Vlade Divac praises basketball ‘visionary’ Jerry West, says Lakers legend ‘changed my life’

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers used a first-round pick in the 1989 NBA Draft on former big man Vlade Divac.

Divac spent each of his first seven seasons in the league playing for the iconic organization, and Lakers legend Jerry West just so happened to be Los Angeles’ general manager for the entirety of Divac’s stint with the team.

The former Lakers big man had a lot of praise for West in a recent interview. He called him a basketball “visionary” and claimed that the 1972 NBA champion changed his life.

“I met Jerry first time when I landed from my home Yugoslavia back then,” Divac said. “I land with my wife Ana to LAX, and he was the guy who was waiting for us.”

Divac continued.

“And that was our first contact — even though I didn’t speak English back then,” he said.” A lot of people say I don’t speak English even today. But six months later, when I pick it up, when I start making conversation with Jerry, we bond. He’s part of my family. I’m part of his family. The guy who I’m so thankful what he did for me personally but also for my family. Changed my life, bringing me from Europe. Back then you didn’t have too many European guys so probably none, you know? I was kind of first one who was drafted in a first round and came same year. And for me he’s a genius visionary that he saw where basketball is going and now you have like 30 percent of the league is international player.”

Divac served as a highly productive starting center for the majority of his time playing for the Lakers. He averaged 12.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game across 535 total regular-season contests played and 405 starts with the team.

His stint in Los Angeles didn’t come to an end until after the 1995-96 season, when the Lakers traded him to the Charlotte Hornets for the No. 13 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, which Los Angeles used to select none other than guard Kobe Bryant. Bryant won five titles during his Los Angeles tenure and is widely regarded as one of the best players ever to don a Lakers jersey.

Not long after dealing Divac, the Lakers made a move that filled the hole left by his departure and then some. Los Angeles signed superstar big man Shaquille O’Neal in the summer of 1996.

Divac spent just two seasons with Charlotte before he joined the Sacramento Kings ahead of the 1998-99 campaign. With Divac in the fold, the Kings were consistent contenders in the Western Conference and knocked on the door of an NBA Finals appearance.

Sacramento reached the playoffs in every one of his six seasons with the team and came up just one win short of representing the West in the NBA Finals in 2002. Divac lost to his former team in the Lakers in seven games in the Western Conference Finals, and Sacramento even held a 3-2 series lead at one point.

Even if the Lakers prevented him from appearing in the championship series, Divac still seems to be appreciative of West and all the guidance that he received from Los Angeles’ former general manager.