Born Predrag Stojaković on the 9th June 1977, in Slavonska Požega, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia, he is a retired professional basketball player, who spent 16 season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for the Sacramento Kings (1998-2006), Indiana Pacers (2006). New Orleans Hornets (2006-2010), Toronto Raptors (2010-2011) and Dallas Mavericks (2011), winning numerous accolades, including the NBA Championship in 2011 as a Maverick. His playing career was active from 1992 until 2011.
Have you ever wondered how rich Peja Stojaković is, as of early 2017? According to authoritative sources it has been estimated that Stojaković’s net worth is as high as $45 million, an amount earned through his successful career as a basketball player. Most recently, Peja became the general manager of the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento’s NBA D-League affiliate, and director of player personnel and development for the Sacramento Kings.
Peja Stojaković Net Worth $45 Million
Peja is the son of Miodrag and his wife Branka Stojaković. Struck by Yugoslav wars, he and his family fled to Belgrade once the war reached Slavonia, however, his father stayed in Croatia, fighting against the Croatian forces.
When Peja was 15 years old, he joined KK Crvena Zvezda, and played for them until 1994 when he moved to Greece, as war reached Serbia as well. He then joined PAOK of the Greek League, and until 1998 was one of the best players in the club’s history. He brought the win to his team against the Olympiacos with a three point shot in the last second of the match in the semi-finals of the Greek League playoffs. However, in the finals his team lost to Panathinaikos, but still, Peja dominated the floor with 23.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game throughout the season, and in play-off finals.
Before NBA’s lockout in 1998-1999, Peja was selected as the 14th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. In his first two seasons, Peja didn’t see much playing time, however, that all change in his third season in the NBA, as he played in 75 games and averaged 20.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. His numbers continued to improve, and he had his best season in 2003-2004, when he averaged 24.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Furthermore, he won the NBA 3-point Shootout twice, in 2002 and 2003, while he also consecutively played in three NBA All-Star games from 2002 until 2004. He stayed with the Kings until 2006, and left a great mark on the franchise which even retired his No. 16 jersey in 2014. Now, he is again at the franchise, alongside one of his international and Sacramento Kings teammates Vlade Divac. In 2006 he was traded to the Indiana Pacers for Ron Artest, however his stint at Indiana was short as his contract expired and wasn’t renewed.
Instead he signed a contract with the New Orleans Hornets worth $64 million over five years, which considerably increased his wealth. While with the Hornets, Peja proved once again to be a prolific scorer, with a career record of 42 points in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats, while also scoring the first 20 points for his team in the same match. Unfortunately, he became injury prone and played in 13 games only during the 2006-2007 season. Although healthy for the 2007-2008 season, his numbers declined, and continued to decline further year after year, with the lowest average of 7.5 points in 2010-2011 season.
He then joined the Toronto Raptors for a brief stint before he joined the Dallas Mavericks and won the NBA Championship in 2011-12, defeating LeBron James and his Miami Heat in the finals 4-2. After the season ended, he retired due to persistent back and neck problems that negatively affected his form.
Aside from success on a club level, Peja was also successful with the Yugoslavian international team, winning a gold medal at the 2001 FIBA EuroBasket in Turkey, and also gold medal from the 2002 Fiba World Championship, which was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, defeating Argentina in overtime.
Regarding his personal life, Stojaković holds dual citizenship, Greek and Serbian. He is now based in Glyfada, Greece, with his wife Aleka Kamila, a model, and their three children, but works for the Sacramento Kings.
Peja is also known for his philanthropic endeavors; he has started the Peja Stojaković Children’s Foundations, focused on improving lives of children in Balkan countries, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro.
