Kings games in Mumbai, India key to Vivek Ranadive’s ‘vision of NBA 3.0’

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a Serbian flavor to the Kings’ ascendance this season.

General manager Vlade Divac and assistant GM Peja Stojakovic have steered the front office, acquiring many of the young players that have made a significant impact for the Kings throughout their 19-19 start. Two of those players — guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and power forward Nemanja Bjelica — also hail from their native Serbia.

On Wednesday, the Serbian contingent at Kings practice was even larger than normal, as 14-year-old Isaija Pantic was able to attend and see his favorite NBA team up close and personal. It was a joyous occasion for Pantic, whose recent years have been anything but.

A routine eye exam in June 2017 revealed that Isaija had a brain tumor. Four months after emergency surgery to remove that tumor, another one was discovered.

Isaija’s father, Zeljko, snapped into action. After receiving mixed diagnoses from labs in Serbia and London, Zeljko — who routinely wakes up at 4:00 a.m. to catch Kings games — decided to bring Isaiah to the United States for additional testing. They required fundraising to finance their overseas trip. Enter Divac.

Divac, along with Bogdanovic, helped raise $150,000 to fund Isaija’s trip to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C., where he underwent both a successful surgery and clinical trial that ultimately eliminated his ailment.

On Wednesday, Divac, Bogdanovic and the Kings invited the Pantics to attend practice to celebrate nearly five months since Isaija’s last tumor was removed.

14-year-old Isaija Pantic was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017.

He’s now in remission and visited Sacramento this week to see some familiar faces 💜👑 pic.twitter.com/ssjTiQS9B6

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 6, 2019

Isaija got to throw alley-oops to Willie Cauley-Stein, share laughs with Marvin Bagley III and De’Aaron Fox and take on Bogdanovic in a game of one-one-one. Isaija, with a little help from his brother, ultimately pulled off the 5-4 upset.

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That was the only ‘upset’ of its kind on Wednesday, as Isaija was all smiles.

There’s no denying the significant role the Kings’ Serbian contingent has played in their feel-good season thus far. On Wednesday, it played an even greater role in providing a feel-good moment for a fan that most definitely deserved it.