Los Angeles ? Former NBA center Vlade Divac said Wednesday he was surprised to learn that his home country was accusing him of avoiding its military draft.

Serbia-Montenegro’s army says it had filed charges against him. Divac, 37, was obliged by law to join the compulsory six-month military service by the age of 35, the country’s state prosecutors’ office said earlier Wednesday.

It asked Serbia-Montenegro’s foreign ministry “to determine Divac’s citizenship and his home address” to be able to carry out the legal proceedings and hand him the draft notice.

“I have learned about this a couple of days ago, and it came as a complete surprise,” Divac said in a statement issued through his agent, Marc Fleisher.

“I have filed all of the necessary documents required for postponing army duties on a regular basis with the Serbian embassy in the United States and the Department of Defense of Serbia and Montenegro. In my opinion, this is a non-issue, and it will be resolved in the next couple of days.”

Divac currently lives in Los Angeles.

He could face a one-year prison sentence in his native country if he does not join the army soon, legal experts in Serbia-Montenegro said.

He ended his 16-year NBA career last month, taking a job with the Los Angeles Lakers as a liaison and scout in Europe.