Bowing to a Croatian Basketball Legend

On 5 September 2024, the Croatian National Bank in collaboration with the Croatian Mint issued five new collector coins featuring the same motif. They are dedicated to Dražen Petrović, affectionately known as the “Mozart of Basketball”. He is commemorated by silver collector coins of 1, 2 and 5 ounces as well as two gold coins of one ounce and 100 grams.

A Basketball Legend

It was actually Dražen Petrović’s older brother who was selected for the national basketball team in 1975. His example inspired young Dražen, who had health problems. He trained tirelessly to follow in the footsteps of his older brother. As a result, at the age of just 15 years, he was called up to the first team of KK Šibenka, which had just been promoted to the first league. The young talent played with elegance and efficiency and caught the eye of American scouts. They offered Dražen Petrović various sponsorships. But he decided to do his military service first and then sign a contract with KK Cibona Zagreb. In that season, he did not only won the Yugoslav League championship with Zagreb, but also the Balkan Championships with the national team and a bronze medal at the Olympic Games. In 1988, Petrović joined Real Madrid, where he remains one of the club’s all-time leading scorers. In 1989 he made the switch to the NBA. There the young man was initially underrated and mostly left on the bench. It was only when he joined the New Jersey Nets that he began to develop into the superstar that basketball fans know him as. In the 1992-93 season, he averaged 22.3 points per game, a record that would remain unbeaten by any European basketball player in the NBA for ten years. In 1990, Dražen Petrović crowned his career with the World Championships. The then Yugoslav national team defeated the USA in the semi-finals and the Soviet Union in the finals.

The Man Behind the Legend

His success as an athlete should be reason enough to admire this man, but Dražen Petrović also won the respect of everyone as a human being. Often underestimated because of his young age, he had to fight hard for recognition from his coaches before he could show what he could do on the basketball court. His modestly is still admired today. An anecdote is sometimes told about the time he saw a car break down on the road. It was pouring with rain, and yet he got out to help push the car. All the while, he tried to hide his face so as not to be recognised as the star he was.

The Tragedy

On 7 June 1993, Dražen Petrović was killed in a car accident. A truck driver lost control of his vehicle on the highway due to bad weather conditions and crossed into the oncoming lane. He collided with the Golf in which Petrović was sleeping while his girlfriend was driving the car. Petrović died at once.

His tragic end shook not only the basketball world. Croatian President Franjo Tudjman was at the head of the many admirers who attended the funeral of their idol. He said about Petrović: “He is a legend of our country and represents how we strive to be the best.”

The Design

All five collector coins feature the same design. The national side depicts Dražen Petrović in a typical pose of a basketball player, throwing the ball into the basket; with a section of the basketball court lines in the background; on the rim the circumscription DRAŽEN PETROVIĆ 2024.

The reverse shows a ball in a basket against the Croatian chequered pattern. The circumscription reads REPUBLIKA HRVATSKA and gives the face value.

All five coins are also offered as a set, sold in an attractive packaging that is reminiscent of a basketball.

200 euros	2024	Dražen Petrović	100 g	45 mm	Gold .9999	Proof	60 pieces
100 euros	2024	Dražen Petrović	31.103 g – 1 ounce	32 mm	Gold .9999	Proof	500 pieces
8 euros	2024	Dražen Petrović	155.518 g – 5 ounces	60 mm	Silver .9999	Proof	1000 pieces
6 euros	2024	Dražen Petrović	62.207 g – 2 ounces	45 mm	Silver .9999	Proof	2000 pieces
4 euros	2024	Dražen Petrović	31.103 g – 1 ounce	38.61 mm	Silver .9999	Proof	4000 pieces

Issue Date and Price

Anyone who wanted to obtain one of the 200-euro gold issues or one of the sets had to be quick: after the launch on September 5, it only took a short time before for these were completely sold out. The other coins can still be purchased directly from the Croatian Mint store. Their price is adjusted on a daily basis, depending on the current metal price. Added to this is the VAT of the country the buyer has the coin shipped to.