Drazen Dalipagic (inducted 2004)
For ever great center, you’ll find a great perimeter player by his side. And, on the Yugoslavian national team, Drazen Dalipagic was the perimeter player to Cosic’s post play. Dalipagic was not just some role player though, he is often considered the greatest scorer in European history.
Dalipagic played with the Yugoslavian Olympic team in 1976, 1980, and 1984, and he won an Olympic medal in each one of those years. In 1976, Yugoslavia won silver, in 1980 they won gold, and in 1984 they won bronze. During Yugoslavia’s 1980 gold medal team, Dalipagic averaged 24 points, five rebounds, and one steal a game. Over his Olympic career, Dalipagic averaged 25 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal a game. He did this all in just 21 games.
During his Euroleague career, Dalipagic was regarded as one of the best players in the league. His career began at age 19, and he ended up playing for seven different Euroleague teams. He was a three-time player of the year, and he won the World Championship three times. Dalipagic averaged 33 points per game and had 15 games where he scored 50 points. His career high in points scored is 70. Dalipagic is considered one of the most decorated athletes in Yugoslavian history.