ESPN's 30 for 30 - Once Brothers

Paully D

Excellent stuff

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Paully D wrote: »

Excellent stuff

Very very good programme. Heartbreaking stuff really.

Sea Devils

Yeah that is my favourite 30 for 30 episode actually. Very moving stuff

Paully D

It certainly is very moving. It brought a tear to my eye, especially the part where Divac visits the grave at the end.

Do any of you remember watching them play? I've only really started to get into basketball the last few years, so before I watched this I had never even heard of them.

What was the reaction amongst basketball fans as they two of them were making their way in the NBA? Just how good were they, etc?

From reading Wiki, it seems Divac made a very good career for himself in the NBA. Would he have played with Chris Webber at the Kings? I watched a documentary called The Fab Five about Webber and his team mates at college which was also very interesting.

It would be very interesting to hear some more about these players.

WHIP IT!

Paully D wrote: »

It certainly is very moving. It brought a tear to my eye, especially the part where Divac visits the grave at the end.

Do any of you remember watching them play? I've only really started to get into basketball the last few years, so before I watched this I had never even heard of them.

What was the reaction amongst basketball fans as they two of them were making their way in the NBA? Just how good were they, etc?

From reading Wiki, it seems Divac made a very good career for himself in the NBA. Would he have played with Chris Webber at the Kings? I watched a documentary called The Fab Five about Webber and his team mates at college which was also very interesting.

It would be very interesting to hear some more about these players.

To be honest, when I first start following basketball properly, around 1994, Petrovic had already died so I knew next to nothing about him. I did remember seeing him referenced in magazines etc and hearing him mentioned from time to time during games.

Also, if I remember rightly, did Goran Ivanisevic, the tennis player, wear his jersey when collecting a trophy at Wimbledon around the time he died?

I was a big fan of Kukoc and, to a lesser extend Divac. I had always though Divac was a lot older than Kukoc - perhaps because Kukoc was so baby-faced and Divac always wore that dark beard.

Kukoc was an excellent player. The Chicago Bulls had drafted the rights to him some years before he eventually came to the NBA. He had a big reputation before he ever pulled on a Bulls uniform simply because it had taken him so long (maybe three/four years or something?) to decide that he did actually want to come to the US.

When I watch the NBA now I see so many European players, it's unreal. Back then it was very rare.

I had no idea of thse players' history together and what the wars in their respective countries meant to them etc. It was a real eye-opener and Divac told the story with such dignity, grace and emotion that it actually did have me in tears I must say.

From watching the documentary, it's clear that Petrovic was the most talented of the three but Kukoc and Divac went on to have excellent NBA careers.

Paully D

WHIP IT! wrote: »

To be honest, when I first start following basketball properly, around 1994, Petrovic had already died so I knew next to nothing about him. I did remember seeing him referenced in magazines etc and hearing him mentioned from time to time during games.

Also, if I remember rightly, did Goran Ivanisevic, the tennis player, wear his jersey when collecting a trophy at Wimbledon around the time he died?

I was a big fan of Kukoc and, to a lesser extend Divac. I had always though Divac was a lot older than Kukoc - perhaps because Kukoc was so baby-faced and Divac always wore that dark beard.

Kukoc was an excellent player. The Chicago Bulls had drafted the rights to him some years before he eventually came to the NBA. He had a big reputation before he ever pulled on a Bulls uniform simply because it had taken him so long (maybe three/four years or something?) to decide that he did actually want to come to the US.

When I watch the NBA now I see so many European players, it's unreal. Back then it was very rare.

I had no idea of thse players' history together and what the wars in their respective countries meant to them etc. It was a real eye-opener and Divac told the story with such dignity, grace and emotion that it actually did have me in tears I must say.

From watching the documentary, it's clear that Petrovic was the most talented of the three but Kukoc and Divac went on to have excellent NBA careers.

Fantastic post. That was a great read, thanks!

You're right about Ivanisevic, he did wear the jersey in tribute to Petrovic and on returning to Croatia with the trophy he had a Nets jersey with his number on:



I missed say I had forgotten all about Kukoc from the documentary, but from reading about him he seemed to have a great career. A 3 time NBA champion and played with a fantastic Bulls team.

I agree with you, the documentary was very moving and I was in tears myself during parts of it. It's such a shame that Petrovic never got the chance to reconcile with his best friend which I'm sure they would eventually have done. I do get the feeling he would have liked to do so, but being a superstar in his country came under immense pressure to be used as a propaganda machine by refusing to talk to Divac whilst the war was ongoing. It must have been an awful time for all involved.

WHIP IT!

Paully D wrote: »

I agree with you, the documentary was very moving and I was in tears myself during parts of it. It's such a shame that Petrovic never got the chance to reconcile with his best friend which I'm sure they would eventually have done. I do get the feeling he would have liked to do so, but being a superstar in his country came under immense pressure to be used as a propaganda machine by refusing to talk to Divac whilst the war was ongoing. It must have been an awful time for all involved.

Yes, when he called in to see Petrovic's mother and went to see his gravesite etc it was very moving.

All the money, fame, history together and adulation they had - but it didn't make a difference once religion/politics/war got involved.

moneyman

Definitely the best of the 30 for 30 series, and that's saying something. It annoys me that Petrovic let the war destroy his relationships like that, but I suppose that's not relevant now. It's a very moving documentary. As for Kukoc and Divac, both very good players, Kukoc was just luckier to land on the better team. Divac is a fantastic human being, does lots of charity work and is remembered extremely fondly by Sacramento people due to his contributions both on and off the court there.