Some memories are there to stay, even a quarter of a century later.
Brooklyn Nets (previously called the New Jersey Nets) still remember the player who has played the last game for their team 25 years ago. This is, however, not a story of loyalty in basketball franchizes, it’s a story much closer to the heart of Croatian basketball fan, as just about every single one of us knows who this will be about: Dražen Petrović, one of the greatest basketball players ever to come from Europe, Croatian national team captain and New Jersey Nets player, born in 1964 who died tragically in a car crash in Germany on June 7th 1993.
The team is honoring his memory in a game against Chicago Bulls (probably not a random choice, as one of the most memorable moments in Dražen’s career and collective Croatian sports memory was the final match Croatian national team played in Barcelona Olympics in 1992 against the original Dream Team, lead by none other than Chicago Bulls super-star Michael Jordan), to be played on Monday night, 26th of February, 7:30 pm local time in New York, 1:30 am Tuesday in Croatia.
Not only will the game be in memory of Dražen, but the entire night will be retro-themed, with a video tribute showcasing the guard’s legacy. The Nets will also be giving out Dražen Petrović STARTING LINEUP ™ Figurines to the first 10,000 fans in attendance, there will be five new Petrovic items in the Swag Shop along with a NBA Jam arcade machine, where fans can play as “Petro” in the classic game. Autographed and game-worn items from Petrovic will also be on display. Currently, both the Twitter and the Facebook pages of the Nets are also almost completely Dražen-themed. 
Petrović’s mother will be in attendance, as will some other stars who played or admired Dražen during his 5 NBA years. Dallas Mavericks star and one of the best European players in the NBA Dirk Nowitzki spoke to the Brooklyn Nets web site, explaining how one of the greatest compliments he ever received was when Dražen’s mother told him he reminded her of Dražen.
Kenny Anderson, Dražen’s former teammate from the Nets also remembered Dražen today, before the game on Monday, with this tweet which includes the photo of the two of them:
Nets honoring my guy Monday much love Drazen Petrovic R.I.P pic.twitter.com/Fr9ItKa34w
— Kenny Anderson (@chibbs_1) February 24, 2018
Read more about the event on Brooklyn Nets home page, currently almost completely devoted to the comemorative game on Monday: http://www.nba.com/nets/.
Thank you, Brooklyn Nets, from all the Croatian basketball fans, who will also never forget our captain.
