The year is 1989 and San Antonio Spurs rookies David Robinson, Sean Elliott, and Zarko Paspalj dressed up in costumes to present their version of Jingle Bells.
David Robinson, The Admiral, is dressed in an Army uniform. Zarko’s dressed as Zorro which will be explained in a second. Why the hell is Sean Elliott dressed as a woman with braids? Maybe he really does dress like that at home.
I didn’t remember Zarko Paspalj, but with the help of Google and Wikipedia I was able to find out he was from Yugoslavia and played for the Spurs for one season. I was shocked to learn that he didn’t get along with his coach, Larry Brown.
He also drew the ire of coach Larry Brown by admitting he played “no defense, only offense.” He also confessed a weakness for Pizza Hut and Marlboros. However, Paspalj did develop a cult following among fans, evidenced by the Terry Cummings-penned song “The Mark of Zarko”, which was sung to the tune of “The Mark of Zorro.” Eventually he was cut from the team three days before the 1990 NBA Playoffs started.
Here are the words to Terry Cummings smash about Zarko Paspalj:
Onto the floor when the Spurs need to score, comes a forward known as Zarko.
- When the game gets tight, the opponents take flight, when they catch the sight of Zarko.
- They say from Europe he came, to play the American game; the Z in his name is for Zarko.
- Zarko — the hoopster they all come to see; Zarko — who’s known by the sign of the Z.
- Terry Cummings’ “Mark of Zarko”
