The Human Victory Cigar who last played in the NBA for the Celtics during the 2011-12 season, Darko Milicic, is making a career change according to website NBASerbia.com. The No. 2 pick in the celebrated 2003 NBA Draft, is joining WAKO, the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations. Meanwhile, the player selected directly after Darko, Carmelo Anthony, signed a five-year, $124 million to remain with the New York Knicks this summer.
According to NBASerbia.com, and some help from Google Translate, Darko will officially sign with WAKO on Wednesday when his first fight will also be announced.
The headline of the piece loosely translates as: “Darko Milicic put an end: Goodbye NBA career, good afternoon kick-boxing!”
The former No. 2 pick appeared in 468 games over 11 years where he played full or partial seasons for six NBA franchises including three with the team who drafted him: the Pistons (3), Timberwolves (3 seasons), Grizzlies (2), Magic (2), Celtics (1), and Knicks (1). Milicic appeared in one game and played five minutes for the 2012-13 Celtics before announcing his retirement from the NBA in July that year. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Milicic accrued over $52 million during his 11-year playing career.
He hasn’t played professionally anywhere since retiring from the NBA, taking a one-and-a-half year hiatus from the sport before it became more permanent with news of the WAKO signing.
Darko, who only turned 29 in June (!!!) is widely considered one of the biggest NBA Draft busts of the new millennium. In NBA 2K15, hitting stores Oct. 7, MyTEAM players can see what would have happened if the Pistons had drafted ‘Melo instead of Darko.
At over seven feet tall and 285 pounds, Milicic has the body to be a fearsome kick-boxer, but we’re guessing he’d trade places with Carmelo Anthony in an instant. One can only hope former Pistons GM Joe Dumars, who drafted Milicic ahead of ‘Melo, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2003, is somewhere warm right now and Milicic is the furthest thing from his mind.
What do you think?
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