Drazen Petrovic
Inducted:
2002
Player Stats
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Born
22 October 1964
Šibenik, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Died
7 June 1993
Denkendorf, Germany
Position:
Shooting guard
College:
NA
Drazen Petrovic, known as the "Mozart of the Parquet," was a revolutionary figure who shattered the stereotype that European guards couldn't succeed in the NBA. A 6'5" scoring machine from Croatia, Petrović was already a legendary figure in Europe—having once scored 112 points in a single game for Cibona Zagreb—before joining the NBA in 1989.
After a frustrating start with the Portland Trail Blazers, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, where he blossomed into one of the league's elite shooters and a fierce competitor who famously never backed down from Michael Jordan.
His #3 jersey was retired by the Nets in 1993, and he was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
Petrovic's Awards and Records
- FIBA Hall of Fame (2007)
- All-NBA Third Team (1993)
- 2x Olympic Silver Medalist (1988, 1992)
- Olympic Bronze Medalist (1984)
- 2x EuroLeague Champion (1985, 1986)
- FIBA World Championship MVP (1986)
- FIBA European Selection (1987)
- 4x Euroscar Award (1986, 1989, 1992, 1993)
- Spanish League Top Scorer (1989)
- Spanish Cup winner (1989)
- Spanish Cup Final Top Scorer (1989)
NBA Teams
Portland Trail Blazers (1989–1991)
New Jersey Nets (1991–1993)
NBA Draft
1986: 3rd round, 60th overall pick
Portland Trail Blazers
Numbers Worn
4, 9, 10, 5, 44, 3
NBA Stats
Seasons:
4 (1989–1993)
Games Played:
290
Game Started:
149
Points:
4,461 (15.4 ppg)
Rebounds:
669 (2.3 rpg)
Assists:
701 (2.4 apg)
Points Per Game:
15.4
Field Goal (%):
50.6%
Free Throw (%):
84.1%
All-NBA Selection:
Third Team (1993)