Former Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac addressed his decision to pass on Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft, stating that it is too early to determine whether it was a mistake. Divac, who served as the Kings’ GM from 2015 to 2020, opted to select Marvin Bagley III with the No. 2 overall pick instead of Doncic.
In an interview with Croatian media outlet Index.hr, Divac defended his choice by highlighting his confidence in De’Aaron Fox, whom he had drafted the previous year. “At that position, I already had De’Aaron Fox, whom I had drafted a year earlier,” Divac said, according to NBC Bay Area’s Joel Soria. “At the time, I believed Fox was a player who could become a franchise star in the coming years.”
Divac acknowledged the perception that he may have erred in his decision. “Time will tell if I was wrong. As things stand now, it seems I was, but I still have faith in Fox having a great career,” he remarked.
Bagley spent three and a half seasons with the Kings before being traded to the Detroit Pistons in February 2022. He was subsequently dealt to the Washington Wizards two years later.
Doncic, on the other hand, won the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year award and has been selected to five NBA All-Star Games. He has not forgotten the Kings’ decision to draft Bagley over him; during a game between the Kings and the Dallas Mavericks last season, Doncic appeared to direct a comment at Divac.
“I love watching Luka; I really enjoy his style of basketball,” Divac said. “I had my own reasons for making that decision. Maybe I made a mistake, but time will tell.”
