Goran Dragic · Biography

Goran Dragić won his first title in 2004, a gold medal with Slovenia at the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship in Brno. Born on 6 May 1986 in Ljubljana, the point guard nicknamed “the Dragon” played fifteen NBA seasons, mainly with the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat. In 2017 he led Slovenia to its first European championship.

Early years in Ljubljana

The son of a Slovenian mother and a Serbian father, he speaks Slovene, Serbian, Spanish and English. He began his senior career in 2003, at seventeen, with KD Ilirija in Slovenia’s lower divisions. In 2004 he moved to Slovan of Ljubljana. He was named Slovenian League Rookie of the Year in 2005 and played in the league’s All-Star game in 2005 and 2006. His younger brother Zoran also turned professional and later shared a locker room with him in Phoenix and Miami.

Spain, Olimpija and the draft

Saski Baskonia signed him in 2006 and loaned him to CB Murcia for the 2006-07 season, his first taste of the Spanish ACB league. The following year he went home on loan to Union Olimpija. He played in the EuroLeague with them and won the 2008 Slovenian League, Cup and Supercup. In the June 2008 NBA draft, the San Antonio Spurs took him 45th overall. They traded his rights to Phoenix for cash and the rights to Malik Hairston. He signed with the Suns on 22 September 2008, once Phoenix had completed a deal with the Spanish club.

Phoenix and Houston

His first three seasons in Arizona were spent as Steve Nash’s backup. On 25 January 2010 he scored 32 points against Utah. In Game 3 of the 2010 Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio, he scored 23 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. On 24 February 2011 Phoenix traded him to the Houston Rockets for Aaron Brooks. On 13 April that year he posted his first triple-double: 11 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. During the 2011 lockout he went back to Baskonia for a short spell. He then returned to Houston for the shortened 2011-12 season and was named Western Conference Player of the Week in April 2012.

Back with the Suns

In July 2012 he returned to Phoenix on a four-year, $30 million deal to replace Nash as the starting point guard. In 2013-14 he averaged 20.3 points and joined the 20-50-40 club. He scored 40 points on 28 February 2014, won the NBA Most Improved Player award and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. On 2 January 2015 he and Zoran played for Phoenix alongside the Morris twins. It was the first time two pairs of brothers had played together for the same NBA team.

Six years in Miami

On 19 February 2015 Phoenix sent him to the Miami Heat in a three-team trade involving New Orleans. That July he re-signed with Miami for five years and $90 million. In the 2016 playoffs he scored 30 points in Game 6 of the second round against Toronto. In 2018 he was named as an injury replacement for Kevin Love and played in his only NBA All-Star Game. On 27 October 2018 he became the first Slovenian to reach 10,000 NBA points. In the 2020 playoffs he scored 29 points in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals against Boston. He then suffered a plantar fascia injury in Game 1 of the Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers and missed four games. Miami lost the series in six.

Final NBA seasons

On 6 August 2021 he joined the Toronto Raptors in the sign-and-trade that sent Kyle Lowry to Miami. In November that year he stepped away from the team for personal reasons. Toronto traded him to San Antonio on 10 February 2022, and the Spurs bought him out days later. On 22 February he signed with the Brooklyn Nets, who were swept by Boston in the first round. He spent part of the 2022-23 season with the Chicago Bulls, who waived him on 28 February 2023. He finished that season with the Milwaukee Bucks, who signed him on 4 March. He announced his retirement in December 2023 after 946 regular-season games and 12,568 NBA points.

Slovenia national team

He had a limited role with the senior team at the 2006 World Championship and EuroBasket 2007. His role grew at EuroBasket 2009 and the 2010 World Championship. He made the All-Tournament Team at EuroBasket 2013, hosted by Slovenia, and in 2014 he succeeded Jaka Lakovič as captain. He had announced that EuroBasket 2017 would be his last tournament. In the final in Istanbul on 17 September 2017, he scored 35 points in a 93-85 win over Serbia that gave Slovenia its first European title. He was named tournament MVP after averaging 22.6 points over nine games, and was voted Slovenian Sportsman of the Year. He returned to the national team in 2022 and came off the bench at that year’s EuroBasket, where Poland knocked Slovenia out in the quarter-finals. On 24 August 2024 he said goodbye to the Ljubljana crowd with a charity game at Arena Stožice. His team beat Luka Dončić’s side 106-86, and he scored 23 points.