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Vlade Divac: basketball quiz

23 September 2026 · From Kraljevo to Sacramento: ten questions about the Serbian centre who showed the NBA that a big man can be a passer too.

Quiz questions

  1. In 1989 the Los Angeles Lakers took a 21-year-old Yugoslav centre with the 26th pick, as the successor to the retiring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Who was he?

    • Vlade Divac
    • Žarko Paspalj
    • Aleksandar Đorđević
    • Stojko Vranković
    Answer

    Vlade Divac reached the NBA Finals with Magic Johnson in only his second season. He spent 16 seasons in the NBA in all.

  2. He coached the Lakers in Divac's rookie season and was named Coach of the Year that spring. Earlier he had won four titles with the Showtime Lakers, and later he won one more with Miami. Who is he?

    • Mike Dunleavy
    • Phil Jackson
    • Pat Riley
    • Del Harris
    Answer

    Pat Riley left after the 1989-90 season, and his successor Mike Dunleavy took the Lakers to the 1991 Finals. Riley won his Miami title in 2006.

  3. After Yugoslavia won the 1990 World Championship in Argentina, Divac took a Croatian flag from a fan on the court. The incident ended his friendship with a teammate, a Croatian star who died in a car crash three years later. Who was he?

    • Toni Kukoč
    • Dražen Petrović
    • Dino Rađa
    • Stojko Vranković
    Answer

    Dražen Petrović and Divac never made peace before Petrović's death in June 1993. Their story is told in the documentary 'Once Brothers'.

  4. In 1989, Divac's last season at home, Partizan Belgrade won a European trophy. Which one?

    • The European Champions Cup
    • The Cup Winners' Cup
    • The Korać Cup
    • None, they lost the Korać Cup final
    Answer

    Partizan beat Cantù in the two-legged final. A young Aleksandar Đorđević was already in the team.

  5. In Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference finals, Divac, by then with Sacramento, tapped a loose ball out of the paint to stop the Lakers scoring. It landed with a Lakers forward, who hit a three at the buzzer. Who was he?

    • Rick Fox
    • Derek Fisher
    • Brian Shaw
    • Robert Horry
    Answer

    Robert Horry's shot levelled the series at 2-2. The Lakers won Game 7 in Sacramento in overtime and went on to a third straight title.

  6. One stop is missing from Divac's career. During the 1998-99 NBA lockout he played just two games there, in January 1999. Which club is missing?

    • Crvena zvezda
    • Panathinaikos
    • Real Madrid
    • Olimpia Milano
    Answer

    During the lockout Divac had a brief spell with Partizan's great rivals Crvena zvezda, then signed with Sacramento. The Kings later retired his number 21.

  7. As Sacramento's general manager, Divac held the second pick in the 2018 draft. He took Marvin Bagley III, and the third pick soon became one of the biggest stars in the league. Who was he?

    • Trae Young
    • Luka Dončić
    • Jaren Jackson Jr.
    • Deandre Ayton
    Answer

    Atlanta took Luka Dončić third and traded him to Dallas that night for Trae Young, the fifth pick.

  8. Divac won a medal at each of these tournaments. At three of them he won gold. Which one is the exception?

    • EuroBasket 1989
    • 1990 World Championship
    • 2002 World Championship
    • 1988 Olympics
    Answer

    1988 Olympics. In the Seoul final Yugoslavia lost 63-76 to the Soviet Union of Sabonis and Marčiulionis and took silver. Divac won a second Olympic silver in Atlanta in 1996.

  9. From 2009 to 2017 Divac held a top job in Serbian sport. What was it?

    • President of the Olympic Committee of Serbia
    • President of the Serbian Basketball Federation
    • Serbia's minister of sport
    • Head coach of the Serbia national team
    Answer

    Divac was elected president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia in 2009 and held the post until 2017. In 2019 he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.

  10. Divac is one of seven NBA players with at least 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocks. Three of these four are also in that club. Which one is not?

    • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
    • Hakeem Olajuwon
    • David Robinson
    • Kevin Garnett
    Answer

    David Robinson finished with 2,441 assists. The seven are Divac, Abdul-Jabbar, Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Garnett and Pau Gasol.

Next quiz: EuroLeague, NBA and FIBA (24 September 2026)

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