Ex-NBA player Darko Milicic loses kickboxing debut

MANILA, Philippines – Darko Milicic, a seven-foot Serbian who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2003 to 2012, came up short in his professional kickboxing debut after suffering a gory leg gash.

The 29-year-old Milicic sustained a gruesome cut on his left leg in the first round of an exhibition match against compatriot Radovan Radojcic on Friday, December 19 (PH Time) in his hometown.

Milicic managed to land a few kicks on his much-smaller opponent, but he was ruled ineligible to continue the bout early in the second round when a nasty wound opened up on his shin.

His corner attempted to stop the bleeding during the break between the first and second rounds, but the persistent drizzling of Milicic’s blood on the canvas gave the official no choice but to halt the contest and award the victory to Radojcic, who consistently worked on his counterpart’s left leg throughout the encounter.

DARKO KICKBOXINGhttp://t.co/RrCzPdR60C (Pics: @GettySport) pic.twitter.com/XpkMerTFSZ

— SB Nation (@SBNation) December 19, 2014

Milicic, who previously pledged to donate the proceeds from the fight to charity, appeared in good spirits as he hoisted a second-place trophy following the disappointing defeat to Radojcic.

“The next time, it will be better. I’m invincible,” he said in his native tongue.

At the age of 18 years old, Milicic was famously picked by the Detroit Pistons immediately behind LeBron James and ahead of future All-Star players Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Here’s a photo of Milicic during draft night. 

The guy who was drafted after LeBron James has decided to retire from basketball: http://t.co/vIes1ydo3j #nba pic.twitter.com/XsokT7pGTk

— BallDontStop.com (@balldontstop) September 22, 2014

Along with the recognition of being the fourth youngest cager and the youngest foreign competitor to play in the league, Milicic won an NBA championship in 2004 when the Larry Brown-mentored Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, which had claimed three out of the previous four titles and fielded a star-studded lineup that included Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone.

Milicic also strutted his wares for Orlando, Memphis, New York, Minnesota and Boston before he decided to hang his jersey for good in 2012. – Rappler.com