Former NBA player and 2003 No. 2 Draft pick Darko Milicic spoke on the ‘Jao Mile’ podcast with former player Mile Ilic. Darko talked about his life and career for over 3 hours and revealed his all-time NBA starting five of former teammates and his all-time Serbian starting five of former teammates.
For his all-time starting five from his former NBA teammates, Darko selected Chauncey Billups, Grant Hill, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Pau Gasol.
“I will put on playmaker – Chauncey Billups. Grant Hill. Ray Allen. Kevin Garnett as a power forward. Pau Gasol as center.”
For his all-time starting five from his former Serbian teammates, he selected Igor Rakocevic, Marko Jaric, Vladimir Radmanovic, Nenad Krstic, and Ognjen Askrabic.
“(Igor) Rakocevic, (Marko) Jaric, (Vladimir) Radmanovic, (Nenad) Krstic, and (Ognjen) Askrabic.”
(Starts at 2:59:25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvWIEM93V-o
Milicic selected really strong teams. His NBA roster is extremely solid, featuring a former Finals MVP in Chauncey Billups, who Darko won a title with while on the Pistons. He played alongside Grant Hill on the Orlando Magic and alongside Pau Gasol during his time with the Grizzlies. He played alongside both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen on the Celtics.
The Serbian team is formidable as well, featuring four former NBA players.
Darko Milicic’s NBA Career
Darko Milicic was expected to be a star in the NBA, getting drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. The 2003 NBA Draft is often considered one of the greatest classes of all time, given the No. 1 overall pick was LeBron James, with the three picks following Darko seeing Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh get drafted.
Darko became the youngest player to ever win an NBA Championship with his involvement with the 2003-04 Pistons. Despite not drafting one of the four superstars that were drafted in the top five, the Pistons won a title with Milicic stuck to the end of the bench. He didn’t get much playing time in his two-and-a-half seasons with the franchise, being traded to the Orlando Magic in February 2006.
He received consistent playing time for the first time in his career with the Magic, becoming a shot-blocking threat while playing behind Dwight Howard. After less than two seasons with the Magic, Milicic signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007. He was at a personal low point on the Grizzlies and his tumultuous time would end when the franchise traded him to the New York Knicks in 2009.
Darko would spend half a season in New York before being moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves where he enjoyed the best season-and-a-half of his career. He’d still get waived through the amnesty clause, ending a four-year contract in year one as his playing time diminished in 2011-12. He signed with the Boston Celtics in 2012 but would be waived after one game, after which he announced his retirement from the NBA.
In a 10-year NBA career, Darko averaged 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 468 regular-season games. He was a formidable shot blocker but his limited skill set meant he’d never achieve the success the four picks around him did.
He is considered a bust given the circumstances, but his NBA career is nothing to sneeze at. He’s clearly an eclectic personality with interests outside basketball, retiring early to pursue a kickboxing career and then becoming a farmer at his 125-acre apple orchard.
Milicic’s NBA career didn’t end with him having reached superstardom, but he has plenty to show for it. While he is a bust compared to the players drafted after him, he had a perfectly decent NBA career with reasonable longevity. He wasn’t a star, but one could argue he could have been a star in his role if the lofty expectations of being the No. 2 pick weren’t attached to him.
The Pistons drafting him enabled them to acquire Rasheed Wallace for their title run in the winter of 2004, without whom they likely never win the title, so it worked out for the franchise nonetheless. But the missed opportunity of adding a generational talent like Melo, Wade, or Bosh has to haunt the franchise, who are still chasing the high of their 2004 title run to this day.
Darko Milicic’s NBA Career Timeline
2003-2005: Detroit Pistons (1.6 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 96 Games)
2005-2007: Orlando Magic (7.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.8 BPG, 110 Games)
2007-2009: Memphis Grizzlies – (6.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 131 Games)
2009-2010: New York Knicks – (2.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 8 Games)
2010-2012: Minnesota Timberwolves – (7.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 122 Games)
2012: Boston Celtics – (0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG, 1 Game)
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