Vlade Divac’s father dies in car crash in Serbia

Vlade Divac. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbian police say the father of former NBA center Vlade Divac has died in a car crash.

Police say on Wednesday that 77-year-old Milenko Divac died at a hospital after the car he was in struck a pole and overturned several times near Cacak, central Serbia, on Tuesday. Divac’s 72-year-old mother, Radmila, who was reportedly driving the car, was seriously injured but is expected to survive.

Divac, who heads the Serbian Olympic Committee, started and ended his 16-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. From 1989 to 2005 he played for the Lakers, Sacramento Kings, and Charlotte Hornets, and was an All-Star in 2001.