April 13, 2021 - Not only did he score 33 points for Utah on Monday, but Bojan Bogdanović became the first Croatian NBA player to hit 1000 career 3-pointers!

Although Croatia national team player Bojan Bogdanović achieved his best performance this season with 33 points, his Utah Jazz, which boasts the best ratio of victories and defeats in the NBA league, surprisingly lost at home to the Washington Wizards (121-125), thus breaking a series of 24 consecutive home wins. 

The Jazz was 13 points behind in the middle of the last quarter, only to get closer to -2 (119-121) at the last minute, but they failed to complete the comeback.

The most efficient at home was Donovan Mitchell with 42 points, while the Wizards were led by Bradley Beal with 34 points and Russell Westbrook with 25 goals and 14 rebounds and assists.

????? getting his ??????? #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/ZcjdLu1gwB

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 13, 2021

With this defeat, Utah's ratio dropped to 40-14, while Washington is in 12th place in the East (20-33).

Bogdanović spent 35:36 minutes on the court with 4-9 field goals, 6-9 three-pointers, and 7-8 from the free-throw line with five rebounds and one assist. However, by scoring six three-pointers, he exceeded 1000 in his NBA career and has recorded 1002 in total!

Bogdanović became the first Croat and only the 127th player with that jubilee in NBA history since the introduction of threes 42 years ago. Babo has been a Croatian record holder for a long time since he skipped Toni Kukoč, who ended his NBA career with 731 three-pointers.

@44Bojan last night:
33 PTS
6-10 3PT
??He became first Croatian player in @NBA history to hit 1000 career three pointers (1002 total). Only 126 players before him reached that number. Just a kid from Mostar, standing shoulder to shoulder with one of the best NBA shooters! ? pic.twitter.com/ChVrlRaNSL

— Andrija Cmrečnjak (@ZiziPecina) April 13, 2021

Bogdanović reached this jubilee in the 516th NBA game. By comparison, Sacramento defender Buddy Hield recently scored his 1000th three-pointer in his 350th appearance, breaking Stephen Curry's record of 369 appearances.

Bojan currently needs 80 points to enter the top 100 three-pointers of all time. Tracy McGrady is currently in the 100th position. There are ten more active players between McGrady and Bogdanović, meaning he will probably need to exceed 1100 three-pointers to break into the Top 100.

At the pace of 2.4 three-pointers per game, which is how many he is averaging this season, he would need about forty more appearances to reach that venture before the end of the year, depending on the start date of next season.

At the very top is still Ray Allen with 2973 threes, but he is dangerously close to Stephen Curry, who scored ten in last night's historic game and is now at 2719 in his career.

The Utah defeat was used by the Phoenix Suns, who, with a sure 126-120 victory against the weak Houston Rockets this season, are only one and a half games behind. Croatia national team player Dario Šarić added nine points to his team's new victory (1-5 field goals, 2-3 three-pointers,1-2 free throws) with five rebounds and one steal 17:51 minutes spent on the court. 

The best in Phoenix's ranks was Jae Crowder with 26 and Devin Booker with 24 points, while Christian Wood was the best for Houston with 25 points and 15 rebounds.

Luka Šamanić also got a chance in the San Antonio Spurs away victory to Orlando Magic (120-97), scoring seven points in 7:45 minutes spent in the game (2-3 field goals, 1-1 three-pointers, 0- 1free throws). DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 19 points, while R.J. Hampton with 16 points was the most efficient for the Magic.

With this victory, San Antonio reached a 50/50 performance with a 26-26 ratio and is ninth in the West, while Orlando, with 17-37, is the penultimate 14th in the East.

The New York Knicks as hosts defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (111-96), who are still without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Former Lakers player Julius Randle scored 34 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, while Dennis Schroeder was the most efficient for the Lakers with 21 points. 

The Knicks are now eighth in the East with a 28-27 ratio, while the Lakers are fifth in the West with a 33-21 ratio.

The Philadelphia 76ers returned to the top of the East with an away win against the Dallas Mavericks (113-95). Joel Embiid was excellent for the Sixers with 36 points, while Luka Dončić's 32 points were not enough for the Mavs.

Philadelphia is now 37-17, one win less and one game less than the Brooklyn Nets in second, who have postponed their Minnesota match against the Timberwolves due to the riots in Minneapolis, while Dallas is seventh in the West with 29-24.

Stephen Curry had a great evening, scoring 53 points in the 116-107 Golden State Warriors victory against the Denver Nuggets and became the best Warriors scorer in history, overtaking Wilt Chamberlain. Nikola Jokić's 27 points did not help the Nuggets. 

Golden State is now 26-28 and holds 10th place in the West, while Denver is 4th in the West with 34-20.

Source: HRT

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March 2, 2021 - The brilliant Bojan Bogdanović hits 7 threes for the third time this season. The Croatian basketball player has never had more than two games with 7 or more made threes until this year.

Index.hr reports that Utah Jazz lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 124:129 in last night's game despite one of the best performances of this season by Croatia star Bojan Bogdanović, who finished the match with 31 points.

Utah was one step away from creating a big turnaround, coming back from a 17-point deficit to only -1, but ultimately recorded their eighth defeat of the season. Utah is still the leading team in the NBA, with a ratio of 27 wins and eight losses.

In the last ten games, Bogdanović recorded a 32 percent accuracy for three-pointers, but he opened this game with five three-pointers, and by the end, he had scored a total of seven.

Bojan: 31p | 7 3pm | 7r | 3s | 1a
Rudy: 22p | 9r | 5b | 1a | 1s
Don: 21p | 8a | 4r
JC: 20p | 5r | 4a | 3 3pm | 1s
Mike: 10p | 8a | 3r | 2s | 2 3pm
Royce: 8p | 3r | 2a | 2s | 2 3pm
Georges: 8p | 2 3pm | 1r
Fav: 5r | 4p | 1s | 1b
Joe: 2a | 2r | 1a #podiumpostgame | @podiumhq pic.twitter.com/Ju75dpLG7g

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) March 2, 2021

For the third time this season, he scored seven three-pointers, a record achievement for the Croatian. Never before in the same season had he had more than two games with so many three-pointers. Bogdanović had 11 three-pointer attempts, as many as the entire Pelicans team who recorded as many made threes as he did.

In the third game of this season in which he scored 30 or more points, Bogdanović was 11/21 for field goals. His season record is still 32 points, which he achieved against the Dallas Mavericks in late January.

Zion Williamson was the best for the Pelicans with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, Brandon Ingram had 26 points and five assists, and Lonzo Ball had 23 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.

Young Croatian basketballer Luka Šamanić played his best game of the season. In the San Antonio Spurs' loss to the Brooklyn Nets, James Harden reached a triple-double with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 15 assists. Šamanić played nearly 17 minutes. He used them for eight points and five rebounds. The victory went to the Nets with a score of 124:113.

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October 19, 2019 - Croatia has never boasted more representatives in the world’s strongest basketball league than they have this season. However, the season ahead will also be decisive for the careers of our Croats in the NBA.

At first glance, one would think that Croatian basketball is a superpower, and that’s no surprise - in the upcoming season, they will have a record seven players in the NBA. This number is even higher than the world champions of Spain. But apart from Bojan Bogdanovic and Dario Saric, who else should be on our radar?

Gol.hr and Vid Horvat take a closer look at Croats in the NBA for the 2019/20 season.

Bojan Bogdanovic
(30 years old, 6 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $17 million)

Bojan Bogdanovic has been awarded the contract of a lifetime ($73 million over four years) and will have the opportunity to play an important role in a very serious Western Conference team, something he has never encountered thus far in his career. Bogdanovic should automatically enter the starting lineup as the small forward, where he can play alongside Jeff Green or Royce O'Neal, but he can also be used as a low four.

Why is this an excellent acquisition for Utah? Coach Quin Snyder has had issues with outside shooters in recent seasons and with virtually no one other than Ingles and Jae Crowder to shoot from outside the wing. Bojan was Indiana's biggest offensive threat last season after an injury to Victor Oladipo. He shot an incredible 42.5 percent for three-pointers and had a record average of 18 points per game.

Bogdanovic is an expressive shooter who can play without the ball in his hands, and Utah needs that. But his repertoire doesn't just stop at a three-point shot. Last year, he showed that he could be an effective mid-range shooter and is aggressive in counters. He even improved his pick and roll play, but still worked on it this summer. For the past three seasons, Bogdanovic has been part of a playoff team, but has never been surrounded by such good teammates.

Playing with Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell with the possibility of adding a third ball-handler in the starting five offers plenty of options. Bogdanovic will be able to contribute to the team in many ways, but the most significant contribution is expected in the shooting department. 

Dario Saric
(26 years old, 4 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $3.5 million)

It is perhaps a pivotal NBA season for Saric, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. After Philadelphia, he was no longer part of a system he could take advantage of. Unlike the Wolves, Saric should be in a better position with the Phoenix Suns, though it will all depend on him. Unless he makes good use of the minutes given, he will quickly find himself in the rotation behind either Frank Kaminsky or Cameron Johnson.

Like in previous NBA seasons, Saric can fill the four position, where he is currently ahead of Kaminsky and Johnson. However, Saric did not do well with the Wolves and their offensive system, which favored pick and roll and had more critical players than him involved in the attack. But he finished the season with a percentage of 45.4 of shots in play and a three-pointer percentage of 38.3.

These numbers are welcome in Phoenix, but he needs continuity and to avoid slow entry, which has been the case in recent years. Why is this important? The threat to Saric's position is not only the high post, but also Kelly Oubre Jr., who played the best games in the Suns' jersey in the four position. This is one of the variants we can also expect. In that case, Mikal Bridges would fill the other wing.

The Suns finally have a playmaker, and that's the best news ahead of the new season. Ricky Rubio should make it easy for everyone, including Dario. Saric's virtues are imagination and low-post play, and if there is more of a team game than individual play, it should suit him. Because of his future contract, this season must be above average for Saric.

Ivica Zubac
(22 years old, 4 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $6.5 million)

No other Croatian basketball player profited from a trade like Ivica Zubac. He left the turbulent Lakers without having to change cities and eventually ended up in an elite squad who is a serious contender for the title, where the thinnest rotation is in his position. Specifically, Zubac should be the Clippers' starting center who won't be needed much on offense, and at the same time, be able to progress by playing alongside some of the best players in the league like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Given that Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams function brilliantly in the other starting five, Doc Rivers will not break the bench. This means that if he decides to go with the small-ball five, JaMychal Green will start instead of Zubac, who has a better three-point shot and more mobility than the Croatian center.

The good news is that Zubac has an enormous desire to thrive and work. He wanted to work with the Gasol brothers this summer, as he would like to one day play like Marc for the Toronto Raptors, primarily paying attention to rebounds, communication on defense, and expanding the court. Unfortunately, their schedules did not align. However, Zubac is already working on his three-point shot and has specific characteristics that can be exploited.

Among the 50 centers that defended at least 50 possessions last season, Zubac allowed the second-fewest points per possession and the second-lowest shot percentage. He is also offensively good at finishing around the hoop and can shoot from a distance. Still, as the Clippers enter the season as one of the biggest favorites for the title, the primary goal will not be player development, but finding the ideal starting five and rotations.

Mario Hezonja
(24 years old, 5 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $1.74 million)

It will be a fresh start for Hezonja, who is still young enough to fulfill his potential. But in Portland, things work a bit differently than with his former teams. For one, Hezonja has not been part of a playoff squad so far and has not played with such dominant players that build the offensive attacks. Hezonja will be part of the second lineup in which he will have enough minutes to become a standard part of the rotation and will not have two or three more players competing for his place.

However, he will need to hit more than the desperate three-pointer percentage of 27.6 and the modest 41 percent for shots in play he recorded with the Knicks. Both are among his worst statistics since he arrived in the NBA. Plus, he could have more than 1.5 assists per game, as he has shown he knows how to set up plays. Hezonja will not be the playmaker as he was for New York, but as a secondary playmaker from the wing positions.

In his first four NBA seasons, Hezonja played for two weak teams. This will be his first time to be among a better quality group of players, which means that constant changes in the rotation and inconsistency in minutes will be a thing of the past. Portland has a clear game system, which will undergo some adjustments, but the hierarchy is basically known.

Dragan Bender
(21 years old, 4 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $1.68 million)

Recall, Dragan Bender was close to the Euroleague and signed for CSKA, but found a spot at the Bucks in the final moments. The first reactions were not pleasant, and if he gets minutes, he’ll only be waiting for an open three-pointer shot. However, Bender is much more than that, and his talent should not be limited to a spot-up shooter or position player.

However, contrary to expectations, he made good use of the minutes gained in the preseason. Milwaukee has not made radical changes and has retained much of last year’s lineup. But Bender is at the turning point of his career and must prove himself on a contract that is only partially guaranteed this season and not guaranteed next year.

The former fourth pick of the 2016 draft is currently consistent with the opportunities he has been receiving. He scored double-digits in his first four preseason games. He averaged 13 points with shots in play percentage of 60.7 and an astounding 53.8 three-pointer percentage in just over 18 minutes on the court. When we add six more rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game, we get his best career numbers. But these are just preseason games.

Bender has a few players ahead of him in the four and five positions and is unlikely to get more minutes than Ersan Ilyas, who is among Budenholzer's favorites. However, the Bucks' system suits Bender so far, and he can get his chance. 

Ante Zižic
(22 years old, 3 seasons, 19/20 contract worth $2.28 million)

During his final interview with general manager Koby Altman after the season, Ante Zizic was given a summer plan that presented a path that would eventually break Cleveland's deep rotation in high positions, more specifically at the center. Because despite their weak roster, the Cavs have by far the most players who can cover the starting lineup, like Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr. and John Henson.

Considering that Love will be the starting four, there are again four players who need to split 48 minutes in the center. It will be important for Zizic not to look deep into the rotation, but to focus on himself. He will have to be ready to step up to any situation. According to recent information, he has worked hard this summer to get physically fit.

Last season, Zizic was at one point one of Cleveland's most productive players, but that was primarily due to injuries and the space that opened up. As soon as the Cavs were complete, Zizic lost his role. It's not going to be easy this year either, because there aren't many advantages over Thompson and Nance Jr.

Luka Samanic
(19 years old, rookie season, 19/20 contract worth $2.69 million)

Samanic is a gifted player who has arrived in the best possible environment to thrive. The San Antonio Spurs are known for their program with young players and recognizing talented Europeans, while during the Summer League, Samanic showed he has the potential to work with and meet modern requirements. Admittedly, Samanic has made a significant transition in his career. He went from the ABA league to the strongest league in the world and is expected to be gradually introduced into the process.

The former Barcelona and Olimpija player will need time to develop, and will begin in the G-League with the Austin Spurs. However, it is not impossible to see him on the first-team bench for the first time. His style of play is similar to Lauri Markkanen's, a great example of how modern wing center should look. Both are light on their feet, have proper shooting mechanics, and can expand the court. 

Samanic has already shown the prospect of one day becoming an outstanding shooter, but there are more elements to work on. To fulfill his potential, he will need to be able to put up solid blocks, be dangerous with the ball, and hit open shots for three-pointers. In addition, he showed aggression in his dribbling and is quick in catch-and-shoot situations. For starters, it will be important to gain mass and transition as painlessly as possible.

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October 9, 2019 - Dario Saric and Mario Hezonja made their Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers debut in the NBA preseason on Tuesday evening. Bojan Bogdanovic made his Utah Jazz break on October 5.

Gol.hr reports that Dario Saric hit the court in a new NBA jersey on Tuesday - the jersey of the Phoenix Suns. In his debut, Saric received 17 and a half minutes on the court against his former team Minnesota Timberwolves. The game ended 111:106 for the Suns, and Saric contributed four points, seven rebounds, and one assist.

Ahead of the meeting, Phoenix coach Monty Williams said he would give his major players between 17 and 20 minutes on the court. As we know, Saric received 17 and a half, while DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker each booked 21 minutes and Ricky Rubio 20.

The Croatia national team representative had a poor shooting night in which he hit just one of five attempts in the game. He scored one of two from the free-throw line, though he did catch seven rebounds, six of which were in the defense.

Mario Hezonja debuted for the Portland Trail Blazers in a 105:94 defeat to the Denver Nuggets and was the team's top scorer with 12 points in 20 minutes (3/5 for two-pointers, 0/2 for three-pointers), adding six rebounds and two assists. Hezonja also entered the game from the bench. 

ITSA HE-A MARIO pic.twitter.com/JKewzjJuPK

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 9, 2019

Luka Samanic did not get a chance to play in the San Antonio Spurs defeat to Miami Heat 108:89.

Recall, a few days before on Saturday, Bojan Bogdanovic debuted for the Utah Jazz. Namely, the Jazz was convincing against the Australian Adelaide 36ers (133:81), and the Croatia captain scored 10 points with four rebounds and assists in 20 minutes on the court. 

The Utah Jazz was led by Tony Bradley with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Jeff Green added 16. Bogdanovic was one of seven players to hit double-digits on the winning team.

Bojan 3
Jeff 3
Nigel 3 pic.twitter.com/jPYPjPagQ6

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 6, 2019

The regular NBA season will begin on October 22, 2019.

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Croatia’s NBA players will be joined by yet another colleague next season. Namely, 19-year-old Luka Šamanić was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs to be the seventh Croat in the NBA this season. And better yet, the 210-centimeter power forward was the great wish of legendary coach Gregg Popovich.

Gol.hr reports on July 31, 2019, that the promising basketballer went to Barcelona three years ago and spent the last season at Olimpija in Slovenia. But after a brief experience in European basketball, Luka is on his way to the pot of gold - the NBA and the San Antonio Spurs.

"I had just that one season at Olimpija. I played a lot of minutes because we had three competitions after that season - there were both good and bad times. I spoke with my family and I think I'm ready, mentally ready to go there (NBA), to work and try to fight out there,” Luka Šamanić told Nova TV.

The young Croatia national team player was the great desire of legendary coach Gregg Popovich - and just how badly Popovich wanted him is proven by the fact that he was elected as the 19th pick. 

"Before the draft, I spoke to an agent who told me between 16 and 35. They told me you could be 16, and you could be 35, that the draft is always unpredictable, and you never know what's going to happen. I was ready for anything, and I secretly wanted San Antonio because they have some history with Europe and when I heard that I was 19, I was overjoyed,” explained the Croatian basketball player.

Tim Duncan is an assistant to Popovich this season, and Luka has already met the legend of the NBA league and American basketball.

"I was at the pre-draft workout, before the draft, and we went to dinner. I didn't even know that he was going to be there. I thought there would only be people from San Antonio. When I saw him and saw Gregg, that is something that does not happen every day. And we didn't talk at all about basketball, it was all about how I was doing in school, how many languages I speak, things to fit into their San Antonio family,” said Šamanić.

In the tests leading up to the draft, Luka was brilliant. As a European, he was a complete stranger to the media who are used to tracking future NBA stars through college.

"And then when you jump a meter high, all of a sudden everybody wonders what, how, who. It was all a joke before, but I knew it and just waited to go there and show them, and it paid off," said the promising player.

Šamanić has chosen the number 19, which is full of symbolism, and the expectations from his debut season are looking to be realistic.

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Luka Šamanić left a positive impression in the San Antonio Spurs jersey at the start of the NBA Summer League. The young Croatian basketball player scored 11 points and seven rebounds to win against the Cleveland Cavaliers 97:89, reports Gol.hr on July 2, 2019.

In his first match after the draft, Luka Šamanić showed skills that confirmed why the San Antonio Spurs had chosen him as the 19th pick.

"I was nervous," said Croatian basketball player, who originally hails from Zagreb.

“It was my first NBA match. I was excited but nervous... it just took some time,” he added.

After his nerves calmed, the 19-year-old player showed his promising potential. He managed 4/7 shots in play, including a key three-pointer and dunk in the last two minutes.

"At first everything went very fast and I was trying to focus on where I was going, who is my shooter, who isn’t, and help defend. Then in the second half, it was a lot better,”  said Šamanić for the US media.

Šamanić was also praised by Blake Ahearn, the coach of San Antonio in the Summer League.

“The man can jump - it surprised me. I like that he is aggressive,” said Ahearn.

The most effective for the Spurs was Lonnie Walker, last year’s draft pick, who scored 20 points and achieved 8/12 shots in play. 

Walker even praised Luka: "Luka has shown that every time he goes to the hoop he wants to dunk, and that's great."

Šamanić’s jumping skills didn’t just surprise Ahearn and Walker: "I think a lot of people don’t expect that of me,” added the young Croatian player.

"At this level, you have to be top-rated, and all three of our novices managed in their own way. If you want to survive in this league, you have to do that," Ahearn added.

Recall, Šamanić was selected by the Spurs in this year's draft as the 19th pick, and immediately joined the team in the Summer League. In Las Vegas, the Croatian national team will play in their first match on Friday against the Detroit Piston.

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