25 LET SMRTI DRAŽENA PETROVIČA ., 25 YEARS OF DRAŽEN PETROVIČ DEATH

TAKEN FROM WIKIPEDIJA THE FREE ENCICLOPEDIA

DRAŽEN PETROVIČ: OCTOBER 22 1964 - JUNE 7. 1993

Born in Šibenik, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia, Dražen Petrović was the second child of Jovan "Jole", a police officer, and Biserka. His father, of Serb ethnicity, was born in Zagora, near Trebinje in Bosnia and Herzegovina.His mother was born in Bilice, near Šibenik, and was from a traditional conservative Croat family, devoutly Roman Catholic.[ The couple's eldest child, Aleksandar, would be the first one to tread the basketball path, providing a lead for his younger sibling. The Petrović siblings are second cousins to the Serbian basketball player Dejan Bodiroga.

ŠIBENKA

At the age of thirteen, Petrović started playing in the youth selections of the local club Šibenka; at the age of fifteen he had already made the first team, just as Šibenka earned a place in the Yugoslav national first division. With young Petrović as the star of the team, Šibenka reached the final of the FIBA Radivoj Korać Cup twice (1981–82 and 1982–83), losing to Limoges CSP both times. In 1983, the 18 year-old Petrović hit two free throws for Šibenka's victory over Bosna in the final playoff game of the Yugoslavian club championship, but the title was taken away from Šibenka the next day by the national basketball federation with irregularities in refereeing cited as the reason, and awarded to Bosna after Šibenka refused to show up for the repeat match.

CIBONA

After spending a year serving the mandatory time in the military, Petrović followed his brother's footsteps and moved to Cibona to form, at that time, the best backcourt duo in Europe. The very first year in Cibona he won both the Yugoslav League championship and the Yugoslav National Cup. To top it all off, the 87–78 victory over the Spanish League club Real Madrid, to which Petrović contributed with 36 points, brought him and Cibona their first European Cup title. The second came the following year, as Petrović scored 22 points and Cibona defeated the USSR Premier League club Žalgiris Kaunas, which starred the legendary Arvydas Sabonis. The same year brought another Yugoslav national cup title for Cibona, seeing Petrović score 46 against the old rival Bosna. In 1987, Petrović earned his third European trophy: a 2nd-tier European Cup Winners' Cup title against the Italian League club Scavolini Pesaro, whose net he filled with 28 points.

REAL MADRID

The 1988–89 season saw Petrović wear the colors of the Spanish ACB League basketball club Real Madrid. Although the Spanish national championship barely escaped them, as they lost to FC Barcelona in the fifth and decisive game of the league's final series, Petrović helped Real to win the Spanish King's Cup title over their Catalan rivals. Petrović also led the club to victory in the 2nd-tier European Cup Winners' Cup final against the Italian League club Snaidero Caserta by tying his previous best scoring performance in European competitions (62 points). His first season in the ACB was also his last, but he still holds ACB single performance bests in a final series game in points made (42) and three-pointers made.

Motivated by the challenge and pressured by the Portland Trail Blazers, who had drafted him 60th overall back in 1986, Petrović finally stood firm in the decision to try to establish himself in the NBA. He left Spain rather abruptly at the end of the season; the Blazers assisted in buying out his contract with Real (for as much as US$1.5 million) and Petrović joined the Blazers for the 1989–1990 season.

THE PORTLAND BLAZERS

The Blazers valued Petrović as a shooter, but were concerned that he might not possess the quickness to play guard or the foot speed to play defense. They brought him onto the team primarily as an outside threat to shoot three-pointers. In the Blazers' offensive scheme he was to set up behind the line, receive a passed ball and go directly up to release his shot. Petrović was an aggressive, attacking player who was used to creating his shot and shots for his teammates. 

Taking the ball out of his hands and making him a static shooter was foreign to him. Making matters worse, the Blazers already had a full rotation of guards, with a starting backcourt of Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter, and with veteran Danny Young as a reserve. Consequently, the reigning La Gazzetta dello Sport Euroscar European Player of the Year saw limited playing time. He had difficulty being productive in the limited role the Blazers had for him. In his rookie year during the 1989–90 NBA season, he averaged 7.4 points in 12 minutes playing time per game.

The following season veteran guard Danny Ainge was added to the team, and Petrović's playing time dropped further to 7 minutes a game. In many statements made prior to arriving in Portland, Petrović had said he saw a lack of playing time as the only possible obstacle to his success in the NBA.He was determined to be a success in basketball's highest arena. His lack of playing time during his second season in the league brought Petrović's frustration to a climax: "I have nothing to say to Adelman any more and vice versa. Eighteen months have passed by, too long. I have to leave to prove how much I am worth. Never in my life did I sit on the bench and I don’t intent to do that in Portland.

NEW YERSEY NETS

On January 23, 1991, Petrović became a member of the New Jersey Nets. He joined a team that had not reached the playoffs since 1986, but had rookie Derrick Coleman, the number one selection from the 1990 draft. He was immediately given a role on the floor, with 20.5 minutes per game. His scoring over the remaining 43 games increased to 12.6 points per game, one of the league's best points-per-minute ratios. 

The following year, he and Coleman were joined by Kenny Anderson, giving the team a third talented new addition. Petrović was made a starter for the 1991–92 season, his first full season with the Nets. Petro, as the Americans had dubbed him, did not miss a single game. His determination, hard work and aggressive on court demeanor established him as a team leader. In 36.9 minutes on the floor he averaged 20.6 points. Petrovic led the Nets in field-goal shooting and free-throw shooting, and his field goal percentage of 51% placed him near the top of all NBA guards. More importantly, his success translated into success for the team.

The Nets made the playoffs, recording 14 more wins than the previous year. The following season saw Petrović increase his scoring average to 22.3 ppg, 11th best in the league. On December 6, he was named MVP of the Week. For the second season in a row he shot 45% from the three-point arc. His field goal percentage of 52% was again near the top for all guards. American media honored him with a selection to the All-NBA Third Team. However, he did not receive an invitation to the 1993 All-Star game. Among the top 13 scorers in the NBA that season, he was the only one not invited.