Sports' Forgotten Heroes

The name Drazen Petrovic might not be familiar to many of today’s NBA fans. But for those who recall the early 1990s and the sudden rise of the then New Jersey Nets, Drazen Petrovic is a name that brings up memories of a sharpshooting guard, a star on the rise, and man whose life was tragically cut short in a head-on collision along the famed autobahn. Petrovic, born in Croatia, had a passion for basketball matched by few. Every waking second, every chance he had, he was practicing the game. Gym rat? That was Drazen Petrovic. And he didn’t just practice shooting. He practiced and drilled virtually every aspect of the game as often as possible from the time he was a young schoolboy. Drazen had a goal, he wanted to play in the NBA. And he worked hard. He played for his local Sibenik, Croatia team. He also played for Cibona and Rea Madrid. He olayed on the international stage. He caught the eye of Notre Dame’s Digger Phelps. He caught the eye of the Portland Trailblazers too and they made him a 3rd round selecti