Acho Petrovic: “Panathinaikos offered Drazen as much money as he wanted, but I believe he would stay in the NBA”

In an interview with Aso Aco Petrovictalks about his lost brother, Drazenwho was killed in a car accident in June 1993, just as everything looked like he was about to sign to Panathinaikos. The Croatian current coach of Brazil, however, believes that if the fatal accident had not happened, his brother, who today – if he were alive – would be 60 years old, would have finally chosen to stay in the NBA.

“Drazen had a fantastic 1992/93 NBA season (22.3 points, 3.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 38 minutes per game), though he was disappointed not to was selected for the All Star Game. He felt it was a bad blow. His four-year NBA stint was coming to an end and he hadn’t made much money, because his contracts, including the one he had at Real, were much lower than people thought, and he himself wanted to sign one that would suit his level. Aside from the NBA, there was one team from Europe that was willing to pay Drazen whatever money he wanted, Panathinaikos. And that kept him calm. The matter was handled by his agent in the USA and I believe that after the Eurobasketball in Germany Drazen would stay in the NBA and sign with one of the three teams that had shown a lot of interest, the Nets, the Knicks or the Rockets“, said the big brother of the Croatian legend.

“His legacy is so great that even today – 31 years after his death – he is still recognized as one of the greatest of all time“, he emphasized.