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Former NBA center Vlade Divac underwent emergency surgery after breaking a hip in a motorcycle accident in Montenegro, hospital officials told the Associated Press on Friday.
The accident occurred Thursday on a road near the Adriatic Sea coast. Divac sustained a fracture and had an artificial hip implanted during surgery, according to the report.
“During the day, a surgical procedure was performed,” said Ljubica Mitrovic, a spokeswoman for the hospital in the town of Risan. “He is in a stable general and physical condition and is under a careful supervision of the medical staff.”
NBA Hall of Famer Vlade Divac remains hospitalized after emergency surgery
Divac, 57, was a 7-foot-1 Serbian center who spent 16 seasons in the NBA, beginning his career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1989 and retiring with the team following the 2005–06 season. In 1996, he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in a deal that sent the draft rights of a young Kobe Bryant to the Lakers — a move that helped launch one of the most iconic careers in league history. Divac later joined the Sacramento Kings, where he earned an All-Star selection in 2001 and became a central figure on the team that reached the 2002 Western Conference Finals, a series still remembered for its controversy. The Kings retired his No. 21 jersey in 2009.
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In 2015, Divac returned to Sacramento as general manager and remained in the role until stepping down in 2020.
When he joined the Lakers in 1989, Divac was part of the first wave of European players to enter the NBA. He became the first player born and trained outside the United States to appear in more than 1,000 NBA games.
In 2019, Divac was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He also served two terms as the head of Serbia’s Olympic Committee.
According to the AP, Divac remains hospitalized in stable condition as he continues to recover from Thursday’s procedure. Further updates have not yet been provided.
