For NBA players, few sights are tougher than watching a close teammate walk away. That certainly weighed on Peja Stojakovic when his friend Vlade Divac, left the Sacramento Kings in July 2004 — though it wasn’t the whole story.
Weeks later, Stojakovic said that, while he was frustrated by Divac’s departure, his bigger disappointment was how the Kings’ management handled the process for the man he called the greatest teammate he had ever had.
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“I told Kings management that they handled Vlade’s situation badly,”said Peja at the time.
Divac helped transform the franchise
In 2004, the Kings finished with a 55–27 record and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Solid? Yes. But it certainly didn’t match the peak of those early-2000s Sacramento squads.
Leading the way, as he often did, was 7’1″ Divac. Remarkably, the Serbian had helped turn around a struggling franchise. The difference was stark.
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From the early 1980s into the late 1990s, Sacramento was no stranger to losing seasons. Then Vlade arrived in 1998. Suddenly, the Kings finished the lockout-shortened year 27–23 — a hint of the contender they were about to become.
It wasn’t just team results. Divac’s own numbers reflected his impact. In 2000–01, the then-NBA veteran averaged 12.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, earning his first and only All-Star selection in a 16-year journey in the Association.
Did the Kings choose business over loyalty?
Playing six seasons with the Kings, Divac more than earned a proper send-off, having helped shape Sacramento’s culture and identity from within.
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Surely the front office should have been intent on keeping him long enough to finish his career with the team that — besides the Los Angeles Lakers — had defined his NBA journey, right?
Instead, the Kings didn’t seem that committed. Stojakovic was among those who felt that way, a sentiment that sparked his frustration, which he made clear shortly after Divac signed with the Lakers in the 2004 offseason.
“I’ve already said that I was disappointed with Divac’s departure because he gave so much to the Kings and helped put Sacramento on the basketball map,” Peja said. “I’m disappointed because he wasn’t given the chance to finish his career here.”
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Stojakovic also noted that Divac had helped bring the team off the ground, only to be let go unceremoniously. For the 6’10” forward, it was another reminder that, in the NBA, business often comes before basketball.
As he wished his longtime teammate and good friend well, uncertainty hovered over his own future in Sacramento. The idea of finding a new home himself wasn’t far-fetched, a visibly frustrated Peja admitted during the same interview.
It didn’t stop at words. Weeks after Divac’s exit, Stojakovic formally requested a trade.
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“I just think it would be good for the team and for myself,” he told reporters, adding simply, “That’s the only explanation you’re going to get.”
Management didn’t act immediately. For better or worse, they waited. It wasn’t until late January 2006 that Stojakovic was traded to the Indiana Pacers, marking the end of his eight-year tenure in Sacramento.
Today, both Divac’s and Stojakovic’s jerseys hang retired with the Kings — a small silver lining, given how unceremoniously their final days with the franchise seemed to have played out.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.