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In which way do you think basketball in Europe has changed since you left? Sasha Vujacic: It has become a little bit faster, a little bit more physical that it used to be, but still not at the NBA. It’s very tactical. It changed in a good way. There are better players, better teams, better excitement. A lot of people that I’ve been talking to, they’ve been watching and following the Euroleague a lot. HoopsHype

Sasha Vujacic, Euroleague 

Do you feel fortunate that your experience in the NBA took place for the most part in L.A. with the Lakers? SV: Yes. When I was younger, when I decided to go to the NBA, I always wished to play with the Lakers. That was the team that I was aiming, the team that was the best fit for me. I was fortunate that I had the best players and the best coaches, learning from them. They taught me a lot. Also winning a couple of championships… As fortunate as I was, it didn’t come for free – it took a lot of hard work. I love the organization, they’re my family and they treated like family when I went to New Jersey, so L.A. is home for me. HoopsHype

Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic, Euroleague 

What kind of career do you think you would have had in the NBA without Kobe Bryant in front of you? SV: [Laughs] Yeah, that’s a good question. Could have been much different… There are always pluses and minuses in life having the best basketball player in front of you. You learn a lot, you play against him in every practice, you learn how to become better. But also there is a big minus about the playing time and about growing as a player as well. Luckily, I wasn’t there for one, two, three years but I was there for seven years, so it helped me and it hurt me. Now I’m 27, I’m not too old yet, so hopefully I can still play a little bit longer. Were you disappointed when you got traded to the Nets? SV: I was not shocked. I was expecting the trade because I wasn’t in the rotation anymore… What do think happened for you to be out of the rotation? SV: Nothing, just a different game plan, different basketball we started playing. It became more transition and the coach preferred other players. Once I was traded, it gave me the opportunity to regain confidence and have fun. HoopsHype

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Sasha Vujacic 

Al Iannazzone: From what I have heard, there is no out in Sasha Vujacic's contract. Twitter

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic, Lockout, Turkey 

Sasha Vujacic: Today I officially signed a contract to play for Turkish team Anadolu Efes Pilsen. See my official statement on www.sashavujacic18.com Twitter

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic, Lockout, Turkey 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul improved its backcourt for the upcoming season by inking shooting guard Sasha Vujacic to a one-year deal and an option for another, the club announced on Friday. Euroleague.net

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic, Lockout, Turkey, Anadolu Efes Istanbul 

Sasha Vujacic may take any decision about re-signing him out of the Nets' hands. According to the Turkish website and newspaper, Milliyet -- which also ran a bunch of Lindsay Lohan pictures yesterday -- Vujacic is close to signing a deal with Anadolu Efes that would keep him overseas for a full season. Vujacic reportedly is considering playing in Turkey in the event of a lengthy NBA lockout, which will be two weeks old tomorrow. New York Post

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic, Lockout 

Umit Avci: Anadolu Efes is very close to reaching an agreement with New Jersey's Slovenian guard Sasha Vujacic. Twitter

Free Agency, Sasha Vujacic, Lockout, Turkey, Anadolu Efes 

Nets shooting guard Sasha Vujacic won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s also engaged to tennis star Maria Sharapova. The synergy between Sharapova, a beautiful athlete, and Vujacic being an accomplished NBA player garnered extra media attention especially when the two were engaged. TMZ and Deadspin reported their engagement. “It has its pluses and minuses with TMZ, we live our life pretty low key—we are devoted to what we are doing,” said Vujacic in a recent interview. Vujacic acknowledges the balance of a good upbringing from his parents and his early start in his sport for keeping him grounded in handling media. “The journalism brings you to celebrity status but you try to stay down to Earth as much as you can,” he added. “Spending seven years in Los Angeles playing for one of the best teams on the planet definitely gives you opportunity to be out there and it just grows if you are smart with it.” SLAM

Los Angeles Lakers, Sasha Vujacic, Media, Maria Sharapova 

How about Sasha Vujacic, whose contract has also expired? “My personal choice would be definitely to come back,” Vujacic said. “Everybody accepted me here, from Day One, from (PR director Gary Sussman) to everybody in our organization. All jokes aside, everybody was great and I felt like at home, especially our fans they were tremendous even though our record wasn’t the best. “I dont know (if I’d come on a discount). The business part, I’m not getting involved in. I’m going to leave that to my agent (Rob Pelinka) to do whatever. Hopefully we have NBA next year. Hopefully there’s not going to be any lockout, and hopefully well continue to build something.” New York Daily News

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic 

“I really don’t know,’’ Vujacic said when asked if he wants to return to the Nets. “I’ll talk with you about that after the last game. But definitely, from Day One, everybody accepted me, from the organization, to coaches to teammates. So I feel great and I felt welcomed. So I like it here. I like it a lot. The ownership, Mikhail Prokhorov, and (GM) Billy King, coach (Avery Johnson), everybody has that global vision of the team going somewhere and winning the championship and all I want to do is to win championships.’’ Newark Star-Ledger

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic 

Vujacic, who is engaged to tennis star Maria Sharapova, said he will take a week or so off after the season ends tomorrow in Chicago against the Bulls and then quickly get right to working out and getting ready for next season. He said he is already talking to trainers trying to come up with a plan for staying in shape in an offseason that is two months longer than he is used to. And of course, he’ll be traveling and watching a lot of tennis, he said. Newark Star-Ledger

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic 

Kevin Ding: Reflecting on career, Phil took little jabs at Smush, Sasha and Farmar. Phil's favorites included HGrant, Kerr, Buechler. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Jordan Farmar, Steve Kerr, Sasha Vujacic, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Horace Grant, Smush Parker, Jud Buechler 

Mark Woods: Sasha Vujacic expresses extreme apathy at prospect of playing for Slovenia at Eurobasket 2011 Twitter

Sasha Vujacic, Slovenia 

Nets forward Kris Humprhies got into a jawing match with Celtics forward Kevin Garnett in the first half, while New Jersey guard Sasha Vujacic and C’s center Kendrick Perkins exchanged words in the second half. On the court, the C’s got the last word in a 94-80 victory. Off the court? Vujacic explained the chippiness. “I think we started a little bit too soft in the game,” said Vujacic. “They’re a team that plays very well, and they’re trying to act up most of the time, so that’s how they are and how they play. We just can’t back down from that. We’ve got to deliver the first punch and not let them get us on our heels.” Asked about the Celtics’ trash talk, Nets point guard Devin Harris added, “Nothing surprises me.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic 

Got a chance to sit down with Sasha Vujacic before the Nets lost to the Spurs last night. No tape recorder, just me and him talking. Since I was one of the two reporters in Charlotte when Vujacic said the quote that elicited negative reactions from web sites here and overseas - “I know I can score 20 or 30 points anytime I want. But I’m not that kind of a guy. I want to win. I want to play the right way,” - I figured I’d ask him about it. Vujacic didn’t care about the reactions, but he did wish he said what he said differently. He said he meant to say he can score 20 or 30 points if he took 20 shots, but he doesn’t want to do that. From my perspective, I have no problem with what Vujacic said. He’s been a good pickup for them and has kept them in games and helped them win some games. His comment was a little surprising since he’s never averaged 10 points in the NBA, but so many players have that kind of confidence. They all think they can score whenever they want and now he’s getting an opportunity – albeit for a team nowhere near the Lakers – to show he can produce regularly. Bergen Record

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic 

According to Johnson, Vujacic has helped provide leadership for the young Nets. The coach called him “an encourager” to his teammates in huddles during timeouts. “We needed that, especially during tough times in the game,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know we were going to get that part. I knew we would get the shooting, and there are a lot of other benefits to that whole trade.” Newark Star-Ledger

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic 

Sasha Vujacic got new red-and-white sneakers to match the Nets’ team colors after taking grief from the fans about the purple-and-gold (Lakers colors) footwear he sported the last home game. These were Nike sneakers, however, which are not the brand of shoe Vujacic has been endorsing. Vujacic had previously been wearing a Chinese brand, called Peak. Newark Star-Ledger

Los Angeles Lakers, Sasha Vujacic, Sneakers 

Sasha Vujacic: My personal life changes a lot. Maria (Sharapova) has accepted to come with me because we both embrace this challenge. That makes me feel very happy. Eurosport

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic, Maria Sharapova 

Vujacic still is waiting for new sneakers. The ex-Laker wore purple and gold ones and heard it from some of the fans. "I can put it on the record [that] I’m still waiting for them to ship [them] out," Vujacic. "Hopefully I’ll get them before the next home game." Bergen Record

New Jersey Nets, Sasha Vujacic