Vlade’s Time to Shine
April 3, 2009 by Kayte Christensen
I wasn’t here during the ‘Golden Years’ of the Sacramento Kings. I didn’t witness the infamous Kings vs. Lakers series but the legend has endured. On March 31, yet another chapter was written when Vlade Divac’s #21 jersey was raised to the ARCO Arena rafters.
There is no debate — Vlade was a special basketball player. A center with unreal passing skill and court awareness, a more than efficient ability to score and mastery of the flop. But above those talents, Vlade will always be remembered as the ultimate teammate. His leadership on the court didn’t even come close to the way he was a life coach and mentor to everyone he played with and those of us who paid attention to his impact from afar.
The halftime ceremony during the Kings vs. New Orleans game Tuesday night was a special and touching event to behold. Watching the children represent Vlade’s passion for humanitarian work worldwide escort him onto the court while carrying his native Serbian flag was a perfect example of how a man who is so accomplished can’t even make his own jersey retirement about just him.
The Maloofs, understanding their former star center’s passion, didn’t give him a customary watch or similar gift, instead, they honored him by buying a home for a family that remains displaced from the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. A task Vlade’s 2007 “You Can Too” campaign has taken on in order to provide homes for the 7,800 refugees still living in collective centers under poor conditions.
Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie called him a ‘citizen of the world.’ He is like everyone’s friend, brother, father and uncle. He’s a man who, no matter where you stand geographically, you can not only relate to but cheer for.
I spent the morning delivering Kings Season Ticket Holder renewal packages. One of the gentlemen we visited told us he gave his tickets to Vlade’s jersey retirement game away and watched the ceremony from home. He knew it was going to be an emotional night so he thought it would be best to watch from home where he could cry in the privacy of his own home! A grown man reduced to tears shows Vlade’s impact was far greater than any stat sheet or record book could ever show.
Even though my part in the story of Vlade Divac and the Sacramento Kings is minuscule in comparison to the Sacramentans who witnessed the Golden Years, I was honored to even have a small part.
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