Basketball fans passing through Zagreb have a new stop to add to the list. The Dražen Petrović Foundation has opened fresh premises on Dražen Petrović Square, and the late star's wax figure is back on public display after the move — unveiled fittingly on what would have been his birthday.
The new space sits in the Cibona passage, near the exit onto Florijana Andrašeca Street, with the City of Zagreb providing the premises. For anyone who knows the city's basketball geography, the location makes sense: it's right by the Cibona arena where Petrović starred before heading to the NBA.
The figure itself is the work of French sculptor Elisabeth Daynes and shows Petrović in the number 3 jersey of the New Jersey Nets, the team he played for in the NBA until his death in a car accident in 1993, aged just 28. Zagreb's deputy mayor Luka Korlaet attended the opening and framed the player as more than an athlete — a symbol of dedication and perseverance who continues to inspire young players in Croatia and beyond.
The foundation has been running since 1996, set up to keep Petrović's memory alive and to grow the game he loved. Its work includes backing talented young Croatian players through education and career support, plus summer basketball seminars held in Croatia and abroad. The Dražen Petrović Museum, already a draw for sports fans visiting the capital, remains part of this wider legacy network.
Why should a traveller care? Petrović is one of the figures who opened the NBA's door to European players, and in Croatia he remains a national icon. The museum near the Cibona arena is a genuinely worthwhile stop even for casual fans — jerseys, trophies and memorabilia tell the story of a player who dominated European basketball before proving himself in America. The new foundation space adds a quick, free companion visit for anyone already in that part of the city, a short tram ride west of the centre.
If you're building a Zagreb itinerary around sport, this pairs neatly with a look at the Cibona arena itself and the wider sports precinct, followed by the more traditional sights — the upper town, Ban Jelačić Square and the café culture Croats take seriously. Basketball fans travelling in summer can time a trip around the foundation's youth seminars or catch a local game to see the sport's deep roots in the country first-hand.
For those who grew up watching Petrović drain jumpers, or who simply want to understand why his name is on a square in the Croatian capital, the returning wax figure is a small but fitting tribute in the city that raised him.
