Sports

How Dražen Petrović Paved the Way for Dario Šarić

Dražen Petrović

A generation ago, the barrier to entry for foreign players to the NBA was at an all-time high—considered “soft” and unable to keep up with American competition, European players carried a stigma. But when Dražen Petrović arrived in 1989 and team Croatia went toe-to-toe with the Dream Team in the gold medal game a few years later at the 1992 Summer Olympics, the outlook for a new generation of players like Dario Šarić changed forever.