A farewell game in honor of Goran Dragic will take place on Aug. 24, according to BasketNews. The contest will feature current NBA stars as well as retired Hall of Famers competing on the same court.
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The current and former NBA players include Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Luis Scola, Dejan Bodiroga, Predrag Danilovic, Nikola Vucevic, and Rasho Nesterovic.
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Dragic’s former Miami teammate, Chris Bosh, won’t compete in the game but will be in attendance.
Jimmy Butler was reportedly slated to make an appearance but canceled last minute due to scheduling conflicts, according to BasketNews.
The star-studded event, called “The Night of the Dragon,” is set to take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia at the Stozice Arena.
The game is sponsored by the Goran Dragic Foundation and the teams will be drafted during a gala dinner hosted by the charity the night before.
Fans were eager to watch the star-studded event, given the tickets sold out in just 20 minutes.
After 15 seasons in the NBA, Dragic announced his retirement at the end of December.
“I have lived my greatest dream and I am extremely grateful for the countless people in my life who have enabled me to play this long,” Dragic said. “It starts with my parents, Marinko and Mojca, my brother, Zoran, my kids, Mateo and Vikorita and their mother Maja, and the rest of my family who always allowed this passion of basketball to be a priority for me.”
Dragic is mostly known for his time with the Miami Heat as a former All-Star guard. He is also a Slovenian basketball legend after leading the national team to a EuroBasket championship in 2017. The title is largely regarded as one of the most remarkable moments in Slovenia’s team sports.
“It was everything,” Dragic said.
Dragic became the hero of the game after a 35-point performance to clinch the win over rival Serbia. Doncic was a young guard and mentee of Dragic on the Slovenia team in 2017.
“It was an amazing run for him,” Doncic said on Dragic’s retirement. “I’m just glad I know him, I’m glad I played with him and man, I learned a lot about him, especially about leadership in that tournament.”
Dragic was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in the 2013-14 season and was selected be an All-Star in 2017-18. He appeared in 946 games with seven teams throughout his NBA career.
The 38-year-old played for a number of other teams NBA throughout his career, including the Phoenix Suns, the Houston Rockets, the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks, and the Toronto Raptors.
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