By Arale Weisberg, Lefteris Moutis / aralos10@gmail.com, moutis@eurohoops.net
Every year, the morning of 7th June, every basketball fan, every Croatian, every teammate and opponent of Drazen Petrovic feels a shiver remembering what happened on the 7th June 1993. Twenty years later, Eurohoops pays tribute to the basketball legend who left so early by presenting his last interview and what says an opponent and one of his heirs and back then a fan of him.
Five days before his death, Drazen Petrovic spoke to renowned Greek journalist, Vassilis Skountis and revealed his plans for the next season in the Greek basketball magazine “Triponto” (three point shot). “I have decided to come back in Europe for the next two years cause I want to search a new contract in 1995 as unrestricted free agent. Then I want to play in the NBA for two more years and then come back in Europe to finish my career playing for Cibona. I will get married also, then” was his words about he had in mind for his future!
He was searching for a contract in Europe and he admitted in the interview that he was close to Panathinaikos. “I want to win again titles. I want to play again in a European team that will win the European trophy. I told that to Stojan Vrankovic: “You, me and Galis will win the European trophy with Panathinaikos. I’m already waiting the final in Tel Aviv””.
It’s obvious that when when you make your plans, God laughs…
Jamchy: “A huge player, a funny person, a great man”
Doron Jamchy met Petrovic many times with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israeli national team. “Μy first memory from Drazen was in 1983. He was only 19 years old, but everyone had been talking about him. We met Yugoslavia in the European Championship, and it was his very first big game in the national team. He scored 20 points, but we’ve won (99-88, as Jamchy himself also scored 20). Drazen seemed arrogant to some people, maybe because of some moves that he used to make on the court. But he wasn’t like it at all. In 1987, Mickey Berkowitz and I played for the European Selection team with Drazen, Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis, Rik Smits, Richard Dacoury and others. At first, we played against them in Tel Aviv, playing for Maccabi in Lou Silver’s farewell game. Two days later, we faced Greece in Thessaloniki, and then we had a long ride in a bus to Sofia, where we met Bulgaria. Everybody was trying to catch some sleep, except for Drazen. And every half an hour, he started saying out loud ‘We are there!’, just to wake everyone up. That’s the guy he was. A huge player, a funny person, a great man.”
Popovic: “Jordan and Drazen”
Marko Popovic is one of the best Croatian guards of the last decade. He was just starting his journey as a basketball player in Zadar, while Petrovic was at his prime: “He is not the reason why I started playing basketball, but he was – and still is – my idol. Workoholic, winner, killer. He did everything on the court. Along with Toni Kukoc and Duno Radja, he ‘spoiled’ the Croatian basketball nation. Back then, there were only two players for us – Drazen and Michael Jordan. There was nobody else. At 1992, I was only 10 years old, and I had the honor to watch with him the NBA finals between the Bulls and the Blazers, while he was preparing for the Olympic Games with Croatia. I’ll never forget June 7th, 1993. It was morning, I went to school. A teacher told me that one of basketball players died in a car crash, but didn’t have a clue who it was. When I came back home, my dad Petar told me that it was Drazen, and I was shocked. Drazen was his teammate in Yugoslavian national team, and roommate as well. So looking at him, I was upset too.”