Throughout history, for one reason or another, there have been many civilizations and countries that cease to exist in 2022-23.
Even as recently as the entire 90s and early 00s, countries have peacefully, and not so peacefully, split into smaller countries and territorial lands. The most fascinating part of this is that some of the NBA players that we watch and admire today were born into these conflicts and splits of countries. Although they may not be able to remember what was happening during these times, it still fits an interesting pattern with NBA players today.
Of course, there have been plenty of players who competed in the NBA at the height of these conflicts. Most notably, Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac’s friendship fell apart during the Yugoslav Wars that lasted from 1991 thru 2001 as they competed at the NBA level. Although there are no cases that mirror that rare occurrence, there are still some current players born into a conflict that we see every night on our television sets. We decided to honor those players and their journeys today.
These are the NBA players that were born in countries that don’t even exist anymore.
Socialist Federal Republic Of YugoslaviaBojan Bogdanovic
Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Bojan Bogdanovic was born in The Socialist Federal Republic Of Yugoslavia in 1989 in the area now known as the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bogdanovic was originally the 31st overall pick by the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Draft but opted to play in Turkey for 3 more seasons. Bogdanovic is well accomplished overseas, with accolades that include a Turkish League championship in 2014 and a Croatian League championship in 2010. Bogdanovic made his debut for the Brooklyn Nets in 2014 and was a member of the All-Rookie team.
After Brooklyn, Bogdanovic played a half-season with the Wizards, 2 seasons with the Pacers, and 3 seasons with the Utah Jazz. In 2022-23, Bogdanovic is in his first season with the Detroit Pistons as their starting power forward/small forward. He has stepped up in the absence of Cade Cunningham to lead the team in scoring with 20.8 PPG on 48.3% shooting from the field. Bogdanovic’s contributions have hardly moved the needle in Detroit as the team sits at 10-30 on the season, which is dead last in the Eastern Conference.
Goran Dragic
Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Goran Dragic was born in 1986 in the Ljubljana area of Slovenia, which at the time was still one of six republics that made up the Socialist Federal Republic Of Yugoslavia. In Slovenia, Dragic became an accomplished player winning the Under-20 gold medal in 2004 and becoming a Slovenian League champion in 2008, as well as an All-Star. Dragic then entered the 2008 NBA Draft, where he was selected 45th overall by the Phoenix Suns. In his second stint with the Suns in 2014, Dragic won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and earned the only All-NBA Team selection of his career.
Dragic has played for 6 different teams in his 16-year NBA career, including the Suns, Rockets, Nets, Raptors, Hate, and now the Bulls in 2022-23. In 2020, he helped lead the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals averaging 19.1 PPG in the playoffs. In 2022-23, Dragic is with the Bulls, where he has made 34 appearances off the bench. In 16.9 minutes of action, Dragic is averaging 7.8 PPG and 2.8 APG on the year. The Bulls have struggled to start the season sitting at 16-21, which is 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Boban Marjanovic
Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
The final current NBA player to be born in the Socialist Federal Party Of Yugoslavia is Boban Marjanovic. Born in Zajecar, Serbia, in 1998, Majanovic stands 7’3’’ tall and weighs approximately 290 pounds. Marjanovic is a 3-time Serbian Super Lague MVP who has won multiple titles in different leagues overseas in his career. He is a former Serbian League champion, ABA League champion, Lithuanian League champion, and Baltic League champion. He is also a member of 3 Serbian League First Teams and won the 2007 Under-19 World Cup with Serbia.
Boban was signed as a free agent in 2015 by the Spurs and made his NBA debut on October 30th of that year. Marjanovic has played for 6 teams in his career so far, including the Mavericks, Clippers, Pistons, Spurs, Sixers, and Rockets. He averaged a career-high 7.3 PPG in 2019 with the Clippers and Sixers and is currently a member of the Rockets. He has appeared in just 12 games this year and is playing less than 5 minutes of those games. He is averaging 2.8 PPG and 1.3 RPG in that time.
Federal Republic Of Yugoslavia
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia existed from 1992 thru 2006 and is the region once known as Serbia and Montenegro as well. Bogdan Bogdanovic was born in the Capital of Serbia, Belgrade, in 1992, when it was known as the Republic of Yugoslavia. Bogdanovic was the 27th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. He did not make his NBA debut until 2017 with the Sacramento Kings as he opted to play overseas in Turkey before joining the NBA ranks.
Bogdanovic, now with the Atlanta Hawks, has turned into quite the role player off the bench, with consistent scoring and efficient shooting from beyond the arc. Bogdanovic has played just 14 games for the Hawks in 2022-23, battling injuries to begin the season. In over 30.0 minutes of playing time in those games, Bogdanovic is averaging a career-high 17.6 PPG on 40.8% shooting from three. Bogdanovic is taking over 8.5 3-pointers per game during this stretch and has been one of the few bright spots for a struggling Atlanta team. He may not be the best player from Serbia or the Federal Republic Of Yugoslavia, but he has done his country proud for even getting this far and being successful.
Nikola Jokic
Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nikola Jokic was born in a region of Western Serbia called Sombor in 1995. After dominating Mega Basket in Serbia as a teen, Jokic was selected by the Denver Nuggets as the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Jokic would stay in the Adriatic league for another season and depart for the NBA in time for the 2015-16 season with the Nuggets. Jokic enjoyed a steady start to his career in Denver, showcasing the potential that we have seen come to fruition today.
Now, Jokic has made 4 consecutive trips to the All-Star Game and won 2 MVP awards while staring his 3rd MVP in a row directly in the face. In 2022-23, Jokic has elevated his game to championship levels, leading the Nuggets to a 24-13 record, which puts them at first place in the West. Jokic is currently averaging 25.6 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 9.5 APG for Denver and has them poised to compete for their first championship in franchise history. If Jokic wins his 3rd MVP in a row, he will join Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to do so.
ZaireBismack Biyombo
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In 1992, Bismack Biyombo was born in the former Congolese state known as Zaire. Now known as the Democratic Republic Of Congo since 1997, the state of Zaire only existed from 1971 thru 1997. Before being drafted to the NBA 7th overall by the Kings in 2011, Biyombo played in the Spanish ACB League for Fuenlabrada. Biyombo was also a member of the World Select Team at the 2011 Nike Hoops Summit, where he showcased his talent to a large audience. In 2011, Biyombo was selected 7th by the Kings in the draft and traded to the Charlotte Bobcats shortly after.
Biyombo made his debut for Charlotte in 2011-12 and stayed with the team thru the 2014-15 season. He then did one-year stints with each of the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic organizations. He found himself in Charlotte for 3 more seasons after that until he signed with the Suns in 2021-22. Biyombo remains with the Suns in 2022-23 and is averaging 3.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.4 BPG in 30 appearances this season. With the Suns over the last 2 years, Biyombo has averaged 4.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 1.0 BPG.
Source: fadeawayworld
