33 Years Ago Today: New Jersey Nets Retired Dražen Petrović's Number 3

On 11 November 1993, the New Jersey Nets paid tribute to one of the greatest basketball players in Croatian history by retiring Dražen Petrović's number 3 jersey. The ceremony took place before the Nets' first home game of the NBA season against the Indiana Pacers, making Petrović only the fourth player in franchise history to receive the honour, following John Williamson (23), Bill Melchionni (25), and Julius Erving (32).

According to the Dražen Petrović Memorial Centre, around 16,000 spectators attended the emotional event, half of whom were American Croats. Petrović's parents, his brother Aleksandar, and close friends and national team teammates Stojko Vranković and Dino Rađa were also present. Each attendee received a commemorative badge shaped like Petrović's jersey, along with his photograph and a short biography.

The jersey was carried to the centre of the court by Nets head coach Chuck Daly and Petrović's teammate Derrick Coleman. Daly, who also coached the original Dream Team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, remembered Petrović as a player who loved to compete and win, praising his persistence and professionalism as an example for everyone in the NBA. General manager Willis Reed, who brought Petrović to the Nets in January 1991, added that the Croatian star was quiet by nature but let his game and work do the talking.

During his two and a half seasons with the Nets, Petrović appeared in 204 games across the regular season and playoffs, averaging 19.5 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. His three-point shooting percentage was an impressive 43.4 percent.

Dražen Petrović was born in Šibenik on 22 October 1964 and tragically died in a car accident in Germany on 7 June 1993, cutting short a career that had already made him a legend of European and world basketball.