Darko Milicic looks way different in first pro basketball game in seven years
Darko Milicic is considered one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history when the Detroit Pistons selected him second overall in the 2003 draft, ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
But the joke is on all those NBA teams, as Milicic has outlasted each of those stars and nearly his entire draft class when he ended his seven-year hiatus from pro basketball on Monday.
The 34-year-old signed in September with a team in his home town of Novi Sad, Serbia, which is in the country's Second Men’s Regional League. It’s far from the quality of even the NBA G League, but it’s quite the trip to see Milicic back on the court and so bulked up.
Remember Darko Milcic? Yeah well this is him now 👀 my man looking like Zion out there pic.twitter.com/5M8BAAbC5V
— Huncho Hoops (@HunchoHoops) October 7, 2019
Darko Milicic Warm-Up before his first official game since 2012 #icametoplay pic.twitter.com/NDjIQhZdhJ
— Majkan (@Catch1Release) October 7, 2019
Milicic reportedly only scored two points in the game before leaving with a shoulder injury, but he certainly has the size to be a force in the paint if he can stay on the court.
During his NBA career, Milicic bounced between six teams over nine seasons. He last appeared with the Boston Celtics in 2012 but requested his release in November after only playing in one game. Milicic hasn’t appeared in any foreign leagues since then either, although he briefly flirted with playing in the Serbian league in 2015.
How heavy is Darko Milicic?
Milicic was listed at 7-foot, 250 pounds during his NBA days, but he looks like he has put on a bit of weight since then. His Serbian team does not have an easily searchable roster either.
However, fans do have some insight as to how his weight has fluctuated since his retirement from the NBA. Milicic took up kickboxing in 2014 and told ESPN’s Sam Borden that he broke a scale during his weigh-in and was later found to be over 300 pounds.
The NBA may be striving for more exact height measurements, but even they don’t care as much about weight. An exact measurement may never come, but it’s fair to guess that he’s pushing 300 again.
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