“Night of the Dragon”: Goran Dragic’s farewell charity match
Goran Dragic celebrated his career with friends, family, teammates and legends on Saturday in Slovenia.
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Goran Dragic, one of the most underrated success stories in recent international basketball history, bid farewell to the sport with a chair match featuring legends and teammates who knew him well.
“Dragon Night,” held Saturday in his native Slovenia, featured a game between Dragic and a selection of his teammates and fellow superstar Luka Doncic. Former NBA teammates including Steve Nash and Chris Bosh joined international legends Dirk Nowitzki and Nikola Jokic to honor Dragic’s final notable appearance on the basketball court.
The proceeds from the charity match and side events went to the Botrstvo v sportu programme of the Friends of Youth Foundation of Ljubljana Moste-Polje and the Goran Dragic Foundation.
One last time… THE DRAGON 🐉
Goran Dragic’s “Night of the Dragon” farewell game is LIVE on the NBA App!
📲 https://t.co/XPFEMpvQem pic.twitter.com/afpUR3mj54
— NBA (@NBA) August 24, 2024
Dragic also played one-on-one against his brother, Zoran, with whom he was briefly teammates on the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat in 2014-15. A mini-soccer game and courtside time with his family, including his son, father, brother and nephew, rounded out the warm-hearted evening.
The Phoenix Suns traded Dragic’s rights after he was selected 45th overall in the 2008 draft. He flourished as a backup point guard behind Nash before being traded to Houston. His time in that role was punctuated by a 23-point fourth quarter in Game 3 of the 2010 Western Conference Semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs.
He returned to Phoenix in 2012 via free agency, where he took a leap forward as the Suns’ primary point guard and earned Most Improved Player and All-NBA Third Team honors in 2013–14.
Another move, this time to Miami in 2015, preceded a new milestone for Dragic. The 1.90 m left-hander led Slovenia to an unexpected and unprecedented championship at EuroBasket 2017. Dragic was named an Eastern Conference All-Star the following season, and then played a crucial role in Miami’s run to the 2020 NBA Finals.
The former second-round pick averaged 16-21 points per game over five different seasons while playing in 946 total games. His 4,405 career assists rank 97th all-time. Dragic’s No. 3 has been retired by the Slovenian basketball team.
Dirk’s retirement message to the Dragon! 💯@swish41 x @Goran_Dragic
Don’t miss Dragic’s farewell game with Nowitzki, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and more at 2 p.m. ET on the NBA app. pic.twitter.com/21IrqPxGCP
— NBA (@NBA) August 24, 2024
