The Los Angeles Lakers are no less glamorous than Hollywood, and the current star of this basketball blockbuster is the young Croatian center Ivica Zubac.
Los Angeles Lakers' 21-year-old Croatian center Ivica Zubac is the talk of Los Angeles after a series of impressive performances for the popular NBA club, reports Gol.hr on December 26, 2018.
Zubac found a place among the Lakers starting five in the last three games and averaged 17.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 31.3 minutes on the court. In the Lakers’ most recent match on Christmas, which is traditionally a hit day of the NBA season, Zubac and his team defeated the NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors - but that’s not all. Zubac was among the most deserving of the convincing Lakers victory.
The Lakers STEAMROLL the Warriors 127-101 behind Ivica Zubac’s stat line of 18 points(9-10)& 11 rebounds
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) December 26, 2018
The vet Rondo added 15-5-10
LeBron finished within 17-13-5 before leaving in the 3rd Quarter(Groin) pic.twitter.com/AtpRhg7r7A
In addition to the stats he’s achieved, Zubac has won over Lakers fans with his style of play. A good part of Zubac’s baskets are scored by powerful dunks that have earned him comparisons with the legendary Shaquille O'Neal - and the way he blocks is another story.
Opponents must think twice when they see Zubac under the basket - and his barriers are big stars such as Anthony Davis, the best center of the whole league, and Draymond Green, a starting member of the champion Warriors team.
In addition to his performance on the court, there is always the story of ‘the underdog’, an outsider who, with hard work and patience, waits for their five minutes of glory. Zubac, until now, was the third center who rarely saw any playing time, but he used the injuries and illnesses of the team's standard high-ranking players, grabbed the opportunity and took significant advantage of their absence on the court.
Lakers fans have been sympathetic to Zubac ever since he first put on the gold jersey two years ago. This is evidenced by the many nicknames the Croatian Center has received in Los Angeles: Zublock, Zupac (a play on Tupac), Zu Alcindor (Lew Alcindor - the first name of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
Now, Zubac has the right opportunity to show what he knows on the court to become an even bigger hit. The Lakers have a long tradition of great centers - and some of the best players in basketball history played for the Lakers in that position. Recall, it goes all the way back to Mr. Basketball, the first NBA superstar and player of Croatian descent, George Mikan, to Will Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal, all the way to Spaniard Pau Gasol.
After Zubac’s great performances recently, many Lakers fans have pushed their praise even further and are comparing the Croat to Shaq. You can see their accolades below.
Also: Zubac is suddenly the most dangerous Croat not named Luka Modric
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 26, 2018
LeBron going to the locker room injured telling Zubac to fend off the Warriors pic.twitter.com/NXRUiqdx8r
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 26, 2018
Shaq walked so Zubac could run. pic.twitter.com/X3Onu52nlT
— Grant Grinchberg? (@GrantGoldberg) December 26, 2018
When Zubac sees prime Shaq pic.twitter.com/NORAx7WUP4
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) December 26, 2018
zubac in the first half pic.twitter.com/ZPtadPDVFE
— fernando (@ferniewestside) December 26, 2018
Zubac these last few games... pic.twitter.com/olvHcGH4mR
— Chris Manning (@LD2K) December 26, 2018
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
