” We cannot forget that this is our job, that there are expectations and pressure at higher levels. ” This is how it is expressed Peja Stojakovic when he joined the Hall of Fame, which rewarded his immense career, both in the NBA and on the Old Continent.
In an interview with Meridian Sportthe Croatian native realizes how far he has come between today and about 30 years ago, when he started playing professional basketball.
” When you look back on your career, you think it went by as fast as a movie. But when everything slows down and you look back, you realize that there were quality people along the way who found themselves in important situations and helped me. “, judges the 47-year-old icon, evoking a ” mutual cooperation ” where everyone pushes the other to become better.
Peja Stojakovic has often had the chance to have a compatriot near him. When he started out in Greece in the mid-1990s with PAOK Salonika, for example, there were seven Serbs. And then Sale (coach Dragan Sakota) arrived and played a key role in my decision to stay in Thessaloniki “, says the man who will take his first steps in the EuroLeague at only ” 17 years old “.
Vlade Divac at his side at the beginning
Drafted in 1996 by the Kings (14th pick), he joined California two years later, at the same time as a certain Vlade Divac, Serbian like him.
” It is very important to have this support, people who will be there for you, professionally, but also in life. When we talk about people who mattered to me, I always tried to live up to their expectations and I hope I succeeded “, testifies the ex-shooter who had worked with Divac when he was GM.
Which doesn't stop him from having regrets. Like that final lost in 1998 in Greece against Panathinaikos at the end of the 5th round. In the previous round, he had scored a memorable shot in cold blood to end the reign of Olympiacos.
And then this indelible memory for Kings fans from the early 2000s. I think back to my 2002 shot in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers. Those are the moments that left a lasting impression on me. “, adds the one who had sent an “airball” in the last moments of this game.
Euro MVP in 2001
A golden opportunity missed for the Kings to take a 2-point lead in this crazy-intense game, on the brink of the NBA Finals. Hedo Turkoglu had made the right fixation to serve his shooter in the corner at 3-pointers. Behind thanks to two free throws from Mike Bibby, the Kings had managed to snatch an overtime, but Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and their gang were too strong.
When asked about the best team he played for, Stojakovic unsurprisingly mentions these same Kings, from ” 2002 to 2004 “, during which time he would earn his three All-Star selections. Then the national team in 2001 and 2002. We dominated in 2001 “, he says, referring to the year of the European coronation, accompanied by an MVP title.
Then 10 years later, in the NBA, he won the supreme title with the Mavs. It turned out to be the crowning achievement of my career, it just happened. It was a group of good, experienced veterans with Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and a great coach in Rick Carlisle. It ended in the best way possible. »
