Vlade Divac has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Now it remains to be seen if his Los Angeles Lakers jersey will hang in the rafters.
This year the Hall of Fame international committee elected former Los Angeles Lakers center Vlade Divac to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame.
A well deserved accomplishment for the former center who played 16 years in the NBA. He holds career averages of 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists, with an All-Star selection in 2001.
On the international stage is where he accomplished the most, winning multiple gold medals in European and World championships, and two silver medals at the 1988 and 1996 Olympic Games.
Particularly, he was part of the historical Yugoslavian national team that won the gold medal at the 1989 EuroBasket and 1990 World Championship. That team was led by a class of young players such as Dražen Petrović, Toni Kukoč and Divac himself that would later take the league by storm and prove that great talent is not just grown in the USA.
Vlade was one of the first international players to receive an opportunity, thanks to Jerry West‘s foresight, and make an impact on the league, opening up the way to future talents like Dirk Nowitzki, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić.
Divac arrived in the NBA as a 21-year-old member of the Los Angeles Lakers where he spent the first seven years of his career. He fit perfectly the Showtime Lakers, with his vision and passing skills, as a replacement of the retiring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
After one season of acquaintance, he took over his starting role and helped the Lakers reach the NBA Finals in 1991. For the following years, he was a solid staple. He had the best season of his career as a purple and gold in 1995, averaging 16 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 blocks.
The Lakers also tried to build around him, until a guy named Shaquille O’Neal became available on the market.
After a short stop in Charlotte, he joined the Sacramento Kings, which experienced major success as the direct rivals of the Lakers in the Western Conference.
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Besides being one of the first non-American players, he was also one of the first centers to pass the ball with incredible court vision. Other European big men would follow his footsteps, such as Arvydas Sabonis and Pau Gasol.
It is hard today to imagine two centers like Divac and Brad Miller sharing the floor, but it is what happened back then thanks to Vlade’s passing skills. He was also one of the first centers to step out of the arc and shoot the three.
Vlade Divac spent many seasons in Los Angeles and gave his best years to the Lakers, paying back Jerry West’s bet on him. He also had another stint with the Lakers in his final season before retirement, cut short by back problems. Anyway, Vlade retired a full-fledged Laker.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, it is custom to retire only the numbers of players inducted in the Hall of Fame, who made an impact on the team. Hence, the question: Will they retire Divac’s number 12?
Taking a look at some previous cases, we could get a sense of the situation.
No one expected Jamaal Wilkes to have his number retired by the Lakers, but as soon as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Lakers announced the ceremony during the season.
Conversely, despite the fundamental roles they had in Lakers’ championship runs, Derek Fisher and Robert Horry never had their numbers retired. Does this confirm the argument that only Hall of Famers receive consideration for jersey retirement in Los Angeles, but is it the only factor?
Karl Malone and Gary Payton spent just one season in Los Angeles, but they are definitely some of the greatest players of all time, first-ballot Hall of Famers. Despite that, the Lakers did not retire their numbers. Had they managed to deliver the championship in 2004 there is a good chance it would have happened. Therefore, winning a ring might be a discriminating component, but we are not sure about it.
Although he never won a championship, Divac was an integral part of the Lakers Showtime, replacing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when they sat at the top of the league, and later helped transition to the Kobe-Shaq era.
He spent half his career in Los Angeles with also a nostalgic final return. Most importantly he is another member to add at the long list of Hall of Famers who wore the purple and gold.
It is really hard to say if Lakers brass has the intention to retire the number 12 in the near future. If it was the case, Vlade would be the first international player to receive such an honor.