Pero Antić ( mk, Перо Антиќ, ; born July 29, 1982), is a North Macedonian basketball executive and former professional player. He currently serves as a president of the Basketball Federation of North Macedonia. Antić was a member and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the North Macedonian national basketball team. Standing at , he primarily played the power forward position, although he was able to play at the center position.

Professional career

Early years

Antić has played with: Rabotnički Skopje, AEK Athens, Crvena zvezda, Academic Sofia,

Lokomotiv Kuban PBC Lokomotiv Kuban (russian: ПБК «Локомотив Кубань») is a Russian professional basketball team based in Krasnodar. The club participates in the VTB United League. The team is one of the top tier basketball teams in Russia. T ...

Spartak St. Petersburg BC Spartak Saint Petersburg is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. During the 2016–17 season, the club was named BC Kondrashin Belov (BCKB), after its former player Alexander Belov and its former head ...

and

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

. He won the 2006 Serbia and Montenegro National Cup with Red Star Belgrade. He was voted the MVP of the 2007–08 season in the Bulgarian National Basketball League, a season in which he averaged 23.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. In the EuroChallenge 2010–11 season, he helped

reach the EuroChallenge Final Four, averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Olympiacos

After an impressive performance at the EuroBasket 2011, Antić signed a two year contract on September 26 with

Olympiacos Piraeus Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

. With Olympiacos, he won the EuroLeague title two times, in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

. He also helped his team to win the 2011–12 Greek League championship.

Atlanta Hawks

On July 25, 2013, Antić signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks. In his first pre-season game against the Miami Heat, he played 16 minutes and finished with three points and four rebounds, shooting just 1-8 from the floor and 1-6 from three. Antić scored his first points in an official game on November 1, in a 102-95 home win over the Toronto Raptors. On December 28, at home against the Charlotte Bobcats, Antić scored a game-tying three-pointer off one leg with three seconds left in the game, tying the score and forcing the game into overtime. Atlanta won the game 118-116. On January 3 against the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

, Antić was in the starting lineup for the first time in his NBA career, due to the injury of starting center Al Horford. He responded with a then career-high 16 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 6-9 from the floor, including four three-pointers from six attempts. However, Atlanta was defeated, as

Andre Iguodala Andre Tyler Iguodala ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and has been named to t ...

hit the buzzer-beater from behind the arc to give his team a 101-100 victory over the Hawks. After a series of solid performances as a starter for the Hawks, Antić was selected as a participant in the Rising Stars Challenge game for the NBA All-Star 2014 in New Orleans. However, because of an injury to his right ankle, Antić was forced to miss the All-Star weekend, being replaced by the Phoenix Suns' big man

Miles Plumlee Miles Christian Plumlee (born September 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). He played four years of college ...

. On April 6, 2014, Antić scored a career-high 18 points in a 107-88 win over the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. The Hawks finished the regular season with a record of 38-44, which was enough for the last playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, pairing them in the first round with the number one seed on the East, the

. Antić was a starter in the first game of the series, tallying 8 points and 7 rebounds in his playoff debut while also successfully guarding All-Star center Roy Hibbert. The Hawks took a surprising victory 101-93 away from home to take the lead in the series. During the game, Antić got involved in a confrontation with the Pacers' David West, which led to both players receiving technical fouls.

Fenerbahçe

On June 30, 2015, he signed a two-year contract with the option of additional year, with the Turkish team Fenerbahçe. In his first season with the team, Antić won the Turkish Cup with a 67–65 win over Darüşşafaka. Fenerbahçe also reached the final game of the 2016 Euroleague Final Four, but fell short of winning the EuroLeague championship, after an overtime 96–101 loss to CSKA Moscow. Over 23 EuroLeague games, he averaged 8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. At the end of the season, Fenerbahçe also won the Tukish League championship.

Crvena zvezda

On September 11, 2017, Antić returned to Crvena zvezda, signing a contract for the 2017–18 season.

National team career

Antić was a member and

of the senior men's Republic of Macedonia national team. He was instrumental in his team reaching the semi-finals of

FIBA EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's EuroBasket, European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted t ...

in Lithuania. Antić proved his reputation as one of the tournament's best rebounders, having an average of 8.8 rebounds per game, third best in the category. He also averaged 11.5 points per game, with his tournament high coming in the semi-finals against Spain, where he scored 17 points in a 92-80 defeat. He was among the overall leaders in several other categories. Besides being fourth in average minutes per game (34.5), he also ranked fourth in double-doubles, collecting three, against Finland (14 points and 19 rebounds), Bosnia and Herzegovina (15 points and 14 rebounds) and Russia (15 points and 10 rebounds). While hardly the revelation of the tournament, he fulfilled his full potential at the EuroBasket, and was the cornerstone of the Macedonian national team's defensive strategy, that propelled them to the top four. Antić captained the Macedonian national team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2013, although to a much lesser success. Although he scored in double figures in four of the five group matches, averaging 13.8 points and 8 rebounds per game, Macedonia was eliminated in the group stage, after which Antić announced his retirement from the national team.

Player profile

Antić's best offensive attributes are his body strength, jump shot, and dunking ability. He is adept at pick and roll play, which coupled with his excellent three-point shooting accuracy for a player of his position, makes him a scoring threat from all distances. While he's not a prolific scorer, he also possesses decent passing skills, adding to his offensive contribution. The defensive part of the game is considered to be one of his best attributes. Antić's anticipation, positioning, and overall athleticism made him a good rebounder in Europe. Antić demonstrated particular determination and confidence when guarding opposition star players, such as Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol at the EuroBasket 2011.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Atlanta , 50 , , 26 , , 18.5 , , .418 , , .327 , , .758 , , 4.2 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .2 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Atlanta , 63 , , 3 , , 16.5 , , .365 , , .301 , , .715 , , 3.0 , , .8 , , .3 , , .2 , , 5.7 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 113 , , 29 , , 17.4 , , .392 , , .314 , , .730 , , 3.5 , , .9 , , .3 , , .2 , , 6.3

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;" , Atlanta , 7 , , 7 , , 24.3 , , .167 , , .120 , , .625 , , 3.9 , , .7 , , .7 , , .4 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, style="text-align:left;" , Atlanta , 15 , , 1 , , 13.3 , , .320 , , .344 , , .800 , , 2.9 , , .3 , , .1 , , .2 , , 4.2 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 22 , , 8 , , 16.8 , , .250 , , .246 , , .758 , , 3.2 , , .4 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.9

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;" , 2001–02 , style="text-align:left;" ,

AEK A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelf ...

, 7 , , 1 , , 4.6 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .1 , , .0 , , .9 , , .1 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 2002–03 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 12 , , 3 , , 15.0 , , .395 , , .294 , , .600 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .3 , , 4.3 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .333 , , .250 , , .000 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , .3 , , .3 , , 2.3 , , .3 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 15 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .393 , , .333 , , .593 , , 2.9 , , .5 , , .3 , , .4 , , 4.6 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;" , 2011–12† , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 22 , , 18 , , 18.7 , , .350 , , .250 , , .772 , , 4.3 , , .8 , , .5 , , .3 , , 7.2 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;" ,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

† , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 31 , , 4 , , 18.1 , , .354 , , .261 , , .659 , , 3.5 , , .7 , , .4 , , .2 , , 6.0 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;" , Fenerbahçe , 23 , , 10 , , 21.1 , , .388 , , .373 , , .769 , , 4.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , .0 , , 8.0 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;" , 2016–17† , style="text-align:left;" , Fenerbahçe , 31 , , 11 , , 13.5 , , .333 , , .338 , , .744 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.2 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;" , 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Crvena zvezda , 18 , , 2 , , 18.2 , , .317 , , .274 , , .771 , , 3.4 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .1 , , 6.2 , , 6.2 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 162 , , 49 , , 16.1 , , .357 , , .299 , , .716 , , 3.3 , , .7 , , .4 , , .2 , , 5.6 , , 5.0

Personal life

Antić was born in Skopje,

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

(modern-day North Macedonia). Antić is a supporter of Belgrade club

Red Star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. I ...

, where he also played from 2005–2007 and 2017‒2018. Antić married his wife Ružica, who has the same birthday as he does, in 2006. They have a son named Luka. Antić has several tattoos, including ones of his family, Crvena zvezda team supporters (

Delije Delije ( sr-cyr, Делије) is a name referring to the supporters of various sports clubs that compete under the Red Star Belgrade multi-sport club banner. The plural of the singular form ''delija'' (делија)—which in Serbian general ...

) badge on his right under-arm, and a stylized flag of Macedonia on his right chest. Aside from Macedonian, Antić also holds Bulgarian citizenship. After the

in Lithuania, Antić was awarded with the

Honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

academic title, by

FON University The American University of Europe - FON (AUE - FON) is a private university with headquarters in Skopje, North Macedonia. It is the second private university established in North Macedonia after the liberalization of the High education law's in 20 ...

in Skopje. On April 8, 2015, Antić and teammate

Thabo Sefolosha Thabo Patrick Sefolosha (; born May 2, 1984) is a Swiss former professional basketball player. He has also played in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, in the Turkish Basketball ...

were arrested outside a nightclub in New York City for interfering with police after Chris Copeland of the Indiana Pacers was stabbed in the abdomen. His case was later dropped on September 9, 2015.