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Dražen Petrović: basketball quiz

19 October 2026 · The Mozart of basketball: from Šibenik to New Jersey.

Quiz questions

  1. Barcelona 1992 was Croatia's first Olympics. Petrović led them all the way to the final against the Dream Team. In the semi-final Croatia won by a single point, 75-74, with Petrović scoring 28. Who did they beat?

    • Lithuania
    • Unified Team (CIS)
    • Australia
    • Brazil
    Answer

    The Unified Team, made up of players from the former Soviet republics. Two days later it lost the bronze medal game to Lithuania.

  2. One club is missing from Petrović's path to the NBA. He spent a single season there, and a few years later a Lithuanian centre also left this very club for Portland. Which club is missing?

    • Barcelona
    • Forum Valladolid
    • Real Madrid
    • Olimpia Milano
    Answer

    Real Madrid, in 1988-89. Arvydas Sabonis joined Real from Valladolid in 1992 and left Madrid for Portland in 1995.

  3. 1992-93 was Petrović's last season. He made 44.9% of his threes for New Jersey, yet finished only third in the league. Who led the NBA in three-point percentage that season?

    • B.J. Armstrong
    • Chris Mullin
    • Mark Price
    • Kenny Smith
    Answer

    B.J. Armstrong of the Bulls shot 45.3%, just ahead of Chris Mullin's 45.1%. That June Armstrong won his third straight title.

  4. Petrović's first NBA season, 1989-90 with Portland, ended in the Finals, where the Trail Blazers lost the series 4-1. Who beat them?

    • Chicago Bulls
    • Boston Celtics
    • Philadelphia 76ers
    • Detroit Pistons
    Answer

    The Detroit Pistons, champions for the second year running, with Isiah Thomas as Finals MVP. Portland reached the Finals again in 1992 and lost to Chicago.

  5. On 14 March 1989 Athens hosted the Cup Winners' Cup final. Petrović scored 62 points, and his team won 117-113 after overtime. Brazil's Oscar Schmidt answered with 44 for the Italian opponents. Which club was it?

    • Scavolini Pesaro
    • Snaidero Caserta
    • Benetton Treviso
    • Olimpia Milano
    Answer

    Snaidero Caserta, where Oscar played from 1982 to 1990. It was Real Madrid's second Cup Winners' Cup.

  6. Portland drafted Petrović in 1986, but he only crossed the Atlantic three years later, by then with two Olympic medals to his name. With which pick was he taken?

    • 24
    • 37
    • 46
    • 60
    Answer

    60. 60th, in the third round. The 1986 draft ran to seven rounds; since 1989 it has had only two.

  7. At the 1986 World Championship in Spain, Petrović was named tournament MVP, yet Yugoslavia never reached the final. In the semi-final they led the Soviet Union by nine points late on, then lost 90-91 after overtime. Who top-scored for the Soviets with 25 points?

    • Valdis Valters
    • Valeri Tikhonenko
    • Arvydas Sabonis
    • Šarūnas Marčiulionis
    Answer

    Arvydas Sabonis. Three Soviet threes late in regulation forced overtime, but the USSR then lost the final 87-85 to the USA.

  8. On 5 October 1985, in the opening week of the Yugoslav league season, Petrović scored 112 points as Cibona won 158-77. The visitors had missed a player registration deadline and had to field cadets. Which club were they?

    • Olimpija Ljubljana
    • Partizan Belgrade
    • Budućnost Podgorica
    • Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
    Answer

    Olimpija Ljubljana. Petrović made 40 of 60 shots, 10 of 20 from three, and broke Radivoj Korać's record of 74 points.

  9. All four starred in Europe before playing in the NBA in the 1990s. All four are also in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Which of them is the oldest?

    • Arvydas Sabonis
    • Šarūnas Marčiulionis
    • Dražen Petrović
    • Toni Kukoč
    Answer

    Šarūnas Marčiulionis. Marčiulionis was born on 13 June 1964, Petrović on 22 October and Sabonis on 19 December that year, while Kukoč came along on 18 September 1968.

  10. In April 1983 Šibenka played the deciding game of the Yugoslav final. An 18-year-old Petrović hit two free throws at the buzzer to win it. The federation ruled that time had already run out and ordered a replay. Šibenka refused to play it, so the title went to the opponents. They were coached by Svetislav Pešić, who had played for that same club until 1979. Which club?

    • Cibona Zagreb
    • Jugoplastika Split
    • KK Zadar
    • Bosna Sarajevo
    Answer

    Bosna Sarajevo. The replay was due to be played in Novi Sad, and a year later Pešić's Bosna also won the Yugoslav Cup.

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