List of Serbian NBA coaches

Last updated
Igor Kokoskov was the first Serbian head coach in the NBA. Igor Kokoskov 2017.jpg
Igor Kokoškov was the first Serbian head coach in the NBA.
Dejan Milojevic was assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors. Dejan Milojevitsh 2020.png
Dejan Milojević was assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors.

The following is a list of Serbian basketball coaches who have been assistant or head coaches in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Contents

In 2000, Igor Kokoškov became the first non-American to hold a full-time assistant coach position in the NBA. [1] In 2004, he became the first non-American assistant coach to win an NBA championship, and in 2006, he became the first to serve on an NBA All-Star Game coaching staff. [2] In 2018, he became the first fully European head coach in the NBA. [3]

In 2004, Igor Kokoškov won the NBA championship as an assistant coach of the Detroit Pistons. Since then, Dejan Milojević won the league in 2022 as an assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors. [4]

Key

*Denotes coach who is still active in the NBA
Note: Both lists are correct through the start of the 2023–24 season.

Serbian coaches

CoachNBA CareerSe.Honours [A] Ref.
Aleksandar Džikić Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach (2005–2007)2— [5]
Igor Kokoškov [a] *
10 teams, 2 positions
23 [7]
Dejan Milojević Golden State Warriors assistant coach (2021–2024)3 NBA champion (2022) [8]
Darko Rajaković *
4 teams, 2 positions
10 All-Star Game (2014) [9]
Ivo Simović * Toronto Raptors assistant coach (2023–present)1— [10]
Ognjen Stojaković *
1 team, 3 positions
11 [12]
Nenad Trajković Phoenix Suns assistant coach (2010–2011)1— [13]

Coaches with Serbian citizenship or parentage

The following is a list of coaches, who are or have been assistant or head coaches in NBA, who have citizenship of Serbia or Serbian parentage or who are Serbs of former Yugoslav republics (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia).

NationalityRelationCoachNBA CareerSe.Honours [A] Ref.
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Serbian father [14] [15] Gregg Popovich *
2 teams, 2 positions
35 [16]
Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia Serbian father [17] Marko Milič * Dallas Mavericks assistant coach (2022–present)2— [18]

See also

Notes

Details
  1. 1 2 This section doesn't include overseas honours, NBA finals entry and various types of records
  2. ↑ Phoenix Suns finished the season with a 19–63 record, tied for the second-worst record in the league. [6]
  3. ↑ Prior to the 2019–20 NBA season, he was promoted to the director of player development. [11]
Other nationalities, ethnic groups, native-language

References

  1. ↑ "Magic Name Igor Kokoskov Assistant Coach". Archived from the original on 2018-05-16. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
  2. ↑ "Jazz Announce Basketball Staff Additions". NBA.com. July 1, 2015. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2018-05-06. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  4. ↑ "Nemanja Bjelica četvrti Srbin sa NBA prstenom". mozzartsport.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  5. ↑ "Aleksandar Dzikic new assistant coach in Minnesota Timbervolves". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  6. ↑ Wojnarowski, Adrian (22 April 2019). "Suns fire Kokoskov; Williams eyed, sources say". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  7. ↑ "Igor Kokoškov Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Warriors Announce Coaching Staff Additions". nba.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Darko Rajaković Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Report: Toronto Raptors Hiring UCLA Assistant Coach Ivo Simovic". si.com. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "Ognjen Stojakovic". basketball.realgm.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "Meet the 2016-17 Nuggets Coaches". nba.com/nuggets. NBA. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  13. ↑ "COACH NENAD TRAJKOVIĆ". druga.aba-liga.com. ABA league. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  14. ↑ Wojnarowski, Adrian (June 10, 2007). "'Pop' art". Yahoo! Sports. Sometimes, you get the idea that Popovich is fighting a war within himself. "He's even got the Serbo-Croatian conflict going on", Buford said. "His mother was Croatian and his father was Serbian. That's the battle he faces internally."
  15. ↑ "The Spurs Speak Out, in Different Languages". June 11, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2018– via NYTimes.com. ...born in East Chicago, Ind., to a Serbian father and Croatian mother, ...
  16. ↑ "Gregg Popovich Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Marko Milić: Jednom legenda, uvek legenda". kosmagazin.com (in Serbian). 20 October 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  18. ↑ "Marko Milič Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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