Aleksandar Pavlović (basketball)

1. Professional Career

Aleksandar Pavlović's professional basketball career spanned over a decade, beginning in Europe before he transitioned to the NBA, and later returning to European leagues. His journey included notable stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a championship win in Serbia.

1.1. Early and European Career

Pavlović developed his basketball skills early in his career, including a period in American high school basketball before turning professional in Europe.

1.1.1. Budućnost Podgorica (2000-2003)

Pavlović began his professional career with Budućnost Podgorica. In his debut professional season (2000-01), he played 14 games in the YUBA League, averaging 1.4 points per game. During the 2001-02 season, he appeared in three YUBA League games, averaging 6.7 points per game, and also played in two EuroLeague games. In his final season with Budućnost (2002-03), Pavlović significantly improved, playing 20 YUBA League games where he averaged 10.1 points per game and 2.4 rebounds per game. In the EuroLeague, he averaged 9.6 points per game with a 54% shooting percentage, including a season-high 21 points against TAU Ceramica. Prior to his professional career, Pavlović also spent time in the United States, attending Archbishop Spalding High School in Maryland, where he played one season and contributed to a Baltimore Catholic League championship.

1.2. NBA Career

Pavlović spent ten seasons in the National Basketball Association, playing for seven different franchises and experiencing both significant roles and shorter stints.

1.2.1. Utah Jazz (2003-2004)

Aleksandar Pavlović was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 19th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. His selection came in the same draft as fellow Serbian-Montenegrin player Darko Miličić, who was drafted second overall. Early in his NBA career, there was a clarification issued by his agent, Marc Cornstein, regarding a misleading online biography that confused Aleksandar Pavlović with another player named 'Aleksander Pavlović' who played college basketball at La Salle University and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. In his rookie season with the Jazz, Pavlović played in 79 games, starting 14 of them. He averaged 4.8 points per game and 2.0 rebounds per game. His season high was 18 points, achieved on December 3, 2003, against the Houston Rockets. He also recorded nine rebounds on two separate occasions. Despite his average statistics for a rookie off the bench, his outside shooting, particularly his 3-point percentage of 27.1% (with a field goal percentage of 39.6%), was not as strong as anticipated.

1.2.2. Cleveland Cavaliers (2004-2009)

Pavlović's tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers was the most significant period of his NBA career. He was initially selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft on June 22, 2004, but was traded to the Cavaliers the following day in exchange for a 2007 first-round draft pick.

In the 2004-05 NBA season, Pavlović played in 65 games (nine starts), averaging 4.8 points per game and 1.1 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high 17 points twice and reached double-digit scoring in nine games. During the 2005-06 NBA season, he appeared in 53 games, starting 19, and averaged 4.5 points per game and 1.5 rebounds per game. He set a new season high with 21 points against the Orlando Magic on February 21, 2006. In the playoffs, his playing time was limited to three minutes across three games, where he recorded only one rebound.

The 2006-07 NBA season marked a career-best for Pavlović. In 67 games (28 starts), he averaged a career-high 9.0 points per game, along with 2.4 rebounds per game and 1.6 assists per game. He was noted for his proficient outside shooting, with a 3-point success rate of 40.5% and a field goal percentage of 45.3% during this season. He surpassed 20 points in seven games, including a career-high 25 points against the Sacramento Kings on March 13, 2007. Approximately two weeks later, he achieved a career-high six 3-point field goals (out of seven attempts) against the New York Knicks. He became the Cavaliers' starting shooting guard on March 1, 2007, and started all 24 remaining regular season games, averaging 12.7 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists per game during this period. Pavlović started all 20 of the Cavaliers' playoff games in 2007, as the team reached the 2007 NBA Finals. He scored a playoff high of 17 points in a Game 2 victory over the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and grabbed nine rebounds in an overtime Game 5 victory against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. He averaged 9.2 points per game, 2.3 rebounds per game, and 1.6 assists per game during the playoffs.

In the 2007 offseason, Pavlović, as a restricted free agent, held out for nearly a month before signing a three-year, 13.70 M USD extension with the Cavaliers on October 30, 2007. During the 2007-08 NBA season, he injured his left foot on January 23, 2008, in a game against the Washington Wizards, which caused him to miss 23 games. He returned on March 12 against the New Jersey Nets, starting but remaining scoreless in nine minutes. On March 14, Pavlović scored a season-high 24 points against the Washington Wizards, achieving double-digit points in 15 games that season. He played in 51 games (45 starts) in the 2007-08 season, averaging 7.4 points per game, a career-high 2.5 rebounds per game, and a career-high 1.6 assists per game. In eight playoff games, he averaged 3.5 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals that year, ending their bid for a second consecutive NBA Finals appearance.

On June 25, 2009, Pavlović, along with Ben Wallace and the 46th overall pick, was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Shaquille O'Neal. The Suns later bought out his contract on September 14, 2009. An urban legend in Serbia claimed that Pavlović won a BMW car from LeBron James by beating him in a one-on-one basketball match. However, Pavlović clarified in interviews that no such match occurred, and he simply bought the car from James. He confirmed in a 2020 interview that he still owned the car.

1.2.3. Later NBA Stints (2009-2013)

After his time with the Cavaliers, Pavlović played for several other NBA teams in shorter tenures.

On September 17, 2009, Pavlović signed a one-year, 1.50 M USD contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 71 games during the 2009-10 NBA season, he averaged 3.7 points per game.

He then had multiple short stints in the 2010-11 season. On January 10, 2011, he signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks. He started his first game for the Mavericks on the last day of this contract, scoring 11 points in a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. He then signed a second 10-day contract on January 20, 2011, but the Mavericks did not sign him for the remainder of the season after it expired on January 30. On February 4, 2011, Pavlović signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Hornets (now New Orleans Pelicans), which also expired without a second signing on February 14.

On March 3, 2011, Pavlović signed with the Boston Celtics for the rest of the 2010-11 NBA season. In his first appearance with the Celtics on March 6, 2011, against the Milwaukee Bucks, he played 12 minutes, scoring 3 points with two steals. After his contract expired following the 2011 NBA playoffs, he re-signed with the Celtics on December 12, 2011, after the 2011 NBA lockout. He started for an injured Paul Pierce on Christmas Day 2011, the opening day of the 2011-12 NBA season, playing 15 minutes without scoring. In the Celtics' second-to-last game of the season, he scored 16 points off the bench in a 78-66 win over the Miami Heat. For the 2011-12 season, he played in 45 games (seven starts), averaging 2.7 points per game in 11.7 minutes per game.

On July 20, 2012, Pavlović was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-team deal. His final NBA game was played on April 17, 2013, a loss to the Golden State Warriors, where he recorded 6 points and 1 rebound. On July 6, 2013, he was waived by the Trail Blazers.

1.3. Return to European Leagues

After concluding his NBA career, Pavlović returned to play professional basketball in Europe for two more seasons.

1.3.1. Partizan Belgrade (2014-2015)

On February 10, 2014, Pavlović returned to Europe, signing with the Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade for the remainder of the 2013-14 season. This marked his first professional championship win in his career, as Partizan clinched its 13th consecutive domestic title by defeating arch-rivals Red Star Belgrade 3-1 in the final series. In the final series, he averaged 11.7 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per game. The day after winning the championship, Pavlović stated that this accomplishment with Partizan was the greatest of his career.

He returned to Partizan on December 1, 2014, signing a contract for the rest of the 2014-15 season. In his 2014-15 ABA League debut that season, he led his team to an 89-80 victory over Mega Leks with 26 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Over 19 Adriatic League games, he averaged 11.9 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game.

1.3.2. Panathinaikos (2015-2016)

On July 9, 2015, Pavlović signed a one-year contract with the Greek club Panathinaikos. He played his final professional season with them before being released by the club on April 21, 2016.

2. International Career

Aleksandar Pavlović represented the Serbia and Montenegro national basketball team during his international career. He was a member of the Serbia and Montenegro Under-20 national team that participated in the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship in Lithuania, where they finished in fifth place. He also played for the senior national team at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. In four games during the tournament, he averaged 3.5 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game.

Two years later, in 2006, his native country of Montenegro declared independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Following this, Pavlović expressed his desire to play for the Serbia men's national basketball team. However, he ultimately did not play for either the Serbian or Montenegrin national teams. When asked in February 2014 about a potential return to international play, he stated that he was "not thinking about the national team" because "it became a political matter, not a sports matter," which led to his decision not to commit.

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2003-04	Utah	79	14	14.5	.396	.271	.774	2.0	.8	.5	.2	4.8
2004-05	Cleveland	65	9	13.3	.435	.385	.688	1.1	.8	.4	.1	4.8
2005-06	Cleveland	53	19	15.3	.410	.365	.653	1.5	.5	.4	.1	4.5
2006-07	Cleveland	67	28	22.9	.453	.405	.794	2.4	1.6	.8	.3	9.0
2007-08	Cleveland	51	45	23.3	.362	.298	.688	2.5	1.6	.6	.1	7.4
2008-09	Cleveland	66	12	16.0	.422	.410	.463	1.9	1.1	.3	.2	4.6
2009-10	Minnesota	71	0	12.4	.363	.297	.385	1.6	.8	.3	.1	3.7
2010-11	Dallas	10	6	16.3	.429	.438	.800	1.2	.7	.5	.3	4.1
	New Orleans	4	1	12.5	.182	.000	.000	1.5	1.5	.0	1.0	1.0
	Boston	17	0	8.8	.462	.500	.400	.8	.2	.3	.0	1.8
2011-12	Boston	45	7	11.7	.391	.293	.375	1.6	.4	.4	.3	2.7
2012-13	Portland	39	1	13.5	.353	.300	.167	1.4	.8	.6	.1	2.6
Career		567	142	15.7	.404	.346	.673	1.8	.9	.5	.2	4.9

Sasha Pavlović playing for the Boston Celtics in 2012.

5.2. NBA Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2006	Cleveland	3	0	1.3	.000	.000	.000	.3	.0	.0	.0	.0
2007	Cleveland	20	20	30.8	.381	.345	.528	2.6	1.6	1.0	.3	9.2
2008	Cleveland	8	0	13.9	.385	.444	.667	1.3	.1	.3	.0	3.5
2009	Cleveland	11	0	8.3	.500	.250	.333	1.4	.4	.4	.0	2.1
2012	Boston	10	0	4.0	.333	.200	.000	.5	.1	.1	.1	.7
Career		52	20	16.6	.386	.333	.533	1.6	.7	.5	.1	4.6

5.3. EuroLeague

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2001-02	Budućnost	2	0	3.1	.000	.000	.000	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0	-2.0
2002-03	Budućnost	13	5	19.6	.463	.294	.640	1.4	1.0	.8	.5	9.7	7.0
2013-14	Partizan	7	4	26.4	.395	.333	.818	3.3	1.7	1.1	.0	11.4	7.1
2015-16	Panathinaikos	25	17	17.2	.397	.250	.632	2.6	1.1	.6	.3	5.6	4.2
Career		47	26	18.7	.415	.279	.662	2.2	1.1	.7	.3	7.4	5.1