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Center · 2004–05

Aleksandar Radojević

Basketball found him late — a 7-foot-3 kid from Yugoslavia who played football and water polo until age 16. Ruled ineligible by the NCAA over money he took at Buducnost, he detoured through Barton County Community College, went to Toronto in the first round in 1999, and lost his best years to injuries. His NBA farewell was 12 games with the Jazz in 2004–05, folded into a long European career.

Behind the stat line sits a hard story. Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien handed him 6,700 dollars in 1999 because Radojevic's father was dying and the family could not pay for treatment or a funeral. The loan cost O'Brien his job — and later won him 2.4 million dollars in a wrongful-termination suit.

HOW HE CAME & WENTToronto's 12th pick in 1999 signed with Utah as a free agent on October 4, 2004, and the Jazz waived him three months later, on January 4.

Utah Jazz tenure
2004–05
Position
Center
Born
1976, Serbia
Height
7′3″ (221 cm)
Weight
251 lb (114 kg)
College
Barton County CC
Drafted
1999, 1st round (No. 12), Toronto
Signature in the archive 1999-00 FLAIR SHOWCASE FRESH INK O

No photograph of this signature is online yet.

With the Jazz

ALEKSANDAR RADOJEVIĆ · 2004–05 · PER GAME
SEASONTEAMGMPGPPGRPGAPGSPGBPGFG%3P%FT%
2004–05UTA1210.71.62.30.50.00.2.316.700
JAZZ TOTAL1 SEASON1210.71.62.30.50.00.2.316.700

Season by season, regular season, with this franchise only. More info: Basketball-Reference ↗  ·  Wikipedia ↗

Did you know

ALEKSANDAR RADOJEVIĆ · 8 NOTES
  • Was drafted in the first round out of a junior college, a rarity in the modern draft era.
  • Stood 7 ft 3 in, among the tallest players ever to appear for the franchise.
  • He never suited up for Ohio State — the NCAA ruled him ineligible for having been paid to play professionally back home.
  • Even his birthplace is uncertain, listed variously as Herceg Novi, Bijela or Trebinje depending on the source.
  • At Barton County Community College in Kansas he averaged more than four blocked shots a game over two seasons.
  • His two NBA seasons came five years apart and totalled just fifteen games between them.
  • He represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at EuroBasket 2005.
  • His steadiest professional stretch came with Telekom Baskets Bonn in Germany at 8.5 points and 7.7 rebounds a night.