Former Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic said goodbye to basketball on Saturday in Slovenia, along with Steve Nash, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and others.
The Night of the Dragon featured a game in which Dragic led one team and Doncic led the other, as well as a one-on-one matchup between Dragic and his younger brother — and former Suns guard — Zoran Dragic. The brothers were tied at halftime, which was displayed on a courtside scoreboard.
Legends like Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin McHale were all in attendance. Former Suns head coach Alvin Gentry was one of the coaches on Team Dragic’s bench.
Players on the pitch during the game included Bogdan Bogdanovic, Robin Lopez, Boban Marjanovic and Nikola Vucevic.
One last time… THE DRAGON 🐉
Goran Dragic’s farewell game “Night of the Dragon” is LIVE on the NBA app!
📲 https://t.co/XPFEMpvQem pic.twitter.com/afpUR3mj54
— NBA (@NBA) 24 August 2024
Chris Bosh, who had to end his NBA career due to blood clotting problems, also spoke as a former teammate of Dragic at the Miami Heat.
During the halftime break, there was a cultural tribute to Dragic with performances by a choir, a children’s accordion orchestra, the 2023 Eurovision candidate “Joker Out” and more.
In the second half, a soccer game even broke out on the pitch, with players wearing basketball shoes and shooting mini balls into mini goals.
We have a solution for @Goran_Dragic‘s career choice after basketball. ⚽️#IFeelLOVE | #NightDragons pic.twitter.com/iZ1dcvL3Aq
— Goran Dragić Foundation (@FoundationGD) 24 August 2024
In the final stages of the game, Dragic was joined by his son, nephew, father and brother to secure the win. Marjanovic even assisted the youngsters with dunks.
Family is everything 💚@Goran_Dragic @FoundationGD #IfeelSlovenia #nightofthedragon pic.twitter.com/5MPXCHe3Td
— Feel Slovenia (@SloveniaInfo) 24 August 2024
Dragic has played 946 NBA games from 2008 to 2023, plus 62 more in the playoffs. No Slovenian player has seen more NBA action.
He played for the Suns twice, first from 2008 to 2011 and then from 2012 to 2015. In the 2013-14 season, he won the award as the player with the most improvement after averaging a career-high 20.3 points per game for the Suns (48-34).
His biggest moment in Phoenix was a fourth-quarter performance in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs in 2010, in which he scored 23 points to help the Suns defeat a long-time rival.
⭐️ NBA All Star
⭐️ 2014 All-NBA Third Team
⭐️ 2014 #KiaMIPGoran “The Dragon” Dragic takes the field one last time in his farewell game with NBA stars Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Dirk Nowitzki and others!
Watch live tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET on the NBA app! ⤵️… pic.twitter.com/KYmclpsPM7
— NBA (@NBA) 23 August 2024
Dragic spoke to the crowd after the game.
The proceeds from the game and the related events went to the “Botrstvo v sportu” program of the Friends of Youth Ljubljana Moste-Polje Foundation and the Goran Dragic Foundation.
