Zoran Dragić is the newest Dragon in Cedevita Olimpija

Before the continuation of the season, the senior team of Cedevita Olimpija strengthened its small forward playing position with one of the leaders of the Slovenian men’s national team, Zoran Dragić. The latter will stay at the Ljubljana club at least until the end of the 2021/22 competition season.

Ljubljana’s Cedevita Olimpija has strengthened with Zoran Dragić, one of the leaders of the Slovenian men’s national team, and a player with experience in the elite Euroleague, the NBA, the 7DAYS EuroCup and the regional league. The Ljubljana’s own, the younger brother of one of the best Slovenian players of all time and a former player of our club, Goran Dragić, last wore the jersey of the Lithuanian Zalgiris, which he left the last day of last calendar year. Dragić will stay in Stožice at least until the end of this competition season.

The Slovenian player has had a varied career, and he has also played for Ilirija, Janče, Slovan, Krka, Malaga, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Sioux Falls Skyforce, Khimki, Olimpia Milano, Anadolu Efes, Trieste, ratiopharm Ulm, Baskonia and finally for Zalgiris.

In the 7DAYS EuroCup, Dragić last competed in the jersey of Ulm, Germany, averaging 14.1 points per game in seven games. He has played in nine games for Zalgiris in the Euroleague this season, averaging 3.9 points. In total, Dragić scored 1194 points in the Euroleague, which is enough for an average of 7.9 points per game.

Dragić has the title of Spanish national champion from 2020, two titles of Slovenian national champion (2011, 2012) and cup champion (2010, 2011), and in 2011 he was also the most valuable player in the finals of the Slovenian national championship. The 32-year-old and 196-centimeter-tall basketball player also has the title of Turkish and Italian cup champion and two Italian super cup titles in his pocket.

Zoran has always been a part of the Slovenian national teams of younger age categories, and in 2011 he wore the jersey of the national team for the first time at the big competition at EuroBasket 2011. This was followed by the domestic EuroBasket 2013, and the following year the World Cup. A year later, Dragić was also part of the national team that competed in EuroBasket 2015, and he also participated in the qualifications for EuroBasket 2017, where he unfortunately did not participate later due to injury.

Last summer, Dragić also played with the Slovenian national team for the first time at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, averaging 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists. In total, Dragić played in 52 matches for the Slovenian national team, scoring 581 points, which currently places him in eighth place among all scorers.

Sani Bečirović, sports director of Cedevita Olimpija:
“Perhaps the fact that I am satisfied that Zoran Dragić has joined us does not describe our true feelings when signing the contract with the holder of the Slovenian men’s national team on the wing. We are overjoyed to finally be able to say that Zoran has become a Dragon, and I believe he will fit in very well with our team. He knows many of the guys from the national team, and he will meet the rest of his teammates in the coming days and weeks. We all know that Zoran is known as a combative and energetic player, and we believe that his game will help us on the way to meeting all the goals set before the start of the season.”

Jurica Golemac, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija:
“We are very happy and overjoyed that Zoran Dragić has decided to return to Slovenia, and that we have another Slovenian representative in Cedevita Olimpija, as this is very important for Slovenian basketball. Zoran is a player who knows most of his new teammates and knows what Cedevita Olimpija means. We are happy that such an experienced and high-quality basketball player is coming to us. We are sure that he will raise our game in defense and offense to a higher level. We can’t wait for Zoran to start training with us, meet new teammates and step on the floor in our jersey for the first time and help us on the way to our goals.”

Zoran Dragić, player of Cedevita Olimpija:
“I am glad to have joined Cedevita Olimpija. We know it is a great team and I believe I will be able to help it with my experience and knowledge. My goal is to break through among the top eight teams in the 7DAYS EuroCup and the top four teams in the regional league, but to be completely honest, my ambitions are big and I want us to win everything we can and as always I will give everything I can of the court. Playing in front of home fans always brings a special feeling and I am really looking forward to it. There will certainly be no lack of motivation, but words will have to be put to work, and so I can’t wait for it all to start.”