Kings: Do Vlade Divac’s Numbers Make Him Hall Of Fame Worthy?
By John Kelly
Sacramento Kings’ GM Vlade Divac is in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but does his resume from his playing days earn him such a high honor?
Vlade Divac was the high-profile player in this year’s Basketball Hall of Fame class. Other notable names like Al Attles, Sidney Moncrief, Bill Fitch, and former Sacramento Kings’ coach Paul Westphal earned the honor as well. Former WNBA star Teresa Weatherspoon also made the list for enshrinement. How do Divac’s numbers stack up against other Hall of Fame members?
Leadership Over Numbers
During a career that spanned 1,134 games, Divac averaged around 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists per game. These numbers are not earth-shattering, but were enough for Divac to gain induction to the Hall of Fame.
Divac playing on teams from all around the world is where he made his impact to on game. Being elected by the International Committee was an obvious choice, as Divac is a worldwide ambassador of basketball. According to Kings’ play-by-play announcer Grant Napear, Divac is a “rock star”.
Divac is a three-time Euro Basketball gold medalist, and won the FIBA World Cup twice playing for Yugoslavia and Serbia. He earned Olympic silver medals in 1988 and 1996. Divac was the first European player drafted to directly enter the league without spending time overseas first. This paved the way for others to follow, as European talent was considered below NBA standards at the time. Divac proved that European players were NBA ready, creating a new source of talent to scout from. It worked, as now about 30% of NBA players are international.
Vlade’s Team Resume
After eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Vlade was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the rights to draft Kobe Bryant. After two seasons in Charlotte, Divac signed a free agent deal with Sacramento in 1998.
Sacramento was not a preferred destination for free agents, but Divac broke the norm by signing with the Kings that year. His personality is infectious in a positive way, and it showed on the court from day one. Divac wanted to play the right way with a team-first mentality. This proved to be a unifying quality that made teams play at their best.
Grant Napear said of Divac, “He’s the best leader I’ve ever been around and the best teammate I’ve ever seen, but first and foremost he’s just a great person.” Former Kings coach Dave Joerger added, “He’s a guy that everyone wants to be around.”
Final Thoughts
Divac has always been a Hall of Fame human being, so it comes as no surprise that Divac has given back to many communities because of how many opportunities he’s been given. Along with his wife Ana, his charity has raised over twenty million dollars and helped over 700,000 refugee’s with humanitarian needs over thirty years.
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One basketball-related accomplishment that is missing from his resume is to finish what he and his teammates did not in 2002: bring a championship to the Sacramento Kings. This time, he’ll have to do it as a general manager. In my book, this shows his HOF personality for coming back to settle unfinished business. Divac’s 11.8 pts, 8.2 reb, 3.1 ast per game numbers are small compared to the totality of everything else he has touched in the basketball world. Divac is worthy of Hall Of Fame and finally got his ticket punched.