Vlade Divac

Vlade Divac is a NBA player born on March 2, 1968 in Prijepolje, Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro).

He began his professional basketball in then-Yugoslavia playing for Partizan Belgrade.

Drafted into the NBA in 1989, he played for LA Lakers until 1996 when he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant, and has been playing for the Sacramento Kings since 1998 alongside his countryman Peja Stojakovic.

Vlade is a prominent philantropist who runs his own charity. He and his wife have two children, two of which are war orphans, one from Bosnia, the other from Kosovo.

Major career achievements

• Earned first selection to NBA All-Star Game in 2001
• Ranked 12th in the NBA in field-goal percentage (.503) in 1999-2000
• 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
• Ranks 3rd in Lakers' franchise history with 833 blocked shots
• 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
• Named to the 1989-90 NBA All-Rookie First Team after averaging 8.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg for the Lakers
• Earned gold medal with Yugoslavia's under-21 nationals at the FIBA World Junior Championships of Basketball in Bormio, Italy in 1987, defeating Team USA twice in that tournament
• Earned silver medals with Yugoslavia at the 1988 and 1996 Olympics
• Earned gold medals with Yugoslavia at the 1990 and 2002 FIBA World Championships