Associated Press The Los Angeles Lakers veteran wants to make a return to the NBA.
It looks like this former Los Angeles Lakers guard wants to make a return to the NBA.
Although he hasn’t played since the 2016-17 season, Sasha Vujacic — a key member of the two Lakers title teams during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons — wants to make a return to the NBA.
While speaking to Arash Markazi of The Los Angeles Times, Vujacic said that he’s not “ready to walk away from the game yet.”
“I love the game so much, and I don’t want to walk away yet,” Vujacic said. “I’m in the best shape of my life right now. I work out every summer with DeAndre Jordan, and he said the same thing. I’m 35, but I feel like I’m 25. As long as I have that desire and fire inside of me, I’m going to keep pushing.”
Vujacic played for the Lakers from 2004 until 2010 and also had stints with the likes of the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. After washing out of the NBA for several years, he had a nice two-season stint with Phil Jackson‘s Knicks when the coaching legend served as president of basketball operations.
However, after Jackson was ousted from his executive role, the Knicks moved on from Vujacic without an offer to return.
Sasha Vujacic Learned From The Best in Phil and Kobe
Vujacic, who is 35 years old now, spoke of the impact that Jackson and Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had on his career.
“I’ve learned from the greatest coach of all time in Phil Jackson as well as from some not-so-great ones,” he said. “I’ve had the best and worst experiences, and I know what to do and what not to do. Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest players ever, was like a big brother to me, and I learned so much from him. I have a lot to give back. I want to stay in basketball in some way.”
During his 10-season NBA career, Vujacic averaged 5.3 points per game on 36.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc in 581 career appearances.
Vujacic Won the 2010 NBA Finals For the Lakers
He’s best known for nailing the two clinching free throws in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals when the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics for their last NBA title.
“Thank God for those free throws,” Vujacic said. “Doors opened for me after that. I can’t imagine what would’ve happen if I missed. Those were the two free throws I was always dreaming of as a kid. That was the opportunity I had worked for, and it meant so much that my teammates and coaches wanted me to have the ball in that moment.”
Vujacic has stayed fresh while playing basketball overseas for the past two seasons. While an NBA return seems hard to envision considering his age and the fact that there’s been no interest in him over the past two years, the fact that he’s a 3-point sharpshooter always leaves the door open for a possible return.
Hey, the Lakers do have an open roster spot after all.