Vlade Divac

Bio:
Vlade Divac (born February 3, 1968 in Prijepolje, Serbia) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former professional player. Vlade started his career playing basketball in his hometown for the team KK Elan. He began his professional career in Yugoslavia playing for Sloga. In 1986, Vlade was the star of the season and signed with KK Partizan. He was then drafted to the NBA in 1989 by the Los Angeles Lakers and became one of the first European players to have a major impact in the league. He was mentored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson to play in a more American style. Vlade was briefly drafted to the Charlotte Hornets and played two seasons until signing with the Sacramento Kings in July 1998. During the NBA lockout, Vlade also played two games for Partizan’s intense rival KK Crvena Zvvzda and was deemed a traitor by his old team. He has said his decision to do that was “a mistake.” Vlade played with the Kinds for six seasons and revamped the team into becoming a championship contender. After returning to the Lakers for a season in 2004, Vlade retired in 2005 at the age of 37 and became a European liaison for the Lakers. In June 2006, Vlade became the head of operations for Real Madrid basketball club. Vlade is currently the Vice President of Basketball and Franchise Operations by the Sacramento Kings.

Best Known For:
Vlade Divac is best known for being a professional NBA star.

Personal Life:
Vlade and his wife, Snežana, have two sons, Luka and Matija. They also adopted a daughter, Petra, whose parents were killed during the Kosovo War. He has been involved in a number of philanthropies and has his own foundation, “Diva’s Children Foundation” that provides humanitarian assistance in Serbia.