Darko Miličić ( sr-Cyrl, Дарко Миличић, ; born 20 June 1985) is a Serbian 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. He is , and played the center position. Miličić played in the

National Basketball Association 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 ...

(NBA) from 2003 to 2013. He is the fifth youngest player and the youngest foreign player to have played in the NBA, the youngest player to have played in an NBA Finals game, and the youngest player to win the NBA championship. Miličić was selected by the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

as the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft; he was chosen after number one pick LeBron James and ahead of other future NBA superstars including Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Selected with a high draft pick, Miličić never played at the level expected of him in the NBA and is widely considered a draft bust. While he won an NBA championship with the Pistons in 2004, Miličić never received significant playing time with the team and was traded to the Orlando Magic in 2006. Following stints with the Magic, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

, Miličić was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010 and signed a four-year contract with the team that summer. After being released by Minnesota in 2012, he played one regular-season game for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

later that year before being released. Miličić announced his retirement from the NBA in 2013; he retired with career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. In international play, Miličić played for the Serbian national team.

Early life

Miličić's parents are Milorad and Zora. During the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

, when Miličić was not yet 10, he heard a news report in which his father was named as one of several Serbian soldiers killed in action; however, a few minutes later, the newscaster indicated some of the soldiers, including his father, had been incorrectly included as killed. His father ultimately survived the wars. His parents' families hail from Janj near Šipovo in Bosanska Krajina. His sister Tijana is a volleyball player. Miličić played his first youth basketball in BFC Beočin until the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia that lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999, when he was forced to take a break. After that, he played for the basketball club Sports World from Novi Sad, which is also a basketball school, where he became a dominant figure and received interest from bigger teams. Miličić played club basketball with his friend Nemanja Jokić, the older brother of

Nikola Jokić Nikola Jokić ( ; sr-Cyrl, Никола Јокић ; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a Center (basketball), center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the ...

. At the age of 14, Miličić started playing basketball with the Serbian team Hemofarm's junior team. He was later called up from the junior team before being drafted by the NBA's Detroit Pistons in 2003.

NBA career

Detroit Pistons (2003–2006)

The Detroit Pistons chose Miličić with the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Unlike most teams with high draft choices, the Pistons were a good team that had made the Eastern Conference Finals the season before they drafted Miličić. The NBA draft rules had to be changed to allow Miličić to be drafted. The Pistons held the second overall draft pick because of a 1997

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

that had sent Otis Thorpe to the Vancouver Grizzlies. Miličić saw limited playing time during his first season with the Pistons, but did become the youngest player to appear in an NBA Finals game (18 years and 356 days) and won an NBA championship just five days later when the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. Pistons team president Joe Dumars repeatedly stated that Miličić would play a big part in the team's future, but he did not see a large increase in playing time during his second season. Miličić has been quoted on numerous occasions as attributing his slow development on his lack of playing time; "I've said it 10,000 times, the best way for me to improve is to play. All the work in practice and individual workouts can only help me so much". After Larry Brown's departure, Flip Saunders was hired as head coach of the Pistons. Under Saunders, Miličić still averaged only 5.6 minutes per game, and received significant playing time only in blowout wins or blowout losses for the Pistons. Miličić's lack of playing time in Detroit was frequently highlighted in publications. In the 96 games he played as a Piston, he only scored a total of 152 points and averaged 1.6 points and 5.8 minutes per game.

Orlando Magic (2006–2007)

On February 15, 2006, just prior to the NBA's All-Star break, Miličić was traded, along with

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

Carlos Arroyo, to the Orlando Magic for Kelvin Cato and a first-round pick in the 2007 NBA draft ( Rodney Stuckey). During a game against the

he played 32 minutes and finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. The 13 points and 32 minutes were season highs, and he led the Magic in minutes for that game. Miličić averaged 2.4 blocks per game in his first 20 games as a member of the Magic. In the 2006–07 playoffs, he increased his scoring by four points per game to 12.3 on 58.8% shooting. When his rookie contract expired in the 2007 offseason, Orlando made him a qualifying offer; on July 3, 2007, however, the team withdrew that offer and made Milicic an unrestricted free agent.

Memphis Grizzlies (2007–2009)

On July 12, 2007, the first day of free agency, Miličić was signed by the Memphis Grizzlies to a three-year, $21 million contract. Miličić hurt his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

practicing with the Serbian national team in the 2008 offseason but was available to start at the beginning of the season. Miličić began the 2008–09 season starting at power forward but, due to poor play, was moved to the bench. Miličić regained his starting job as his play steadily improved in early December 2008. Miličić's progress was set back by an injury on December 26, 2008, against the Indiana Pacers when he broke a knuckle on his right hand during the game. Miličić's time with the Grizzlies was one of the low points of his career; he did not want to play for the team, he suffered an injury, and the team was not performing well. His wife would recall that he would punch the walls of his house in anger after coming home from games. During a game against the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

in early December 2008, he even deliberately ripped his jersey in frustration (the jersey was later autographed by him and sold at an auction).

New York Knicks (2009–2010)

On June 25, 2009, Miličić was traded to the

for Quentin Richardson and cash considerations. On December 17, 2009, Miličić said that he planned to leave the NBA and return to playing basketball in Europe the following season.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–2012)

On February 17, 2010, Miličić was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with cash considerations for Brian Cardinal. The Timberwolves agreed to re-sign Miličić for four years and $20 million on July 1, 2010. David Kahn said that Darko was "like manna from heaven." The 2010–11 Minnesota season was Miličić's best statistically; in interviews, he looked back on that time period fondly relative to the rest of his time in the NBA. He averaged 8.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game, finishing the season fifth in the league in blocks per game. Miličić had his best games on November 19, when he scored 23 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks against the Los Angeles Lakers; and on December 14, 2010, when he had a career-high 25 points and 11 rebounds 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. Miličić began the 2011-12 season as the Timberwolves' starting center. On January 20, 2012, he scored a season-high 22 points and seven rebounds against the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

. However, he would see his playing time diminish as the season went on. On July 12, 2012, Miličić was waived by the Timberwolves under the league's amnesty clause.

Boston Celtics (2012)

In September 2012, Miličić signed with the

. On November 21, 2012, the Celtics released Miličić at his request so that he could attend to personal matters. Miličić' final game ever was on November 2, 2012, in a 88 - 99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks where he recorded 1 rebound, 2 turnovers and 1 foul. This was the Celtic's 2nd game of the season and it was the only game that Miličić played during the entire season, playing only five minutes for that game. In June 2013, Miličić announced that he had retired from the NBA. He retired with career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. In September 2014, it was revealed that Miličić had retired from professional basketball in order to pursue a kickboxing career.

Legacy

As of February 2023, Miličić is the fifth youngest player to have played in the NBA. As of February 2023, he is also the youngest foreign player to have played in the NBA, the youngest player to have played in an NBA Finals game, and the youngest NBA champion. After having been selected with the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Miličić failed to play at the level expected of him in the NBA and is known as one of the worst draft choices in the history of the NBA. Miličić himself has questioned whether the Pistons made the right move by drafting him. The Detroit Pistons passed over future NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade to select Miličić. In June 2011, Mark David Smith of

Bleacher Report ''Bleacher Report'' (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sports and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. ''Bleacher Report'' was acquired by Time Warner's Turner B ...

wrote, "The Pistons missed a huge opportunity when they picked Darko. Carmelo, Wade or Bosh could've helped put Detroit over the hump after the 2004 championship season. The thought of one of these superstars with that Pistons team is scary; it could've potentially made them one of the best dynasties in all of sports history".

International basketball career

Miličić played for the FR Yugoslavia U16 national team that won a gold medal at the European Cadet Championships in 2001. In 2006, Miličić led

Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Serbia and Montenegro had decided to replace their aging superstars—who had led the team to a gold medal finish in the previous 2002 FIBA World Championship—with young blood. Miličić led the team in rebounds (56) and blocked shots (17) and was second on the team in scoring (16.2 ppg) and assists (11) through six games. In Serbia and Montenegro's sixth and final game against

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, Miličić matched up against NBA All-Star Pau Gasol and finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks. During an interview following a 68–67 overtime loss to

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

at EuroBasket 2007, Miličić made vulgar remarks to the media in his native language. He referred to the referees with expletives and threatened to engage in various sex acts with their female relatives. He received a $13,770 fine from

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

and his outburst was heavily criticized by Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace and head coach Marc Iavaroni.

Post-NBA activities

Kickboxing career

Miličić had a stint in

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

during 2014. On December 18, 2014, he had his official debut in kickboxing under the WAKO rules in his hometown Novi Sad. He lost that fight by 2nd round TKO from Serbian kickboxer Radovan Radojčin from Senta, Serbia.

Attempt to return from retirement

On May 19, 2015, it was announced that Miličić had agreed to come back from retirement and start playing professional basketball again with Metalac Farmakom of the Basketball League of Serbia and the

ABA League The ABA League, renamed the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the top-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedoni ...

after the season was over. The announcement was made by Boško Đukanović, the club's president, and later confirmed by Miličić himself. However, Miličić later changed his mind.

Farming

Miličić works as a farmer in his native Serbia. , he owned and operated an

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

orchard of about , with plans to purchase more land and also grow

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

Amateur basketball career

In September 2019, Miličić joined I Came to Play in his hometown of Novi Sad. He debuted with the team on 6 October in a 78–50 victory against KK Futog, scoring two points and handing out several assists before leaving the game with a minor shoulder injury.

Personal life

On May 23, 2009, Miličić married Zorana Markuš. They have a daughter and two sons. His wife is a fashion designer and sister of deceased Serbian criminal Marko Markuš. In 2010, Miličić paid for a trip and treatment in China for five Serbian children with Batten disease. Miličić is a supporter of the Ravna Gora movement (''Ravnogorski pokret''), and has tattoos of World War II Chetnik leaders Nikola Kalabić and Momčilo Đujić on his stomach, and

Draža Mihailović Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović ( sr-Cyrl, Драгољуб "Дража" Михаиловић; 27 April 1893 – 17 July 1946) was a Yugoslavs, Yugoslav Serb general during World War II. He was the leader of the Chetniks, Chetnik Detachments ...

and Brane Bogunović on his back. In late 2013, he expressed his support for far-right politician

Vojislav Šešelj Vojislav Šešelj ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав Шешељ, ; born 11 October 1954) is a Serbian politician and convicted war criminal. He is the founder and president of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS). Between 1998 and 2000, he was a D ...

. A folk song was made in his honour by the Bosnian Serb duo ''Žare i Goci''.

Career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 34 , , 0 , , 4.7 , , .262 , , .000 , , .583 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 37 , , 2 , , 6.9 , , .329 , , .000 , , .708 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .1 , , .5 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , align="left" ,

, 25 , , 0 , , 5.6 , , .515 , , .000 , , .375 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , .6 , , 1.5 , - , align="left" , Orlando , 30 , , 1 , , 20.9 , , .507 , , .000 , , .595 , , 4.1 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 2.1 , , 7.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Orlando , 80 , , 16 , , 23.9 , , .454 , , .000 , , .613 , , 5.5 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 1.8 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Memphis , 70 , , 64 , , 23.8 , , .438 , , .000 , , .554 , , 6.1 , , .8 , , .5 , , 1.6 , , 7.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Memphis , 61 , , 15 , , 17.0 , , .515 , , .000 , , .562 , , 4.3 , , .6 , , .4 , , .8 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , align="left" , New York , 8 , , 0 , , 8.9 , , .471 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , .5 , , .1 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" ,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 24 , , 18 , , 25.6 , , .492 , , .000 , , .536 , , 5.5 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , 1.4 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 69 , , 69 , , 24.4 , , .469 , , .000 , , .557 , , 5.2 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 2.0 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 29 , , 23 , , 16.3 , , .454 , , .000 , , .432 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , .9 , , 4.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 468 , , 208 , , 18.5 , , .460 , , .000 , , .574 , , 4.2 , , .9 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 6.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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 ...

† , align="left" ,

, 8 , , 0 , , 1.8 , , .000 , , .000 , , .250 , , .4 , , .1 , , .1 , , .0 , , .1 , - , align="left" ,

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 ...

, align="left" ,

, 9 , , 0 , , 2.3 , , .286 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .4 , , .1 , , .0 , , .1 , , .6 , - , align="left" , 2007 , align="left" , Orlando , 4 , , 0 , , 28.8 , , .588 , , .000 , , .529 , , 4.5 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 12.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 21 , , 0 , , 7.1 , , .489 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.6

Kickboxing record

, - bgcolor="FFBBBB" , 2014-12-18 , , Loss , , align=left, Radovan Radojčin , , SOUL Night of Champions, , Novi Sad, Serbia , , TKO (Cut) , , 2 , , , , 0–1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

*
Darko Miličić
at draftexpress.com
Darko Miličić
at espn.com *

at nba.com (Prospect Profile) {{DEFAULTSORT:Milicic, Darko 1985 births Living people 2006 FIBA World Championship players Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players KK BFC players KK Hemofarm players Members of the Assembly of KK Crvena zvezda Memphis Grizzlies players Minnesota Timberwolves players NBA players from Serbia New York Knicks players I Came to Play players Orlando Magic players Power forwards Serbia men's national basketball team players Serbian expatriate basketball people in the United States Serbian farmers Serbian male kickboxers Serbian men's basketball players Serbian people of Bosnia and Herzegovina descent Basketball players from Novi Sad Heavyweight kickboxers Serbia and Montenegro men's basketball players Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in the United States 21st-century farmers