Goran Dragic
| Full Name: | Goran Dragic |
| Nickname: | Dragon, Gogi |
| Place of Birth: | Ljubljana, Yugoslavia |
| Parents: | Marinko and Mojca Dragić |
| Spouse: | Maja Dragić |
Goran Dragić Biography Details, Age, Net Worth, and Basketball Career
Goran Dragić is a Slovenian basketball player who currently plays point guard for the Miami Heat. He was born May 6, 1986, in the Slovenian capital city of Ljubljana when it was still a part of Yugoslavia. Dragić began his pro basketball career in his home country of Slovenia when he was 17 years old. In 2008, he was selected 45th overall in the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs but was soon traded to the Phoenix Suns.
Dragić spent the first two and a half seasons of his NBA career with the Suns, primarily coming off the bench. In February 2011, he was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he played until the end of the 2011-12 season. As a free agent during the summer of 2012, Dragić signed a four-year, $30 million contract to return to the Suns. During his second stint in Phoenix, Dragić began to blossom, earning the NBA’s Most-Improved Player Award in 2014.
In February 2015, Dragić and his brother Zoran were traded from the Suns to the Miami Heat. The following summer, he signed a five-year, $90 million deal to remain in Miami for the long term. With the Heat, Dragić continued to develop into one of the better point guards in the NBA. In 2018, Dragić was named an all-star for the first time, finishing the season averaging 17.3 points and 4.8 assists per game. Unfortunately for Dragić, he missed a significant chunk of action during the 2018-19 season after undergoing knee surgery. He then lost his starting spot with the Heat during the 2019-20 season but remains one of Miami’s best scorers.
During his career, Dragić has also represented Slovenia in international competitions. In 2017, he helped Slovenia win Gold at the FIBA European Basketball Championship.
Goran Dragić Basketball Career
Goran Dragić was born and raised in Slovenia. He turned pro in 2003 at the age of 17. He played one season with KD Ilirija in the second level of the Slovenian League before joining KD Slovan, who plays in the top league in Slovenia and the Adriatic League. After two seasons with Slovan, Dragić played one season with Spanish club Murcia before returning to Slovenia for the 2007-08 season with KK Olimpija. Dragić helped Olimpija win the Slovenia League, Slovenian Cup, and Slovenian Supercup.
During the 2008 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs drafted Dragić 45th overall, only to trade him to the Phoenix Suns for Malik Hairston, who was taken 48th overall. Dragić spent the early part of his career serving as a backup for Phoenix point guard Steve Nash. In two and a half seasons with the Suns, he only started five games. In February 2011, the Sun traded Dragić and a draft pick to the Houston Rockets for Aaron Brooks. In Houston, Dragić served as a backup to Kyle Lowry. However, he got more of an opportunity to play during the 2011-12 season, averaging 11.7 points and 5.3 assists per game.
As a free agent in 2012, Dragić signed a four-year, $30 million deal to return to the Phoenix Suns. This time, Dragić replaced Nash as the starting point guard in Phoenix. In his first full season as a starter, Dragić averaged 14.7 points and 7.4 assists per game. The following year, he bumped his scoring to 20.3 points per game and was named Third-Team All-NBA and the league’s Most Improved Player in 2014.
In February 2015, the Suns traded Dragić again, sending him and his brother Zoran to the Miami Heat in a three-team deal. He immediately became Miami’s starting point guard for the rest of the season and then re-signed with the Heat on a five-year, $90 million deal the following summer. Dragić remained Miami’s starting point guard for the next three seasons while earning his first trip to the All-Star Game in 2018.
However, knee surgery limited him to just 36 games during the 2018-19 season. By the start of the 2019-20 season, he had lost his job in the starting lineup. However, at the time the 2019-20 NBA season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, Dragić was Miami’s third-leading scorer at 16.1 points per game.
Goran Dragić Net Worth, Salary, Endorsements & Career Earnings
Ahead of the 2019-20 season, Goran Dragić had made roughly $95.9 million from his NBA salary. His expected salary for the 2019-20 season was a career-high $19.2 million in the final year of a five-year, $90 million deal he signed with the Miami Heat in 2015.
Goran Dragić signed a four-year, $7.5 million deal with the Phoenix Suns in 2008.
Goran Dragić signed a four-year, $30 million deal with the Phoenix Suns in 2012.
Goran Dragić signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Miami Heat in 2015.
Goran Dragić Personal Life
Goran Dragić was born on May 6, 1986, in Slovenia to Marinko and Mojca Dragić. He has a younger brother Zoran Dragić who briefly played with him with the Suns and was involved in the same trade that sent him to the Heat in 2015. Zoran played just 16 games in his NBA career before returning to Europe to play with teams in Spain, Russia, Italy, and Turkey.
In 2013, Dragić married his wife Maja, who works as a news anchor and producer. The couple’s first child, a son named Mateo, was born in November 2013. They also have a daughter named Viktoria.
Awards & Achievements
Goran Dragic Fun Facts
- Goran Dragić says he still prefers his mother’s cooking over the cooking of his wife.
- Goran Dragić is multilingual, speaking English, Slovenian, Serbian, and Spanish fluently.
- In 2014, the president of Slovenia gave Goran Dragić the Apple of Inspiration award for his humanitarian work.
- When Goran Dragić won the Most-Improved Player Award in 2014, he donated the Kia he received for the award to charity.
- Steve Nash gave Goran Dragić his nickname “The Dragon” when Dragić was a rookie with the Suns.
- While growing up in Slovenia, Goran Dragić would wake up at 3:00 in the morning to watch NBA games.
- An injury forced Goran Dragić to switch from playing soccer to basketball when he was 11.
- Goran Dragić lists Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic as his basketball heroes while he was growing up.
- Goran Dragić is a soccer fan who says that AC Milan and Real Madrid are his favorite teams.
| Season | Team | G | MIN | FG% | 3P% | FT% | REB | AST | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022-2023 |
58 | 15.0 | 42.1 | 35.9 | 68.9 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 6.3 | |
2021-2022 |
21 | 23.7 | 37.7 | 25.4 | 81.8 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 7.5 | |
2020-2021 |
50 | 26.7 | 43.2 | 37.3 | 82.8 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 13.4 | |
2019-2020 |
59 | 28.2 | 44.1 | 36.7 | 77.6 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 16.2 | |
2018-2019 |
36 | 27.5 | 41.4 | 35.0 | 78.2 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 13.7 | |
2017-2018 |
75 | 31.7 | 45.0 | 37.0 | 80.1 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 17.3 | |
2016-2017 |
73 | 33.7 | 47.4 | 40.3 | 79.0 | 3.8 | 5.8 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 20.3 | |
2015-2016 |
72 | 32.8 | 47.7 | 31.2 | 72.7 | 3.8 | 5.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 14.1 | |
2014-2015 |
78 | 33.8 | 50.1 | 34.7 | 77.4 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 16.3 | |
2013-2014 |
76 | 35.1 | 50.5 | 40.8 | 76.0 | 3.2 | 5.9 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 20.3 | |
2012-2013 |
77 | 33.5 | 44.3 | 31.9 | 74.8 | 3.1 | 7.4 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 14.7 | |
2011-2012 |
68 | 26.3 | 46.2 | 33.0 | 80.3 | 2.5 | 5.2 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 11.6 | |
2010-2011 |
49 | 17.7 | 41.9 | 27.9 | 60.6 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 7.3 | |
2009-2010 |
14 | 14.6 | 42.7 | 40.9 | 57.1 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 6.4 |
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