Career: Dona Zagreb (Croatia-A1, 1994-95), Franck Zagreb (Croatia-A1, 1995-96), Cibona Zagreb (Croatia-A1, 1996-2001), CSKA Moscow (Russia- Superleague, 2001-02), Memphis Grizzlies (NBA, 2002-03), Orlando Magic (NBA, 2003-04), Utah Jazz (NBA, 2004-07). Selected in the second round (#44) of the 1999 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Rights traded to the Spurs immediately.
After a disappointing EuroBasket 2005, by his own standards at least, Giricek has said a few times that playing for the National Team every summer is too tiring. Nobody knows if he will he play this summer or not but it makes little difference in assessing his skills. The Zagreb native, who modelled his game after the late Drazen Petrovic, had a very good first NBA season in which he was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team. But he was traded twice during his first two years in the NBA though they were also his two best statistical seasons. Giricek has just finished his fifth year in Utah, where he produced his worst numbers in 2006-07, partly because of big personal problems (divorce). In the summer of 2008 he will become a free agent and he has said it’s possible that he will come back to Europe to be closer to his daughter. Giricek is not necessarily a leader, but as far as skills are concerned, he has the complete set. He has excellent strength, quickness and jumping ability plus a dead-eye shot and he can lock down opponents on defense. "I'm pretty sure I won't play in EuroBasket 2007, as I told, last year, people from the federation”, said Giricek in a March interview. That’s all well and good but it won’t stop Jasmin Repesa from doing everything he can to make Gordan change his mind.
