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Serbia Vlade Divac is an NBA Hall of Famer and former executive, known for his distinguished 16-year career as a center and his later leadership roles in basketball management and humanitarian efforts.
Vlade Divac and Chris Webber formed a legendary partnership for the Sacramento Kings in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with Divac serving as a key player. This partnership is noted in marketing materials.
Vlade Divac, a former professional basketball player and NBA legend, had an Air Serbia aircraft named in his honor as a 'living legend.'
Divac legally became the 100% owner of Voda Voda, a bottled water brand, in October 2007, following a controversial transaction.
In 1990, Divac was featured in a commercial for the Schick razor company alongside fellow Lakers teammates A.C. Green and Mychal Thompson.
Throughout his playing career, Divac regularly appeared in commercials in Serbia for various products, including Atlas Beer and Société Générale mortgage credit plans.
Divac appeared in a national TV commercial in the United States for Taco Bell alongside former NBA star Darryl Dawkins.
Vlade Divac was born on February 3, 1968, in Prijepolje, Serbia. He began his professional basketball career in Yugoslavia, playing for Sloga from Kraljevo, and later for KK Partizan. In 1989, Divac was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, marking a significant moment as one of the first European players to make a substantial impact in the NBA. During his time with the Lakers from 1989 to 1996, he was selected for the NBA All-Rookie First Team in the 1989-90 season. His unique style, characterized by good mobility, ball control, and passing skills, made him an influential center. Divac ended his initial stint with the Lakers in 1996, having averaged 12.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game over his eight seasons with the team.
Following his time with the Lakers, Divac was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, where he played for two seasons, from 1996 to 1998, averaging 11.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. During the 1998–99 NBA lockout, he briefly played for KK Crvena zvezda. In 1999, Divac joined the Sacramento Kings as a free agent, embarking on a six-season tenure until 2004. With the Kings, he became an NBA All-Star in 2001 and played a pivotal role in transforming the franchise into a championship contender, alongside teammates like Peja Stojaković and Chris Webber. He concluded his playing career with a return to the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2004-05 season, retiring having played over 1,000 NBA games, a significant milestone for a player trained outside the United States. His jersey number 21 was retired by the Sacramento Kings in 2009. His career averages stand at 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game globally, making him one of seven players in NBA history with over 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, and 1,500 blocked shots.
After retiring from playing, Divac transitioned into administrative roles, serving as President of the Serbian Olympic Committee from 2009 to 2017 and later as Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager for the Sacramento Kings from 2015 to 2020. His humanitarian efforts are notable, particularly through his “Divac’s Children Foundation,” which aids children and refugees in Serbia and Africa. He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
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