When the first Serb in the NBA league is mentioned, most people immediately think of names like Vlade Divac and Žarko Paspalj. However, history records another pioneer – a man who played in the strongest basketball league in the world long before them.
Zdravko Govedarica, nicknamed Bato, was the 24th pick in the 1951 NBA draft, selected by the Syracuse Nationals, today’s Philadelphia 76ers. He was born in Chicago in 1928, and his parents, Todor and Ana, were emigrants from the village of Avtovac near Gacko, who came to America before the First World War.
The youngest of five children, Zdravko lost his father early. He fought sadness and loneliness with a ball. Basketball became his outlet, and his talent did not go unnoticed. Scouts from the prestigious DePaul University, then a giant of NCAA basketball, offered him a scholarship in 1947.
Already in his sophomore year, he became the starting point guard. His statistics grew year after year – 8.5 points, then 11.5, and then 14 in his final season. In an era without the three-point shot and without a shot clock, these were serious numbers.
In 1951, he was included in the NCAA All-American team and then selected in the draft. However, instead of an NBA career – a call to the army followed. Govedarica spent two years in the Korean War. He returned in 1953 and played one season for Syracuse – 23 games, 3.3 points and 1 assist per game. It wasn’t the same Bato from college.
After his NBA episode, he retired from professional basketball. He dedicated himself to golf and the Serbian community in Chicago, where he remained active until the end of his life. In 1974, he was inducted into the DePaul University Hall of Fame, and in 2006, he was named one of the 50 best basketball players born in Chicago. In the same year – Govedarica passed away.
The second Serb in the NBA was the legendary Pete “Pistol” Maravich, one of the most talented players the league has ever seen. Although born in America, Maravich was of Serbian origin – the son of famous coach Press Maravich.
In 1985, Ljubiša “Lu” Stefanović, born in Aleksinac, also joined the league, drafted as the 97th pick by the Seattle SuperSonics.
Only then came the golden era with Divac, Paspalj, Dražen Petrović, Kukoč, and others who forever changed the NBA league’s attitude towards European players.
Today we have Jokić, Bogdanović, Dončić, and other aces who are favorites of the American public. But it all started – with Bato from Chicago.
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Source: Serbian Times, Photo: Printscreen Instagram @košarkaški_mozaik