Goran Dragic Quotes

When I was younger, I showed my nation that I would always play for my national team, no matter who was there. If we had a good team or a bad team, I was there.

When I came to the league, a lot of people were saying Dragic’s name was ‘Tragic.’ That hurts a little bit. I always have those comments in the back of my head and try to prove to all those people that they were mistaken.

For me, definitely, to make the All-Star team, that’s something that I’m always going to remember.

When you have Dwyane Wade on your team, we know that the ball is going to go in his hands.

All my friends call me ‘Gogi’ because that’s the short version for Goran.

It’s always nice to go back and play for my country. My teammates and I grew up together.

If you come into a season without goals, you’re just going through practice and it doesn’t mean anything to you. But if you set goals, you’re pushing yourself.

Off the court I’m always shy, I don’t talk much. On the floor I’m a different guy.

If you want to be a good team, you have to play against the best teams. For me, personally, I want to have tough challenges.

Definitely, my whole life I’ve played as a point guard. I’ve tried to get in the paint, and I’ve tried to develop for others.

Somebody said that I’m the worst player in the NBA, and my last name should not be Dragic, but ‘Tragic.’ Every time I was in a practice court, I had this in my mind.

I’m a pure lefty. Everything. I eat with my right hand, but when I was a kid, I was eating with my left. My mom was getting on me that that’s not nice, so I switched my hands.

When you know your team is standing behind you, it’s a little bit easier to play in those crucial moments. And I love it.

They teach that in Europe. When you penetrate and you feel some guy next to you, you just pump fake and stop and turn. It’s an old move I used all my career, so it comes natural.

Hopefully I’m going to be a good father. I’m going to try and give my best.

I love challenges.

I feel like some things, you can’t just force it.

I always say that it’s tough to judge a player when you’re just hearing rumors. It’s never accurate.

Every opponent is different. Some guys are going to be in pick-and-roll a little bit higher, and then you have opportunities to drive for layups. Some guys are going to zone deeper and then the mid-range shot is open.

I like to experience all different kinds of foods.

I didn’t play a lot in the first season, so I had to spend a lot of time developing my game.

Everybody has their own opinion and it’s, how you say, a free country. Everybody can speak freely.

We try to win every game that we can.

My country, they give me everything.

You need to believe you can do something big.

I can express my will on the court. I’m kind of, how you say… a little bit cocky and try to fight some guys.

Of course, if you have D. Wade on your team, he’s the best closer in the history of this sport, so the ball needs to go in his hands, but I was always ready. I was always ready. I remember every time he would play pick-and-roll, he said, ‘G, just be ready. Maybe you’re going to be open. I need to hit you.’

It doesn’t matter who it is. If I’m going to see an open gap, I’m going to penetrate and try to finish over those guys. I’m not afraid of big guys.

Every time I went to play for my national team, we spent together two months away from our families, as a team.

I want to play as much as I can, many years in this great association.

Soccer helped especially with my footwork. When I played soccer, I was on offense scoring goals – I didn’t pass the ball so much so it probably didn’t help much with being a point guard.

I have friends, family, we always as a family we’re really tight.

It’s not my goal to be the main scorer. It’s whatever the opponent gives.

If he gets everyone involved, everyone is happy and you have that chemistry and you’re winning.

I already said to D-Wade and Steve Nash and those guys, ‘I don’t know how you guys do it.’ Of course, I want to be a famous basketball player, but not to that standpoint where you go out and you don’t have peace. You cannot enjoy your personal life. I would rather be with my family and do what I want.

I like to penetrate and play fast basketball.

I’m a lefty, so I really love Manu Ginobli’s games.

My first time alone in Spain playing basketball – that kind of made me tougher, especially for my character and my personality. It’s not easy when you’re alone. Some nights you have bad games or bad days and it’s not easy. I think that is the one thing that changed me, to make me a better person, a tougher guy.

When I came to the league, back in Europe I was so much faster than the other guys, I was always penetrating. I didn’t use my jump shot. When I came to the league it was tough to get to the basket. All those guys, they went under the pick-and-roll. It was long threes, especially for me coming from Europe.

I’m not a guy who is going back in the past.

I want to be at a high level for as long as possible.

Standing in the corner, it’s not my game.

I always had this in my head that I could play in this league, that I’m good enough… but of course you have to prove that on the floor.

When you get older, you cannot play the same.

My grandma died by cancer.

I learn from my mistakes.

The bench is really important in the NBA because if you have a good bench, then you can make that playoff push even harder.

You never know before the season, when you get new players, how the chemistry is going to develop and how the season is going to go.

I want to be in a good situation with a good organization.

We are basketball players so we want to compete.

I feel like I’m evolving with my age.

I always cherish my ancestors, my grandpa, great-grandpa, what they did for us, especially my dad who moved from Bosnia. He started a new life in Slovenia so basically I grew up there.

I watch tape of players – Chris Paul, Deron Williams, all the top players who play my same position.