Former NBA lottery pick Darko Milicic has given up kickboxing to live on a farm
It wasn't his fault.
In a different world, perhaps former Detroit Pistons lottery pick Darko Milicic would have developed into a fine NBA player. Unfortunately for the Serbian big man, the Pistons were chasing titles -- and they had little room to let an unpolished rookie such as Darko grow into his role.
After a few more years in the NBA, Milicic called it quits, serving as another cautionary draft tale. From there, he went on to try a career in kickboxing.
No, really. If you don't recall, here's video evidence:
But that was short-lived, apparently. According to a recent profile by Serbian website Blic Sport, Milicic is taking it easy these days and living on a farm outside of a city in his home country.
The original article is in Serbian, of course, but the Detroit Free Press ran a translation of some of the more interesting quotes from Milicic.
• On the farm life: "I'm in the fruit. I took the land and nurture cherry, apple and plum. Otherwise, an ordinary man living in Serbia is difficult. But I do not like pessimism, which is expanding."
Well then. That's ... not very optimistic.
Milicic also reflected on his time in the NBA, which he reportedly calls a "brutal" system that doesn't give rookies a chance to flourish. As for his opponents? Darko says he wasn't too bothered by a run-in with Dikembe Mutombo; instead, he points at Kobe Bryant as one of the most annoying players in the league to play against.
Actually, the translation here is "dirtiest" player in the NBA. But we'll leave that interpretation up to someone who speaks Serbian. If that's you, hit us up in the comments.