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On January 1st, NBA player Goran Dragić officially announced his retirement.
The 37-year-old Dragić, hailing from Slovenia, was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 45th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft. Later, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns from the Spurs to serve as a backup for Steve Nash.
On May 7, 2010, in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Dragić experienced the pinnacle of his career. In the fourth quarter, he went 9-for-11, made all four three-point attempts, scored 23 points, and led the Suns to a significant victory over the Spurs, changing the series score to 3-0. The Suns eventually swept the Spurs and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
In 2011, Dragić was traded to the Houston Rockets, and he returned to the Suns in 2012. In the 2013-14 season, Dragić was named the Most Improved Player of the Year and made the All-NBA Third Team.
In 2015, he was traded to the Miami Heat, starting a seven-year stint with the team. In the 2017-18 season, Dragić was selected as an NBA All-Star for the only time in his career. In 2020, he helped the Heat reach the NBA Finals but suffered an injury in the first game and missed the remaining matches.
In 2021, Dragić was traded to the Toronto Raptors, then to the San Antonio Spurs, and after a buyout with the Spurs, he joined the Brooklyn Nets. In the last season, he played for the Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks.
In 2017, Dragić led the Slovenian national basketball team to win the EuroBasket championship and was named the MVP of the tournament.
In his retirement announcement today, Dragić expressed gratitude to his family, coaches, teams he played for, teammates from the Slovenian national team, mentor Steve Nash, and coach Kokoškov. |
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