“I heard Pat Riley wore that number here” – Vlade Divac explains why he chose jersey No.12 with the Lakers

When Vlade Divac entered the league in 1989, he had a lot of work to do. He had not seen the Los Angeles Lakers play and was one of several centers tasked to fill in the shoes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who retired after 20 seasons after the 1989 playoffs.

Divac was the 26th overall pick of the Purple and Gold at the 1989 NBA Draft. According to then-general manager Jerry West, the Purple and Gold saw potential in the Yugoslavian center and were willing to take a risk on him.

" It was a very attractive gamble for us (in the 26th spot in the first round)," West said then. "We feel his abilities are immense."

With several hurdles ahead, Divac needed to run himself up to speed. That included familiarizing himself with the Lakers' system since he had not seen the multi-titled franchise play in person.

Hence, he first had to get on the good side of then-coach Pat Riley. Divac has heard of the NBA champion coach and wanted to get his career off on the right foot. That all started by picking his jersey number, stating that he chose it because Riles used to wear it.

"I chose that number because I heard (Lakers coach) Pat Riley wore that number here," Divac said via UPI . "I want to get in good with the coach."

Learning the system

In his rookie year, Divac had to compete with other players, such as Mychal Thompson and Mark McNamara, for playing time in the middle. He only had 6 starts the entire season and came off the bench for the Lakers .

Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson mentored the 7-foot-1 to help him adapt and improve to the NBA's brand of basketball. He showed improvement each year, but his efforts were insufficient to fill the void left by KAJ.

As a result, the Lakers traded Divac to the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 for the rights to Kobe Bryant in that year's draft. Vlade admits he was devastated since he loved Los Angeles and even thought being with Magic and other Lakers players was basketball heaven .

"It felt like someone from behind hit me with a hammer," Divac said . " It was the first time in my career that something happened in a way I didn't plan."

After stints with the Hornets and the Sacramento Kings, Divac returned to the Lakers in 2004. He signed a two-year deal as the Lakers were rebuilding around Bryant. Unfortunately, injuries limited him to just 15 regular-season games, leading to his retirement in July 2005.

Related: "I would trade myself for Kobe" - Vlade Divac reflects on being traded for a 17-year-old high school kid