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This Day in Basketball History

Pat Lovell / Reuters

1982 - Pero Antic is born

On this date 32 years ago, Pero Antic was born in the city of Skopje, Macedonia, which was then part of Yugoslavia.

Before going on to become the first Macedonian to play in the NBA last season, Antic spent more than a decade making a name for himself in Europe. He featured for clubs in now-Macedonia, Greece, now-Serbia, and Russia, but enjoyed particular success in Bulgaria, where he was named as the league MVP following a successful 2007-08 with Academic Sofia.

Antic's rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks saw him average 7.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, while posting a true shooting percentage of 54.5 percent and a player efficiency rating of 11.7.

One of Antic's biggest successes, however, has been off the court as Macedonian basketball fans flocked to NBA arenas in 2013-14, keen to catch a glimpse of one of their country's most famous human beings ever.

Birthdays

1945 - Gene Moore

1948 - Neal Walk

1952 - Scott Wedman

1979 - Ronald Murray

1982 - Pero Antic

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