By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Former Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic was a “terrifying” presence on the court, installing fear in many of his opponents, and even teammates as was the case with Zach Lavine who was afraid to ask for his jersey number.
Andre Drummond is no exception either. The big man admitted to Zach Harper on SiriusXM NBA Radio that the Montenegrin was the strongest man he faced and it wasn’t pleasant, which in turn, pushed him to improve.
“He’s by far the strongest human I played against in my life. He is a very very strong man. I hate playing them every time I saw them on the schedule. Hated it. I knew he would move me around. I felt like a kid. He was just pushing me around. I’m fighting as hard as I can to stop him from backing me into the paint and I can’t stop him,” he said and added. “Yeah, he’s very very very strong. He’s the reason I started lifting harder. I can say that to this day, he is the reason why I started lifting weights more seriously.”
“He’s the reason why I started lifting harder.”
@AndreDrummond reveals to @talkhoops and @DarthAmin the strongest player he ever faced in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/wAUF1fFMkA— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) April 13, 2020
Pekovic played 271 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2011 to 2016 and was waived in 2017. He suffered from persistent ankle pains and was forced to retire.
Before joining the Timberwolves, Pekovic played in EuroLeague with Partizan Belgrade and Panathinaikos. He won the title in 2009 and was named to the competition’s All-First Team with the latter.