Nets coach: Dražen is one of the best ever
Jordi Fernández, coach of the Brooklyn Nets, appeared at the conference wearing a T-shirt with the image of Dražen Petrović.
He pointed out Petrović impact while playing for New Jersey Nets and mentioned his days in Portland Trail Blazers.
“The big thing was what he achieved, especially when you take into account the context of the time. Be careful, we are talking about the eighties and nineties, when there was no internet, no social networks…”, said the Spanish coach and continued:
“I remember when he played for Real Madrid, it was in the late eighties. He also played for Cibona, and when he came to the NBA, he had to deal with many new things that he had never seen before. You know, we all believed, that is, we knew how good a player he was and that led him to the NBA.
Sometimes a man needs time to emerge, to show his qualities, but we at home have always known that he is one of the best ever. And now suddenly he can’t find a way to demonstrate his qualities.”
“When he came to the NBA, he had Clyde Drexler next to him, good teammates and a great coach in Portland, and all that tells you how life works sometimes. You have to believe in yourself, and he believed in himself. And it paid off for him in the end. He found a second home (the Nets) and enjoyed it there.
He was in the right place at the right time, everything worked as it should. He always believed in himself and ultimately achieved great things. He represented European basketball and Croatian basketball, and we were all extremely proud. Having a retired number here at the Nets is something really special.” Fernandez concluded.
