Croatia’s Top Basketball Players

Meet some of the best basketball players that Croatia has to offer. From Drazen Petrovic to Toni Kukoc these athletes have made a name for themselves on the court.

Drazen Petrovic

Drazen Petrovic was born on October 22, 1964, in Sibenik, Croatia. He is considered one of the best Croatian basketball players of all time. He started playing basketball professionally in 1981 with the Croatian team KK Cibona. He later played with the Portland Trail Blazers and the New Jersey Nets in the NBA. In 1993, he was named an NBA All-Star and won the gold medal at the European Championships with Croatia. He died in a car accident in 1993 at the age of 28.

Toni Kukoc

Toni Kukoc is a Croatian former professional basketball player who was named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 1996. He is widely regarded as one of the best European players of all time. Kukoc played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1996. In 1998, he was a member of the Chicago Bulls team that won the NBA Championship

Kukoc began his professional career in 1990 with the Croatian team KK Jugoplastika, where he won three consecutive Yugoslav League championships and two EuroLeague titles. He signed with the Chicago Bulls in 1993 and quickly became a key member of the team, helping them win three consecutive NBA championships from 1996 to 1998. Kukoc’s successful basketball career continued after he left the NBA, as he won several more championships in Europe before retiring in 2006.

Dino Radja

Dino Radja is a Croatian former professional basketball player He was named one of FIBA’s 50 greatest players in 1991, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. Radja played for several League teams throughout his career, winning the European championship with Partizan in 1992. He was also a two-time Olympian, winning a silver medal with Croatia at the 1996 Summer Olympics

Radja began his professional career with Jugoplastika in 1987. He won multiple Yugoslav League and Yugoslav Cup championships with the team, as well as the EuroLeague title in 1991. Radja’s success continued after he joined the Boston Celtics in 1991, helping the team win the NBA Eastern Conference championship in 1992. He returned to Europe after two seasons in the NBA, signing with Panathinaikos of Greece. With Panathinaikos, Radja won consecutive Greek League titles in 1993 and 1994, as well as the League Championship in 1995.

Radja retired from basketball in 2001, after a season with Virtus Bologna of Italy. He finished his career as one of the most successful European players of all time. In 2020, he was named one of FIBA’s 100 greatest players ever by an international panel of media members and basketball experts.

Dražen Anzulović

Dražen Anzulović is one of Croatia’s top basketball players He was born in Zagreb in 1967 and began playing professionally in 1985. He played for several Croatian teams before moving to the United States to play for the Portland Trail Blazers in 1988. He returned to Croatia in 1990 and played for the Croatian national team until his retirement in 1999.

Stojko Vranković

Stojko Vranković is considered one of Croatia’s top basketball players of all time. He began his career with the Croatian National Team in 1988, and went on to play for several European professional teams, including Real Madrid and Barcelona. Vranković was a two-time Olympian, and won a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010.

Željko Rebrača

Željko Rebrača (born September 5, 1974) is a Croatian retired Professional Basketball player. Standing at 2.18 m (7’2″) and weighing 118 kg (260 lbs.), he played at the center position. He was a member of the Croatia national basketball team

Marko Popović

Marko Popović (born October 28, 1985) is a Croatian professional basketball player who plays for Cedevita of the Croatian League and the EuroCup. Standing at 1.93 m (6’4″), he plays at the shooting guard position. He is the older brother of Dražen Popović, who also plays professional basketball

Bojan Bogdanović

Bojan Bogdanović is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Croatian National Team Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), he plays mainly at the small forward position, but he can also play as a shooting guard He is known for his Three-point shooting ability.

Bogdanović started playing basketball in his hometown of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the youth teams of HKK Široki until 1999. He then moved to Croatia to join the junior teams of Zrinski Čakovec. In 2006, he joined KK Cibona’s junior squad. Bogdanović made his debut for Cibona’s senior team during the 2006–07 season, and he helped them win both the domestic league and cup titles that year.

In 2010, he was named the Croatian League MVP after averaging 18 points and 4 rebounds per game leading Cibona to another league title. Bogdanović was also named to the All-Euroleague First Team that year. He won two more Croatian League titles with Cibona in 2011 and 2012, as well as a Radivoj Korać Cup title in 2012.

In July 2012, Bogdanović was acquired by Turkish club Fenerbahçe Ülker. In his first season with the club, he helped them win both the Turkish League and President’s Cup titles. The following season, Bogdanović was named Euroleague Best Defender after averaging 13 points and 3 rebounds per game in helping Fenerbahçe win another President’s Cup title.

Bogdanović joined the Brooklyn Nets in July 2014. In February 2015, he was traded to the Miami Heat in a deal that also involved Goran Dragic being traded from Miami to Phoenix Suns On July 14, 2015, he was renounced by the Heat after they had acquired Dragic earlier that day in a different trade; this made Bogdanović an unrestricted free agent again.”

Krunoslav Simon

Krunoslav Simon is a Croatian professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB Standing at 1.98 m, he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Simon was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2010 NBA draft with the 44th overall pick.

Roko Ukić

Roko Ukić (born February 18, 1988) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish basketball Super League (BSL) and the EuroLeague. He also represented Croatia’s national team in international competition.

Born in Mostar, Ukić started playing professionally with Šibenik of Croatia’s A-1 Liga in 2004. In 2006, he joined Bosna ASA BH Telekom of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he played until 2008. In 2008, he returned to Croatia and Šibenik. In 2010, he moved to Turkey and signed with Beşiktaş JK of the Turkish Basketball League (TBL). He spent two seasons with Beşiktaş before moving to Greece and signing with Olympiacos Piraeus of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague in 2012.

With Olympiacos, Ukić won the Greek League championship in 2013. In 2014, he was named the EuroLeague rising star after averaging 10.9 points and 3.4 assists per game during the 2013–14 season. He was also named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team that same season. On June 26, 2014, he was traded back to his former club Beşiktaş in exchange for Vladimir Stimac.

In 2016, Ukić joined Anadolu Efes. With Efes, he won his second Turkish League Championship in 2019.