Air Serbia names airplane after basketball legend Divac

Air Serbia names airplane after basketball legend Divac

BELGRADE -- The Air Serbia carrier decided on Friday to include an aircraft bearing the name of famed athlete Vlade Divac in its fleet.

An Airbus A320 now bears the former basketball player's name.

The company said this was part of its program "Living Legands" - a way of recognizing well-known Serbs whose achievement could serve as inspiration to others.

"I am proud that my name will be connected to Air Serbia, which is helping our country and the entire region a lot," Divac said thanking for the honor.

Air Serbia Director Dane Kondić pointed out that Divac was someone who had achieved worldwide recognition in sports.

"His extraordinary sport career and humanitarian work match perfectly with Air Serbia's vision of becoming a regional leader in air transport," Kondićnoted.

Divac is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and who currently serves as president of the country's Olympic Committee.

He was among the first group of European basketball players to transfer to the NBA in the late 1980s and was named one of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors. On August 20, 2010, Divac was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in recognition of his play in international competition.

Aside from being noticed for his basketball abilities, Divac is also known as a humanitarian.

This is the second time Air Serbia has recognized a distinguished individual in this way, after the company named one of its aircraft after Serbian tennis player Novak Đoković.