Goran Dragić
 Goran Dragić in November 2009 |
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| No. 1 – Phoenix Suns | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Point guard / Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 May 1986 Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia |
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| Nationality | Slovenian | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 45th overall | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2003–present | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Ilirija Ljubljana (Slovenia) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | KD Slovan (Slovenia) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | CB Murcia (Spain) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Phoenix Suns | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Caja Laboral (Spain) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–present | Phoenix Suns | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Stats at NBA.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Goran Dragić (born May 6, 1986) is a Slovenian professional basketball guard with the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dragić is 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) in height and weighs 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st). He plays at both the point guard and shooting guard positions. He signed with the Phoenix Suns of the NBA on September 22, 2008.[1] On February 24, 2011 the Suns traded Dragić to the Houston Rockets with a first round (lottery protected) draft pick for point guard Aaron Brooks. However, Dragić decided to return to the Suns during the 2012 NBA free agency period.
Contents |
Pro career [edit]
Europe [edit]
Dragić began his professional career in the year 2003 at the age of 17 with the Slovenian 2D League club Ilirija Ljubljana. He played there for one year before transferring to the Slovenian Premier A League and Adriatic League club KD Slovan in 2004. After spending two years with Slovan, he transferred to the Spanish ACB club TAU Cerámica, who loaned him to club CB Murcia in 2006.
Dragić joined the Slovenian League, Adriatic League and Euroleague club Olimpija Ljubljana in the year 2007, and he played there for one year, during the 2007-08 season, winning the Slovenian League championship with them.
NBA [edit]
Phoenix Suns [edit]
Dragić entered the 2008 NBA Draft, where he was selected in the second round, 45th overall, by the San Antonio Spurs. His draft rights were then traded to the Phoenix Suns. After the Suns finished a deal with TAU Ceramica (now known as Caja Laboral), with whom he was under contract, they officially signed him on September 22, 2008.[1] The Suns hoped that he would take over the starting point guard position after Steve Nash relinquished it.[1][2] On January 25, 2010, Dragić scored a career high 32 points, hitting 6 of 7 three pointers in a losing effort against the Utah Jazz.[3]
On May 7, 2010, during game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, he led a Phoenix Suns comeback against the team that originally drafted him, the San Antonio Spurs, scoring 23 of his total 26 points in the fourth quarter. Dragić scored his points on 10/13 FG attempts including 5/5 three pointers and a 4 point play, as the Suns overcame an early 18-point deficit to defeat the Spurs 110-96 and take a 3-0 lead in their best of seven series in the Western Conference Semifinals. "I think it's safe to say that may have been the best fourth-quarter performance I have ever seen in a playoff game," Suns forward Grant Hill said.[4]
During the Phoenix Suns 2010 NBA Western Conference Finals playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Goran Dragić got into a verbal feud and brief altercation with his Slovenian National Teammate Sasha Vujačić.
Houston Rockets [edit]
On February 24, 2011, at the NBA Trade Deadline, Dragić was traded to the Houston Rockets along with the lottery protected first round pick Phoenix received in an earlier trade with the Orlando Magic in exchange for Aaron Brooks.[5][6]
Dragić notched his first career NBA triple-double on April 13, 2011 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 45 minutes Dragić had 11 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds. Dragić also blocked a shot in the Rockets' blowout win.
2011 NBA Lockout [edit]
During the 2011 NBA lockout he signed with Caja Laboral in Spain.[7] He played for a brief period of time there until the lockout ended. On the afternoon of December 8, 2011, the day before the 2011 NBA lockout ended and players could move between teams, the Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Hornets agreed to a trade that would have sent Dragić, along with Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and Lamar Odom to the Hornets. In exchange, the Rockets would have received Pau Gasol, and the Lakers would have received star point guard Chris Paul. That night, after other team owners voiced their opposition, league commissioner David Stern nullified the trade.[8]
Return to the NBA [edit]
Return to Houston [edit]
Dragić returned to the Rockets after the lockout ended. In March 2012, he filled in for Kyle Lowry, who was out with a bacterial infection. On April 9, 2012, Dragić would go on to win the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played between April 2 and April 8, 2012.[9]
Return to Phoenix [edit]
In 2012, Dragić became an unrestricted free agent. He agreed to sign a 4 year, $30 million deal with a player option on the final year with the Phoenix Suns[10] and officially became a member of the team again on July 19, 2012. He was brought in to replace Steve Nash, whom he played behind during his first stint with the Suns, as starting point guard.
On February 19, 2013, Dragić recorded a career-high 18 assists to go with 14 points as the Suns defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 102-98.
Slovenian national basketball team [edit]
Junior national team [edit]
Dragić won the gold medal at the 2004 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship with the Slovenian junior national team. He also played at the 2005 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.
Senior national team [edit]
He also competed with the senior men's Slovenian national basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and the 2007 European Championship.
Personal life [edit]
Dragić was born to a Slovenian mother and a Serbian father.[11] He grew up in Slovenia playing soccer. However, an injury forced him to switch sports. As a child in Europe, he admired NBA players Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson and former teammate Steve Nash, and woke up at 3 in the morning to watch NBA games.[12] He is fluent in Slovenian, Serbian, Spanish, and English.[13] Dragić has a younger brother, Zoran, who also plays professional basketball.[14] Zoran was named to the Houston Rockets' 2012 Summer League team.
Awards and accomplishments [edit]
- Won the gold medal at the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship (2004)
- Slovenian League Rookie of the Year (2005)
- Slovenian League All-Star (2006)
- Winner of the Boris Stanković Tournament (2007, 2010)
- Won the Slovenian League national championship (2008)
- Won the MVP award for the Boris Stanković Tournament (2010)[15]
- Named Western Conference Player of the Week, 4/2-4/8 (2012)[16]
NBA career statistics [edit]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season [edit]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Phoenix | 55 | 1 | 13.2 | .393 | .370 | .769 | 1.9 | 2.0 | .5 | .0 | 4.5 |
| 2009–10 | Phoenix | 80 | 2 | 18.0 | .452 | .394 | .736 | 2.1 | 3.0 | .6 | .1 | 7.9 |
| 2010–11 | Phoenix | 48 | 2 | 17.8 | .421 | .277 | .608 | 1.8 | 3.1 | .8 | .1 | 7.4 |
| 2010–11 | Houston | 22 | 3 | 17.2 | .472 | .519 | .667 | 2.5 | 2.5 | .6 | .2 | 7.7 |
| 2011–12 | Houston | 66 | 28 | 26.5 | .462 | .337 | .805 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 1.3 | .2 | 11.7 |
| 2012–13 | Phoenix | 77 | 77 | 33.5 | .443 | .319 | .748 | 3.1 | 7.4 | 1.6 | .3 | 14.7 |
| Career | 348 | 113 | 22.2 | .443 | .350 | .741 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 1.0 | .2 | 9.5 |
Playoffs [edit]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Phoenix | 16 | 0 | 14.8 | .430 | .325 | .742 | 1.8 | 2.3 | .2 | .1 | 7.6 |
| Career | 16 | 0 | 14.8 | .430 | .325 | .742 | 1.8 | 2.3 | .2 | .1 | 7.6 |
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Suns sign Goran Dragic. Phoenix Suns, September 22, 2008.
- ^ New Suns may play tonight.
- ^ Utah Jazz: Little-known Dragic enjoys career night for Suns.
- ^ Dragic, Suns' bench eclipse San Antonio, ESPN
- ^ "Phoenix Suns trade Goran Dragic for Aaron Brooks from Houston Rockets". azcentral.com. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
- ^ "Rockets trade Battier, Brooks in separate deals". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
- ^ Caja Laboral tabs guard Dragić
- ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (December 9, 2011). "Teams still pushing for Paul trade". Yahoo! Sports.
- ^ Rockets' Dragic, Heat's James named Players of the Week
- ^ Sources: Goran Dragić Contract, Salaries, and Transactions
- ^ Suns Spot | One-on-One with El Dragón
- ^ http://www.nba.com/playerfile/goran_dragic/bio.html
- ^ NBA.com playerfile
- ^ http://www.eurobasket.com/player.asp?Cntry=SLO&PlayerID=75866
- ^ http://bscup.tom.com/2010-08-02/0PRO/57714990.html?source=POST_GZW
- ^ "Rockets' Dragić, Heat's James named Players of the Week". Retrieved 10 April 2012.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Goran Dragić |
- Euroleague.net player profile
- DraftExpress.com player profile
- ESPN.com player NBA draft profile
- Basketball association of Slovenia Dragić article
- Goran Dragić NBA Bio Page
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- 1986 births
- Living people
- CB Murcia players
- Slovenian expatriates in Spain
- Houston Rockets players
- KK Union Olimpija players
- ABA League players
- Phoenix Suns players
- Point guards
- San Antonio Spurs draft picks
- Saski Baskonia players
- Shooting guards
- Slovenian basketball players
- Slovenian expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Slovenian people of Serbian descent
- Sportspeople from Ljubljana
