Who Is Goran Dragić Of NBA, Where Is He From, What Happened To His Eye?

Quick Facts

Miami Heat star player Goran Dragić grew up playing football but an injury forced him to switch to basketball. He played professionally in Europe at the age of 17 before joining the 2008 NBA Draft, ending up with the Phoenix Suns where he played for two seasons before moving to the Houston Rockets for one season and later on signed with the Miami Heat, his current team.

Goran Dragić was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2014 and was also named an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career in 2018.

Who Is Goran Dragić Of NBA, Where Is He From?

Professional basketball player Goran Dragić is the son of a Slovenia mother and a Serbian father who marks his birthday on May 6th, 1989. He is of Slovenian nationality and is said to have spent his early years in Slovenia.

During his younger years, he was a soccer player but an injury made him change sports from football to basketball. He started playing basketball early and had played professional basketball in Slovenia and Spain before being drafted to the NBA. His younger brother Zoran played professional basketball with him at the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat, but he currently plays for Anadolu Efes SK, a Turkish Club.

Goran Dragić Career Details

The Slovenia basketballer kicked off his professional career when he was 17 and is said to have played in the Slovenia Second Basketball League with KD Ilirija before he was transferred to the Slovenian Basketball League and Adriatic League Club, Slovan. Getting to Slovan, he played for the club for two successful seasons and was transferred to Spain to play for Saski Baskonia club. He played one year for the Spanish club before he was given out on loan to the Murcia Club the subsequent year. After playing basketball in Spain, he returned to his country and started playing for the Union Olimpija, the Slovenian Club in 2007 and after one season with the club, he won the Slovenian League Championship.

Goran Dragić got to fulfil his dreams of joining the NBA in 2008 when the San Antonio Spurs chose him in the second round with the 45th pick. However, he was later traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Malik Hariston, who was the 48th pick for Phoenix Suns. He was officially signed by the Suns on September 22nd, 2008 until 2010 during which he recorded 32 points by hitting 6 of 7 three-pointers against the Utah Jazz but by the next year, he was once again traded off to Houston Rockets. While playing for the Rockets, he made his first career NBA triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists on April 13th, 2011 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the subsequent year, he won the Western Conference Player of the WeeK after which he became an unrestricted free agent that same year, making him sign a four-year contract with the Phoenix Suns.

On returning back to his former club, he made a career-high of 18 assists and 14 points in a 102–98 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2014, he also recorded a career-high of 33 points in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, still in that same year, he also won the Western Conference Player of the Week award in addition to landing the title of 2014 NBA Most Improved Player Award and being named to the 2014 All-NBA third team. He was traded to Miami Heat alongside his brother Zoran at the beginning of 2015 and made his debut match for the heat where he recorded 12 points and 3 rebounds in a 105–91 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. In the subsequent year, he set a new career record when he recorded 34 points in a 112–101 win against the Washington Wizards and has been named for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.

Goran Dragić’s Injury: What Happened To His Eye?

The Miami Heat star point guard suffered a scary-looking eye injury which sustained from the Raptors player Joseph Cory during their win match against the Toronto Raptors in March 2017. The player is said to have suffered a lot of pain from the swollen eyes, however, sources had it that the doctor who checked the extent of the injury affirmed that the eye is fine just that it’s swollen and will need a lot of ice as well as treatment to get it back to normal.

After going through with his routine treatment, Goran got his eye back to normal, a big difference from when it was swollen and he could not open it. The player is doing pretty healthy and had returned to play fulltime shortly after his recovery that same month.

His Personal Life

Goran Dragić’s love life shows that he is married to his heartthrob Maja who he has been dating for a long time before tying the knot with her in 2003. The couple welcomed their first son Mateo that same year.

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