Vlade Divac of Serbia was one of the first European players to leave a significant impact on the NBA. Divac, who shared the Los Angeles Lakers’ dressing room with Magic Johnson and trained with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, eventually became general manager of the Sacramento Kings.
In a recent interview, Divac opened up on how Kobe Bryant would have never been a part of the Lakers in the first place. As destiny had it, Bryant reshaped the franchise, being the nexus for two decades, propelling them to five NBA titles.
Kobe Bryant Might Not Have Ever Come to the Los Angeles Lakers
Talking with Saša Čobanov of Index.hr, Divac revealed the madness that went on behind the scenes. Divac said that with Johnson retiring, he was one of the oldest players who remained. The Lakers wanted to get someone ahead of Bryant. However, with the Charlotte Hornets insisting on drafting Divac, they decided to make the change in their draft decisions.
“Magic and some other players retired, and I was the only one of the older players left,” Divac said. “New ones were arriving, and the Lakers first wanted to trade another player for Kobe. However, Charlotte insisted on me.”
“The big men in the 90s didn’t have skill like the big men today”
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Big men back then actually had a post game but there were bigs that could handle the ball and shoot too. I present to you Vlade Divac as a Laker at age 21 he was already ultra skilled 🫡 pic.twitter.com/4gZATPUonP
— Jacob (@Jacobtheclipper) May 25, 2025
One key reason why the Lakers were not willing to go and draft “The Black Mamba” in the 1996 NBA Draft was Divac himself. He didn’t want to play for the Hornets. Once it was explained that a trade clause was in his contract, Divac eventually relented and left for Charlotte. His departure opened up space for Bryant.
“When they told me about the trade, I refused,” Divac said. “I said I won’t go. Then they convinced me that I had to, that it was in my contract, that if I didn’t agree, I wouldn’t be able to play basketball anymore… Then I made it clear to them that I play basketball out of love, and if it has to be that way, that I don’t play anymore, so be it.”
The 1996 NBA Draft saw an incredible twist in the first place. Charlotte drafted Bryant while the Lakers were still trying to figure out the Divac conundrum. On the first night of the draft that year, things got sorted with Divac.
Eventually, the Lakers got Bryant. The move for Bryant was facilitated by then-Lakers general manager Jerry West, who was impressed by Bryant’s workouts.
Vlade Divac Was Magic Johnson’s Loved One on the Court
Divac and Dražen Petrović were the big stars playing together on the Yugoslavia national team. That Yugoslavian team won gold at EuroBasket 1989, silver at 1988 Olympics, and gold at the 1990 FIBA World Championship. When Divac arrived in the NBA, he began his Lakers’ stint with Johnson.
How was Johnson like Petrović in Divac’s eyes? “Magic had a similar mentality to the late Dražen,” Divac said. “He had an incredible competitive spirit and wanted to win at all costs. With just his appearance and charisma, he made all his teammates look better than they objectively were. He immediately realized that he could benefit greatly from me.”
March 27, 1994: Magic Johnson’s first game as head coach of the Lakers.
Rookie George Lynch scored 30 PTS and Vlade Divac had 18 PTS/19 REB in Los Angeles’ 110-101 win over Milwaukee. Todd Day had 25 PTS for the Bucks.
L.A. would win 5 of its first 6 games with Magic as coach. pic.twitter.com/luifuqySdU
— NBA Cobwebs (@NBACobwebs) March 27, 2025
About Abdul-Jabbar, Divac said, “I was young, I was very mobile as a center, I ran counters and that suited him because he was a fantastic passer. He loved me from the first moment. Jabbar retired the summer I came, but the club kept him for another year to work with me individually.”
Divac left a significant legacy on the NBA world. In 1,134 career games, Divac scored 13,398 points and dished out 3,541 assists. He recorded 1,631 blocks while getting 1,288 career steals.
In a career that spanned 15 years, Divac rose to prominence while setting a lofty benchmark for those to follow in his trail. Bryant himself created a world of greatness for the Lakers. In 1,346 career games, Bryant averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
