Stojko Vrankovic

Once upon a time Smick Jali went to Minnesota Timberwolves games and sat in a seat at the Target Center reserved for Stojko Vrankovic's people. Next to him sat a bald man with a big smile and a steady hand.



from wikipedia.org

A renowned shot blocker, he made little impact in the NBA, managing small minutes and a low scoring average. He did however have a major impact in Europe playing for Greek team Panathinaikos. In 1996, he combined with Dominique Wilkins to lead Panathinaikos to a Euroleague Final Four Championship - a first for the club. Vranković's defensive contributions were vital, namely his block of Zeljko Rebraca at the buzzer, in the third game of the quarter-finals against Benetton Treviso, seeing Panathinaikos through. In the final, his block to deny Barcelona the lead in the last second, gave the game a dramatic end, before falling to the ground in the ensuing hustle and clutching his knee in pain on the buzzer.[1]In an interview on the official Final Four website, Panathinaikos captain Panagiotis Giannakis described the incident as follows:
"All that happened at the end of the game is unbelievable, a few seconds that lasted one century! I remember Stojko (Vrankovic) running like...Carl Lewis from one side to the other to stop (José Antonio) Montero. He blocked the layup almost at the buzzer and he sealed the victory."

from wikipedia.org

Vranković was a close friend of fellow basketball player Dražen Petrović. He was a coffin bearer at Petrovic's funeral in 1993 and has been active in commemorating his memory. In an article on the FIBA website concerning the opening of a museum in Dražen's honour, Vranković is quoted:
Drazen's colleague and friend, Stojko Vrankovic, said at the opening of the museum: "I would like to thank all those involved in creating this place, so children would be able to learn more about 'basketball's Amadeus'"

Vrankovic was popular amongst many other European basketball legends besides just Drazen Petrovic. In the photo below he is seen with the legendary Dino Radja giving an autograph to an eager fan.



Vrankovic had a mean hook shot.



As a youth Stojko excelled at many activities including disco dancing, clubbing, and volleyball. Those were during his days in Yugoslavia, where he was born. He lived through the transition to a free Croatia.



He also has a statue of his likeness during his lifetime. That is not bad. Unfortunately it is not at the Target Center otherwise there could be a Multicultural Field Trip.



Stojko Vrankovic is a Multicultural Friends Living Legend.

Photo thanks:
http://www.centroapuesta.com/modules/rmgallery/uploads/media7/20061222-633023930871408750w.jpg, http://www.jutarnji.hr/EPHResources/Images/2006/12/17/petrovic1.jpg, http://www.checkoutmycards.com/CardImages/Cards/002/388/01F.jpg