A lot of NBA stars came over to Europe this summer, but this looks to be the most interesting match-up so far. Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic, who won two NBA championships together with the Los Angeles Lakers, and went on to become teammates again in New Jersey, will face off against each other in Istanbul. (Getty Images)
By Amy Samin
One of the biggest stars signed by Anadolu Efes Istanbul this summer is Slovenian guard Sasha Vujacic, and there’s no one who knows him better than Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv’s point guard Jordan Farmar.
Farmar, who began playing in the NBA in 2006 – 2007, came to the Lakers as Vujacic was starting his third season with the team. For the next four seasons they played together in the Lakers’ back court, winning two NBA championships (2009 and 2010). Not only that, last season Farmar played for the New Jersey Nets, after signing a contract with them in the summer of 2010. Just a short time later, in December of 2010, as part of a three-way trade, Vujacic joined the Nets, playing alongside his friend Farmar once again.
Farmar talked about his relationship with Vujacic: “We’ve spent a lot of time together, on and off the court, in the past five seasons. Sasha is a terrific player, a pure shooter; he was the shooting guard while I was the point guard. I remember during the 2007 – 2008 season, when we lost to the Celtics in the final, he broke the Lakers’ all-time record for three point shooting percentage in a season (with 43.7%).”
“He played a big part in the Lakers’ success during those great years – 3 straight finals and 2 championship rings. I was really happy that he joined us last season at the Nets, and it’s going to be fun to see him this week. I’m sure we’ll sit down and exchange memories and experiences. But on the court on Thursday, I’ll forget that he’s my friend and do everything I can to help Maccabi get another win.”
