Vladimir Stepania didn't grow up with a Michael Jordan poster on his bedroom wall. He didn't fall asleep to thoughts of posting up on Patrick Ewing. As a teenager in the Republic of

Georgia, Stepania would just as soon take laps in the nearest swimming pool than dunk a basketball.

Though Stepania at one point was unsure how far this game could take him, he's determined to find out.

Miami's backup center, the 7-1 Stepania is having a breakthrough season playing behind Alonzo Mourning, and achieving more than he ever conceived.

''I never had a dream to play [in the NBA],'' Stepania said. ``I was tall when I was a kid and all the time I was pushed to play basketball, but I didn't like it. When I went to Europe and started playing at a high level, I wasn't sure how big it was for me and if the final destination was the NBA. I never thought seriously that I could have big success here. I'm trying.''

In his fourth NBA season, Stepania is making good use of his court time. He's averaging four rebounds and 12.8 minutes per game. Over 48 minutes, those rebounding numbers would be about 15 per game.

The opportunities weren't as abundant during Stepania's first two NBA stops. Seattle picked him in the first round (27th overall) in the 1998 draft out of the Slovenian league and sat him 68 times his first two seasons. Last season, he watched 31 games from the New Jersey bench.

''[The Sonics] benched me from the beginning because I didn't know the language and I didn't know the system,'' said Stepania, who signed a free agent contract with Miami on Oct. 2, 2001. ``Later on, they put me in and I played well, better than the starters, and they were surprised with it. Maybe they didn't really need me on the team, but because I was kind of talented they kept me but didn't play me. That was my biggest frustration ever in my life.''

Perhaps the second biggest frustration relates to his native Georgia. Situated between Europe and Asia in the former Soviet Union, Georgia is a multi-ethnic country of about 5 million. After declaring its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Georgia was marred by ethnic unrest. Separatist areas of Abkhazia and Ossetia are among the sources of internal strife.

Most of the population resides in the capital, Stepania's hometown of Tblisi. The Tblisi Stepania likes to describe is that of his father. While still rich in culture, the Tblisi where 25-year-old Vladimir grew up is more devoid of old charms.

''When I was young, I saw fights, wars, some struggles, drugs, bombs, everything,'' Stepania said. ``I didn't really see so nice stuff. When my dad grew up, he loved it so much. He doesn't want to come [to the United States]. He used to be a top architect in Georgia and can afford to live here in the States with me or in Europe, but he doesn't want to because he loves it so much.

``In '70s and '80s, downtown Tblisi, you come from different country or different city and have no place to sleep and you go and knock on first door and they let you eat, let you sleep, and then afterward they ask for your name. It's a beautiful country with high culture and really good people. The country is kind of struggling right now, but I still think there's more upside than downside.''

Stepania hasn't been back for three years and does not anticipate returning this offseason because of the nation's instability. He left Georgia when he was 16 and ultimately won four Slovenian league championships with Union Olimpija Ljubljana. Though Stepania takes great pride in being the first Georgia native to reach the NBA, he neither longs for nor wants to recreate the Old World in his new environment.

''I want to live this life, and I want to try to be successful here,'' Stepania said. ``If I want to drink Georgian wine and sing Georgian songs, I'll go back home. . . . Here you have space to go and improve. Situations like [Georgia], it's nice to live but you have to give up something. Do you want to be really successful and take your chance? In my situation, playing NBA, I think this is better for me.''