Kosta Perovic: Fulfilling A Dream

Growing up in Eastern Europe, Kosta Perovic always dreamed of someday playing in the NBA. The young basketball player from Serbia-Montenegro, who idolized fellow countryman Vlade Divac, worked tirelessly on his game and showed enough potential to sign his first professional contract at the age of 16.

Since then, it’s been all basketball all the time for the 7-foot-2 soon-to-be NBA rookie.

For those not familiar with Perovic, he was the Warriors second round selection (#38 overall) in the 2006 NBA Draft, but he did not immediately sign with the team. After playing one additional season in Europe last year, the Warriors decided it was time to bring the 22-year old big man to America, signing him on August 3.

“We are excited that Kosta will be joining our team this season,” said Warriors Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin following the signing. “He is a very skilled player and we think that he has tremendous potential. We look forward to getting him in our system and continuing his development.”

Although he’s the age of a typical college senior, Perovic already owns seven years of professional basketball experience. Playing for the top team in Serbia – Partizan Belgrade – Perovic helped the club win Serbian League titles in each of the past five seasons. But unlike NBA teams, European clubs often play in several different leagues. Partizan Belgrade, for example, participates not only in the Serbian League, but also in the Adriatic League and Euroleague.

All of this competition leaves little room for relaxation, especially when one takes into account the fact that many of the top players in Europe also participate on their respective countries’ national teams.

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source :NBA.com