Former NBA All-Star Goran Dragic announced his retirement Saturday after 15 seasons with seven different franchises. Dragic, who most recently played with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, was best known for his time with the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns.According to reports from his home country, the 37-year-old is set to take part in a two-day farewell event in Slovenia in August 2024, which will also include a match.
Further details of the celebrations in honor of Dragic will be announced on January 4, when he will speak at a press conference alongside Zoran Janković, mayor of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia and the city birthplace of Dragic. After turning pro at age 17, Dragic enjoyed several successful seasons in Slovenia and Spain before declaring for the NBA Draft. He was selected No. 45 overall by the San Antonio Spurs in 2008, but was traded to the Suns a few days later for Malik Hairston, cash and a second-round pick in the 2009 draft.He played sparingly in his first few seasons, but began to make a name for himself in the 2010 playoffs, when he helped the Suns reach the Western Conference finals. However, he was traded to the Houston Rockets before the 2011 deadline, although it proved to be a short-lived partnership. When Dragic became a free agent in 2012, he re-signed with the Suns. During his second stint in Phoenix, his career really began to take off. In 2014, he won the Most Improved Player award and made the first and only All-NBA appearance of his career – a third-team selection – after averaging 20.9 points and 5.9 assists per game with the 50.5% shooting from the field. The Suns missed the playoffs that season despite winning 48 games.The following season Dragic was on the road again. This time he was traded to the Miami Heat along with his brother Zoran. In the summer of 2015, he capitalized on his success and signed a five-year, $90 million contract, the largest contract of his career. He made his first and only All-Star appearance with the Heat in 2018 and helped the team reach the Finals during the 2020 bubble season. Unfortunately, he suffered a plantar fascia injury in the first game and missed four of six games as the Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.Prior to the 2021 season, Dragic was traded to the Toronto Raptors in the Kyle Lowry deal, beginning his odyssey through the league. In subsequent seasons, he played for the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Bucks. In addition to his NBA career, Dragic has enjoyed numerous successes on the international stage. He notably led Slovenia to its first ever EuroBasket title in 2017 and was named tournament MVP.Dragic finished his career with averages of 13.3 points, three rebounds and 4.7 assists in 946 games played (530 starts).
Leave a Reply