Nikola Vujčić (born 14 June 1978) is a Croatian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player, and the current team manager of the Israeli club

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...

. During his playing career, he played at both the

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and

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positions. As a player, he was a two-time

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

champion (

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

), a five-time

All-EuroLeague Team The All-EuroLeague Team is an EuroLeague awards, award for European professional club basketball system, Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 s ...

selection (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), and was voted as a member of the

EuroLeague 2000–2010 All-Decade Team The EuroLeague 2000–2010 All-Decade Team consisted of 10 basketball players that were awarded and named to the EuroLeague's All-Decade Team, in recognition of the first 10 years of the league's competition, after coming under the control of th ...

. He was also the 2006

Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP The Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP, or Israeli Basketball Super League Finals MVP, is an annual basketball award that is presented to the most valuable player of the finals of the playoffs of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, whi ...

. The 6-foot-11 inches tall Vujčić was the first player in the

's current era (2000–present), to achieve a

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

. On 3 November 2005, he helped in Maccabi Tel Aviv's 95–68 win versus the Polish club

Prokom Trefl Sopot Arka Gdynia, also known as AMW Arka Gdynia for sponsorship reasons, is a Polish professional basketball team, based in Gdynia. The team plays in the Polish PLK. The club's sponsorship name comes from Akademią Marynarki Wojennej. Historically t ...

, with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. On 30 November 2006, Vujčić recorded another triple-double, the second in the EuroLeague's current era (2000–present), in Maccabi Tel Aviv's 110–87 win over the Slovenian club

Union Olimpija Košarkarski klub Olimpija () was a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Olimpija has won 23 National League championships, including eight consecutive titles between 1992 and 1999. They have played in two differen ...

, with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He was named a

EuroLeague Legend EuroLeague Legend or EuroLeague Legends, is an award for the sport of basketball, that is given by the EuroLeague Commercial Assets (ECA), which is the organizing and governing body of the EuroLeague, which is the top-tier level professional b ...

in 2022.

Professional career

Vujčić made his professional club debut with the Croatian club

KK Split Košarkaški klub Split (), commonly referred to as KK Split or simply Split, is a men's professional basketball Sports club, club based in Split, Croatia, Split, Croatia. The club competes in the ABA League and the HT Premijer liga, Croatian Leag ...

, in the 1995–96 season, after coming up through the youth teams of the club. He played with Split through the 2000–01 season. As a member of Split, he wore the number 7 jersey that had once belonged to the former Split star and former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player,

Toni Kukoč Toni Kukoč (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of ...

. With Split, Vujčić twice appeared in the Croatian League playoff's finals. With the club at the European-wide level, he also played in 28

FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup, founded as ''FIBA European Cup Winners Cup'', was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against eac ...

games (2nd European Level), in 23

FIBA SuproLeague The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, o ...

games, and in 34

games (1st European level). In 2001, he was signed by the Israeli club

, as a replacement for

Nate Huffman Nathaniel Thomas Huffman (April 2, 1975 – October 15, 2015) was an American professional basketball player, who played most of his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was the 2001 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, as well as the 2001 FIBA Su ...

, who was expected to leave the club. At the last moment though, Huffman decided to return to the club for one more season, so Maccabi sent Vujčić on

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

to the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

club

ASVEL Villeurbanne ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

. Vujčić helped ASVEL win the

French League The French League (: "French League for Purge, purging, mutual aid (politics), mutual aid and European integration, European collaboration") was a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborationist French movement founded by Pier ...

championship, for the first time in 21 years. He also played in 14 EuroLeague games that season (2 with Maccabi and 12 with ASVEL), in which he averaged 15.7 points and 6.4

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

per game. With Maccabi Tel Aviv, From 2002 to 2008, he won two

championships (

and

), five Israeli Super League championships, four Israeli State Cups, and one Israeli League Cup. He was also the 2006

. On 18 June 2008, he signed a two-year contract, worth

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

4.5 million

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, with the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

club Olympiacos Piraeus. On 25 October 2010, he signed a contract with the

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

club

Efes Pilsen Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş.'' (lit. Anadolu Efes Brewery and Malt Industries)'' produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in Turkey, the United States, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), E ...

. After playing with

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

, from 2011 to 2013, he announced his retirement from playing professional basketball.

National team career

As a member of the senior Croatian national team, Vujčić played at the

1999 EuroBasket The 1999 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1999, was the 31st FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2000 Olympic Tournament, giving a berth ...

, the

2001 EuroBasket The 2001 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2001, was the 32nd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, giving a be ...

, the 2005 EuroBasket, and the

2009 EuroBasket The 2009 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2009, was the 36th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September and concluded with the ...

Managerial and player developmental career

After he retired from playing professional basketball, Vujcic opened up his own basketball academy, in his home-town of

Split, Croatia Split (, ), historically known as Spalato (; ; see #Name, other names), is the List of cities and towns in Croatia, second-largest city of Croatia after the capital Zagreb, the largest city in Dalmatia and the largest city on the Croatian coast ...

, where he would go on to help train young players to improve their basketball skills. Two of the main prospects to have been a part of the academy were

Dragan Bender Dragan Bender (born 17 November 1997) is a Croatian professional basketball player who last played for the Monbus Obradoiro of the Spanish Liga ACB. He stands and played the power forward and center positions. He was selected by the Phoenix ...

, who eventually became the number 4 overall pick of the

2016 NBA draft The 2016 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN, and was live streamed for the first time in NBA draft history by The Vertical. National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

, and

Ante Žižić Ante Toni Žižić (; born 4 January 1997) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected 23rd overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA draft. Professio ...

, who was drafted 23rd overall in the same draft. In the 2013–14 season, Vujčić returned to one of his former clubs from his playing days,

, to work as the team's manager. After he took over that position, Maccabi Tel Aviv went through an historic down period for the club, as at one point, the team had failed to win three consecutive Israeli national league championships (2015–2017), and at another point, had also failed to reach the

's postseason phase four years in a row (2016–2019). Subsequently, many Israeli

sports journalists Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism has its roots in coverage of horse racing and boxing in the early 1800s, mainly targeted towards elites, and into t ...

and basketball analysts claimed that the team's inability to achieve its goals was due to the policies that had been implemented by Vujčić.

Personal life

Vujčić, was born in

Vrgorac Vrgorac () is a town in Croatia in the Split-Dalmatia County. Climate Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was , on 4 August 2017. The coldest temperature was , on 7 January 2017. Demographi ...

, in inland

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

SR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...

, in the former

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. On 17 January 2018, after he had lived in Israel for 10 years, the

Israeli Ministry of Interior The Ministry of Interior (, ''Misrad HaPnim''; ) in the State of Israel is one of the government offices that is responsible for local government, citizenship and residency, identity cards, and student and entry visas. The current Minister i ...

granted a temporary Israeli citizenship to Vujčić and his family, after he had requested it.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", 2001–02 , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi , 2 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .667 , , .000 , , , , .5 , , , , 1.0 , , , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

ASVEL ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

, 12 , , 2 , , 29.6 , , .520 , , .278 , , .714 , , 7.4 , , 1.9 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 18.0 , , 22.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2002–03 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="6", Maccabi , 20 , , 16 , , 28.5 , , .551 , , .386 , , .691 , , 7.1 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 17.6 , , 21.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2003–04† , 21 , , 21 , , 34.9 , , .548 , , .226 , , .800 , , 6.9 , , 3.0 , , .9 , , .8 , , 16.8 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2004–05† , 21 , , 21 , , 26.4 , , .581 , , .391 , , .726 , , 5.6 , , 3.0 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 13.9 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , 24 , , 24 , , 31.2 , , .458 , , .405 , , .656 , , 5.7 , , 3.9 , , .9 , , .9 , , 11.9 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , 22 , , 22 , , 31.0 , , .541 , , .467 , , .745 , , 7.6 , , 3.9 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 14.9 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 21.7* , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , 12 , , 9 , , 21.0 , , .544 , , .400 , , .559 , , 4.3 , , 3.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , 9.6 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

, 21 , , 20 , , 22.2 , , .553 , , .250 , , .645 , , 3.8 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , .5 , , 11.4 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="background:#CFECEC;", 22* , , 1 , , 14.3 , , .584 , , .000 , , .577 , , 2.7 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .3 , , 7.4 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, style="text-align:left;", Efes , 15 , , 14 , , 18.1 , , .411 , , .000 , , .697 , , 3.1 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .2 , , 6.5 , , 6.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 192 , , 150 , , 25.8 , , .532 , , .345 , , .695 , , 5.4 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , .6 , , 12.7 , , 15.9

References

External links

Nikola Vujčić
at basket.co.il
Nikola Vujčić
at euroleague.net

at fiba.archive.com

at fibaeurope.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Vujcic, Nikola 1978 births Living people ABA League players Anadolu Efes S.K. players ASVEL Basket players Basketball executives Basketball players from Split, Croatia Centers (basketball) Croatian men's basketball players Croatian expatriate basketball people in France Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Croatian expatriate basketball people in Israel Croatian expatriate basketball people in Turkey Greek Basket League players Israeli Basketball Premier League players KK Split players Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players Olympiacos B.C. players Power forwards