ESPN Films 30 for 30: Once Brothers

Great 😃👍 movie if love basketball like me ,love this movie documentary, show true facts and reality about sport war love and respect, game it's not only in basketball 🏀 Court,

Great documentary about sports and political and ideology. After the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, what happened to their teams? Once brothers, now enemies?

Kudos to NBA Entertainment for such a great idea for a film and for pulling it off so brilliantly. The emotional wallop of 'Once Brothers' surprised me. I knew of the great tragedy of Drazen Petrovic's early, shocking death right as he was on the cusp of NBA super-stardom. I also knew of the great Yugoslavian teams of the late Eighties culminating in 1990's World Championship. I also knew that the Balkan conflicts ripped the team apart.What I did not know - and what this film focuses on - is how deeply that conflict forever ruptured these teammates. Once brothers, these players - a team comprised of individuals from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Bosnia - became divided along state and ethic lines. The dual axis of the team revolved around the stars: Croatian Petrovic and Serbian Divac. A single flashpoint incident - Divac ripping a Croatian flag out of a celebrant's hands after the championship - became the tinder for the split between the two men. Divac swears to this day that his actions were misinterpreted: that he did it because it was a Yugoslavian triumph, not a time for state partisanship. No matter, the action was taken by Petrovic (and many others) in a far different light.Divac's regret - that Petrovic died before the two of them could reconcile - is palpable. It's his narration - he's the film's guide in the US, Serbia...and, most stirringly, in Croatia - that guides us throughout. Think you don't care one way or another about Vlade Divac? Think again. You'll have a completely different opinion after seeing this film. His likable personality and genuine regret and remorse are what make this excellent film work. And the last scene? I defy you not to be impacted by it.

In my opinion, this is very good documentary but not excellent. I expected a little more footage of Drazen but I am delighted to see some rare footage of him, especially from Trail Blazers training. It is very emotional documentary.I was 11 years old when Drazen died. I knew absolutely nothing about basketball back then. When he died that was a complete shock to me. I said to myself: "I will start covering basketball because of him. And I did."

THIS documentary is NOT really about basketball bur rather about relationships. Like the other great "sports" movies, that just use the sport itself as a vehicle to deliver the story. These two guys could have been brought together by....oh....their love of root beer. It is a well delivered documentary, that tells the story of love and passion broken by politics and horrible violent war and hate. Beautiful.......... and......... oh bring tissues. One thing that most impressed me was the warmth and gentleness displayed by Magic Johnson. I am NOT a basketball fan nor a Magic Johnson fan. In fact until Magic was found to be HIV positive i never knew anything about him but his name. WOW what a great guy and how he received and helped his new team mate from half way around the world. That is how you can tell Magic was a real talent. He did not have to feel threatened, but rather, did everything in his power to make his new team mate feel welcome and successful in a new country. GOOD STUFF ALL THE WAY AROUND.

I am 33 years old, grew up in NJ a die hard Nets fan in the early 90s, and will never forget the day Drazen died. Watching him play in person back then, I'll never forget the absolute joy he brought to the court. The day he died was unbelievably tragic. This documentary tells his story better than I could have ever imagined. Vlade does an amzing job narrating and telling their story together, and I'm not ashamed to admit I am brought to tears everytime I watch this. It is quite simply one of the greatest documentaries ever made. And it's so much bigger than basketball too. This is about what it is to be human...the good in us and the bad, smiles and tears, guilt, elation, stubborness, obsurdity, love, fear.....everything. It's all of us. I could not recommend you watch this enough. It will literally make you a better human being (I seriously mean that). I'd give it a million stars if I could.

This has to be the most touching basketball movie ever made. Witness how moving to America changes a young boy grown up in communist Yugoslavia, who could be happy with the simplest things in life. Also, how a civil war tears up countries and breaks up friendships. So many lessons to be taken from this movie. Kudos to the people who made it happen..

It's amazing that such petty nationalistic feelings could divide that friendship, but that's the underlying problem that led to the tragic breakup of Yugoslavia. Vlade is a warm, outgoing person and it was heartwarming to see him rise above that and bridge that gap to Drazen's family. Zhivio!