Vlade Divac

“Winning begins with culture and character matters.”

“I started playing in school. Lots of kids in Yugoslavia play basketball.”

“If the NBA wants me to be somebody who can say, 'It is flop or not?' I'll do that for free. For fun.”

“For a lot of Croats, if you're a Serb, they don't want to associate with you. It's just stupid.”

“The people of the Balkans are like a dysfunctional family. We may fight and argue, but in the end we are family.”

“Basketball is like life and life is like basketball. It's just a game. So lets play the best we can while we are still here with love, compassion, selflessness fairplay and supporting each other to be bigger and better human beings.”

“In the early '80s there was a big gap between the NBA and the international game and when we started making our careers here in the NBA, obviously, we became better players. When we used to play each other on the international level, that gap became smaller and smaller.”

“The game of basketball brings people together. It really doesn't matter where you are coming from. It's a game all of us love.”

“Being a role model was part of my life and I could either ignore it or take responsibility. I chose to take it.”

“You have so many players all around the world in the NBA, a lot of different generations. If you don't take basketball as a tool in your life, you can get lost. I know a lot of teammates, a lot of players that had a great career and after that career, they just get lost.”

“It was my dream for a long time to play in the NBA. When I was drafted, it was a challenge for me. I decided to go and see where I was compared to the best players in the world.”

“I really, really like Los Angeles.”

“Sport has built me as a man and taught me not just to compete, but to lead the team as well.”

“It's really tough in the NBA.”

“Playing basketball taught me the value of determination and teamwork.”

“I was taller than most of the kids. When I started playing basketball, my coach put me at point guard. Europeans do that sometimes.”

“Just like in life, when you play basketball, you have to give in order to receive. On the court, you're not only making things move along by giving the ball, but you're also giving your physical and mental strength, your passion, your talent, your trust in your teammates. This way the power can multiply and the whole team wins.”

“In any profession, you can't reach the top without loving what you do.”

“I had a beautiful life as a basketball player.”

“I like geography. I think I know every country in the world. If someone from another country plays for my team, I will know where he is from.”