C | 7-foot-1 | Prijepolje, Serbia | # 21

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Arriving stateside in 1989, Vlade Divac entered the NBA at a time when European players were far less common by current standards. Although he was a pioneer, Divac brought with him a swagger indebted to his six years spent playing professionally in the former Yugoslavia.

Under the tutelage of L.A. Lakers teammates Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he learned how to adjust to the American style while picking up a few new tricks, such as the hook shot. After averaging more than eight points and six rebounds in less than 20 minutes per game, the center was selected to the 1989-90 All-Rookie team.

Divac would spend his first seven seasons in L.A. before moving on to Charlotte, N.C., in a trade for Kobe Bryant. Through two seasons with the Hornets, his statistics hovered around a double-double.

In 1998, Divac signed with the Sacramento Kings — providing the rebuilt Kings with the sort of interior presence it had always desired. Joined by the addition of Chris Webber, the team’s new center became the heart of the franchise’s revitalization.

Playing in a lockout-shortened season, Sacramento qualified for the Playoffs for only the third time since arriving in California. As the sixth seed, the Kings were matched up against a veteran Utah Jazz team, which featured Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone. During the series, Divac averaged more than 16 points a contest and sunk several clutch free throws to help force a decisive fifth game.

He spent five more seasons with the Kings – becoming the team’s emotional leader on the floor and in the locker room, while the Kings consistently contended for a NBA Championship. With Divac setting the tone, Sacramento’s chemistry and camaraderie on the floor were well apparent. Implementing an offense utilizing the skilled passing ability of the team’s star post players, Sacramento became known as one of the most entertaining teams in the League because of its stellar ball movement – a period in time memorialized by a cherished Kings Sports Illustrated cover story.

In 2001, Divac was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. The following season, Sacramento pushed an eventual champion Lakers team to overtime in the seventh game of the Western Conference Finals.

After one final season with the Lakers, Vlade retired from the game of basketball in 2005. A deft-passing big man with an even larger personality, he is one of the most popular players in Kings history.