Photo: AP A promising week for the Orlando Magic hasn't included Mario Hezonja very often. Evan Fournier's emergence has kept him on the bench. It continued last Wednesday against Houston, as Fournier exploded for 29 points. Hezonja was reduced to just 11 minutes and failed to get on the stat sheet. Orlando ended up losing 119-114 in overtime, which is already their second … [Read more...] about Croatians Around The NBA: Week Two
NBA
Croatians Around The NBA: Week 1
By 1 CommentPhoto: AFP Andrew Bogut opened up the 2015-16 NBA season with another injury. The Australian born Croatian bumped heads with the New Orleans Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham at the 7 minute mark of the third quarter on Tuesday night in Oakland. Bogut went to the locker room after the play and did not return as the 7 footer finished the match with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 … [Read more...] about Croatians Around The NBA: Week 1
NBA Eastern Conference Preview
By 19 CommentsAfter a long summer of several high-profile moves and astonishing new contracts, the NBA is finally back. A possible resurgence from the Eastern Conference seems to be possible this year. Teams such as Miami, Toronto, Milwaukee have retooled their starting lineups with high-priced signings. Young teams such as Orlando and Boston could present problems as well. Here are my … [Read more...] about NBA Eastern Conference Preview
Mario Hezonja Ends Up In An Ideal Situation With Orlando
By 56 CommentsAfter much speculation over the past week, Mario Hezonja was selected by the Orlando Magic. It comes as a bit of a surprise, considering Sacramento and Denver were heavily linked to the 20 year-old Croatian. Instead, Hezonja can be labeled as a top five pick and will join an intriguing young team in the weakened Eastern conference. Orlando is filled with rising stars such as … [Read more...] about Mario Hezonja Ends Up In An Ideal Situation With Orlando
Curry Roots Deep With Petrović Family
By 31 CommentsIt was reported by multiple news outlets Wednesday that 2014-15 NBA MVP and NBA champion, Steph Curry, had sent one of his Finals jerseys to Biserka Petrović, the mother of late, great Croatian basketball player Dražen Petrović. "In 1992, Stephen Curry's father Dell took part in the three-point contest during All-Star weekend in Orlando. Dell didn't make it out of … [Read more...] about Curry Roots Deep With Petrović Family
2015 NBA Mock Draft: Mario Hezonja will be wearing blue
By 25 CommentsPhoto: Victor Salgado-FCB After a long season of covering Croatians around the NBA, it’s time for the long-awaited NBA draft. We haven’t seen a draft with this many talented prospects in almost a decade. To make matters more exciting, a Croatian player will likely be a top-ten pick at minimum. Mario Hezonja has been linked with several teams between picks four and eight. … [Read more...] about 2015 NBA Mock Draft: Mario Hezonja will be wearing blue
Bogut Talks Lack Of Playing Time In NBA Finals
By 52 CommentsThe Golden State Warriors are one win away from their first NBA title in 40 years. And they're going to get the job done without their 7'0" center Andrew Bogut. Bogut did not play a single minute in Game 5's 104-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, after only earning four minutes of playing time in Game 4. Andrew has been professional about his lack of playing … [Read more...] about Bogut Talks Lack Of Playing Time In NBA Finals
Checkered Man Unveiled/More Croatians at Game 5
By 12 CommentsCroatianSports.com caught up with NBA Finals Game 2 Croatian checkered man behind the bench. His name is Šime Grizelj. Parents from Herzegovina and Dugi Otok. From the Bay Area. He's a huge Croatia fan and obviously a supporter of the Warriors. Why did he wear the checkers? Quite simple. He wanted to be seen. And guess what? It … [Read more...] about Checkered Man Unveiled/More Croatians at Game 5
Who Is The Checkered Man?
By 52 CommentsIf you caught Game 2 of the NBA Finals last night, you could clearly see a man sporting what could only be a checkered Croatian soccer jersey directly behind the Golden State bench. He was rooting for the Warriors the entire game, but was he in fact Croatian? Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. But Croatian media caught a glimpse of the mysterious 'checkered man' and gave him … [Read more...] about Who Is The Checkered Man?