Darko Milicic is living happily in retirement and telling stories from his fascinating professional basketball career. The money he earned in the NBA allowed him to treat his father to a new car, first showing him a Maybach at a car fair in Detroit before his father set his eyes on a Volkswagen Touareg.
“When we were at the Cars Fair in Detroit, amazing cars… I told my father to see the Maybach, and he said ‘No.’ But when he saw a new Volkswagen Touareg, he said, ‘Look at this car.’ He didn’t care about any other car, ‘Zero everything, brother’. I bought him the Touareg to cheer him, but it was a V8 gasoline. He said, ‘Thanks to the sky.'”
Darko’s father would ultimately regret the purchase after realizing the car runs on gasoline, even explaining to Darko that he doesn’t want to see the car again after it consumed a lot of gas on a road trip.
“He went upstairs and said, ‘Is this gasoline?’. I told him yes. He said, ‘I will give you keys, you can drive him, who will gonna fill this car all the time, are you crazy?’ ‘But father, I will fill him, not you.’ My father went to Shipovo and came back and told me – ‘Touareg is in the garage, I parked it but don’t show it to my eyes anymore. Keys are there. I filled it three times from Shipovo and back. Are you crazy? This car is using too much gas. Send me some diesel, I will never drive that gasoline Touareg anymore.'”
The Volkswagen Touareg was one of the first luxury mid-size SUVs introduced by the brand. While Darko didn’t reveal when this incident took place, the Touareg was first launched in 2002, just a year before Darko was drafted into the NBA. The car is popular in Eastern Europe, with the car being assembled in Bratislava, Slovakia.
If Darko bought the 2005 edition of the Touareg, it goes for around $37,140 today. It was a far more affordable choice than the Maybach, as a 2005 Maybach could sell for upwards of $325,000. It’s better that the Milicic’s hold on to the car as a funny story to tell other people instead of selling it now.
Darko Milicic Made A Lot Of Money In The NBA
Milicic is remembered as a Draft bust because he went ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in the 2003 Draft, where the No. 1 pick was LeBron James. while Anthony is the only one who’s been openly bitter about being passed over for Darko, it has colored the perception of his talent around the world.
Milicic was not even close to being an NBA superstar, averaging 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 468 regular-season games for his career. He was a perfectly usable role-player for a large stretch of his career, playing 10 years in the NBA, making $53 million over the course of his career.
The Serbian has even encouraged players like Carmelo to let go of the 2003 Draft, revealing that him going No. 2 ended up ruining his career. But playing 10 years in the NBA is no easy feat which would not have been possible by a ‘bust’. Is he a bust in comparison to the four Hall of Famers drafted around him? Yes, but who isn’t?
Milicic ended his NBA career on his own terms to explore personal projects such as kickboxing and opening an apple orchard. He’s made his peace with his career, as there really isn’t a lot to complain about when the experience led to wealth through NBA contracts.
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