“Taught Me How to Study the Game”: Sasha Vujacic on Kobe Bryant’s Impact on Him

“Purple and gold nation is the greatest of all time.” Now, that is a true Laker right there. Sasha Vujacic, whose 2 free throws in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals sealed a win against the Boston Celtics, is one! The two-time NBA champion grew up in Slovenia, watching the NBA, and always wanted to make the City of Angels his home.

His dream would come true in 2004 when the LA Lakers would sign him as the 27th overall draft pick. He, of course, had a choice in the lead-up to that. Vujacic could have gone somewhere else to pursue whatever came his way or join the likes of the late Kobe Bryant and try to fit into the role they wanted him to fit into, to win championships.

And he fit in like a glove. Aptly nicknamed ‘The Machine’, Vujacic spent hours practicing and perfecting his free throws, so much so that he was the Lakers’ go-to guy in pressure situations. He recently found himself on ESPN LA, where he talked about the Lakers, Kobe, Luka Doncic, and of course, wine!

“I didn’t come to LA for the glamor, to play for the Lakers and be a cool guy. I really wanted to win and that’s how the nickname [The Machine] also came, because I was a gym rat. Kobe and I would go at each other. He knows a lot. He was truly my big brother from day one. So when he embraced me, welcomed me properly, I knew there was a big responsibility also. And our practices were basically like wars,” Vujacic revealed.

When asked about what it was like going one-on-one with Kobe, Vujacic said, “You know when you watch somebody all your life and then you become teammates but you guys play the same role, you know your minutes will go down 100%. But going at each other, every single day … he also taught me how to study the game, how to watch the films. So, I am really grateful that I had him for so long and we were able to bring the best out of each other.”

Speaking further about his former team and their newest star, Doncic, Vujacic claimed that he sees glimpses of the late Kobe Bryant in his eyes. Vujacic asserts that even though his fellow countryman plays with a smile, he fully intends to kill anyone in the competition. That is high praise indeed, even for someone like Doncic.

Doncic, who seems to have lost considerable weight ahead of this season, is expected to carry the Lakers to championship gold again, and if he does indeed make it possible, the Kobe comparisons wouldn’t have gone in vain.