Darko Milicic (photo) was ahead of three Olympic medalists in the selection of NBA athletes. Photo: Disclosure
In 2003, Serbian Darko Milicic was the second pick in the NBA Draft (choice of athletes coming from universities, high school or abroad by teams from the US professional basketball league), behind only LeBron James, chosen in the number position one for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Eleven years later, Milicic abandons the sport in which he emerged as a great promise and is preparing to switch to kickboxing.
At 29 years old, 2,13m tall and weighing 125kg, the former basketball player will be presented by World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO Pro) this Wednesday (24) in the Serbian capital Belgrade. In the new sport, Milicic will practice the K-1 modality – in which combat is contact, but elbows and strikes in the Muay Thai clinch are prohibited.
In the 2003 NBA Draft, rivaling LeBron James, considered by many to be one of the best players in history, Darko Milicic was selected ahead of names such as future Olympic medalists Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, as well as other players who would come to stand out in the league, such as Kirk Hinrich, Argentine Carlos Delfino and Brazilian Leandrinho Barbosa.
Despite expectations, Milicic did not justify the Detroit Pistons' investment and ended up wandering around five other teams until finally leaving the NBA in 2012. Despite his irregular trajectory, the Serbian was league champion with the Detroit team in 2004, but did not actively participate campaign for having broken his hand.