Let’s play a game. It’s the 2003-2004 season. You have a choice. Player A, who’s 25 years old, is averaging 24.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and connects on 32.7% of his shoots from deep. Player B, who’s 26 years old, is averaging 24.2 points, 6.3 boards, while hitting 43.3% from beyond the arc. Who would you rather have? If you chose Player B, you just picked Predrag Stojakovic over Kobe Bryant. And this is his story. What up everybody my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it. First off, let’s be clear about several things. Number 1: This is not to say that Peja was better than Kobe. Number 2: Stats never tell the whole story, especially when it comes to defence, where the Black Mamba was far superior. Plus, Kobe was far better in creating his own shot, and much much more. Yet, these figures can at least be a testament to the fact that Peja was a baller, and in 03-04 he could go head to head with the best of em. But let’s go back to the beginning. n 1993, at just 16 years, the small forward headed to Greece to join PAOK from Red Star Belgrade. Though it was not that common at the time for teams to get seduced by European players, it didn’t take long for NBA scouts to notice his potential and fine shooting stroke. So, when the Sacramento Kings had the opportunity to select him with the 14th pick of the famous 1996 Draft, they took it. Stojakovic, though, would remain in Greece and spend another two years there. When the time was right, he decided to take his talents to the NBA. In his rookie season, he played 48 games but remember, this is during the 1999 lockout-shortened season, where teams played just 50 regular season games. Peja had averages of 8.4 points in 21.4 minutes per contest. Management, though, at least behind the scenes, must have been a little disappointed with his 32% rate from deep. Still, the forward showed flashes of his potential, with the prime example of that being a match against the Utah Jazz, in which he scored 26 while hitting 5-8 from three-point land. (од ова, бар ја колку што барав, нема видео) Yet, when speaking about 1999, we must mention the positive impact that Kings centre Vlade Divac, a fellow Serbian, had on the rookie. The mentor helped Peja with matters such as the driving exam and taught him about life in the NBA. Their bond even grew stronger due to the political developments in their country at that time. The Kings, finishing as the six seed with a 27-23 record, made the playoffs for only the second time in 13 seasons. There, despite giving the mighty Jazz all they could handle, they would fall in the final game of the first round. In the 1999-2000 season the Kings were supposed to be a team on the rise. But despite the individual progress by Stojakovic, who increased his scoring to 11.9 points per game and got better from deep, 37.5%, they made the playoffs as the eight seed. Yet again, they lost the final game of the first round, this time falling to the eventual title-winning Lakers side. Then, Something clicked in the 2000-01 season for Peja. Starting all 75 games he played in, the sharpshooter exceeded the 20 point per game barrier for the first time in his NBA career, averaging 20.4. A whole 8 and a half point increase in just a season. He even improved his rebounding, grabbing 5.8 per contest. Also important, he connected on 40.0% of his shoots from three point land, on 4.8 attempts. In February of that year , he went off for 39 points and 12 rebounds in Canada in a triple-overtime thriller. (линк - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxcRLaHkrAI) One of the six three pointers he made that night was actually the go-ahead basket with 45.2 seconds to go. His leap was recognised, and he finished second in the Most Improved Player race, behind Tracy McGrady. In the second round of 2001 Playoffs, unfortunately for Kings fans, their team faced a Lakers side widely considered among the greatest of all time. The result, a sweep. So, in the 2001 offseason, the Kings made a trade they believed would put them over the top, trading for the Grizzlies’ Mike Bibby in a package that involved Jason “White Chocolate” Williams. Rick Adelman’s team, which included Chris Webber as well, quickly became the talk of the league. Praised for their chemistry, altruistic approach to the game, and nice passing, the Kings had the best record in the league, winning 61 games.