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ABM · 10-01-2006, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Onto the floor when the Spurs need to score, comes a forward known as Zarko.

When the game gets tight, the opponents take flight, when they catch the sight of Zarko.

They say from Europe he came, to play the American game; the Z in his name is for Zarko.

Zarko — the hoopster they all come to see; Zarko — who's known by the sign of the Z.

~Terry Cummings' "Mark of Zarko"

BELGRADE, Serbia — Zarko Paspalj taps his index finger on the pack of cigarettes. He is six months removed from his 40th birthday. Still puffing.

Paspalj doesn't know when he'll put down his smokes for good. But he hopes it's sooner than later. Four heart attacks tend to make a man rethink his habits.

"Even in this," Paspalj says sheepishly, "I make all the records."

Paspalj hasn't lost his sense of humor or much of his hair. He looks fit in spite of his health problems. Summering in the Mediterranean has given him a nice tan. He's sworn off meat and become a vegetarian — no small accomplishment considering the carnivorous tendencies of his homeland.

Cigarettes, he figures, are next.

It's been 17 years since Paspalj blew into San Antonio in a cloud of smoke. He was 23 years old then, a clever, fun-loving left-hander from Yugoslavia whose shot was as pure as it was unorthodox. He was both prospect and pioneer.

Never had the Spurs signed a foreign-born player who hadn't at least attended college in the United States. Paspalj was one of just five such players in the NBA, all from Eastern Europe, all arriving in 1989. Newspaper headlines trumpeted the league's "International Invasion."

Paspalj laughs now at that suggestion. He lasted one season with the Spurs, averaging 2.6 points in 28 games, before resuming what would become a successful professional career in Europe. To most in the NBA, he was a bust.

But to the man who brought him to San Antonio? Paspalj may have just been ahead of his time..............

BlazerFanFoLife · 10-01-2006, 10:43 AM

long but interesting article. thanks for posting.

**gatorpops** · 10-01-2006, 05:53 PM

Very interesting read. Thourghly enjoyed it. Thanks ABM

gatorpops

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