Spanish Mundo Deportivo uncovered the kinship between the legendary Croatian basketball player and the celebrated Yugoslav national team member back in the 1990s, and Dejan Bodiroga has now shared the details himself.
Few in the sports community knew that legendary Croatian basketball player Dražen Petrović and celebrated former Yugoslav national team member Dejan Bodiroga were actually close relatives. The story was first revealed by Spain's Mundo Deportivo in the 1990s, and Bodiroga has now recounted it in detail for Dnevno.hr, in an article by Nino Matić.
The root of their connection lies in previous generations. Jovan Petrović, Dražen's and Aleksandar Petrović's grandfather, and Gospava Petrović, Dejan's and Željko Bodiroga's grandmother, were biological brother and sister.
Jovan's son, also named Jovan, moved to Šibenik as an official of the Yugoslav Ministry of the Interior. There he earned the nickname Jole, met Biserka, married her, and had sons Aleksandar and Dražen. Gospava, through marriage, became Gospava Bodiroga, and her son Vaso, one of seven children, is the father of Željko and Dejan Bodiroga.
Dejan Bodiroga was born in Klek near Zrenjanin, while Dražen was born in Šibenik. Their paths first crossed only in the 1990/91 season.
That season, Bodiroga was on an American tour with his then-team, Zadar. Dražen was already playing for Portland in the NBA, and they met after a Portland game against Phoenix.
"We had the chance to meet in America, when he was playing for Portland, and we were on some tour. He was with Portland, and I was with my then-club, Zadar. After that Portland, Phoenix game, we met, and you could see he knew we were connected. Practically, it's all within a kilometer or two," Bodiroga told Dnevno.hr.
Bodiroga also explained the exact degree of kinship linking him to the legendary Croatian basketball player.
"My grandmother, my father's mother, is from the Petrović family. My grandmother and his grandfather were biological brother and sister, so we are very close kin. Practically close kin. My father and his father are first cousins, and we are second cousins. It's very interesting. The villages of Bodiroga, Petrovići, and Savovići... It's all so close. I knew this even when I started playing, but I didn't attach much importance to it, though I was glad when we met. For me, he was one of the greatest players who ever played and left a mark on European and world basketball," said the three-time EuroLeague champion.
The story of the kinship between the two greats particularly resonated in Spain because both had played there. Petrović wore the Real Madrid jersey before heading to the NBA, while Bodiroga played for both Real and Barcelona during his career.
"It came out in Mundo Deportivo; they practically published the entire family tree. They found it so interesting that someone so closely related could have such successful careers. They really delved into it," Bodiroga laughed.
Bodiroga, captain of the Serbian national team, won gold at major tournaments, including EuroBasket 2001 and the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis.
