Mario Nakić (; born June 14, 2001) is a Serbian-Croatian professional basketball player for Igokea of the ABA League.

Early life and career

Nakić was born in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia to a Croatian father and a Serbian mother. His father is

Ivo Nakić Ivo Nakić (born May 26, 1966) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, who is now a coach. Personal life He lives in Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) ...

, a former Croatian professional basketball player. His mother is Zorica Desnica. Nakić's older half-brother is Filip Živojinović, a son of Serbian former tennis player Slobodan Živojinović. He started his basketball career with the youth team of Zemun where he played until 2014. In the 2014–15 season, Nakić played with the youth selection of Serbian powerhouse

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: ** AK Partizan, athletics **Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling **Džudo Klub Partizan, judo ** FK Partizan, association fo ...

. He moved to the

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

's youth team one year later, for the 2015–16 season. He was selected to the all-tournament team for the 2017–18 season of the Next Generation Tournament. Nakić was a member of the Real Madrid U18 team that won the Next Generation Tournament in the 2018–19 season. He was named the MVP and selected to the all-tournament team after helping defeat Mega Bemax Belgrade in the final. He set championship game records with 33 points and a performance index rating of 41.

Professional career

On May 24, 2018, Nakić made a debut with Real Madrid in the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

( the top-tier Spanish League). He scored two points in a Real Madrid's 2017–18 season loss from

Herbalife Gran Canaria Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria – Claret, S.A.D., is a professional basketball club based in Las Palmas, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Their home arena is the Gran Canaria Arena. From 2012 until 2021, they have been sponsored by Herbalif ...

. Following the 2020–21 season Nakić declared himself for the

2021 NBA draft The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. With the first overall pick, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham. The NBA us ...

. On July 19, 2021, he withdrawn his name from consideration for the 2021 NBA draft. On August 3, 2021, he has signed with MoraBanc Andorra of the

. Previously declared, Nakić subsequently withdrawn his name from consideration for the

2022 NBA draft The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The ...

. On 16 August 2022, Nakić signed a 3-year contract with Igokea of the ABA League.

National team career

Nakić is eligible to play for either Croatia or Serbia. In May 2019, the Croatian head coach

Veljko Mršić Veljko Mršić (; born 13 April 1971) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of the CB Breogán, Río Breogán of the Spanish Liga ACB. Playing career Mršić was a member of the FIBA Eur ...

stated that Nakić has not decided anything yet, but he is closer to play for Serbia. That was followed by confirmation of the Basketball Federation of Serbia Vice president Igor Rakočević. In the end, the Serbian head coach Aleksandar Đorđević confirmed that Nakić has not decided anything yet. In September 2022, Nakić stated that there is no decision yet which nation team he will represent.

Career achievements and awards

* EB Next Generation Tournament MVP (

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) * 2× All- EB Next Generation Tournament Team (

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

)

Career statistics

EuroLeague

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