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The Most Famous

BASKETBALL PLAYERS from Croatia

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This page contains a list of the greatest Croatian Basketball Players. The pantheon dataset contains 1,268 Basketball Players, 40 of which were born in Croatia. This makes Croatia the birth place of the 4th most number of Basketball Players behind Serbia and Lithuania.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Croatian Basketball Players of all time. This list of famous Croatian Basketball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Croatian Basketball Players.

Photo of Dražen Petrović

1. Dražen Petrović (1964 - 1993)

With an HPI of 56.83, Dražen Petrović is the most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 48 different languages on wikipedia.

Dražen Petrović (Croatian pronunciation: [drǎʒen pětroʋitɕ]; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s with Cibona and Real Madrid before joining the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1989. A star on multiple international basketball stages, Petrović earned two silver medals (1988, 1992) and one bronze (1984) at the Summer Olympic Games, a gold (1990) and a bronze (1986) at the FIBA World Cup, and a gold (1989) and a bronze (1987) at the FIBA EuroBasket. He was the FIBA World Championship MVP in 1986 and the FIBA EuroBasket MVP in 1989. With Cibona Zagreb, Petrović also won two consecutive EuroLeague championships in 1985 and 1986. He first represented Yugoslavia's senior national team and later Croatia's senior national team. He earned four Euroscars and was named Mr. Europa twice. In 1985, he received the Golden Badge award for the best athlete of Yugoslavia. Seeking a bigger arena after his career start in Europe, Petrović joined the NBA in 1989, as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. After playing mostly off the bench that year, Petrović experienced a breakthrough following a trade to the New Jersey Nets. While starting for the Nets, he became one of the league's best shooting guards. He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. On 7 June 1993, Petrović's career and life were cut short after he died in a car accident at the age of 28. In 1993, Petrović's jersey number 3 was retired by the Nets, and the Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall was named after him in his honor. He also received the Olympic Order in 1993. In 2002, he was posthumously enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2006, the Dražen Petrović Award was created in his honor. In 2007, he was posthumously inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame. He was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008. In 2013, he was voted the best European Basketball player in history, by players at the 2013 FIBA EuroBasket. Petrović is considered a crucial part of the vanguard to the present-day mass influx of European players into the NBA, and to this day he is viewed as a national hero in Croatia.

Photo of Krešimir Ćosić

2. Krešimir Ćosić (1948 - 1995)

With an HPI of 56.19, Krešimir Ćosić is the 2nd most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (Croatian pronunciation: [krěʃimir t͡ɕɔ̌ːsit͡ɕ]; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian-Yugoslavian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first basketball player in the world to play all five positions. In 1996, Ćosić became only the third international player ever elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (the second male player). He is one of 62 people in the world that received the FIBA Order of Merit. In 2006, he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2007, he was also an inaugural member of the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Croatian Basketball Cup, and KK Zadar's home arena, are named after him. Ćosić was voted best Croatian athlete of the 20th century twice; by Croatian Sports News and by Croatian National Television. Ćosić was a notable church leader and missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the deputy ambassador of Croatia to the U.S., in Washington, D.C.

Photo of Toni Kukoč

3. Toni Kukoč (1968 - )

With an HPI of 53.21, Toni Kukoč is the 3rd most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Toni Kukoč (pronounced [kukotʃ]; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of the first established European stars to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Waiter", Kukoč played for four NBA teams between 1993 and 2006, winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1996. He is a three-time NBA champion, having won championships with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Kukoč is renowned for his versatility and passing ability. Although his natural position was small forward, the 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Kukoč played multiple positions and demonstrated court vision and an outside shooting touch that were seldom found in players of his height. He also enjoyed success in international play, winning Olympic silver medals in 1988 (playing for Yugoslavia) and 1992 (playing for Croatia). Kukoč and Vassilis Spanoulis are the only players in history to receive the EuroLeague Final Four MVP honor on three occasions. He was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2023, he was selected to be in the inaugural class of the Chicago Bulls' Ring of Honor.

Photo of Dino Rađa

4. Dino Rađa (1967 - )

With an HPI of 49.52, Dino Rađa is the 4th most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Dino Rađa (Anglicized: Dino Radja, Croatian pronunciation: [ˌdǐːno ˈrâd͜ʑa]; born 24 April 1967) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. He was a member of the Jugoplastika team of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which he helped to win two FIBA European Champions Cup championships (1989 and 1990). He spent three and a half seasons with the Boston Celtics, being one of the European pioneers in the NBA. Rađa was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991, and one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, as a member of the 2018 class. He was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame, in 2022.

Photo of Vinko Jelovac

5. Vinko Jelovac (1948 - )

With an HPI of 49.18, Vinko Jelovac is the 5th most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Vinko Jelovac (alternate spelling: Vinto Jelovac) (born 18 November 1948 in Pazin, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia) is a former Slovenian-Croatian professional basketball player and coach. At a height of 2.08 m (6'10") tall, and a weight of 95 kg (210 lbs.), he played at the center position. Jelovac was named Slovenian Sportsman of the Year, in 1973 and 1974. He was inducted into the Slovenian Athletes Hall of Fame, in 2012.

Photo of Petar Skansi

6. Petar Skansi (1943 - 2022)

With an HPI of 48.49, Petar Skansi is the 6th most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Petar Skansi (23 November 1943 – 4 April 2022) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. During his playing career, he played for Jugoplastika and Maxmobili Pesaro. He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. He was a member of the Yugoslavia national team that silver medalled at the 1968 Summer Olympics. For his basketball achievements, he was awarded the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport twice, in 1992 and 2003. He also had a political stint as a deputy minister of sports in Croatia.

Photo of Velimir Perasović

7. Velimir Perasović (1965 - )

With an HPI of 47.99, Velimir Perasović is the 7th most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Velimir Perasović (pronounced [vèlimir pèrȃsović]; born 9 February 1965) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player. He is serving as the head coach for the Russian team UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League.

Photo of Aleksandar Petrović

8. Aleksandar Petrović (1959 - )

With an HPI of 47.89, Aleksandar Petrović is the 8th most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Aleksandar "Aco" Petrović (pronounced [aleksǎːndar at͡so pětroʋitɕ]; born 16 February 1959) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the Croatia men's national team.

Photo of Stojko Vranković

9. Stojko Vranković (1964 - )

With an HPI of 44.18, Stojko Vranković is the 9th most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Stojan "Stojko" Vranković (born 22 January 1964) is a Croatian professional basketball executive and former player. He served as the president of the Croatian Basketball Federation from 2016 to 2022. A 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) center, he played five seasons (1990–1992; 1996–1999) in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Clippers. He was popular in Europe while playing for the Athens-based club Panathinaikos, with whom he won the club's first EuroLeague championship.

Photo of Žan Tabak

10. Žan Tabak (1970 - )

With an HPI of 43.40, Žan Tabak is the 10th most famous Croatian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Žan Tabak (born 15 June 1970) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player who is now serving as the head coach for Trefl Sopot of the PLK. His basketball career, spanning twenty years, was marked by several notable achievements, despite injuries. He was the first international player to play in the NBA Finals for two teams. Žan Tabak averaged 5.0 points in his 6-year NBA career.

People

Pantheon has 40 people classified as basketball players born between 1943 and 1997. Of these 40, 37 (92.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living basketball players include Toni Kukoč, Dino Rađa, and Vinko Jelovac. The most famous deceased basketball players include Dražen Petrović, Krešimir Ćosić, and Petar Skansi. As of April 2022, 6 new basketball players have been added to Pantheon including Vinko Jelovac, Petar Skansi, and Željko Jerkov.

Living Basketball Players

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Deceased Basketball Players

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Newly Added Basketball Players (2022)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Basketball Players were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Basketball Players since 1700.

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