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Goran Dragi\u0107 played 15 NBA seasons and was crucial to the Heat reaching the NBA Finals in 2020.<\/p>\n
For many, retirement means moving into another phase of life.<\/p>\n
For former All-Star guard Goran Dragi\u0107, retirement\u2019s next step is a move into the garage \u2014 sort of.<\/p>\n
Dragi\u0107, who retired in 2023<\/a>, says he intends to soon launch \u201cGogi\u2019s Garage,\u201d<\/a> a podcast in which he will talk about a variety of topics.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to talk about sports. Not only basketball, everything that\u2019s going on \u2026 soccer, tennis, I can\u2019t wait,\u201d Dragi\u0107 said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of development. The set is all done, so we\u2019re getting all the guests in line and hopefully we can start soon.\u201d<\/p>\n After spending 15 seasons with seven different NBA teams, Dragi\u0107 retired and said he did so in hopes of dedicating more time to his two \u201ckiddos,\u201d Mateo and Vikorita.<\/p>\n He made the All-NBA Third Team in 2013-14<\/a>, the same season in which he was named Kia Most Improved Player<\/a>, and made his lone All-Star appearance in 2018 (the first Slovenian player to do so).<\/p>\n The left-handed Dragi\u0107 was the 45th overall pick in the 2008 Draft<\/a> by San Antonio. He averaged 13.3 points and 4.7 assists per game in his career, and averaged 20 points in a season twice \u2014 in 2013-14 with Phoenix, and 2016-17 with the Heat. He played for the Suns, Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets in his career.<\/p>\n In a chat with NBA.com, he talked about his playing days, what \u201cHeat Culture\u201d means to him, the 2026 NBA Europe Games, the 2026 NBA All-Star Game format and more.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: The following conversation has been condensed and edited.<\/p>\n NBA.com: Many of your teammates from your playing days (Shaq, Nash, Grant Hill, Dwyane Wade, Matt Barnes, Channing Frye, Udonis Haslem as well as Jarron Collins, Shane Battier, Luol Deng and others) have given broadcasting\/media work or front office work a try since retiring. What interest level have you had in doing that kind of work?\u00a0<\/p>\n Goran Dragi\u0107: I mean, I would love to be involved in the front office of a team. But when I retired, I kind of dedicated my time to my kids a little bit because I was away from home for so, so long. Now, what, I\u2019m retired two years \u2014 one and a half \u2014 and, um, you know, I\u2019m dedicating my time to my kiddos. But, yeah, I\u2019m definitely thinking about it, what\u2019s gonna be my next step. Slowly but surely, I\u2019m making plans and trying to get back into the game, so to speak.<\/p>\n Did being on the OGs Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller spark the creation of that podcast for you? What led to that?<\/p>\n A little bit \u2026 I had an awesome time on their podcast. First, I was a guest and then they called me to be a host because Udonis Haslem was traveling with the Heat. I kind of liked it a little bit. At that time, it was really free-flowing and I didn\u2019t prepare myself because they called me one day before. I like to talk, I like to communicate, especially if we can have a good debate with my friends and cool guests, I think that\u2019s pretty interesting.<\/p>\n Trae Young has been traded to the Wizards. In your career, you were traded four times \u2026 what would you say is the biggest challenge you deal with as a player as the trade deadline comes around?\u00a0<\/p>\n I mean, the biggest challenge for me is it\u2019s all in what kind of point of your career you are. If you have a family, if you have a kid, you know, I think that\u2019s the toughest part. If you get traded, and the kids are going to school, and you kind of settle into the town that you\u2019re play for and then, suddenly, you find out that you\u2019re getting traded. I think that\u2019s the most difficult thing because you have to organize your kids, your family and figure out how to move.<\/p>\n I got traded [to Houston in 2011] when I was in Phoenix. At that time, I was still young. I didn\u2019t have family, I didn\u2019t have kids, so it was much easier, you know, to move to a different city. My priority was just me. You have to get to know different people, a different organization, a different city, a different system of playing. And, you know, at the end of the day, it takes time to adjust those things.<\/p>\n But, you know, everybody loves basketball. Everybody wants to hoop and play, so in the end, you have to go through those things to be successful. It\u2019s not easy, but at the same time, you know, you are playing basketball \u2014 the sport that you love \u2014 and, you know, it doesn\u2019t matter where you\u2019re playing.<\/p>\n As a point guard, is it a harder transition to be traded versus what players at another position go through? I would imagine as a point guard, you have to get to know your teammates \u2026<\/p>\n Yeah, I agree, it\u2019s really \u2014 I think, for a point guard \u2014 it\u2019s a little bit tougher, because, like you said, you have to know the system. You have to know the players, who you\u2019re playing with and where they like to receive the ball and how they like it. Then, you know, if you get traded in the middle of the season, that\u2019s the hardest part because you have to fast-track to get into the system and try to, you know, figure out those things. It\u2019s a little bit easier if you get traded in the offseason because you have a full training camp with the team, you can build with your teammates and your coaching staff and try to grow.<\/p>\n During the season, it\u2019s a little bit harder because, you know, you have to do it on the go, it has to be faster, and everybody expects for you \u2014 right away \u2014 to play well and the team to function well with you on the court. But, you know, the most crucial point, I would say, is that you have to talk a lot. You have to be on the same page with the coaching staff, with the players. And I think communication is the biggest solution for that.<\/p>\n If you could replay one season with everything you know now, which one would you choose and why?<\/p>\n I never thought about it, but as a young kid, maybe I would approach the game differently. You know, maybe spend more time on other aspects of the game to learn and dedicate more time. I did practice a lot, but, you know, when you\u2019re young, and when the vets are telling you some stuff, you just brush it off. You think: \u2018It\u2019s gonna come, I know how to do it.\u2019 At that time, I\u2019d maybe like to listen more and to accept more things that they were telling me.<\/p>\n The one thing in my career that I would like to go back and kind of do it all over again is probably the [2020] NBA Finals when I got hurt<\/a>. Maybe to manage my injury a little bit differently \u2026 especially in the playoffs, maybe to listen to my body more and maybe to take some days off. Maybe that injury during the Finals would not have happened. I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s tough to say.<\/p>\n Did you notice anything different about Luka Don\u010di\u0107 at EuroBasket 2025 in terms of his approach to the game, his habits or anything else?<\/p>\n Definitely, he was more vocal. I think he finally grew as a leader. We have to understand that when I played with him, he was still a young kid, 18 or 17 years old, and, you know, now he matured. I mean, we all know how talented he is and what he can do on the floor. But the one thing that he really improved: he became more vocal, that he was telling players in the locker room and timeouts, or on the court where he wants them \u2014 how he sees the game.<\/p>\n It\u2019s tough \u2026 on the national team he needs a little bit more help. Our situation now, we don\u2019t have a lot of players and we are changing generations. So, hopefully in two or three years, he\u2019s gonna have some help and we\u2019re gonna be better.<\/p>\n The biggest improvement definitely was how in shape he was, how he came back to the Lakers and EuroBasket and finally started taking care of his body. If he wants to play long and have longevity, that\u2019s the way to go.<\/p>\n What are your impressions of Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s season to date with the Lakers?<\/p>\n He looks better, faster \u2026 more agile. He puts effort in defense a little bit more and I think that\u2019s going to help, especially in the playoffs. Because we all know in the playoffs, teams will be preparing. They will [try to] expose you and attack every weak link and I think he\u2019s going to do well this season. The Lakers have had a lot of [players] in and out this season \u2014 LeBron [James] was hurt, then Luka was out, then [Austin] Reaves was out \u2014 so they have a lot of moving parts. When they get healthy and everybody\u2019s back, I think they\u2019re going to do well. I have to admit, JJ Redick is doing an amazing job (as coach).<\/p>\n There are two games in Europe next week, so this seems relevant: As someone who helped pave the way for modern international guards, how do you see the evolution of European talent shaping the NBA today?<\/p>\n I mean, it\u2019s unbelievable. You know, how much talent we got in NBA right now. Let\u2019s say internationally, not only from Europe, but, you know, just to see how European players develop the game and how crucial they are for the NBA right now.<\/p>\n You know, the last, what, five MVPs, they\u2019re all from Europe or are international. And it\u2019s unbelievable how the game became global. You know, maybe back in the day, especially here in the States, people didn\u2019t, um, give a chance, you know, to European players. I look back in the day to Dra\u017een Petrovi\u0107, you know, he was one of the best European players and, and, you know, we have to be grateful for those players because they paved the way for me. I mean, Arvydas Sabonis, \u0160ar\u016bnas Mar\u010diulionis, Toni Kuko\u010d, [Vlade] Divac, Peja Stojakovi\u0107 \u2026 all those guys make it possible for me that I could play. Now that I\u2019m looking at, you know, the league right now, it\u2019s unbelievable. I mean, you know, you have so many franchise players, the international players, and it\u2019s unbelievable.\u00a0<\/p>\n