU republics-greece,Spain...Ex-soviets,France) whoever mean something in BBall.....Drazen ,then pause,then all the others-Divac,Radja,Kukoc,Djordjevic,Obradovic......these days I see Luka and as montenegrean I'm proud
The wide open NBA style game, even in the 90's, was made just for Petrovic. He just flourished in it. He had alot of street ball elements, and was one of the best players I've ever seen.
Best shooting motion, ever. Efficient, clean, fast. Only one shooter I remember got off faster, and that was Dell Curry (Steph is up there). I watched him many times, and was devastated when he died. This guy was HOF level.
Oh, great Donald. Now I have to look up Dell Curry videos? Dell was faster? I've never seen anyone shoot faster than Steph. But Drazan was beauty in motion for sure. You can probably guess that I like good shooters. Reggie Miller?
@@roderickcampbell2105 Reggie was terrific, and a bit unconventional in his form, but you can't argue it. The prettiest stroke to me was always Ray Allen--it didn't even look like he was using any energy. Textbook was probably Mark Price, Kerr, and Paxson. Dell was a role player, but I barely noticed him move, and that ball was OUT. It's fun to look up relatively obscure players like Dell. He played on some pretty damn good Hornets teams.
@@donaldpriola1807 Hi Donald. The link you sent certainly did help. It was amazing. I especially liked it when Dell was blocked and he went and got the ball, turned, shot, scored. That is very hard to do. Sign of a great shooter for sure. I think all the ballplayers you mentioned were extremely good. HOF kind of players. I found Price to be a bit stiff but that's just a style thing. His mechanics were perfect. Maybe that's the "price" you pay for having perfect mechanics? In any case, thanks for the link. I certainly enjoyed it.
Those Net teams were really good! It's a shame that his life was cut short. I would've loved to see what the Nets could've done had he stayed alive. Great player!
I never met anyone with work ethic Drazen had. He was spectacular shooter, had high IQ and fundamentals, but his work ethic and his mentality made him one of the best. If he had longer career there is no doubt in my mind he would accomplished so much more and be remembered as one of the best ever. He would never back down and never give up, true warrior. I watched him play in person and he would motivate his team and the crowd. Legend of world basketball.
Miss Robin Williams, Freddie Mercury, my personal fav Robert Palmer... I miss the wonderful Ayrton Senna, but... each time I open a video about our Dražen my eyes become waterfalls.
Y'all gotta realize what "going at Jordan" really meant back then. That's the basketball equivalent ot taking Jesus Christ to an ethical debate with the attitude "Yeah, I can take him."
Great comparation...thank you for that,Im montenegrean but born in YUG watching Drazen and that generation.The same thing is hard for me to explain to the fans these days-"what really meant back then"-believe me it's not only MJ(God)...he was not afraid to shoot-"just give me the ball"-Drazen.....RIP
You american has not the culture of the teaming games. The american Football changed the rules of rugby, and that's where the basketball took the playing from. Ask Isiah Thomas what's the secret behind Jordan.
@@martinbuhrer3893 The point is Jordan has got too much advantage from the rules of his time and from the ethic of the referees. Watching basketball with the eyes of the football (soccer) or rugby will let you see and understand his dirty playing be Auser it's not allowed in those games. Only in football and basketball, especially the NBA.
That early 90s Nets squad with "The Big Three" of DC, Kenny, and Petrovic was something to watch. And Petrovic was such a great player, definitely shocked me as a kid when he suddenly passed away, falling in love with the great shooting skills that he possessed.
Thanks for posting this. I still remember the day that Drazen had the car accident and i miss him to this day. It's a pity that his career was cut short. As he never had the chance to blossom in the NBA, i have the feeling that only Europeans understand what a generational talent he was based on his performances for Cibona Zagreb, Real Madrid, Yugoslavia and Croatia. He won the Worldcup, Eropean Cup, Spanish & Yugoslavian cups, most competions he competed in ... From my point of view his competitive spirit was only matched by Jordan. Hence i feel that we've not only lost Drazen on that day, but also a possible classic rivalry between Petro and MJ. His ambition, his killer instinct, his basketball IQ, shot accuracy, quick release and his international success make him the best European player ever for me (above Dirk, Galis and other legends). And let's not forget that Drazen was the one who broke the first ground for foreign players in the NBA. In the face of adversity he never gave up, even after a diffult start at Portland with Rick Adelman and thus paved the way for other international players to compete successfully in the NBA. Without him, there would be no Dirk, no Joker, no Giannis, Luka etc. In that sense he was a true pioneer and this should not be overlooked as part of his legacy. I have the feeling though that we are lucky to winess three absolute killers who are able to dethrone him: the Joker, Luka, and Giannis. Good luck to all of them!
I started following him in late 1980’s and watched him land 120 points in single game. Gone to soon we could have enjoyed some insane skills of Dražen.
He was quite the player, sad that he died so young. That makes 2 players who were younger that competed more than well against Jordan who exited this life leaving us with questions--Drazen and Reggie Lewis.
True...I also hope he will succeed,only thing stopping are injuries,if he avoid....everything else is there as Drazen(RIP):highIQ understanding game,work ethic,behavior as a sportsman,those are the qualities without You couldn't rich far in ex-Yu
It would have been. He had to overcome many hurdles european players now don't have to. Back then there was a stigma about european players being bad, slow, weak. Petro wasn't allowed to go to nba for a long time, so he was already quite old when he managed go get to the league. Then his death way to young when he was starting to get a feel of the nba. He could look at MJ at his eyes without feeling worse. He would have been not only the best european, but among the best all time to play nba.
Fun fact: The Olympics channel has ALL of the 1992 Dream Team games for free on RU-vid!!! They also have no commentary, just on court audio and crowd audio. It’s actually really awesome. I’ve watched them all countless times and Petrovic clearly stands out as the only guy on ANY of the teams that thought he had a chance. Also, in the first game against Angola, watch how they set up for the free throw line 🤣🤣🤣 enjoy!
I am Croatian and was little child when Drazen died but thnx God for youtube coz there is a lot to see who want to see about Drazen. People why we need mesaure all who is better in what just look and enjoy coz we have nnow only today and past is past and future give allways new players like Luka Doncic etc.
Underrated in USA. Probably top 5 ever in the world. I was privileged to watch him making his first pro years, he was 16-17 and already best in beck then First YU basketball Division. Special guy, very special.
Please dont refer to him as jugoslavian as it was clear where his passion was and that is CROATIA. You jugoslavs need to go find your own sporting hero's, thats if you have any and leave Croatian sports stars alone.
@@powderskier5547 back then it was Yugoslavia and i can tell you that he was an idol 90% of the kids no matter Serbia or Croatia or... All that division started later.. and nobodie wants to 'take away' Dražen from Croatia and never did. Maybe you just dont like tge fact that someone from Serbia can like or respect Dražen? Oh and i liked Kukoč more then Dražen....
I grew up in former Yugoslavia, and remember him since he was 16 years old. He won everything a basketball player could win in Europe, with his team or the national team. The first basketball player in Europe to make 1 million dollar contract (from Real Madrid). Yugoslavia was the best basketball nation in the world outside USA. Petro, Kukoc, Radja, Divac, Vrankovic, Stojakovic and more than 80 players played in the NBA from republics of former Yugoslavia. And, it still continues with Doncic, Jokic, Nurkic, Zubac, Nurkic, Bogdabovic etc... Still, Petro was unique....
Here is the thing, even now as i write this Drazen is still the 3rd best 3 point % shooter in NBA history. He died at 29 years of age. 29!!! He was not even in his prime!!! He is IMHO the best pure shooter of all time in the world. No one comes close, not even Curry, Thompson, Allen or anyone else. His release was something you cant mimic or practice. When he dropped 52 points on Oscar Robertson and 25 on MICHEAL JORDAN in one half,thats all you need to know how great Drazen was.
Drazen Petrovic... leave him be. Drazen is our legend. He died way, way too early before his career peak. He was really good, I mean Lebron, Jordan, Miller agree on that, so not much to add. But there are two things that differentiate him from all other Croatian players are his working habits. Talent... his brother was talented, Saric is talented, Kukoc was extremely talented. What about Zubac who is still promising much more than he actually delivers? Drazen was at that time, a 2-meter guard with solid skills, speed, and precision, but nothing over the moon... until he started to practice. He said for himself he was not a natural shooter. He became one after 2 years of continuous shooting exercise after _every_ Cibona practice. His agility was not God given, but the result of endless footwork exercises, studying Larry Bird and Stockton moves. His catch and release game was first a copy of Delibasic, then Reggie style became his new inspiration. And generations of children in Croatia, and would dare to say in Europe, recognized that with hard work you can become anything you want. The second even more important thing was his real talent, the talent of how to be a great man! He was the one keeping Croatian basketball, together with Mirko Novosel, at the top of the world solely with his integrity and honesty. When he died the Croatian basketball died. So, leave him be. When I say he was the best player in the world, just give me like.
He was one of my favorite 3point shooting 👑 s in the NBA because he was effortless and precise in his his shooting ability. To me he was like the European version of both Larry 🕊️ and Reggie Miller. Whenever he played the 🎮 it seemed like he wasn't human because he was tough on the inside and handled his bumps and bruises. He had infinite accuracy! The way he died was incredibly tragic! He's one of the 🐐 s in my book!
Thanks for this video. I´m an spanish, Real Madrid supporter, and as you know Drazen played for Real Madrid some seasons. Thanks again. Very proud oh him.
I am from Montenegro,old enough watching YU basket stars playing in Europe and NBA,also play basketball myself so I understand game,YU(or ex-YU if you like)players were more for tactics,Les fisicality,they had to build up in NBA to match,but Drazen,c'mon-He WAS basketball,I don't think this sport will ever see somebody like that...RIP
The way he moved and danced with a ball, was something that will never be seen again. The best footwork of all times. I am sure that Luka when playing for Real, studied a lot of his videos since you can see the footwork taken directly from Drazen. Unfortunally he is at this moment to heavy, but once he looses his chicken burgers fat, he might get even more use of it. If Drazen would stay alive, he would most probably join Patrick Ewing in NYK and Jordan would have a huge problem, cause Ewing was at his peak. Not to say if Drazen would come to NBA earlier when he was lighter and faster (in those times they valued mass and muscle more than speed, which turned out to be wrong, see Curry today), it would be a total different set of events in NBA.
A great video, once again. I'm disappointed that I didn't know about Drazen at the time. What an incredible player. Thanks for keeping his legacy alive.
Great video about one of the best European basketball players. Nevertheless, the Hall of Famer Nikos Galis is still my favorite one but he abandoned an NBA career for Aris of Greece.
@@goxputica Drazen admitted it himself mate. The press addressed him as "the son of devil" and he pointed at Galis and said " then he is the devil himself". Galis outscored him in points and percentages in all major events and games between their teams.
Legend! One and only! Even though I am from Zadar,who at the time had a great team itself (Petranovic,Popovic,Vrankovic,Komazec,etc),remembering Dražen as a kid ,him playing with Cibona,alongside his brother,then Čutura,Nakić,Andro Knego,and other players against,Macabi,Panathenaicos,Barcelona,Zalgiris or in Yugoslavian jersey against many then famous teams and countries,he was real G.O.A.T. Now living in USA 🇺🇸 i am telling my son (who loves and plays basketball daily) about greatness of Dražen and showing him videos and stories from YU Tube and other documentaries about him! True legend.R.I.P.🙏🏻♥️🥲👍🏻
I lived in the Bronx but since MSG tix were too much my dad and me went to many Meadowlands games. Saw Drazen and Reggie Lewis battle,saw MJ every year from 87 ,Nique,Showtime,Celts,Hakeem,Jazz,Suns with KJ,Chambers,Miller,Dale Ellis,Shaq I was there for both rookie games 2nd he tore hoop down. As a Knicks fan I loved Ewing,Jax,Strickland,Walker,Newman,Gerald,Kiki,Trent but I really thought that Jersey was building something with Anderson, D.C. Drazen, Mookie,and Morris
He for sure would of passed everybody in 3pts made he was nasty and the jump shot was wet like water best he dropped 40 points on pretty everybody including MJ watch him and MJ vs it's crazy and sad because he would of been the best European basketball player hands down
In a sad way I share June 7 with this legend .. he died on June 7 and my birthday is on that date.. Vrijeme leti kapetane ❤ Greetings from Croatia to all good people, God bless you.
The day he passed away I wept, and I'm American with no connection with Yugoslavia or Croatia. Petrovic was a winner, a good guy, patient with fans, and touched so many lives all over the world. God bless him forever.
Of all given résumés, Miller´s is by far the best^^ If Drazen really smelled like he never took a shower, he definitely only put the scent up for the joy of his opponents. We did this, as a team, once...it was great fun looking at the faces of our beloved opponents. I´ve never enjoyed any other post-game-shower that much, though.
Nope he hadn't peaked yet. The way players were built back then, their bodies were built to last their full careers. On the plus side, phenomenally gifted shooters like Drazen didn't have to work as hard for points.
I know alot about fiba. I live in a Fiba country. Usa and Jordan crushed these guys. Yeah, they were great players, but watchbthe games on RU-vid. Youre so wrong. Jordan dominated everything.
@@deant3980 should I watch the outcoming of Croatia going against the Dream Team to evaluate Petrovic? By the way listen to what stockton said about Drazen in the Olympics. Petrovic died in 1993 when he was 28 and third team all-NBA as MJ completed his first three-peat, Jordan retired 5 years later at age 36 so he would have had to compete against a 3 years younger Drazen for the rest of his career. I would have not bet against the devil
@@deant3980 That game should have been between USA and Yugoslavia - American Dream Team vs Euro Dream Team. Yugoslavia would probably lose, but it would be much more difficult and close game. After all, Dream Team was made because of Yugoslavian dominance.
My mom knew Dražen while in her teens, he was 6 years older than her tho. She said he was an amazing player but also an amazing person, he knew how to balance his basketball life and his personal life. She said that she knew he had great talent and he really does. He made my country prouder than anyone else…makes me proud to be croatian
Can you imagine him playing in today age? When guys go younger into NBA, have waaaay more respect and getting actually a chance when they come, and the diffence is what it is? Hed fucking destroy.
Drazen was Best Croatian player follow Toni and Radja. It's hard to believe how many good players come from small nation of Croatia and power house of soccer to. Drazen is a true Legend he will never been forgotten in Croatia and Europe. RIP Drazen peace from Canada