Milenko Divac, 77, died in hospital after the car he was in struck a pole and overturned several times near the Serbian city of Čačak.

Divac's 72-year-old mother, Radmila, who was reportedly driving the car, was seriously injured but is expected to survive.

Vlade Divac thanked his Twitter followers for their support following the news of his father's death ©Twitter


Divac is also a former Serbian professional basketball player and enjoyed a successful 16-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He was amongst the first wave of European basketball players to transfer to the NBA in the late 1980's, signing for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1989.

He is one of only six in NBA history to record 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocked shots.

During his illustrious NBA career, which ran from 1989 to 2005, he played for the Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets, now the New Orleans Pelicans, and was an All-star in 2001.

Vlade Divac's number 21 jersey was retired by the Sacramento Kings in 2009 ©NBAE/Getty Images


Following his retirement, the Kings retired his number 21 jersey in a ceremony on March 31, 2009.

The team issued a statement following the announcement of Divac's father's death.

"On behalf of the entire Kings organisation, we send our deepest condolences to Vlade Divac and his family," read the statement.

"With his number 21 hanging in the rafters, Vlade will always be a King and the people of Sacramento will always consider him part of our community.

"Our hearts go out to him and his family during this difficult time."

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