Vanja Marinković (, born 9 January 1997) is a Serbian 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

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

for

Partizan Belgrade Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, lin ...

of the

Basketball League of Serbia The Basketball League of Serbia (), commonly abbreviated as KLS, is a Serbian basketball league system, top-tier men's professional basketball Sports league, league in Serbia. Founded in 2006. It is currently not run by the Basketball Federation o ...

(KLS), the

Adriatic 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 Macedonia, ...

and the

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 ...

. Standing at , he plays at the

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

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

positions.

Early life

Marinković was born in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

FR Yugoslavia 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 ...

. He comes from a relatively-sports related family; his father Zoran is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

referee and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

, while his mother Dragana and his six-year older brother both played basketball in their youth. Marinković started playing basketball for Belgrade-based club ''Vračar'' where he played from 2006 until 2010. He then moved to '' Koledž'' where he stayed for one season.

Club career

Partizan Belgrade (2013–19)

In the summer of 2011, he moved to play with Partizan's youth categories. He continued to play with the youth categories of the team for four seasons, with the exception of the last season in which he played occasionally, as he spent most of his time training with the senior team. In the 2013–14 season, he started working with the senior team of Partizan, under head coach

Duško Vujošević Duško Vujošević ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Вујошевић; born 3 March 1959) is a Serbian former basketball Coach (basketball), coach. He is currently active as coach consultant of the Montenegrin ABA League club KK Studentski centar, Studen ...

. He debuted for the team in the

Serbian Cup The Serbian Cup ( Serbian: Куп Србије / Kup Srbije), also known as Mozzart Serbian Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the national football cup of Serbia. The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round. ...

game against FMP Belgrade. However, although being capped for the games many times, he occasionally got the chance to play in the rest of the season. Partizan finished the season winning its 13th consecutive domestic league title, defeating archrivals

Crvena zvezda Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

by 3–1 in the final series; that would be the only title won over the season. He also became a champion with Partizan's junior team by beating Crvena zvezda in the final game. In the 2014–15 season, he became a standard part of senior team's rotation. On 8 November, he led his team with season-high 20 points in 65–50 win over MZT Skopje, showing great potential for the future. Three days after turning 18, on 12 January 2015, he signed his first professional, four-year contract with Partizan. Over the season, he appeared in 29 games of 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 ...

, averaging 3.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He also played in the EuroCup where Partizan was eliminated in the

Group E Group E may refer to: * E-Group: E-Groups are unique architectural complexes found among a number of ancient Maya settlements * Group E (vase painting), a group of Attic vase painters of the black-figure style, active between 560 and 540 BC. * On ...

. On 18 September 2015, he appeared in the

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 Sept ...

special event – FIBA European U-18 All-Star game, consisted of the 24 most talented European players born in 1997 or after. He led his ''Team Black'' with 17 points and 4 assists in 82–87 loss to ''Team Red''. Over 26 games of the

2015–16 ABA League The 2015–16 ABA League was the 15th season of the ABA League, with 14 teams from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southe ...

, he averaged 6.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, while shooting 31.3% from the field. In the 2016–17 season, he averaged 8.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, while shooting 42.5% from the field over 23 games of the 2016–17 ABA League. On 14 October 2017, in an ABA League away game versus

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

in a 104–97, Marinković scored a career-high 33 points, also adding 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Over 20 games of the 2017–18 ABA League, he averaged 11.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, while shooting 41.3% from the field and 36.1% from the three-point field goal. In June 2018, he signed a two-year contract extension with the club. Over 23 games of the 2018–19 ABA League, he averaged 12.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 40.2% from the field and 32.8% from the three-point field goal.

Valencia Basket (2019–21)

On 23 July 2019, Marinković signed a two-year contract with the Spanish club

Valencia Basket Valencia Basket Club Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., commonly known as Valencia Basket (), is a professional basketball team based in Valencia, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup Basketball, EuroCup, and his Valencia Basket ...

. He left Valencia in June 2021.

Baskonia (2021–24)

On 7 July 2021, Marinković signed with Baskonia of 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. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

Return to Partizan (2024–present)

On 17 June 2024, Marinković signed with Partizan Mozzart Bet of the

for a second stint. In his comeback season with Partizan, Marinković as team captain averaged 7.3 points and 1.6 rebounds over 21 EuroLeague games, while shooting career-high 46.3% from the field.

NBA draft rights

On 20 June 2019, Marinković was the final pick of the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

, after being selected by the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. On 10 February 2022, Marinković's draft rights were traded to 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 ...

as a part of a four-team trade. On 8 July 2023, his player rights were then traded to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

as a part of a five-team trade. On 8 February 2024, his rights were traded to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

as a part of a three-team trade with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

National team career

Marinković represented the

Serbia men's national under-16 basketball team The Serbia men's national under-16 basketball team ( sr-cyr, Кошаркашка репрезентација Србије до 16 година) is the boys' basketball team, administered by Basketball Federation of Serbia, that ...

at the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship where they won the silver medal. The following year he was part of the U17 national team that won the bronze medal at the

2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship The 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship (Arabic: بطولة العالم لكرة السلة 2014 تحت 17 سنة ) was the 3rd edition of the FIBA Under-17 World Championship, the biennial international men's youth basketball championship co ...

. He won the bronze medal at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

with Serbia.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, 27 , , 11 , , 14.9 , , .437 , , .329 , , .833 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , , , 6.3 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , 15 , , 8 , , 14.5 , , .391 , , .362 , , .857 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , , , 6.3 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3", Baskonia , 26 , , 5 , , 13.3 , , .344 , , .329 , , 1.000 , , .9 , , .6 , , .2 , , , , 3.4 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , 34 , , 16 , , 19.9 , , .440 , , .403 , , .810 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .0 , , 9.1 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , 37 , , 28 , , 25.8 , , .429 , , .384 , , .806 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , .0 , , 11.0 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2024–25 , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , 21 , , 13 , , 22.9 , , .463 , , .392 , , .650 , , 1.6 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .1 , , 7.3 , , 5.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 160 , , 81 , , 19.3 , , .425 , , .375 , , .799 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .0 , , 7.6 , , 5.2

EuroCup

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3", Partizan , 10 , , 4 , , 14.7 , , .345 , , .357 , , .714 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .4 , , , , 5.5 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , 8 , , 8 , , 28.5 , , .486 , , .400 , , .923 , , 3.6 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .6 , , 12.5 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , 16 , , 15 , , 29.1 , , .395 , , .356 , , .727 , , 2.3 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 12.4 , , 8.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 34 , , 27 , , 24.7 , , .408 , , .368 , , .766 , , 2.5 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 10.4 , , 6.9

Basketball Champions League

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , 12 , , 1 , , 22.2 , , .465 , , .457 , , .833 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .2 , , .2 , , 7.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 12 , , 1 , , 22.2 , , .465 , , .457 , , .833 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .2 , , .2 , , 7.7

Domestic leagues

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%; text-align:right;" ! Year ! Team ! League ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", KLS , , 2 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , , , , , , , , , , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", KLS , , 19 , , 18.2 , , .398 , , .279 , , .722 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .3 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", ABA , , 29 , , 13.1 , , .376 , , .385 , , .632 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", KLS , , 12 , , 20.2 , , .368 , , .333 , , .833 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .2 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", ABA , , 26 , , 21.8 , , .313 , , .255 , , .800 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", KLS , , 16 , , 25.4 , , .454 , , .394 , , .750 , , 3.7 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .3 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", ABA , , 23 , , 26.7 , , .425 , , .414 , , .806 , , 2.7 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .2 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", KLS , , 13 , , 23.6 , , .545 , , .346 , , .861 , , 1.8 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .1 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", ABA , , 20 , , 28.4 , , .413 , , .361 , , .714 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", KLS , , 16 , , 21.6 , , .500 , , .328 , , .738 , , 2.3 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , , style="text-align:center;", ABA , , 23 , , 28.1 , , .402 , , .328 , , .750 , , 2.3 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .1 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", ACB , , 22 , , 12.8 , , .431 , , .362 , , .889 , , .9 , , .4 , , .5 , , .0 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", ACB , , 11 , , 17.7 , , .410 , , .469 , , .750 , , .8 , , .6 , , .5 , , .1 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , , style="text-align:center;", ACB , , 36 , , 14.0 , , .404 , , .346 , , .833 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , .0 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , , style="text-align:center;", ACB , , 30 , , 19.0 , , .403 , , .364 , , .760 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .1 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , , style="text-align:left;", Baskonia , , style="text-align:center;", ACB , , 33 , , 24.1 , , .458 , , .387 , , .809 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 11.5