Luka Božić
Božić in March 2023
No. 29 – Zadar
PositionSmall forward
LeagueCroatian League
ABA League
Personal information
Born (1996-04-29) April 29, 1996
Bjelovar, Croatia
Listed height2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
Listed weight105 kg (231 lb)
Career information
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Playing career2011–present
Career history
2012–2014Bjelovar
2014Pula 1981
2014–2017Zagreb
2017–2019Zadar
2019–2020Budućnost
2021–2022Široki
2022–presentZadar
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  Croatia
FIBA U19 World Championship
Silver medal – second place 2015 Greece U-19 Team
FIBA U18 Europe Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Turkey U-18 Team

Luka Božić (born April 29, 1996) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Zadar of the Croatian League and the ABA League. Standing at 2.00 m, he plays at the small forward positions.

Playing career

Early years

A native of Bjelovar, Croatia, Božić played in the second tier of Croatian basketball for KK Bjelovar until he was picked up by KK Zagreb, a member of the country's top-flight A-1 Liga, in 2014.[1] He immediately established himself as a scoring threat, averaging 15.1 points a game in the 2014-15 campaign. In the 2015–16 season, Božić increased his scoring output to 17.3 points per contest, draining 48.4 percent of his shots taken (177-366) including 38.4 percent (61-159) from three-point range. In 2016–17, he emerged as the second-leading scorer of the A1 league, compiling averages of 22.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 24 A1 contests, shooting 57.6 percent from inside the arc and 31.5 percent from three-point territory.

In April 2017, Božić entered his name for the 2017 NBA draft. At the end of the June 12 NBA Draft deadline, he would be only one of 10 international underclassmen to officially hold his name for the NBA Draft that year. However, he was not drafted.[2]

Zadar (2017–19)

In September 2017, he signed a two-year contract with Zadar.[3] Playing for Zadar, Božić was the rebounding leader in consecutive ABA League seasons (2017–18 and 2018–19 season), averaging 7.8 rebounds and 7.2 rebounds per game, respectively.

Budućnost (2019–20)

For 2019–20 season, he signed with the Montenegrin club Budućnost. He had limited role in the club, averaging only 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds over 15 games. He missed the entire 2020–21 season without a club.

Široki (2021–22)

In July 2021, after one-year absence, he signed with the Bosnian-Herzegovian club Široki.[4] Playing for Široki, Božić averaged 21.5 points and 7 rebounds over 13 ABA League Second Division games.

Second stint with Zadar (2022–present)

In August 2022, Božić returned to Zadar signing a short-term contract with a possibility of renewal.[5] Over 2022–23 season, Božić averaged 22 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists over 25 ABA League regular season games. For his performances, he was named the ABA League MVP.[6]

National team career

He was part of the Croatia youth selections at the 2012 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, at the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship taking the bronze medal, at the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship taking the silver, the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship and the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship Division B.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Luka Bozic Basketball Player Profile, KK Zagreb, News, A1 stats, Career, Games Logs, Best, Awards - eurobasket.com". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
  2. ↑ Pascoe, Bruce. "Controversial trade takes the spotlight away from Arizona's Lauri Markkanen". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  3. ↑ "Luka Božić potpisao za Zadar". basketball.hr (in Croatian). 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  4. ↑ "Bivši igrač Budućnosti potpisao za Široki". bhbasket.ba. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "Na žeton: Božić potpisao za Zadar do Božića uz mogućnost produženja do kraja sezone". basketball.hr (in Croatian). 20 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Đ., D. (27 April 2023). "Bolji od Kampaca i Lesora – Luka Božić MVP ABA lige". b92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "Luka Bozic player profile". archive.fiba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
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