Why so many people are fired up about Vlade Divac making the Basketball Hall of Fame

A little more than halfway through the first period of Sunday’s home finale against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Kings faithful got a chance to celebrate one of the newest Hall of Fame members.

A video tribute to Vlade Divac played for all of Golden 1 Center to see during a timeout, sparking a loud standing ovation when Sacramento’s general manager appeared on the big screen.

Divac was part of a 12-member class named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday in Minneapolis. He’ll be inducted with a group that includes former NBA players Sidney Moncrief and Jack Sikma, WNBA star Teresa Weatherspoon and the Tennessee A&I college men’s teams from 1957-59 that were the first to win consecutive national titles.

Before the game, Divac reflected on the achievement while at times keeping things lighthearted.

“Usually when I show up here, something’s going to be big,” he joked before going on, saying the honor is something he never expected. “When you live your whole life around basketball, you kinda take those things for granted, but when you realize what you accomplished ... I’m very thankful to all the people who had an impact on my career.”

Divac, who was elected by the hall’s International Committee, had a decorated career outside of the NBA, including three EuroBasket gold medals, two golds in the FIBA World Championship and two Olympic silver medals, all of which helped him be named among FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players and later led to his induction into the FIBA Hall of Fame.

It was a journey that began when he was a teenager.

“I was 14 years old and I had to leave my parents to pursue basketball,” he said. “They let me go to chase my dreams, and here I am now on top of the world.”

Getting to the NBA was a dream that was finally realized in 1989, when the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him No. 26 overall. To watch the NBA in his youth, Divac and his teammates could only get tapes of past games, and it was usually of the Lakers or Boston Celtics.

“We all dreamed that we would make that step,” Divac said. “Fortunately for me, I was drafted by the Lakers in the first round. I was the first European who was drafted and came the same year. ... It kinda opened the door for everybody else.”

He played 1,134 games in the NBA and averaged 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 blocks over 16 seasons, including stints with the Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets.

Divac endured early challenges.

“Not speaking English, different culture, different style of game, yeah it was basketball, but different rules,” he said. “For me, I felt like it was two different sports. It was tough my first year, but I made it.”

Now, he’s in his fourth season as the general manager of the Kings, the team he played with for six seasons (1998-2004). He made his only NBA All-Star appearance in 2001 and averaged 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 blocks during his tenure in Sacramento. His jersey No. 21 was retired by the franchise in 2009.

Current Kings were happy to discuss the honor, which they said was well deserved.

“He’s the first guy to break the ice for us European players,” said Bogdan Bogdanovic who, like Divac, is from Serbia. “He’s a legend over there and here. People recognize the legacy he’s made for the game.”

Another Serbian player, Nemanja Bjelica, was proud of the GM’s honor.

“It’s great news for basketball, for Sacramento and especially for Serbia,” he said. “It’s a great accomplishment.”

“He’s one of the pioneers of European players in the NBA,” De’Aaron Fox said. “He gives people hope knowing someone from overseas can come to the NBA and not just play but be successful.”

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry talked before the game about the Kings but took a moment to speak highly of Divac.

“He was one of the first big guys to take passing to another level, long before the other big guys did,” he said. “He’s just a really smart basketball player ... and he’s a really good human being. You’ve got to be happy for anybody like that. To be a Hall of Famer, I know it’s got to mean a lot to him and what he’s done in this game.”

The coach working for Divac had nice words as well.

“Man, we’re so fired up,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. “It’s a testament to a guy who has handled himself as a player and an executive in a classy way. ... What he’s done over the course of the playing career, that’s just awesome for him and his family.”

Divac said it’s been nice still being around some of his former Kings teammates. Peja Stojakovic is an assistant general manager, Bobby Jackson is on the coaching staff, Doug Christie is a broadcaster with NBC Sports California and even Brad Miller attends a number of games as a fan.

“I’m thankful that they were part of this,” Divac said. “In some way, they made me who I am. I always had good teammates, and I’m glad Peja, Bobby and Doug, even Brad ... they were part of this, too.”

However, there was one teammate who he hoped would have been recognized with him.

Chris Webber was a finalist for this class but didn’t get the call. Divac is confident Webber will one day be inducted.

“It will happen,” Divac said. “He was one of the first to congratulate me. When I found out, I was hoping he would be there, too. It would have been awesome to be in the same class.”

Induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is set for Sept. 6 in Springfield, Mass.

This story was originally published April 8, 2019 at 1:26 AM.