Not every guy in the Under 5K Club (read part 1 for the explanation) is there by choice. Sometimes a single moment can cause a player who was inevitably going to put up more than 5000 career points to finish just below the threshold. This category is designed to highlight players who were sadly robbed of their great careers because of a tragedy.

Dražen Petrović was a big star before he ever stepped foot on an NBA court. Even though most North American basketball consumers didn't recognize them, some scouts began raving about European prospects in the 1980s. Arvydas Sabonis was the most notable, but Petrović was not far behind. In the 1986 draft, the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Sabonis in round 1 and Petrović in round 3 (24th and 60th overall, respectively) in perhaps the most underrated draft class a team has ever had.

Between when he was drafted and when he finally made it across the pond, he became a superstar in Europe. He led the Yugoslavian basketball league in scoring for 4 consecutive seasons, brought his team KK Cibona to a 1987 European Cup victory, put up a game-high 28 points in the Final, and later won a silver medal with Yugoslavia in the 1988 Olympics.

After a brief stop with Real Madrid, Portland bought out Petrović's contract and finally brought him over to the USA in 1989. He joined a really good Blazers team that made it all the way to the 1990 NBA Finals, but remained a role player throughout the year, stuck behind Clyde Drexler. They clearly knew they had something, though, because they used him in almost every playoff game. His Portland teammates knew it too.

 

One of those teammates was Danny Ainge, who became one of Petrović's fastest friends as a fellow great shooter, who said: "We all knew Drazen was a great player." Unfortunately, Blazers' management and coaches couldn't overlook his bad defence and eventually traded Petrović to the New Jersey Nets.

They quickly came to regret that decision as Petrović's production improved drastically. In 1991-92, he burst onto the scene as one of the league's very best shooters; finished 13th in points and 2nd in 3-point percentage among qualified players. He was on everyone's radar as an elite shooter and future star. He helped the Nets get into the 1992 playoffs, and in Petrović's first-ever playoff game as the #1 option, he put up 40 points in a losing effort. He was the first Net to ever score 40 points in a playoff game, yet New Jersey lost the series in 4. If he appeared on people's radar after that season, 1992-93 turned him into a sensation.

Before the season, Petrović joined the newly independent Croatia at the 1992 Olympics. Representing Croatia weighed heavily on him. Keep in mind, Croatia was less than a year into its independence and in the middle of a brutal war that would last until 1995. The 1992 Olympics presented the first opportunity to present themselves to the world, and as the nation's most famous athlete, he had to perform. It was his duty.

 

His first game of the tournament was against the Dream Team. If you watched The Last Dance, you may know it as the game Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen bullied Toni Kukoc, but in the background, Petrović was writing his own story. Even though Croatia lost by 33, he held his own, putting up a team-high 19 points on decent shooting splits. Despite the blowout loss, according to Croatian teammate Dino Radja, Petrović kept them stable.

 

"Drazen talked, we all talked, about the pride and pressure we felt representing our new country."

 

Croatia cruised past the group stage and knockout rounds until they reached the semi-final and met the Unified Team. For those who don't know, the Unified Team was the remnants of the Soviet Union, basically made up of nations that hadn't broken away yet. The empire that Croatia had separated from. This wasn't just a basketball game; this was a chance at some revenge.

 

The game was a low-scoring slugfest that went down to the wire. With Croatia down a point and 15 seconds to go, Petrović drew a foul and was rewarded with 2 free throws. Petrović later talked about how he felt stepping to the free throw line.

"I felt like I held all of Croatia in my hands." "I couldn’t miss for the country." - Dražen Petrović

 

He, in fact, did not miss. He hit both free throws, and all it took was 1 defensive stop to clinch Croatia's spot in the gold medal game. To Petrović and the rest of Croatia, they might as well have won the gold medal.

 

"We were all crying. You have no idea what this meant to our country, with bombs falling. We were dead and then we came back from the dead." - Dino Radja

Croatia met the Dream Team in the gold medal game, and Petrović truly believed they could win. "They are just men. We can beat them," is what he said to his teammates. To be fair, he lived up to his promise, putting up a game-high 24 points on solid efficiency (47% from the field and 43% from 3), along with 5 assists and 4 steals. He showed no fear against even Michael Jordan. Sadly, Croatia never stood a chance and lost by 32. I'm sure they would've preferred the gold, but they had nothing to be ashamed of.

Petrović returned to the New Jersey Nets and new head coach Chuck Daly before having the best season of his career. With basically the same number of minutes per game, Petrović boosted his efficiency and scoring. 22 points per game (11th best), shot 45% from 3 (3rd best) and nearly put up a 50/40/90 season (shot 87% on free throws). Ironically, he took fewer 3s; part of that may have been because some assistant coaches didn't approve of his penchant for shooting 3s often. Just proof that he was ahead of his time. For what it's worth, Daly loved him, saying, "You couldn't have wanted a better teammate."

He had made strides in his game on both sides and was voted to the All-NBA 3rd team. He and the Nets sadly lost to the Cavs in round 1 again, this time in the full 5 games. He then left to compete with his national team in Europe as a true star on two continents.

 

On June 7th 1993, Dražen Petrović was killed in a car crash when the vehicle he was a passenger in was rammed into by a semi-truck. Unfortunately, he wasn't wearing his seatbelt and was killed instantly by severe head trauma. His brother put it best when he described the impact of Dražen's death.

 

"It's hard for you to imagine here in America, because you have so many great players, but we are a country of four million. Without him, basketball takes three steps back."

Tributes rang out across the sports world, and the home stadium of the team where his professional basketball legacy first began was named after him (and remains so, to this day).

It is so clear that Petrović wouldn't be eligible for the Under 5K club if he had just played 1 more season, let alone the decade he was expected to play. Considering the tragic way his career ended along with the clear greatness and revolutionary play he showed, I feel it is appropriate to put him in contention for the Under 5K GOAT.

 

One thing I have learned from this research is that so many players in the 1940s and 50s were 1 serious injury away from having their career end. Injuries we would consider a mere road bump were career-enders back in the day when professional athletes had second jobs and no significant fame came from being just a professional basketball player. It was easy to walk away, even if a player was considered good for their time.

 

There were multiple players who fit that category, but I ultimately had to pick the player that I believe was robbed of the best career.

When Maurice Stokes arrived at Saint Francis College, he was criticized for being too slow. According to retellings of his story, he took that criticism in stride and quickly became a fantastic player.

 

In Stokes's junior and senior years, he averaged a bonkers 25 points and 26 rebounds in 54 college games (I don't have the numbers from his freshman and sophomore seasons). For context, only 5 players in all of college basketball history have averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds with at least 50 games played: Stokes, Bill Russell, Paul Silas, Artis Gilmore and Kermit Washington. Of those 5, Stokes is the only one to average more than 23 points and 1 of 2 to average more than 21 rebounds.

 

He was a total beast, even at a school that was considered a non-major at the time. The 1955 NIT tournament was his peak when he won tournament MVP despite his team finishing 4th. He did all this while standing at 6"6'.

When the 1955 draft came around, Stokes was drafted 2nd overall by the Rochester Royals (the Sacramento Kings today). He proceeded to lead the league in rebounds per game in his rookie season despite finishing outside the top 10 in minutes per game. His shooting percentage (35%) was bad, even in his era, but his rebounding was undeniable. He was also generally considered a good defender and passer. This led to him winning Rookie of the Year, making the All-NBA 2nd team and receiving MVP votes. He was the first black player to ever make an All-NBA team.

 

He kept up this form over the next 2 seasons, averaging 16 points and 18 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, the arrival of Bill Russell made it really hard to win rebounding titles, but Stokes was always in 2nd place, right behind Russell. He received more MVP votes in 1957 and 58, finishing 6th and 5th, respectively, while also making 2 more All-NBA 2nd teams and All-Star teams. However, at the end of the 1958 season, his life changed forever.

In the final game of the regular season, Stokes drove to the basket before falling awkwardly after getting fouled. His head slammed onto the hardwood floor, and he was knocked out for several minutes before doctors managed to wake him up. Instead of sitting out, Stokes used smelling salts to play in the playoffs despite some bad symptoms. On a plane ride, Stokes collapsed into teammate Jack Tyman's arms and was rushed to a hospital once they landed.

Stokes suffered multiple seizures on the plane and in the hospital. Doctors eventually diagnosed him with post-traumatic encephalopathy (brain damage/degradation) in his motor control center, which left him paralyzed. To make matters worse, the Royals refused to cover Stokes's medical expenses, and his family couldn't afford the bills. This led Twyman, a man Stokes had known since high school, to become Stokes's legal guardian by adopting him to take on the medical expenses himself while ensuring Stokes got the workers' compensation he deserved.

Twyman visited Stokes every day and held fundraisers in order to pay for Stokes's medical care. Stokes eventually died of a heart attack in 1970, and according to pretty much everyone who was around, Twyman was endlessly diligent and Stokes, who remained alert with limited moving and speaking ability, was eternally grateful. Carol Twyman, Jack's wife, said Stokes was "a member of the family." Jack had great admiration for Stokes, amazed that he could persevere and remain optimistic despite the odds. When Stokes was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2004, Jack Twyman gave his enshrinement speech.

In honour of Stokes and Twyman's deep bond, the NBA named its Teammate of the Year Award after the pair in 2013.

The story is harrowing and heart-warming at the same time. I highly recommend you read more about it yourself.

 

With all that being said, Stokes's injury robbed us of an excellent player. Red Auerbach compared Stokes to Magic Johnson. Wayne Embry used to tell Bill Russell he wouldn't have half his rings if Stokes never got hurt. Even if you think those claims are a stretch, there's no denying that we lost one of the best rebounders ever.

 

To this day, Stokes is 3rd all-time in career rebounds per game, only behind Russell and Wilt. If we isolate players shorter than 6'9", only Jerry Lucas is in the same zip code in rebounds per game as Stokes. Combined with his highly respected defence and strong playmaking, he could've been the 50s' version of Draymond Green or Dennis Rodman with a bit of LeBron James. Instead, he'll be remembered forever for his perseverance off the court, which is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

 

Final verdict: they both deserve it.

 

I refuse to play 'trauma Olympics' with these two. Both Petrović and Stokes were great players taken from us far too soon due to tragedies out of their control, and debating which one hurt more is a waste of time.

 

What I will say is I think this category gives us the strongest contenders. Petrović and Stokes were surely destined to be Hall of Fame-worthy players before circumstances turned on them. Ultimately, this means very little in the grand scheme of things, but I am still happy to add both of them to the Under 5K Mount Rushmore and consider them both serious candidates for the title of the Under 5K GOAT.

 

The final category is: Awkward Detours, and it will be covered in Part 3.