Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat showed what he is made of as he led his native Slovenia to the first EuroBasket medal in the country’s history. In a close final game against Serbia which could have gone both ways, Dragic put up 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in only three quarters. He scored 20 points in the second quarter alone. Both Dragic and Slovenia’s next superstar Luka Doncic had to sit out the fourth quarter (Doncic because of an injury and Dragic due to cramps), but the rest of the team held the fortress and secured their country’s biggest basketball success in history. Slovenia ended their spectacular EuroBasket run undefeated, which hasn’t been seen since Lithuania pulled off the same feat in 2003.
As expected, Goran Dragic was named MVP of EuroBasket 2017 averaging 22.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. “You want to play well in the Final. My teammates, all the coaches, they put me in the right positions. It’s a team sport and I’m really proud of my teammates. It’s an unbelievable feeling.” – said Dragic after the finals.
Still, his MVP title and the gold medal are bittersweet for his countrymen. Only a day after this success, Dragic has decided to retire from the national team. “I achieved what I wanted, the gold medal, and this is the right time to bid farewell.” – Dragic explained his decision on Tuesday.
While the Slovenians are sad because of Dragic’s farewell, Miami Heat must be overjoyed. They currently have a young team that needs a true leader, and if we are to judge by his performances on EuroBasket 2017, Goran Dragic is the man to lead. Since he won’t play national basketball anymore, he will be able to concentrate completely on Heat and try to lead them to playoffs in the weakened Eastern Conference.
