# funny, but serious



## Tom (Jul 15, 2002)

are European players still heavy smokers...or has this fallen out of favor... I remember Kukoc was never in top form because of his bad habit of smoking and he said it was big among euro players. Is this still the case?


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## qwertyu (Dec 29, 2002)

I don't think it happens anymore, but it's true that the old European players were heavy smokers.
Yugoslavians especially used to smoke a lot. Zarko Paspalj who played in Greece for many years was another famous smoker. I think I've heard that Divac smokes as well.


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## SEOK (Apr 3, 2003)

About Zarko Paspalj. He was smoking about 50 cigarettes every day, and this has been the main for reasons for his hearth problem. 
Well, he had is first attack in Athens some years ago, playing basketball with some friends (Panagiotis Fasoulas too, if I remember well). 
He went to the surgery, everything ok, but the doctors told him that he had to stop smoking. 
Some hours after the surgical operation, Zarko Paspalj was in the toilet of the hospital smoking a cigarette: one of the Doctors found him... "but what are you doing?!?! Are you crazy?!?!?!" 

The Zarko's answer... "I know I can't smoke in a hospital, but I'm in the toilet, alone, the window is open... do I disturb anyone?" 

Number one.


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## qwertyu (Dec 29, 2002)

Zarko Paspalj used to be one of the best FT shooters in Europe.
But at some point in his career he became one of the worst FT shooters in Europe. Everytime he went to the FT line was a disaster for his team. And according to the rumors it was because of his smoking addiction.


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