Second Air Serbia "living legend" airplane to be named by NBA legend Vlade Divac

Vlade Divac, former professional basketball player and NBA legend, will be the next high-profile Serbian to have an Air Serbia aircraft named in his honour.

The accolade is part of Air Serbia's "Living Legends" program, which pays tribute to a number of Serbia's renowned men whose accomplishments are inspirational and align with the airline's brand.

Serbian tennis sensation Novak Djokovic was the first high profile personality to be honored as a Living Legend with an Air Serbia aircraft named after him.

Vlade Divac was selected for his world-renowned sports and humanitarian achievements.

His impressive list of career highlights include being named one of the 50 Greatest Contributors in Euroleague History and becoming one of the first European basketball stars transferred to the NBA.

Most of his professional basketball career Divac spent in the NBA playing for LA Lakers, Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings. As the first player born and trained outside the United States to play in over 1,000 games in the NBA, Divac is also one of only six players in the NBA's history to record 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocked shots. Divac was also a part of NBA All-star selection.

Since 2009, Vlade Divac has been serving as a President of the Olympic Committee of Serbia.

Outside of the sports world, Divac has emerged as a leading humanitarian ambassador, launching the "Divac Children Foundation" in 1997, followed by the "Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation" in 2007, providing shelter and assistance for refugees in Serbia and support to children and youth initiatives.

Vlade Divac says he is honored his work has been recognized by Air Serbia because this would help bring more attention to his humanitarian work and commitment to Serbian people and children in need.

"I am proud to associate my name with Air Serbia, which is bringing good things to our country and our region. It is committed to success no matter the challenges, and this makes it a perfect partnership to present the real picture of Serbia", he said.

Dane Kondić, Chief Executive Officer of Air Serbia, said: "Vlade Divac is a well-known sportsman not only in Serbia but around the world as well. His legendary career and humanitarian work makes him the perfect fit with Air Serbia's vision to become the region's leading airline. At only 18 years of age, Vlade was already the greatest talent in the European basketball and from there he moved on to the world's premier professional basketball league, the NBA, where he played alongside superstars such as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. Vlade's story is one of determination and success and these are the values that we would like to associate with and will be at the forefront of what Air Serbia will stand for."

More legends will be announced in due course.