Vlade Divac on why he passed on Luka Doncic: ‘At that position, I already had De’Aaron Fox’

Did you not think Fox and Doncic could play together, like Doncic and Kyrie Irving do today? VLADE DIVAC: No. Irving is a classic scorer, just like Luka. Fox isn’t; he’s a playmaker who needs the ball, just like Luka. I could’ve taken Luka, but then I’d have had to trade Fox. Interestingly, Phoenix also passed on Luka, and at the time, their coach was Igor Kokoškov, who had coached Luka in Slovenia. Atlanta drafted Luka, but they traded him away. It was Dallas that eventually took him. I love watching Luka; I really enjoy his style of basketball. I had my own reasons for making that decision. Maybe I made a mistake, but time will tell. -via Index / September 21, 2024

There were rumors that you didn’t draft Luka because you weren’t on the best terms with his father, Saša. Is that true? VLADE DIVAC: Not at all. That’s just nonsense from the media. I know Saša very well, I love and respect him. He even played in Kraljevo when Luka was just a kid. It had nothing to do with that. I follow Luka closely and see that he’s on the right path. I repeat, he’ll just need to watch his physical condition. -via Index / September 21, 2024

How did the trade happen? VLADE DIVAC: Magic and some other players had retired, and I was one of the only veterans left. New players were coming in, and the Lakers initially wanted to trade another player for Kobe. However, Charlotte insisted on me. The Lakers really wanted Kobe, seeing him as a potential MVP, and they cleared cap space to bring in Shaquille O’Neal too. Of course, I was angry, I didn’t want to leave, but looking back now, I would have traded myself for Kobe. There were rumors that the trade almost fell through because you refused to go to the Hornets. Is that true? VLADE DIVAC: When they told me about the trade, I refused. I said I wouldn’t go. Then they explained that it was in my contract, that if I didn’t agree, I wouldn’t be able to play basketball anymore. That’s when I made it clear that I played basketball out of love, and if that meant not playing anymore, then so be it. Money is nice, but it comes naturally. I’m not someone who would go somewhere just because someone else wants me to. I played basketball for the joy of it. The moment it stopped being fun for me, I would stop playing. That’s when they realized they couldn’t break me, so they changed their approach. They held a meeting with me and asked me to at least go there for two or three weeks to at least go there for two or three weeks to see if I’d like it. Then I could decide. When I arrived in Charlotte, I saw that I could actually enjoy it there, so I accepted. But, yes, those ten days were really tense. -via Index / September 21, 2024

Nick DePaula: Stephen Curry & De’Aaron Fox are going on a Curry Brand Tour together this week in China. @SwipaTheFox will be unveiling his debut signature shoe, the Fox 1 from Curry Brand. @StephenCurry30 will be headlining his new Curry 12 and three additional Curry Flotro models. -via Twitter @NickDePaula / September 10, 2024

Curry recognizes this, and the idea of Fox wanting to beat him in his own shoes is something the Warriors legend loves. “There’s always that thing of former players saying how they would wear Jordans and Kobes and change shoes when they played them,” Curry explained. “To me that was dumb because it’s like: ‘Are you going to beat him or not?’ To me, the sign of respect is saying: ‘I’m going to beat you in your own shoes.’ -via Clutch Points / September 9, 2024

NBA Central: 26. Tyrese Maxey, 89 overall 27. Bam Adebayo, 88 overall 28. De’Aaron Fox, 88 overall 29. Domantas Sabonis, 88 overall 30. Zion Williamson, 88 overall 31. Pascal Siakam, 88 overall 32. Karl-Anthony Towns, 88 overall 33. LaMelo Ball, 87 overall 34. Jrue Holiday, 87 overall 35. DeMar DeRozan, 87 overall 36. Chet Holmgren, 87 overall 37. Kristaps Porzingis, 87 overall 38. Jamal Murray, 87 overall 39. Jaren Jackson Jr., 87 overall 40. Lauri Markkanen, 86 overall 41. Cade Cunningham, 86 overall 42. Jalen Williams, 86 overall 43. Franz Wagner, 86 overall 44. Derrick White, 86 overall 45. Dejounte Murray, 86 overall 46. Evan Mobley, 86 overall 47. Scottie Barnes, 85 overall 48. Julius Randle, 85 overall 49. Brandon Ingram, 85 overall 50. Alperen Sengun, 85 overall -via x.com / August 26, 2024

However, Stein is finding it hard to envision a realistic scenario in which Jokic and Doncic manage to join forces in the NBA. “It’s hard for me to understand or try to imagine a scenario where one team could find a way to get both of them,” Stein added. -via Clutch Points / September 19, 2024