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Serbia and Montenegro's army has filed charges against former NBA star Vlade Divac for evading the military draft.
Divac, 37, was obliged by the law to join the compulsory six-month military service by the age of 35, the state prosecutors' office said Wednesday.
It asked Serbia and Montenegro's foreign ministry "to determine Divac's citizenship and his home address" to be able to carry out the legal proceedings and hand him the draft notice.
Divac, who lives in Los Angeles, could face a one-year prison sentence in his native country if he does not join the army soon, legal experts said.
Divac ended his 16-year NBA playing career last month, taking a job with the Los Angeles Lakers as a liaison and scout in Europe.
Divac was one of the first Europeans to have a major impact in the NBA. He was first drafted by the Lakers in 1989, and later played for the Charlotte Hornets and the Sacramento Kings.
He joined centers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to get 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocked shots.
Divac is hugely popular in Serbia for helping Yugoslavia to silver medals at the 1988 and 1996 Olympics, and leading the country now known as Serbia and Montenegro to a gold medal at the 2002 world championships.
At one point, there were widespread public calls for Divac to join a presidential race after former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic was ousted in 2000.
Source: AP
Divac, 37, was obliged by the law to join the compulsory six-month military service by the age of 35, the state prosecutors' office said Wednesday.
It asked Serbia and Montenegro's foreign ministry "to determine Divac's citizenship and his home address" to be able to carry out the legal proceedings and hand him the draft notice.
Divac, who lives in Los Angeles, could face a one-year prison sentence in his native country if he does not join the army soon, legal experts said.
Divac ended his 16-year NBA playing career last month, taking a job with the Los Angeles Lakers as a liaison and scout in Europe.
Divac was one of the first Europeans to have a major impact in the NBA. He was first drafted by the Lakers in 1989, and later played for the Charlotte Hornets and the Sacramento Kings.
He joined centers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to get 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocked shots.
Divac is hugely popular in Serbia for helping Yugoslavia to silver medals at the 1988 and 1996 Olympics, and leading the country now known as Serbia and Montenegro to a gold medal at the 2002 world championships.
At one point, there were widespread public calls for Divac to join a presidential race after former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic was ousted in 2000.
Source: AP