11 Players you forgot played for the Indiana Pacers

Peja Stojakovic was caught in the crossfire of Ron Artest’s Pacers trade request

When you think of Peja Stojakovic, you probably don’t think much about his time donning the blue and gold. Most prominently remembered for his runs with the Kings, Stokavoic brought a reliable outside shot to the league and might be one of the more historically underrated players to ever play the game.

The 6-10 Croatian forward would have fit very nicely into today’s game, shooting 40.1 perfect on 5.5 attempts per game from beyond the arc. He was a three-time All-Star and won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in what would be the final year of his career.

Stojakovic, following seven straight years to kick off his career in Sacramento, was traded in January of 2006 for Metta World Peace (then known as Ron Artest).

Of course, this trade followed World Peace’s record-setting 86-game suspension after the Malice in the Palace. After missing the remainder of the 2004-05 season, Artest requested a trade shortly after being reinstated in the 2005-06 season.

This trade was held from going through at first, and the reason is still largely unknown. Some state Artest held it up with a desire to avoid Sacramento. He denied those reports, and the trade would eventually happen.

Stojakovic would play 40 games in Indiana and have a decent impact, averaging 19.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game.

Caught in the crossfire of the drama between Artest and the Pacers, Stokacovic would not return to the Kings and would go on to play for the New Orleans Hornets before ending his career with the Dallas Mavericks.