Luka Šamanić
No. 19 – Utah Jazz
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-01-09) 9 January 2000
Zagreb, Croatia
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2019: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2018FC Barcelona B
2018–2019Petrol Olimpija
2019–2021San Antonio Spurs
2019–2021→Austin Spurs
2021–2022Westchester Knicks
2022–2023Maine Celtics
2023–presentUtah Jazz
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Croatia
FIBA Europe U18 Championship B
Gold medal – first place2017 EstoniaNational team

Luka Šamanić (born 9 January 2000) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A power forward, he was drafted 19th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2019 NBA draft.[1][2]

A native of Zagreb, Šamanić started his youth career with the eponymous basketball club. In 2016, at age 16, he moved to Barcelona, Spain, where he joined the FC Barcelona's reserve team in the Spanish second-tier league. Šamanić has represented Croatia multiple times in FIBA events, leading his team to a gold medal at the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B in 2017, while earning most valuable player honors.

Early life

Šamanić was born in Zagreb, Croatia.[3] His father, Marko Šamanić, played basketball professionally for 19 years, including in the EuroLeague, with Slovenian club Krka.[4] Due to his father's career, Šamanić lived in a number of countries in his early life. When he was nine months old, he moved to Belgium, and he later stayed in Slovenia and Germany.[5]

Šamanić grew up playing a variety of sports, including football, handball, tennis, soccer, and was also involved in breakdancing.[6][7] He did not start playing basketball, the last sport he attempted, until he was 11 years old.[7] He credits his football experience for improving his coordination as a basketball player.[5]

Youth career

Šamanić began his basketball career at the youth levels with local club Zagreb.[8] He collected 29 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks for Zagreb in a 22 November 2014 win over the junior team for Šanac Karlovac.[9] On 16 November, he recorded 43 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 steals for Zagreb to help defeat Samobor, 160–21.[10] On 3 January 2016, Šamanić led his team to a championship win against Virtus Roma in a youth tournament in Italy, for which he earned most valuable player (MVP) honors.[11] He scored 32 points on 16 January, in a blowout 111–43 win over the Rudeš junior team.[12] Later in the month, Šamanić dominated versus the Cedevita junior team, notching 26 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks.[13] He continued his success on 22 February, when he erupted for 39 points and 21 rebounds in a 160–50 win over the junior team for Sisak.[14] On 29 May, Šamanić was named MVP of the Croatian cadet championship after his double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds in a blowout of Cibona junior squad.[15] In June, he attended the Adidas EuroCamp, a three-day pre-National Basketball Association (NBA) draft camp for international prospects held in Treviso, Italy.[6][16]

On 14 June 2016, Šamanić signed a 2-year amateur contract with Spanish club FC Barcelona, initially joining its junior ranks.[6][17][18] On 22 December, he won the Slam Dunk Contest at a youth tournament in Tenerife.[19] In January 2017, Šamanić played with Barcelona's junior team at the Ciutat de L'Hospitalet qualifiers for the 2016–17 Adidas Next Generation Tournament and was one year younger than most of his opponents at both events.[20][21] In his first game at the qualifiers, on 6 January, he recorded 11 points and 5 rebounds in a 79–56 win over the Olimpija junior team.[22] In the final tournament in May, Šamanić averaged 8.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists through 3 games, earning the Rising Star Trophy.[21][23] Later that month, he won the Slam Dunk Contest at the EuroLeague FanZone, a three-day entertainment event at the 2017 EuroLeague Final Four.[24][25]

By August 2017, Šamanić was drawing attention from several NCAA Division I programs, including Florida, Gonzaga, Purdue, and Stanford.[26] In the 2017–18 season with Barcelona's junior team, he assumed a greater role after many of its top players left.[4] In January 2018, Šamanić joined Barcelona at the Ciutat de L'Hospitalet qualifiers for the 2017–18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament.[23] He posted 27 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 7 January, as his team lost to the Joventut Badalona junior team in the championship.[27] Still, Šamanić was named L'Hospitalet tournament MVP and earned All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 23.2 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.8 blocks through 4 games.[23][28]

Professional career

FC Barcelona B (2017–2018)

In the 2017–18 season, Šamanić competed for FC Barcelona Bàsquet B—the reserve team of FC Barcelona—in the LEB Oro, the second-tier Spanish league.[29] He debuted on 1 October 2017, in a 76–69 win over Força Lleida, playing only 4 minutes.[30] Šamanić stood out in his next game versus Cáceres, scoring 10 points in 20 minutes and performing a windmill dunk.[31] On 4 November 2017, he scored 11 points in 19 minutes against Araberri.[32] In his following appearance, Šamanić collected 10 points and 8 rebounds in a win over Peñas Huesca.[33] He scored a season-high 17 points on 9 February 2018, leading his team past Palencia.[34] Through 22 games, Šamanić averaged 5.1 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 12.7 minutes per game.[23] In February 2018, he took part in a Basketball Without Borders camp in Los Angeles, joining several other international NBA prospects.[35]

Olimpija (2018–2019)

On 31 May 2018, Šamanić signed a multi-year professional contract with Petrol Olimpija of the Slovenian League and ABA League.[36] He joined Olimpija after failing to agree to terms with Croatian club Zadar.[37] Šamanić debuted for Olimpija on 21 September in an 86–60 loss to Crvena zvezda at the 2018 ABA League Supercup, recording 2 points and 3 rebounds in 19 minutes.[38] On 7 May 2019, he recorded season-high marks of 22 points and 11 rebounds in an 85–73 win over Šenčur in the Slovenian League.[39] In late June 2019, Petrol Olimpija announced the departure of Šamanić.[40][41]

San Antonio Spurs (2019–2021)

On 20 April 2019, Šamanić declared his entry into the 2019 NBA draft.[42] He became one of a record-high 58 international prospects to declare entry that year.[43] Šamanić later entered the 2019 NBA Draft Combine as one of 77 total participants.[44] On 20 June 2019, Šamanić was the 19th pick of the 2019 NBA draft, after being selected by the San Antonio Spurs.[45] On 1 July 2019, Šamanić officially signed with the Spurs.[46] On 30 October 2019, Šamanić received his first assignment to the Austin Spurs, the affiliate team of the San Antonio Spurs in NBA G League.[47]

On 13 August 2020, Šamanić recorded 16 points and 6 rebounds in a 112–118 loss to the Utah Jazz, on his first NBA game as a starter.

The Spurs waived Šamanić on 11 October 2021 as part of the final roster cuts before the 2021–22 NBA season.[48]

Westchester Knicks (2021–2022)

On 16 October 2021, Šamanić was signed to a two-way contract by the New York Knicks.[49] On 17 March 2022, he was waived without appearing in a game for New York.[50]

Maine Celtics (2022–2023)

On 22 September 2022, Šamanić signed with the Boston Celtics.[51] He was waived by the Celtics on 10 October.[52] On 24 October 2022, Šamanić joined the Maine Celtics training camp roster.[53]

Utah Jazz (2023–present)

On 28 March 2023, Šamanić signed a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz[54] and on 7 April, he signed a multi-year deal.[55]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 San Antonio 3116.0.313.375.7503.32.0.0.75.3
2020–21 San Antonio 3349.3.448.279.5522.1.5.2.23.7
2022–23 Utah 7423.0.456.258.6924.32.1.9.39.9
Career 4399.9.438.280.6092.5.8.3.34.8

National team career

Šamanić represents Croatia in FIBA competition. He made his national team debut at the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in Radom, Poland.[5] On 16 August 2016, Šamanić recorded 17 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 9 blocks in a 74–67 victory over Sweden.[56] In his final game at the event, he posted 24 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 4-of-9 from the three-point line, in a loss to Turkey.[57] As Croatia finished in fourth place, Šamanić averaged 17.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game, earning All-Star Five honors.[58] In 2017, he played at the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B in Tallinn, Estonia.[59] Šamanić led Croatia to a gold medal after recording 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks in an overtime win over Great Britain.[60] He was named tournament MVP and made the All-Star Five after averaging 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game.[8] Šamanić took part in the 2018 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in Latvia.[61] On 3 August 2018, he notched 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks, shooting 5-of-5 from the three-point line, to help defeat Ukraine.[62] Even though Šamanić averaged 17 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game in the tournament, Croatia finished in 11th place.[23]

Personal life

Aside from Croatian, Šamanić speaks English and Spanish. Off of the basketball court, he likes to play soccer and table tennis.[61]

Šamanić's basketball influences are former Croatian national player Toni Kukoč and American player Kevin Durant. [61][63][64]

References

  1. ↑ Beer, Tommy (12 September 2018). "An Early 2019 NBA Mock Draft: Duke's Barrett And Reddish On Track To Go 1-2". Forbes. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  2. ↑ Givony, Jonathan (9 August 2018). "NBA draft scouting: 10 international prospects for 2019 and beyond". ESPN. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  3. ↑ Gaibotti, Federico (22 January 2018). "Luka Samanic, scouting report about the rising Croatian prospect". BasketUniverso. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  4. 1 2 Hein, David (10 January 2018). "Development is priority for Barcelona talent Samanic". Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 "Globe-trotter, late starter Samanic out to follow in stars' footsteps". FIBA. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Givony, Jonathan; Schmitz, Mike (11 June 2016). "2016 Adidas EuroCamp: Day Two". DraftExpress. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  7. 1 2 Hein, David (18 August 2016). "Talented trio Pecarski, Garuba, Samanic leading the way at U16 Euros". FIBA. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Defensive ace Luka Samanic voted MVP, headlines All-Star Five team". FIBA. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Kadeti ponovo susped!" (in Croatian). KK Zagreb. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "Kadeti postigli 160 koševa u novoj pobjedi!" (in Croatian). KK Zagreb. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "Kadeti prvi u Italiji, Luka Šamanić MVP!" (in Croatian). KK Zagreb. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "Nova pobjeda kadeta" (in Croatian). KK Zagreb. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "Kadeti uvjerljivi protiv Cedevite" (in Croatian). KK Zagreb. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  14. ↑ "Kadeti protiv Siska slavili sa 110 razlike" (in Croatian). KK Zagreb. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  15. ↑ "Kadeti Zagreba prvaci Hrvatske!" (in Croatian). KK Zagreb. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  16. ↑ "adidas Eurocamp Announces 2016 Player Roster". Adidas. 8 June 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  17. ↑ "Luka Samanic, al Barça: croata de 15 años y 2.08 m. Así juega la sensación en Treviso" (in Spanish). Gigantes del Basket. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  18. ↑ "El Barça Lassa B ya trabaja en la Ciutat Esportiva" (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  19. ↑ "Así se llevó Luka Samanic el concurso de mates del Torneo Junior Tenerife" (in Spanish). Liga ACB. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  20. ↑ "L' Hospitalitet champions: Barca far the best, few interesting names emerged". DoubleDouble. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  21. 1 2 "ANGT MVP Fevrier of Paris headlines All-Tournament Team". Adidas Next Generation Tournament. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  22. ↑ "Jan 6, 2017: Union Olimpija Junior Team 56, FC Barcelona Regal Junior Team 79". RealGM. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "Luka Samanic Player Profile". RealGM. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  24. ↑ "Three days of non-stop activities at the FanZone in Marmara Forum!". EuroLeague. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  25. ↑ Fernández, Marcos (21 May 2017). "El blaugrana Samanic, campeón del concurso de mates del Adidas Next Generation" (in Spanish). Gigantes del Basket. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  26. ↑ Daniels, Evan (2 August 2017). "FIBA u18: College an option for Luka Samanic". 247Sports. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  27. ↑ Stankovic, Vladimir (8 January 2018). "Los 10 cracks del Torneo de L'Hospitalet". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  28. ↑ "Barcelona's Samanic named ANGT L'Hospitalet MVP". Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  29. ↑ "Luka Samanic Game Logs". RealGM. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  30. ↑ "Oct 1, 2017: Actel Forca Lleida 69, FC Barcelona II 76". RealGM. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  31. ↑ Fernández, Marcos (7 October 2017). "El blaugrana Luka Samanic da espectáculo en LEB: matazo 'molinillo' ante Cáceres" (in Spanish). Gigantes del Basket. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  32. ↑ "Nov 4, 2017: FC Barcelona II 68, Saenz Horeca Araberri". RealGM. 4 November 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  33. ↑ Fernández, Marcos (20 November 2017). "Competiciones FEB en clave Junior (8). Mira los Sub-20 más destacados de la semana" (in Spanish). Gigantes del Basket. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  34. ↑ "Feb 9, 2018: FC Barcelona II 64, Quesos Cerrato de Palencia 62". RealGM. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  35. ↑ Givony, Jonathan (8 February 2018). "Basketball Without Borders: Camp preview and full roster reveal". ESPN. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  36. ↑ "Luka Šamanić prva okrepitev po koncu sezone" (in Slovenian). KK Olimpija. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  37. ↑ "Šamanić napustio Barcelonu" (in Croatian). Basketball.hr. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  38. ↑ "CZV - OLI". ABA League. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  39. ↑ "May 7, 2019 - Sencur Gorenjska Gradbena Druzba Kranj 73 at Union Olimpija 85". RealGM. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  40. ↑ "Luka Šamanić bo kariero nadaljeval v Ligi NBA". olimpija.com (in Slovenian). 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  41. ↑ "Luka Šamanić leaves Olimpija to join San Antonio Spurs". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  42. ↑ Givony, Jonathan (20 April 2019). "6'11 Croatian forward Luka Samanic has entered the 2019 NBA draft, a source told ESPN. The 19-year old is ranked #39 on the ESPN 100 and will likely get looks in the first round". Twitter.com. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  43. ↑ Givony, Jonathan (23 April 2019). "NBA draft: 233 early-entry prospects declare for 2019". ESPN. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  44. ↑ Sixty-six players expected to attend NBA Draft Combine
  45. ↑ "2019 NBA Draft Grades: Pick-by-pick evaluations for every first- and second-round selection". cbssports.com. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  46. ↑ "SPURS SIGN 2019 FIRST ROUND PICK LUKA SAMANIC". NBA.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  47. ↑ "SPURS ASSIGN LUKA SAMANIC AND KELDON JOHNSON TO AUSTIN SPURS". NBA.com. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  48. ↑ "Spurs waive Luka Samanic". NBA.com. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  49. ↑ "Knicks Sign Luka Šamanić to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  50. ↑ "Knicks Waive Luka Šamanić". NBA.com. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  51. ↑ "Celtics' Luka Samanic: Inks training camp deal". CBS Sports. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  52. ↑ "Celtics Waive Luka Samanic, Sign A.J. Reeves". Hoops Rumors. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  53. ↑ "Maine Celtics Select Two in G League Draft, Announce Training Camp Roster". 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  54. ↑ "Utah Jazz Sign Luka Šamanić to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  55. ↑ Hundman, Gabby (7 April 2023). "Utah Jazz Sign Luka Šamanić to Multi-Year Deal". NBA.com. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  56. ↑ "Aug 16, 2016: Sweden 67, Croatia 74". RealGM. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  57. ↑ "Aug 20, 2016: Croatia 70, Turkey 77". RealGM. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  58. ↑ "Usman Garuba claims MVP award to lead All-Star Five". FIBA. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  59. ↑ "Players to Watch at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017 Division B". heinnews. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  60. ↑ "Croatia take home gold after overtime drama, Estonia finish on the podium". FIBA. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  61. 1 2 3 "Amid lofty expectations, Samanic has high hopes for Croatia". FIBA. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  62. ↑ "Aug 3, 2018: Ukraine 62, Croatia 85". RealGM. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  63. ↑ Smith, Sam (27 December 2017). "Toni Kukoc Always Delivered". Chicago Bulls. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  64. ↑ Radičević, Vlado (9 January 2018). "Hrvatski tinejdžer potpuno zaludio NBA skaute; ovako nešto dugo nije viđeno!" (in Croatian). tportal. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
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