Goran Dragic: 'I didn't come back to play for fifth place' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Slovenian Basketball Federation (KZS)/alesfevzer.com Credit Slovenian Basketball Federation (KZS)/alesfevzer.com

After confirming his return to the Slovenian national team, Goran Dragic is set to play his last matches for the squad this September in EuroBasket 2022.

Goran Dragic

Position:PG, SGAge:36Height:191 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:Ljubljana, SloveniaProfileNewsStatistics

The captain of the team shared some details about the decision after a friendly match against Montenegro.

"It was really nice in Ljubljana and then also in Stockholm. Then I talked to the boys. They expressed their desire. I was a bit taken aback too. But I still had to undergo a medical examination and sign a contract with Chicago. This is what I was waiting for," Dragic explained.

In a Michael Jordan-esque style, Dragic just wrote 'I'm back' on Instagram. The Slovenian Basketball Federation confirmed the decision soon thereafter.

"Many people convinced me. From all sides. Rasho Nesterovic, Edo Muric... But the most 'fluent' was my brother Zoran. He convinced me every day," Goran said.

"I will certainly not play 36 minutes per game. I used to be Batman, now I'll be Robin," Dragic shared an analogy. "It is important that we build chemistry, and I will be the leader on and off the court. However, I will be cautious with my predictions. This will be one of the strongest championships."

When FIBA released the EuroBasket power ranking last week, three of the six Group B teams were in the Top 5 - Slovenia at #1, France at #2, and Lithuania at #5.

"Maybe that's a bit too much," the player commented on the place in the ranking. "Slovenians are also having a little too much euphoria. You have to drop the ball. Let's wait for the friendly matches and then for the group stage of the championship. Only then we will get a sense of where we belong."

"That energy with which we are able to overcome everything, we have yet to get there. We're not there yet," Dragic continued. "I didn't come back to play for fifth place. The medal is, of course, a wish."

Slovenia is placed in Group B of EuroBasket 2022 together with France, Lithuania, Germany, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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