Drazen Petrovic was born in October 1964 in Sibenik, Croatia. Nicknamed “Croatian Mozart”, he is regarded as one of the greatest European players ever that played in the NBA. He had a knack for the game early on and earned a place for himself on the Croatian national basketball team. He has an outstanding record in Europe and NBA. The professional career of Drazen Petrovic was cut short by his tragic death in a car accident in Germany in 1993. He was only 28 years old at the time of his death. His short career left an indelible mark on basketball and was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

Early Life of Drazen Petrovic

He was born to Jovan Jole, a police officer, and Biserka, a librarian. Drazen was the second child of his parents. His elder brother, Aleksander, was also a top-notch basketball player. Drazen Petrovic is the second cousin to Dejan Bodiroga, the Serbian basketball player.

He spent a year in the military after which he joined the KK Cibon club along with his brother Aleksander. In the first year, he helped his team win the Yugoslavian championship and national cup.

He started playing for the local club Sibenka when he was 15. He helped his team reach the final of the French League twice from 1981-82 to 1982-83.

Playing for The National Side

His talent caught the attention of the Yugoslavian basketball management and he was selected to play for the national team in 1981 at the young age of 17 years.

In 1982 he played a pivotal role in winning a silver medal for his team in Men’s Junior European championship.

Notre Dame University in the U.S.A offered him a basketball scholarship in 1984 but he turned down the offer.

In 1989 the national basketball team of Yugoslavia won the European Cup Championship led by Drazen Petrovic.

Rise Of The European Basketball Star

It was in the era of the 80s that he began to ascend to stardom in Europe. He played for  KK Cibona from 1984 to 1988. He played as a guard with jersey number 10. Zagreb was the center of basketball in Europe and Drazen was at the right place at the right time.

The Mozart Of Croatia

In the 80’s a strong European basketball club was Real Madrid, Spain. But the team was no match for the skills of Drazen. In the first two years of his contract with KK Cibona he played 5 times against Real Madrid and every time he was instrumental in the victory of his team against the mighty Real Madrid.

It was the victories against Real Madrid that earned him the title of Amadeus or Mozart of Croatia. In 1985 he scored a jaw-dropping 112 points against SMELT Olimpija from Ljubljana.

European Champions Cups

He led his team to two consecutive victories in the European Champions Cups. In 1985 Cibona won against Real Madrid in Athens, Greece. He was a committed and aggressive player with an absolute sense of resolution. After winning in 1985, he said at a press conference that we have to do it again. And in the Subsequent year, the club won against Zalgiris in Budapest, Hungary.

He was a crowd-puller who was loved by his fans. After winning in Budapest he chatted with his fans saying “ It’s a shame that we don’t have two trophies. One for us, and one for you”.

A career at Real Madrid

He wanted to embrace a new challenge in the playing arena. He was picked up by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1986 NBA draft. But he decided otherwise and signed a contract worth 4 million US dollars with the Spanish League.

He played for Real Madrid in the Spanish league from 1988 to 1989. At that time Yugoslavian players under 28 were not allowed to join professional leagues abroad. However, Drazen Petrovic was allowed to play in the Spanish league.

In 1989, he helped his team win Spanish King’s Cup by beating Barcelona. In the 1988-89 ACB season Petrovic was the top scorer in 47 games with an average of 28.2 per game. He still holds the record for the most points scored in the ACB final scoring 42 points.

NBA Career

Given his skills, at the game and alacrity he was destined to play in the biggest professional basketball league in the world, the NBA. He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1986 as the 60^th overall pick.

Drazen Petrovic was playing for Real Madrid when the Trail Blazers called him to play in the NBA. He was helped out of the contract with the Spanish league by Trail Blazers, paying 1.5 million U.S. dollars. Petrovic joined the club for the season 1989-90.

• Portland Trail Blazers

At the Trail Blazers, he didn’t get much time to play because of star players like Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter. He couldn’t get ample time to showcase his talent. Petrovic was underrated in the first season. In his Rookie year, he averaged 7.4 points with less than 12 minutes per game.

In the second season with Trail Blazers, the experienced guard Danny Ainge joined the team, and Petrovic’s playing time further dropped to 7 minutes per game.

He was anxious to unveil his talent. But he was not getting the opportunity that he desired. Thus Drazen Petrovic expressed his desire to be traded out. After 38 games, in a three-way trade with Denver Nuggets, he was traded to New Jersey Nets for Walter Davis.

·      New Jersey Nets

Petrovic played for the New Jersey Nets in the Season 1990-91 and 1991-92. He showed his true colors while at the new club. He got enough time to show the world what he is capable of. The team had not been to play-offs since 1986. Petrovic got enough playing time. With 20.5 minutes per game, his scoring enhanced to 12.6 points per game.

In the season 1991-92, Petrovic playing time increased further to 36 minutes consequently increasing his score to 20.6 points per game. The Nets made it to the playoffs and won 14 games more than the previous year.

He was a savage when it came to three-point shooting ability. In the season he shined with a 44.4 percent three-point shooter. In the following season his score per game jacked-up to 22.3 per game and overall 11^th best in the league. He was third in the league with a 45 percent three-point field goal percentage.

Olympics Performances

He had an impressive Olympic career. His performance at all three Olympics in 1984, 1988, and 1992 was outstanding.

In the 1984 Summer Olympics games, it was Petrovic’s first Olympics assignment for the Yugoslavia senior national team. His team won a bronze medal.

At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Petro shinned among his team members. He averaged 18.6 per game in the tournament. In the final against the Soviet Union, he scored a game-high 24 points but was not able to get his team to the Gold medal. His team finished second and won the Silver medal.

In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he was the leader of the Croatian basketball team. He was the leading scorer for his country averaging 24.6 points per game.

In the Semi-final he single-handedly won the match against the Soviet Union, giving his country a chance to win the Gold medal.

Croatia did well in the first ten minutes by leading 25-23. But the star-studded American Dream team pulled things back in their favor and won the gold medal. Croatia settled for the Silver medal.

Death of Drazen Petrovic

After the NBA season, in the summer of 1993, he went to Wroclaw where his national team was playing in a qualification tournament for 1993 Eurocup. After the qualification round, he evaded the flight to Zagreb and decided to drive to Croatia with his girlfriend.

Sadly, on 7^th June 1993, he met a tragic incident when his car was dashed by a truck on a rainy day in Germany. Petrovic died sustaining multiple head injuries.

Honours of Drazen Petrovic

In 1993 to honour the great Croatian player, the Cibona stadium was named after him. A square in the capital of Croatia was named after Drazen Petrovic. His jersey number 3 was retired by his club New Jersey Nets.

In 1995 a statue of Drazen Petrovic was erected in front of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, commemorating Petrovic. He is only the second athlete to receive this honor.

Posthumously, Drazen was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2006, on the 13^th  death anniversary, Drazen Petrovic memorial center was inaugurated in Croatia in recognition of his services to the game and his country. In 2007 he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.

Conclusion

Drazen Petrovic was a sportsperson with immense ability and love for the game. His talent made him the all-time best European player. His death at a young age shortened a bright career but his legacy will live forever.