By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After a 20-year career, Goran Dragic has decided to call it a day and will attend a celebration game for his retirement that will involve stars like Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luis Scola, Jimmy Butler, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Jeff Hornacek, Marc Gasol, and Steve Nash, among others.
During the press conference to officially present the event, the 37-year-old revealed he had the opportunity of coming back to Europe, but eventually decided to stay in America. “I’ll be honest. I had offers from Milan, Madrid, Panathinaikos, and Barcelona. I never wanted to go back to Europe. I didn’t want to be without my family. The only option was Miami, which I talked to. In the end, it didn’t work out because they had too many players under contract”, he admitted.
Then, he also shared the honest reason why he decided to retire and end a successful career in the NBA and with the Slovenian national team. “During that time I was at home, I practiced every day, and still do. I wanted to be around the kids. Every day I took them to school and only now do I see how much time I lost in my career. This is the main reason I retired. And also my health, because my left knee is not in the best condition”, Goran Dragic said.
The 37-year-old point guard played for the vast majority of time in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat, but also spent time with Toronto, Brooklyn, Chicago, and finally the Milwaukee Bucks. NBA All-Star Member in 2018, he was named Most Improved Player in 2014, making the All-NBA Third Team in the same season.
With the Slovenian national team, instead, he won the gold medal at EuroBasket 2017, being named MVP of the competition. Waiting for Luka Doncic to take him over, he’s currently the one with the most official appearances (90) and the most points scored in all competitions representing his country (1.760).
UPDATE: Barcelona denies that they made an offer to Goran Dragic during this offseason.