Goran Dragić – Slovenian "Dragon" with a big heart in the NBA basketball league
"I played hard my entire career. I don't know any other way,” is the slogan that the popular Gogi stuck to throughout his career. And it seems that it will also be the same after retirement.
"Gogi" going full speed!
At the end of 2023, after almost 30 years under the hoops and a decade and a half in the strongest basketball league in the world, the North American National Basketball Association (NBA), Goran Dragić has decided to hang up his sneakers.
Goran Dragić (born on 6 May 1986) is one of the greatest Slovenian basketball players and athletes of all time. The Ljubljana native and father of two is an exceptional personality who tries to think positively every day. The point guard made Slovenian sporting history by becoming the first Slovenian to play in an NBA All-Star Game (2018), he was also selected for the All-NBA Third Team in 2014, and as captain he led the Slovenian national team to the European champions title in Istanbul in 2017, being acclaimed the most valuable player of the tournament.
The Dragon, as the popular Gogi is called in the USA, has been hosting a basketball camp since 2014, and in 2020 he also established the charitable Goran Dragić Foundation, the purpose of which is to renovate basketball courts throughout Slovenia into smart courts and take care of socially or physically disadvantaged children and para-athletes.
The term legend is often misused in Slovenian sport. But Gogi is truly a legend. A legend with his feet firmly on the ground and his head and heart in the right place.
From a football to a basketball
Goran Dragić tried everything as a kid. From football to baseball. Eventually, and luckily for Slovenian and world basketball, he ended up playing this sport and sticking with it. Dragić's basketball journey started in the Ilirija Basketball Club. Although he was smaller and weaker than other players, he had the desire to improve, which is why he always played street basketball on the club's outdoor court after practice. His path took him from Ilirija to the Slovan Basketball Club, and at 18 he went international when he was signed by the Spanish club Murcia. Before going overseas in 2008 to start his NBA career, he played for the Olimpija Basketball Club of Ljubljana on loan.
“The Dragon” and his NBA career
In the NBA, the left-handed point guard played 15 stellar seasons between 2008 and 2023. In the USA, he wore the jerseys of the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. Gogi attained his greatest accomplishment as a member of the Miami team, which in 2020 made it to the finals of the strongest basketball league in the world.
Also worth mentioning is the NBA Most Improved Player Award for the 2013/14 season, which Dragić received as a member of the Phoenix Suns and the fact that in 2018 as a member of the Miami Heat, he became the first Slovenian basketball player to be selected for the NBA All-Star Game.
Proud Dragon
Goran Dragić "earned" the nickname “The Dragon” because his teammates were not able to pronounce his surname. The nickname is perfect for Gogi, as he hails from Ljubljana, where a dragon is part of the coat of arms and is featured on the Dragon Bridge. He is very proud of his native city and country, which he also stressed in a documentary for the US television network FOX:
My country, my city, my neighbourhood and my parents gave me everything and made me what i have become.
Goran Dragić and his Ljubljana
What do Goran Dragić and Ljubljana have in common? A lot, actually. In addition to Ljubljana being Gogi's hometown, with which he maintains strong ties, their common denominator is also the dragon - Goran's nickname and symbol of the city of Ljubljana. The dynamic rhythm of city life, which is intertwined with the warmth of homeliness, could be equated with Goran Dragić's energy on the court and his warm heart when it comes to charity. Take a stroll around Ljubljana with Gogi and get to know what it is that ties the popular basketball player to his hometown.
Ljubljana, where Goran Dragić spent his childhood years, is the lively capital of Slovenia and breathes with green lungs. As you explore the main city streets and squares, you are actually only a short stroll away from nature and recreational areas.
Throughout his career, Goran almost never missed an opportunity to play for the Slovenian national basketball team. He proudly played for Slovenia for 20 years, including 16 years for the senior team. He made his debut appearance in 2006 at the FIBA World Championship in Japan, when he was barely 20 years old. He played in the European Championship in 2009, when Slovenia won what was then a historic 4th place, and at the 2013 EuroBasket, when he was selected among the best five players of the tournament. After the great victory of Slovenia at the 2017 EuroBasket he became the first Slovenian player to earn the accolade of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. For all these years, he has been a major contributor to the national team, where his energy and experience have played a key role.
He is near the top of both all-time rankings in the Slovenian national basketball team. In terms of number of appearances, he is in second place with 90 games played, and is also second on the all-time list of scorers with 1,095 points scored.
Slovenia is a sports country
Goran Dragić comes from a country which is among the most successful countries in the world in terms of medals from major competitions per capita. Athletes are ambassadors of Slovenia of sorts, and Slovenia has proven to be an excellent organiser of major competitions many times. Sport is rooted deeply in the people, as a lot of Slovenians do sports. So, it is not surprising that Slovenians even dedicated a national holiday to sport.
The highly regarded Gogi is not only a world-class athlete, but also a man with a big heart, which he proves with his charity projects as part of the Goran Dragić Foundation and the basketball camp in Laško.
The Goran Dragić Foundation was established in 2020 so that all the projects that have been running under the patronage of the popular Gogi since 2014 could be formalised and regulated by law. It is primarily in charge of organising the Goran Dragić basketball camp and renovating and constructing outdoor basketball courts under the #Podamdaigram brand, while also trying to implement projects to help children and youth from socially disadvantaged environments.
When renovating and developing smart courts, the Foundation looks to make sure that the locations are as equally distributed throughout the regions as possible. Some renovation or construction projects have already been finalised, and some are to be carried out in the near future.
Completed courts
Ljubljana: Tivoli (2019)
Maribor: Tabor (2021)
Novo Mesto: School Centre (2022)
Laško: Marija Gradec (2022)
Murska Sobota: Murska Sobota I Primary School (2023)
Ptuj: by the City Stadium (2024)
Ilirska Bistrica: central city court (2025)
Nova Gorica: Gogi&Gigi borderless court (2025)
Courts No. 9 and 10 are set to be constructed in 2026: one in Naklo in the Gorenjska region and the other, a unique children's basketball court, adjacent to the Paediatric Clinic in Ljubljana.
Every year, Goran and his organisational team make sure that at least 15 of the children who attend his basketball camp come from socially disadvantaged environments. Making sure that the selection of these children is professional and independent is the Association of Friends of the Youth Ljubljana Moste-Polje through the Botrstvo v Sloveniji and Botrstvo v športu projects, while the costs of their participation are covered by the Foundation itself and by loyal sponsors and partners.
In addition, the Goran Dragić Foundation in 2023 purchased three professional, custom-made wheelchairs for the Slovenian Paraplegic Association, to be used by the national wheelchair basketball team.
In 2024, the Goran Dragić basketball camp celebrated its 10th anniversary, with the event taking place for the fourth year in a row in the beautiful setting of Laško, a basketball town on the Savinja River. Laško will also host Dragić’s basketball camp in 2026.
In the camp, 140 children and youths aged 9 to 15 learn about basketball and plenty of other fun and educational content for a week under the watchful eye of a 35-member team of organisers, coaches and educators.
Get to know the location of Gogi's basketball camp
Laško is a confluence of good things, where brewing and the beekeeping tradition intertwine, where therapeutic water springs bubble up to the surface and where your palates will be pampered by products of the Taste Laško trademark. Laško, which was a European Destination of Excellence in 2013 is friendly and accessible to everyone. Taking care of its environment, nature and tradition, it is considered one of the greenest destinations in Slovenia and is the bearer of the Slovenia Green Destination Platinum label. And this is the place where, since 2021, Goran Dragić has been passing his knowledge and positive energy onto young basketball players at the basketball camp.
Slovenia provides you with various opportunities to spend your free time actively. What Slovenians like the most is climbing a slope, cycling, or running. Meanwhile, its clear waters beckon you to enjoy water sports. Adrenaline junkies will also get a dose of what they need.
Slovenia is an Alpine paradise. More than 10,000 kilometres of marked hiking trails and 352 mighty peaks over 2,000 metres await you. Some are only accessible to Alpine climbers and mountaineers accompanied by professional mountain guides.
Explore Slovenia by bike. Riding amid the hills and plains, mountain peaks and forests, along the coast and the karst landscape and along the rivers and lakes of Slovenia is a lushly verdant fairy tale. Different trails are suitable for on-road and off-road biking.
Take on the twists and turns of parks filled with adrenaline and new experiences. Find out just how well you've mastered your bike. Beginners and professionals alike will enjoy testing themselves on the tracks of Slovenia's many bike parks.
Do you enjoy special experiences? Take a look at Slovenia from a different perspective. Paragliding, canyoning, rafting, adrenaline parks, etc. Fun and exciting adventures that will transform your holidays into an unforgettable life event.
Slovenia is a country of smaller ski resorts that are family-friendly and suitable for beginners, children and experienced skiers alike. Numerous ski schools and ski instructors, who speak different languages, will make sure that you really enjoy the snow.
Treat yourself to a swim in some of the many thermal spas and swimming pools. In summer, take a dip in the sea, lakes or rivers. Slovenia is rich in natural water resources. Visit Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj or one of the many natural swimming areas located on the coast.
Meet the country of champions of Dragić's stature. Discover the beauty of nature and charming cities. Get to know the most beautiful treasures of Slovenia and taste the best what our green country has to offer. Perhaps you will be also attracted by the venues for world-class sporting events.
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