Reflective Vasiljevic proud to reach 150-game milestone

There was a time when DJ Vasiljevic didn’t think he’d find his way back onto an NBL court.

It was April 2021. He was in his rookie season with the Sydney Kings and he had just suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his 21^st game.

Game 22 seemed a very long way away.

So getting to 150 NBL games this week as a two-time Championship player has Vasiljevic reflecting with gratitude.

“I reflected a bit in the car on the way here because after 21 games, in my first season, I tore my Achilles and didn't know how many more games I'd play,” he recalled while speaking with Adelaide media on Tuesday.

“To get to 150 is pretty cool and hopefully I get another 150 in me.

“It's a big achievement. Obviously, a lot of sacrifice from people in my circle so it’s just a proud moment.

“Obviously, when you have an injury like that, you think you probably are done, you probably won't play or whatnot.

“So just to come back and what I've done and obviously be here in Adelaide is pretty cool.”

His two championships came with the Kings in Sydney before he found his way to Adelaide to play with the 36ers in the 2023-24 season.

The 28-year-old has played 61 of his 149 NBL games so far for the 36ers and is proud to be one of the club’s co-captains in a season in which the Sixers are 9-3 after 12 games.

Vasiljevic says he’s happy that he gets to call Adelaide home.

“I think just the people wanting me here, that was like a big reason I came here, just playing the type of basketball I've been playing, and obviously, when you get a good group of guys around you it makes winning fun and that's what we've been doing.

“It's just a lot of enjoyment at the minute, so that's why I really like it here.”

While fans would have become accustomed to seeing Vasiljevic starting on the court and hitting big scores, he has been playing a different role in NBL26.

He came off the bench in each of the last two games, both wins against Tasmania and Cairns.

Against the JackJumpers he nailed 11 points in the third period on his way to 14 for the game.

While it is a different role, Vasiljevic remains team-first in his focus, eager to taste championship success in his adopted home state.

“I play my role to a tee, and I'll play the minutes that I get and I'll take full advantage of that, and as long as I'm providing a positive impact, there's not much else I can do.

“And if you can win a championship at the end of the year, it's all worth it.”

He said he understood what he needed to do and how he could make an impact for the group, whether that was from the starting line-up or the bench.

“It's just talking to (coach) Mike (Wells) and understanding what it is and what he's after.

“I'm okay with that. I'm not bitching and moaning about it.

“Obviously, I've come off the bench previously with the Sydney Kings to start, so I know what it takes and, I know what it takes to win, because I won two championships in my five or six years that I've been in the league.”

Game 150 will come in Wednesday night’s Ignite Cup game at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre against an Illawarra side smarting from a big loss to rivals Sydney at the weekend.

The Sixers seem to match up well against the Hawks, winning the last six meetings between the sides but Vasiljevic and his teammates won’t be taking the reigning NBL champions lightly.

“(They’re) very dangerous,” Vasiljevic said.

“They got smacked again on the weekend, but last time they got smacked, they came in and threw a couple of punches to our face, and obviously it became a close game and they're a good team.

“They're just still trying to figure it out a little bit with Davo Hickey coming back, but yeah, they've got the pieces to go to work.”

Tip off on Wednesday night is at 7pm, with limited tickets still available.