Vlade Divac

Position	Center
Height	7 ft 1 in (2. The center, colloquially the five, is one of the standard positions in a regulation Basketball game A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 16 m)
Weight	260 lb (120 kg)
Born	February 3, 1968 (1968-02-03) (age 40) Prijepolje, Serbia, Yugoslavia
Nationality	Serbian
Draft	26th overall, 1989 Los Angeles Lakers
Pro career	1986–2005
Former teams	KK Elan Prijepolje (1980 – 1982) KK Sloga Kraljevo (1982 – 1986) Partizan Belgrade (1986 – 1989) LA Lakers (1989 – 1996; 2004 – 2005) Charlotte Hornets (1996 – 1998) KK Crvena Zvezda (1998 – 1999) Sacramento Kings (1999 – 2004)
Awards	European Champion (1989; 1991; 1995) World Champion (1990; 2002)

Medal record
Men's Basketball
Summer Olympics
Silver	1988 Seoul	Yugoslavia
Silver	1996 Atlanta	Yugoslavia
FIBA World Championship
Bronze	1986 Spain	Yugoslavia
Gold	1990 Argentina	Yugoslavia
Gold	2002 USA	Yugoslavia
Eurobasket
Bronze	1987 Greece	Yugoslavia
Gold	1989 Yugoslavia	Yugoslavia
Gold	1991 Italy	Yugoslavia
Gold	1995 Greece	Yugoslavia
Bronze	1999 France	Yugoslavia

Vlade Divac (Serbian Cyrillic: Владе Дивац, pronounced [ˈvlaːdɛ ˈdiːvaʦ]) (born February 3, 1968, in Prijepolje, Serbia, Yugoslavia) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player who spent most of his career in the United States' NBA. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Prijepolje ( Serbian Cyrillic: Пријепоље) is a Town and Municipality in the Zlatibor District of Serbia. Socialist Republic of Serbia ( Serbo-Croatian: Социјалистичка Република Србија Socijalistička Republika Srbija) was a Socialist The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country The 1989 NBA Draft took place on June 27 1989 in New York City, New York, USA. The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. Prijepolje ( Serbian Cyrillic: Пријепоље) is a Town and Municipality in the Zlatibor District of Serbia. KK Sloga is a Serbian basketball club from Kraljevo, Serbia. The club competes in the Sinalco Superleague. Kraljevo ( Serbian Cyrillic: Краљево) is a city and municipality located in Serbia at, built beside the Košarkaški klub Partizan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Кошаркашки клуб Партизан English: Basketball Club Partizan) is a professional The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. The New Orleans Hornets are a professional Basketball team based in New Orleans Louisiana, United States. Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda ( Serbian Cyrillic: Кошаркашки клуб Црвена звезда; English: Basketball Club Red Star The Sacramento Kings are a professional Basketball team based in Sacramento California. EuroBasket is the name commonly used to refer to the men's Basketball championship contested biennially by the national teams of the European Continent under Final rankings Team rosters 1Yugoslavia Dražen Petrović, Final rankings Team rosters 1Yugoslavia Toni Kukoč, Dino Rađa EuroBasket 1995 final tournament stage was XXIX European basketball championship and was held in Athens Greece from 21st of June to 2nd of July 1995 The FIBA World Championship is a world Basketball tournament for men's national teams held quadrennially by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA The 1990 FIBA World Championship was an international Basketball competition hosted by Argentina from August 8 to August 20, 1990. The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international Basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Basketball has been played consistently at the Summer Olympic Games since 1936 with demonstration events in 1904 and 1924 The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an International Multi-sport event, usually quadrennial organised by the International The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event staged in 1988 in The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Савезна Република Југославија / Savezna Republika Jugoslavija) or FRY was a federal state The FIBA World Championship is a world Basketball tournament for men's national teams held quadrennially by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA The 1986 FIBA World Championship was an international Basketball competition hosted by Spain from July 5 to 19, 1986. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: The 1990 FIBA World Championship was an international Basketball competition hosted by Argentina from August 8 to August 20, 1990. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international Basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Савезна Република Југославија / Savezna Republika Jugoslavija) or FRY was a federal state EuroBasket is the name commonly used to refer to the men's Basketball championship contested biennially by the national teams of the European Continent under The EuroBasket 1987 (common short name for the 25th edition of FIBA 's European Basketball Championship) was held in Greece between June 3 The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: Final rankings Team rosters 1Yugoslavia Dražen Petrović, The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: Final rankings Team rosters 1Yugoslavia Toni Kukoč, Dino Rađa The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: EuroBasket 1995 final tournament stage was XXIX European basketball championship and was held in Athens Greece from 21st of June to 2nd of July 1995 The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Савезна Република Југославија / Savezna Republika Jugoslavija) or FRY was a federal state The 1999 FIBA European Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket 1999, was the 31th regional championship held by FIBA Europe The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Савезна Република Југославија / Savezna Republika Jugoslavija) or FRY was a federal state The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (српска/Вукова ћирилица srpska/Vukova ćirilica, literally " Serbian/Vuk's Cyrillic alphabet " is Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Prijepolje ( Serbian Cyrillic: Пријепоље) is a Town and Municipality in the Zlatibor District of Serbia. Socialist Republic of Serbia ( Serbo-Croatian: Социјалистичка Република Србија Socijalistička Republika Srbija) was a Socialist The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m The United States of America —commonly referred to as the At 7'1" he played at center and was known for his deft passing skills. The center, colloquially the five, is one of the standard positions in a regulation Basketball game

Basketball career

He began playing basketball in his home town Prijepolje for the team KK Elan. Prijepolje ( Serbian Cyrillic: Пријепоље) is a Town and Municipality in the Zlatibor District of Serbia. He began his professional career in Yugoslavia playing for KK Sloga Kraljevo, and was immediately noted for scoring 27 points against mighty Red Star. KK Sloga is a Serbian basketball club from Kraljevo, Serbia. The club competes in the Sinalco Superleague. Kraljevo ( Serbian Cyrillic: Краљево) is a city and municipality located in Serbia at, built beside the Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda ( Serbian Cyrillic: Кошаркашки клуб Црвена звезда; English: Basketball Club Red Star ^[1] In summer 1986, he was the top star of the transfer season, signing for KK Partizan Belgrade for DM14,000. Košarkaški klub Partizan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Кошаркашки клуб Партизан English: Basketball Club Partizan) is a professional ^[1]

In the same year, at the age of 18, he made the debut for the senior Yugoslavia national basketball team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship in Madrid, on invitation by the selector Krešimir Ćosić. Yugoslavia national basketball team represented the Kingdom and socialist Yugoslavia. The 1986 FIBA World Championship was an international Basketball competition hosted by Spain from July 5 to 19, 1986. Krešimir Ćosić ( November 26, 1948 &ndash May 25, 1995) was a Croatian professional Basketball player member of However, the excellent rookie's performance was spoiled by the event in the semi-finals against Soviet Union: 45 seconds before the end, Yugoslavia had a comfortable lead of 9 points, but Soviets scored three three-pointers in a row: the third one was result of a steal of Divac's overconfident dribbling at midcourt. The Soviet Union national basketball team was the Basketball side that represented the Soviet Union in international competitions In Basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally gains control of the ball from an offensive player In Sports such as Football (soccer, Basketball, Bandy and Water polo, dribbling refers to the maneuvering of a ball around a defender In the overtime, the Soviets easily prevailed against shocked Yugoslavs, who eventually had to get content with the bronze. ^[1]

The next year, Divac participated in the team that took the gold at the FIBA Junior World Championship (since split into separate under-19 and under-21 events) in Bormio, Italy. The FIBA Under-19 World Championship is a men's under-19 only Basketball competition organized by FIBA. The FIBA Under-21 World Championship is a men's under-21 only Basketball competition organized by FIBA. Bormio (Bormio Buorm is a town located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Italian Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest That event launched the young generation of Yugoslavian basketballers, also featuring stars like Dino Radja and Toni Kukoč, regarded as likely the best in history. Dino Rađa, transcribed in English as Dino Radja (born April 24, 1967, in Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia Toni Kukoč (ˈkʊkɔtʃ (born September 18 1968 in Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a retired Croatian Before the breakup of Yugoslavia, they would also take the titles at EuroBasket 1989 and the 1990 FIBA World Championship in Argentina,^[1] where they were led by Dražen Petrović,^[2] as well as the EuroBasket 1991 title, with Sasha Djordjević at point guard. Final rankings Team rosters 1Yugoslavia Dražen Petrović, The 1990 FIBA World Championship was an international Basketball competition hosted by Argentina from August 8 to August 20, 1990. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Dražen Petrović ( October 22, 1964 &ndash June 7, 1993) was a Croatian Basketball player Final rankings Team rosters 1Yugoslavia Toni Kukoč, Dino Rađa Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević (Sasha Djordjevic ( Александар Ђорђевић - Саша) (born August 26 1967, in Belgrade ^[3]

In 1987, with Divac, Djordjević, Paspalj and Obradović, and Dušan Vujošević at the helm, Partizan had a "dream team", which took the Yugoslavian league title, but failed to reach the Euroleague top the next season, having lost to Maccabi in the semi-finals in Belgian Ghent. Žarko Paspalj ( Жарко Паспаљ; born March 27 1966) is a retired Serbian Montenegrin and Yugoslavian professional Želimir “Željko” Obradović (born March 9 1960, in Čačak, Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia) is a retired Serbian Basketball Duško "Dule" Vujošević ( Serbian Cyrillic: Душко Вујошевић - Дуле (born 3 March 1959 in Titograd, SR EuroLeague WomenThe Euroleague (EL is one of the professional Basketball competitions in Europe, with teams from thirteen different European countries Maccabi "Electra" Tel Aviv (מכבי "אלקטרה" תל-אביב is a professional Basketball team based in Tel Aviv, playing in the Ghent (ˈɡɛnt Gent ʝɛnt in Dutch, Gand in French, and formerly Gaunt in English) is a City and a ^[4] Jugoplastika with Radja and Kukoč was a stronger team in the subsequent 3 years, reigning both in Yugoslavia and in Europe. KK Split (Košarkaški Klub Split is a Basketball club from Split, Croatia.

Divac had an unusual style for centers of the time: despite the height, he possessed good mobility, had good control of the ball and was a good shooter from distance. On occasion, he would also act as a playmaker. Divac also liked playing gags on the field: in the 1989 Eurobasket, he lifted the teammate Zoran Radović for a slam dunk. Zoran Radović (born February 17, 1961 in Belgrade, Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia) is a retired Serbian Basketball player A slam dunk (or simply a dunk) is a type of Basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket In just 4 professional seasons in Europe, he became the most sought-after tall player in the continent after Arvydas Sabonis. Arvydas Romas Sabonis (born on December 19th, 1964 in Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR) is a retired ^[1]

NBA

Drafted into the NBA in 1989 by the Los Angeles Lakers and was the first pick of the Lakers that wasn't American. The 1989 NBA Draft took place on June 27 1989 in New York City, New York, USA. The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. Divac was also one of the first European players to have an impact on the league. Under the tutorship of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, he improved his play and adopted to the American style of the game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr; April 16 1947 is an American athlete and retired professional Basketball player widely considered Despite the fact that he didn't speak any English, he quickly became popular among the teammates and the public for his charm and joviality. In the 1989/90 season, he was selected into the NBA All-Rookie Team. The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top Rookies during the regular ^[1] During his time with the Lakers, Divac's popularity and marketing potential, in addition to his entertaining and good-natured personality, were picked up on by the American TV industry. As a result he appeared quite a few times on Los Angeles-based late night programmes such as The Arsenio Hall Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The Arsenio Hall Show was an Emmy Award winning Talk show which aired on late night in syndication from 1989 to 1994 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an Emmy Award -winning American late-night Talk show currently hosted by Jay Leno, on He appeared on Larry King Live in 1999 and The Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN. He also appeared in American sitcoms Married... with Children and Coach, as well as in the short lived Good Sports sitcom starring Farrah Fawcett. Coach is an American television Sitcom that aired for nine seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1997 Ferrah Leni Fawcett (born February 2 1947) is an American actress On the big screen Divac took part in basketball based movies Eddie, Space Jam and Juwanna Mann. Eddie is a 1996 sports Movie starring Whoopi Goldberg and Frank Langella. Space Jam is a 1996 American Live-action/animated film starring Michael Jordan opposite Bugs Bunny (voiced by Juwanna Mann is a 2002 Comedy movie directed by Jesse Vaughan.

Divac earned a reputation for flopping, or deceiving the officials into calling a foul on the other team by purposely falling to the floor upon contact with an opposing player. In Basketball, flop is a derogatory term that refers to a defensive player intentionally falling backward to the floor upon physical contact with an offensive player ^[5] Veteran NBA forward P.J. Brown claimed that Divac might have been the best of all time at flopping. ^[6] Divac freely admitted doing so, adding that he usually did it when he felt like the officials had missed some calls and owed him. ^[7]

He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant in 1996 and spent two seasons playing there. The New Orleans Hornets are a professional Basketball team based in New Orleans Louisiana, United States. Kobe Bean Bryant (born) is an American All-Star Shooting guard He signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings in 1998 where he would play for six seasons alongside fellow countryman Peja Stojakovic. In Professional sports a free agent is a team player whose contract with a team has expired and the player is able to sign a contract with another team if that player The Sacramento Kings are a professional Basketball team based in Sacramento California. Predrag "Peja" Stojaković ( Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг Стојаковић - Пеђа) (born June 9 1977 is a Serbian Basketball Along with Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic, Divac revitalized the Sacramento Kings franchise. Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1 1973 in Detroit, Michigan) better known as Chris Webber and nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired Predrag "Peja" Stojaković ( Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг Стојаковић - Пеђа) (born June 9 1977 is a Serbian Basketball The Sacramento Kings are a professional Basketball team based in Sacramento California. The Kings rose in the NBA ranks, becoming a perennial playoff contender and later on a championship contender and was one of the best teams in the NBA. The Kings however, could not get past the Los Angeles Lakers, swept in 2001 and losing a heartbreaking 7 game series in 2002. The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California.

During his tenure with the Kings, both Divac and teammate Peja Stojaković gained attention in the local section of newsreview. Predrag "Peja" Stojaković ( Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг Стојаковић - Пеђа) (born June 9 1977 is a Serbian Basketball com for their use of a Serbian three-fingered salute as a way to celebrate on-court success. The three-finger salute (три пpcтa or tri prsta is a Salute with the thumb index and middle fingers open used by some Serbs. The sign is associated with the Serbian Orthodox Christian Church and is considered to be on par with a Nazi salute and is a military gesture of Serbian fascist movements against Croatians, Kosavars, and Muslims which was used during the Yugoslav wars. The Serbian Orthodox Church ( Serbian: Српска Православна Црква / Srpska Pravoslavna Crkva; СПЦ / SPC) or the Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Fascism is a totalitarian nationalist and corporatist ideology Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The Yugoslav Wars were a series of violent conflicts in the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY that took place between 1991 and ^[8] Divac defended its use, saying "it means three points," and "Europeans count with different fingers than Americans. "^[8]

After the 2003-04 NBA season, he became a free agent. The 2003–04 NBA season was the 58th season of the National Basketball Association. He signed a deal to return to the Lakers and was part of a grand plan to overhaul Laker basketball. The Lakers, following a defeat in the NBA Finals, had traded away or released most of their players, including star center Shaquille O'Neal; Divac was supposed to fill that void. Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6 1972 frequently referred to simply as " Shaq " is an African American Professional basketball However, Divac suffered back problems and was unable to play for most of the season, and even when he returned, was only able to play about nine minutes per game, averaging 2. 3 points per game and 2. 1 rebounds per game. On 14 July 2005, Divac announced his retirement, ending his sixteen-year basketball career. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Post-basketball career

Through the evening of his playing career and afterwards, Divac focused on three fields: humanitarian work, basketball management and investment, in that order of success.

Basketball management

Partizan

In late 2000, after the overthrow of the Milošević regime, Divac and former teammate Predrag Danilović took over their former club KK Partizan. The 5th October Overthrow (sometimes colloquially called the Bulldozer Revolution) is a term referring to the series of events that occurred in 2000 in the Federal Republic Predrag "Sasha" Danilović ( Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг Даниловић - Саша) (born February 26 1970, Košarkaški klub Partizan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Кошаркашки клуб Партизан English: Basketball Club Partizan) is a professional The club was a launching pad for both of their basketball careers in late 1980s and early 1990s and it was only fitting they'd now play prominent parts in its management. Divac became the club's president while Danilović took the vice-president role. Freshly retired Danilović was actually running the club's day-to-day operations since Divac was still very actively involved with the Sacramento Kings at the time. The Sacramento Kings are a professional Basketball team based in Sacramento California.

Though the duo never stated so outright, their main motivation in getting involved with KK Partizan again was perceived to be gaining the upper hand on club's eventual privatisation process once the new Law on Sports gets passed in Serbian parliament. The unicameral Parliament of Serbia is known as the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: Народна Since the exact ownership structure of publicly owned KK Partizan isn't really clear, potential investors decided to stay away, at least until the law appears. Divac and Danilović appeared pretty much out of nowhere in this regard but enjoyed plenty of fan and public support because most preferred to see their beloved club owned and operated by its former stars rather than a faceless corporation. However, after few years the duo ran out of patience and pulled out of the venture in late 2004 because it became too much of a financial burden with no end goal in sight. While he currently performs no official functions at the club, Divac continues to be involved with it in lesser capacity.

LA Lakers

From 2005 to 2006, Divac was employed as European scout for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California.

Real Madrid

In June 2006, through his friendship with Predrag Mijatović, Divac linked up with Ramón Calderón as part of the lawyer's candidate bid for the presidency of Real Madrid polideportivo. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović ( Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг Мијатовић - Пеђа) (born 19 January 1969 in Titograd, Montenegro Ramón Calderón Ramos (born 26 May 1951 in Palencia, Spain) is a Lawyer, and the current President of Spanish Sports club A sports club, athletics club or sports association is an eclectic institution oriented to multiple Sports which fields many Teams and in several When Calderón closely won the club elections on July 2, 2006, Divac was introduced as the head of operations at Real Madrid basketball club. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Real Madrid is a Spanish professional Basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club

However, Divac's role in the club's day to day operations is largely symbolic, and even he himself admitted as much in a March 2007 interview for Croatian weekly Globus: "I literally do nothing and I only serve as part of the royal club's image. Globus is a Croatian weekly newsmagazine published in Zagreb. I only accepted the job because of Mijatović, who is currently the football director at Real". ^[9]

Investments

Divac has been involved in many non-basketball endeavors while still actively playing in the NBA, and more so after he retired. He is an active restaurant investor in the Sacramento, California area. However, his attempts to make major investments in Serbia failed, for a variety of reasons.

The most notable affair was a highly publicized business venture—takeover bid of profitable beverage producer Knjaz Miloš. Divac's company "Apurna" in a joint venture with French dairy giant Danone ostensibly proposed the best bid, but the takeover was aborted by the Serbia's Securities Commission, because Danone/Apurna allegedly offered extra money to small shareholders. Groupe Danone () (known as Dannon in the United States) is a French food-products company based in Paris. ^[10] In the repeated bid, Divac and Danone eventually withdrew and the sale went to FPP Balkan Ltd. , a privatization fund from Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands are a British overseas territory located in the western Caribbean Sea, comprising the islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac The entire messy affair caused great friction within the Serbian government, wide speculation about corruption, resignation of the Securities Commission chief, and even police investigation. The Government of Serbia (Влада Републике Србије / Vlada Republike Srbije is the main element of the Executive branch of government in Serbia. ^[11]

Another similar, though less spectacular, episode happened with 2005 Divac's attempt to take over the Večernje novosti, a Serbian high-circulation daily. Večernje novosti ( Вечерње новости; Evening News is a Belgrade-based daily He made an agreement with small shareholders to take over the company by means of registering a new company with joint capital, which would increase the share capital. However, the Serbian Government intervened and halted what should have been a mere technical move. While the attempted takeover was a "backdoor" one indeed, it was legal and similar cases had already happened. The government ostensibly feared lack of control over the influential daily. Even through the Supreme Court of Serbia eventually ruled in Divac's favor, he withdrew from the contest, citing "friendly advice" by unnamed persons. ^[12] Embittered, he decided to stop his attempts to invest in Serbia: "All of this is ugly and I'm very upset. . . I realized that there's no place for me in Serbia and my friends can meet me in Madrid from now on. . . In Serbia, some different rules are in effect, and I can't conceive them". ^[13]

However, that turned out not to be true, as in October 2007 Divac got legally registered as 100% owner of Voda Voda, a bottled water brand previously owned by businessman Vojin Djordjević. Bottled water is Drinking water packaged in Bottles for individual consumption and retail sale That transaction was also followed by a stir of controversy, as Djordjević publicly accused Divac of deceit, asserting that he broke a gentlemen's agreement they had, and questioning the validity of the contract that Divac presented to the Serbian Business Registers Agency. A gentlemen's agreement is an informal Agreement between two or more parties The circumstances surrounding the deal (as of November 2007) are still unclear: Divac claims that he indeed loaned some money to the Djordjević's Si&Si company, which was in financial troubles, and after Djordjević failed to fulfill his part of the deal, just used the contract, already properly signed by Djordjević, to claim ownership of the company. ^[14][15]

Humanitarian work

Vlade Divac (rear, center) in 2005, at an event for World Heart Day

Divac is a proactive humanitarian worker, focusing on aid to children worldwide and refugees in his home country. The World Heart Federation, is a nongovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland dedicated to the prevention and control of heart disease and stroke with Along with six Serbian basketball teammates, Divac established the charity called Group Seven, later renamed to "Divac's Children Foundation", and works closely with International Orthodox Christians Charities (IOCC), helping them to raise around US$500,000 for humanitarian assistance in Serbia since 1997. Group Seven Children's Foundation or Group 7 is a Non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to provide material moral and emotional relief to the children The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[16] Divac's own foundation, presided by his wife Snežana, provided over $2,500,000 in humanitarian assistance through 1998–2007. ^[17]

In late 2007 Divac has founded a humanitarian organization, "You Can Do It too" (Serbian: Можеш и ти/Možeš i ti), bent on assisting the refugees in Serbia. Serbian (sr-Cyrl српски језик sr-Latn ''srpski jezik'' is a South Slavic language, Serbia has around 500,000 refugees from the 1990s Yugoslav wars, making it the country with the largest refugee problem in Europe. The Yugoslav Wars were a series of violent conflicts in the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY that took place between 1991 and ^[17] Around 7,800 of those people still live in collective centers under poor conditions, so the organization has vouched itself to buy abandoned countryside houses, in an attempt to finally solve their accommodation problem. ^[18]

On 21-23 September 2007, Divac organized an official farewell from active basketball career in his hometown Prijepolje and Belgrade, simultaneously promoting the "You Can Do It Too" campaign. The spectacle culminated in gathering of Divac and his worldwide friends in front of 10,000 people outside the National Assembly building^[19]. The unicameral Parliament of Serbia is known as the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: Народна

Domestic fame

Divac is genuinely adored by most of the public in his native Serbia. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country

Presidential candidate Boris Tadić received a major boost when Divac backed him in the 2004 Serbian presidential elections. Boris Tadić (Борис Тадић born January 15, 1958) is a Serbian politician and the current President of Serbia. Serbia held the first round of its 2004 elections for President of Serbia on Sunday 13 June 2004, and the second round on Sunday 27 June The two played a game of one-on-one street basketball as part of a campaign photo-op leading up to the second round runoff vote. Tadić ended up winning the election.

Back in early 1990s, the song "Vlade Divac" by Belgrade band Deca loših muzičara, devoted to his transfer to Lakers, was a big hit; the band finally got to personally meet Vlade and perform it with him on his farewell party in 2007. Deca Loših Muzičara ( Serbian Cyrillic: Деца Лоших Музичара trans ^[20]

Divac is in major demand for high profile marketing campaigns, even well after his playing career has ended. He regularly appears in commercials pitching products ranging from Atlas Beer to Societe Generale Bank mortgage credit plans. Société Générale Srbija (full name Société Générale Banka Srbija a

Divac appeared as a special guest on Eurovision 2008. He threw a ball into audience, and that was sign for the beginning of televoting. Televoting is a method of Opinion polling usually conducted by telephone which incorporates deliberative democratic principles

Major career achievements

KK Partizan

• KK Partizan Belgrade Yugoslavia Championship in 1987
• KK Partizan Belgrade National Cup Winner 1989

Yugoslavia national team

• Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-18 nationals at the European Cadet Championships in Rousse, Bulgaria in 1985
• Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 nationals at the European Junior Championships in Gmunden, Austria in 1986
• Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 nationals at the FIBA Junior World Championships of Basketball in Bormio, Italy in 1987, defeating the U. Košarkaški klub Partizan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Кошаркашки клуб Партизан English: Basketball Club Partizan) is a professional Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Rousse (also transliterated as Ruse or Russe; Русе) is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria with a population of near 175600 The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Gmunden is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Bormio (Bormio Buorm is a town located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Italian Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) S. team twice in that tournament
• Earned silver medals in 1988 (for SFRY) and 1996 Olympics (for FRY)
• Earned gold medals with SFRY at the 1990 (Argentina) and with FRY at the 2002 FIBA World Championship (USA)
• Earned gold medals at European Championships in Zagreb 1989 and Rome 1991 (with SFRY), and in Athens 1995 (with FRY)

NBA

• Named to the 1989-90 NBA All-Rookie First Team after averaging 8. The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event staged in 1988 in The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: The 1990 FIBA World Championship was an international Basketball competition hosted by Argentina from August 8 to August 20, 1990. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Савезна Република Југославија / Savezna Republika Jugoslavija) or FRY was a federal state The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international Basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in EuroBasket is the name commonly used to refer to the men's Basketball championship contested biennially by the national teams of the European Continent under Zagreb (ˈzɑːgrɛb is the Capital and the largest city of Croatia. Final rankings Team rosters 1Yugoslavia Dražen Petrović, Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Final rankings Team rosters 1Yugoslavia Toni Kukoč, Dino Rađa The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's EuroBasket 1995 final tournament stage was XXIX European basketball championship and was held in Athens Greece from 21st of June to 2nd of July 1995 The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Савезна Република Југославија / Savezna Republika Jugoslavija) or FRY was a federal state 5 ppg and 6. 2 rpg for the Lakers
• Appeared in the 1991 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls and has averaged 12. 9 ppg, 7. 7 rpg and 2. 4 apg in 63 career NBA Playoff games
• Ranks 4th in Lakers franchise history with 830 blocked shots
• Ranked 2nd on the Kings in scoring (14. 3 ppg), rebounds (10. 0 rpg, 10th in the NBA), assists (4. 3 apg) and blocked shots (1. 02 bpg) in 1998-99
• Ranked 12th in the NBA in field-goal percentage (. 503) in 1999-2000
• Earned first selection to NBA All-Star Game in 2001

Filmography

Movies

• Mi nismo andjeli 3: Rock & roll uzvraca udarac (2008) -Pretpostavljeni
• Crossover (2004) -Himself
• Juwanna Mann (2002) -Beat Player Morse
• Driving Me Crazy (TV) (2000) -Viglione, Gene
• Space Jam (1996) -Himself (Los Angeles Lakers)
• Eddie (1996) -Himself (Los Angeles Lakers)

Television

• Crni Gruja, "Kolac" (2003) -Vampir Toza
• Rachel Gunn, R. Juwanna Mann is a 2002 Comedy movie directed by Jesse Vaughan. Space Jam is a 1996 American Live-action/animated film starring Michael Jordan opposite Bugs Bunny (voiced by N. , "Rachel Sees Red" (2000)
• Married with Children, " A Tisket, a Tasket, Can Peg Make a Basket?" (1993) -Himself
• Coach, "Dateline-Bangkok" (1992) -Delivery Man
• Good Sports, "The Reviews are in" (1991) -Himself
• "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" - Serbia, New Year's 2008 celebrities charity edition - Himself (Answered 13 questions, won 1. Coach is an American television Sitcom that aired for nine seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1997 250. 000 dinars)

Family

Vlade Divac and his wife have two sons, Luka, Matija, and a daughter Petra, who is adopted. ^[21] Her biological parents were shot by Albanian terrorists of the Kosovo Liberation Army snipers. The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA ( Albanian: Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës or UÇK) was a Kosovar Albanian guerilla group which sought ^[22]

Notes

External links

• The Official Vlade Divac YouTube Channel
• Vlade Divac playerfile @ NBA. com
• Divac's Charity
• Vlade Divac Player Profile (InterBasket)