Bleeding and leading: Goran Dragic's unlikely rise

Goran Dragic's willingness to sacrifice his body and drive into the lane often produces battle scars.

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Before long he had fallen in love with the game, going online to watch And1 mixtapes and NBA highlights, and bringing some of the moves of the flashier stars, like Allen Iverson, to the courts of Ljubljana. That playground flair is still evident in his game today, with his acrobatic finishes in traffic, deft crossovers and one of his favorite moves, the between-the-legs dribble into the step-back lefty jumper. Dragic is sweetly unassuming, even shy, yet he's also part showman. "I like to give a little something to the fans for entertainment," he said.

Goran Dragic (left) has silenced critics who were skeptical of his game after being drafted No. 48 in '08.

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