Post by Jayborne23 on May 29, 2006 10:08:32 GMT -5
No one will see this
Over the years, Dejan Bodiroga has grown into one of the most beloved underdogs in the ABCA. From 10th pick in the 1994 draft, to 6th man of the year, and now fan favorite in Los Angeles, Bodiroga’s road has been an interesting one.
Dejan Bodiroga was born on March 2nd, 1973 in the large city of Zrenjanin, Yugoslavia. He was born the 2nd child of Milka and Vasa Bodiroga. Also a cousin of Croatian born sensation, Drazen Petrovic, basketball has always been in his blood. At 11, Dejan aspired to become a footballer. He then met coach Rade Prvulov, who convinced Dejan to stop playing football and to start playing basketball. The first team that he played for was BC Masinac, where he earned a starting spot on the youth team at only 13 years old. At 15 he began to practice with the program’s first team, and at 17 he began to get discovered. Passed over by hometown clubs, Dejan was scouted by BYU grad and Yugoslavian great Kresimir Cosic. Cosic convinced Dejan’s family to let him move away to live and train with the junior team of KK Zadar, a very popular Croatian basketball club.
In the fall of 1991, Dejan began catching the eye of some ABCA scouts. With a war budding in Yugoslavia, Bodiroga had to leave KK Zadar. This time, Kresimir Cosic tried to persuade Dejan to join him in Greece. His efforts were to no avail, and Dejan ended up in Italy playing for Trieste. He became one of the youngest players foreign players to play in Italy at only 18 years old. He wasn’t allowed to play right away because of the presence of other foreign players, but he began to make strides. In 1992, he was ranked 15th in the “Gazeta delo sport” Journal’s article on the top European players.
The next year, Dejan was finally given an opportunity to play. He averaged 21.2ppg in his first full season as a professional. During the season, Dejan put on some awe inspiring plays that caught the eyes of Timberwolves GM, John Scott. His first breakout game came against another prominent European player, on which Dejan dropped 32 points on 75% shooting from the field. His next breakout performance is arguably the game that propelled him to lottery status. On the day of his 20th birthday, Dejan went absolutely crazy going for 51 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals. But the stats don’t tell the whole story. With his team down 5, Dejan took over the game by scoring the final 6 points and recording a key skill. He also hit the game winning shot to put his team up 90-89. After the game, the crowd could be heard screaming, “DEJA! DEJA! DEJA!”, and a star was born.
Over the years, Dejan Bodiroga has grown into one of the most beloved underdogs in the ABCA. From 10th pick in the 1994 draft, to 6th man of the year, and now fan favorite in Los Angeles, Bodiroga’s road has been an interesting one.
Dejan Bodiroga was born on March 2nd, 1973 in the large city of Zrenjanin, Yugoslavia. He was born the 2nd child of Milka and Vasa Bodiroga. Also a cousin of Croatian born sensation, Drazen Petrovic, basketball has always been in his blood. At 11, Dejan aspired to become a footballer. He then met coach Rade Prvulov, who convinced Dejan to stop playing football and to start playing basketball. The first team that he played for was BC Masinac, where he earned a starting spot on the youth team at only 13 years old. At 15 he began to practice with the program’s first team, and at 17 he began to get discovered. Passed over by hometown clubs, Dejan was scouted by BYU grad and Yugoslavian great Kresimir Cosic. Cosic convinced Dejan’s family to let him move away to live and train with the junior team of KK Zadar, a very popular Croatian basketball club.
In the fall of 1991, Dejan began catching the eye of some ABCA scouts. With a war budding in Yugoslavia, Bodiroga had to leave KK Zadar. This time, Kresimir Cosic tried to persuade Dejan to join him in Greece. His efforts were to no avail, and Dejan ended up in Italy playing for Trieste. He became one of the youngest players foreign players to play in Italy at only 18 years old. He wasn’t allowed to play right away because of the presence of other foreign players, but he began to make strides. In 1992, he was ranked 15th in the “Gazeta delo sport” Journal’s article on the top European players.
The next year, Dejan was finally given an opportunity to play. He averaged 21.2ppg in his first full season as a professional. During the season, Dejan put on some awe inspiring plays that caught the eyes of Timberwolves GM, John Scott. His first breakout game came against another prominent European player, on which Dejan dropped 32 points on 75% shooting from the field. His next breakout performance is arguably the game that propelled him to lottery status. On the day of his 20th birthday, Dejan went absolutely crazy going for 51 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals. But the stats don’t tell the whole story. With his team down 5, Dejan took over the game by scoring the final 6 points and recording a key skill. He also hit the game winning shot to put his team up 90-89. After the game, the crowd could be heard screaming, “DEJA! DEJA! DEJA!”, and a star was born.