Jovan Kljajić
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Jovan Kljajić (born September 11, 2001) is a Montenegrin 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 who most recently played for
Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, a Spain, Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa. the island had a population of that constitut ...
. He is a 1.98 m tall
shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...
, and represents the Montenegro national team internationally.


Early life

Jovan Kljajić was born in Podgorica, Montenegro, and began playing basketball at a young age, quickly standing out as one of the country’s top youth prospects. He drew national attention in 2015 when he scored 57 points in the Montenegrin U14 championship final, leading his team to a victory over Budućnost VOLI. In 2016, he moved to Spain to join the youth academy of Gran Canaria. He rose to prominence in 2019 by leading Gran Canaria to the title at the Torneo de L’Hospitalet, recording standout performances against teams such as Partizan (17 points), Joventut Badalona (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), and notably scoring 26 points in a crucial win over Barcelona. He was selected to the tournament’s All-Star Five. Soon after, Kljajić was invited to the 2019 Basketball Without Borders Global Camp organized by the NBA and FIBA. He impressed scouts and coaches and was selected among the top 12 players of the camp.


Professional career

Kljajić made his professional debut in the EuroCup at age 16, playing against Tofaş in Round 7 of the 2017–18 season for Gran Canaria. At the time, he was the youngest player ever to debut in the EuroCup. At age 18, he made his EuroLeague debut against CSKA Moscow, registering 2 points in limited minutes. In search of more playing time, he spent the 2020–21 season on loan at
Bilbao Basket Club Basket Bilbao Berri Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., commonly known as Bilbao Basket (), also known as Surne Bilbao Basket for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Bilbao, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. T ...
, appearing mainly in the
Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL), also commonly known as the FIBA Champions League, is an annual professional basketball competition for European sports club, clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the European professional club basketball system ...
and receiving limited minutes in the ACB. His most productive season came in 2021–22 with
Prienai Prienai () is a city in Lithuania situated on the Nemunas River, south of Kaunas. In 2023, the city had 8,894 inhabitants. The name of the city is a derivative from the surname ''Prienas''. Pociūnai Airport is associated with the city. Histor ...
in Lithuania, where he averaged 12.4 points per game. Notable performances included: * 28 points and 8 assists vs. Šiauliai, * 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists vs. Pieno Žvaigždės, * 20 points vs. Žalgiris. During the 2023–24 ACB season, his best game for Gran Canaria came on April 22, 2024, in a 77–70 away victory against Breogán. He scored 15 points, added 2 blocks, and posted a +19 plus/minus in the overtime win. In 2024, Kljajić became a EuroCup champion with Gran Canaria, contributing during the team’s title-winning campaign. During the 2024–25 EuroCup season, he averaged 2.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game, shooting 69.2% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range. In the ACB, he played 25 games but totaled just 6 minutes and 50 seconds on the court, averaging 2.3 points. In 2025, Kljajić chose not to renew his contract with Gran Canaria and became a free agent.


References


External links


Jovan Kljajić
at acb.com
Jovan Kljajić
at competiciones.feb.es 2001 births Living people Shooting guards Montenegrin men's basketball players 21st-century Montenegrin sportsmen CB Gran Canaria players Bilbao Basket players BC Prienai players {{Montenegro-basketball-bio-stub