“Similar caliber to LeBron. Maybe a little better.”
Vladimir Radmanović smiled as he delivered his verdict on Kobe Bryant. Aleksandar Pavlović, who had spent years alongside LeBron James in Cleveland, agreed.
It was one of several stories shared by former NBA players at an event in Belgrade on Thursday, where the Larry O’Brien Trophy – awarded to the NBA champions – was presented to the public at the Mozzart Foundation.
Radmanović, Pavlović and Nenad Krstić attended a panel on the impact of international players on the NBA. Between them, they had plenty of stories about some of the biggest names in basketball.
The trophy will also be on public display at Beo Shopping Center on Friday and Saturday.
Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant and Learning to Shoot
Vladimir Radmanović spent 13 seasons in the NBA, most notably with the Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Lakers.
But when he first arrived in Seattle, adjusting to the American game was not as straightforward as he might have expected.
“Everything was very different when I arrived. It was only after Peđa Drobnjak left the team that I realized I hadn’t really adjusted at all,” Radmanović recalled.
“Gary Payton was a true legend, but he didn’t pass the ball to just anyone. Peđa and I had the privilege of getting passes from him. As soon as he passed me the ball, he’d start yelling, ‘Shoot! Shoot!’”
For a young player raised in Serbian basketball, that required a change of mentality.
“Back in Serbia, I’d been taught to be afraid of shooting early in the possession, especially in transition. In the NBA, they see it differently. If you’re open, you have to shoot. My opportunity really came when Vin Baker got injured.”
Later in his career, Radmanović shared a locker room with Kobe Bryant.
What was Kobe like as a teammate?
“A difficult person. But when you’re young, you don’t understand why he’s pushing you so hard. As time goes by, you realize what Kobe was actually trying to achieve. He was chasing every trophy. He left a tremendous legacy.”
Then came the comparison with LeBron James.
“Similar caliber to LeBron, but maybe a little better,” Radmanović said with a smile.
Pavlović agreed.
Pavlović: How I Got Benched for a Month
Aleksandar Pavlović entered the NBA with the Utah Jazz, where he encountered one of the league’s most demanding coaches, Jerry Sloan.
“Jerry reminded me of our coaches back in Europe – very old school. I arrived during a changing of the guard, after John Stockton and Karl Malone had left.”
Pavlović later moved to Cleveland, where he became a starter on the Cavaliers team that reached the 2007 NBA Finals alongside a young LeBron James.
He quickly learned how things worked.
“That team was completely built around LeBron, just like all his teams have been ever since. I understood the situation pretty quickly. I had a role and I accepted it – spot-up shooting and defense. That’s how I managed to extend my NBA career.”
Not that he always agreed with the amount of playing time he received.
“Once, I had an outburst and said I thought I should be playing more. ‘My defense is my offense,’ that’s what I told them. And coach Mike Brown nailed me to the bench for a month,” Pavlović recalled.
What about LeBron as a teammate?
“He doesn’t choose which players come to the team, as the media sometimes claim, but the organization feels the need to keep him happy. He’s one of the greatest players of all time.”
Pavlović also acknowledged that his own career might have taken a different path elsewhere.
“On the other hand, maybe I would have had more opportunities on another team. But when you look back at everything, there’s no reason to be unhappy.”
Jason Kidd: Run, and Watch Out for the Ball
Nenad Krstić also found himself surrounded by established NBA stars when he arrived in New Jersey.
Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson were among his teammates, and the Serbian center earned more playing time following the trade that sent Alonzo Mourning away.
Krstić had joined the Nets from Partizan, where two seasons under Duško Vujošević had prepared him for the demands of professional basketball.
“I went to the NBA from Partizan, where we had a very specific way of working. We all know what practices were like under Dule Vujošević. Those two seasons at Partizan meant a lot for my development and maturity.”
Playing alongside Kidd presented a rather different challenge.
“With Jason Kidd, you have to run – and make sure the ball doesn’t hit you,” Krstić said.
“I adjusted pretty quickly.”
It was a simple description of life alongside one of the greatest transition playmakers the NBA has seen.
A Trophy Worth Chasing
The occasion brought the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy to Belgrade, giving basketball fans a chance to see one of the sport’s most recognizable prizes up close.
Named after Larry O’Brien, who served as NBA commissioner from 1975 to 1984, the trophy is awarded annually to the league’s champion.