What happened to Vlade Divac? Details explored as former NBA player rushed into emergency hip surgery

Former NBA player Vlade Divac has broken his hip in a motorcycle accident and was forced to undergo emergency surgery.

The Associated Press has reported that the fall took place in Montenegro on Friday, just off the Montenegrin Adriatic Sea coast. Officials for the hospital located in a town called Risan told the outlet that Divac, 57, was left with a fracture and an artificial hip. Ljubica Mitrovic, a spokesperson for the hospital, said:

“During the day, a surgical procedure was performed. He is in a stable general and physical condition and is under a careful supervision of the medical staff.”

According to Serbian news outlet Informer, Divac was unable to stand up after his fall, owing to the severity of the injuries he sustained.

Vlade Divac's career in the NBA explored:

Born in Serbia, Vlade Divac, a 7-foot-1 former NBA player, has been spending a lot of time in Montenegro in recent years. Just last year, he was on vacation in Boka Kotorska with fellow basketball player Magic Johnson, as reported by Serbian Times.

He is known for the 16 years he spent with the NBA across three different teams between 1989 and 2005. During the 2000-01 season, he was named to the All-Star team, which was followed by the Charlotte Hornets. The Sacramento Kings retired his No. 21 jersey back in 2009.

Following the end of his career, he stayed with the NBA as a scout for the Lakers, though he later served as a member of the front office for the Kings in 2015. He eventually worked his way up to general manager before becoming president of basketball operations. He took a step back from his role in August 2020, following a five-season stint.

Back in 1989, when he joined the Lakers, he was one of the pioneering Europeans to transfer to the NBA. He was also the first player born and trained outside the USA to have played in well over 1,000 games. He served two terms as the head of Serbia’s Olympic Committee, according to a report by the Associated Press.

He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in the class of 2010 and into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019

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Just last month, TMZ reported that Vlade Divac was feeling optimistic about the Lakers' game, despite their disappointing playoff run. Acknowledging that the team's opening round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves was "not good," he was looking forward to the next game.

He also said he "definitely" sees Lebron James making a comeback for 2025-26, and professed that there wouldn't be a decline in his game this year.

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