Marko Popovic (born 1982)
Encyclopedia
Marko Popović is a Croatia
n professional basketball player of Serbian descent
. He is a 1.85 m (6'1") and 86 kg (190 pound) point guard
. He currently plays for the pro club Žalgiris Kaunas
.
, the son of Petar Popović, a retired basketball player and a present day coach whose father (Marko's grandfather) had moved to Zadar from Kraljevo
, Serbia
in 1943. Marko had started training basketball in the youth school of KK Zadar
, but in 1991 the family was harassed for their Serbian
origin during the Croatian War of Independence
and when their cafe "Timeout" was blown up by local Croats, so they moved to Zagreb
in 1994 when the father signed with Benston. Marko then entered the youth system of KK Cibona
, where he remained in 1997 as his family moved back to Zadar. His cadet team won the national championship and he himself was voted MVP of the tournament.
in 1998. In the 1998/99 season he was in the junior squad but scored an average of 25 points per game, which earned him a spot in the top tier in 1999. In 2000, he competed in the European Junior Basketball Championship in Zadar where Croatia won the second place and Popović was the best assistant with an average of 5.2 assists per game. KK Zadar decided to offer him a seven-year contract at that point, but he refused and went to an American college at the NCAA Division II team Southern Idaho
where he stayed for a year. In 2001, he moved back to Croatia and Zadar. In the 2002-03 season, he won the Goodyear League's championship.
In 2003, he moved Pamesa Valencia of the Spanish ACB League for the 2003-04 season, where he stayed for one season until moving back to Croatia again, this time to Cibona Zagreb, with which he won the Croatian Championship
in the 2004-05 season.
In 2005, Popović was signed to the Turkish league
club Efes Pilsen, and the next year he moved to Žalgiris Kaunas
of the Lithuanian League, with which he won the 2006-07 season and the 2007-08 season Lithuanian Championships
. He was named the Eurocup Finals MVP
in 2011.
In 2011, he returned to Žalgiris.
. He led the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
in both scoring and assists.
He joined the senior men's Croatian national basketball team in 2002, and with the senior team he has played at the following EuroBasket
s: EuroBasket 2003
, EuroBasket 2005
, EuroBasket 2007
, and EuroBasket 2009
. He also played at the 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament
and the 2010 FIBA World Championship
.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n professional basketball player of Serbian descent
Serbs of Croatia
Višeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...
. He is a 1.85 m (6'1") and 86 kg (190 pound) point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
. He currently plays for the pro club Žalgiris Kaunas
BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
.
Early life
Marko Popović was born in ZadarZadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
, the son of Petar Popović, a retired basketball player and a present day coach whose father (Marko's grandfather) had moved to Zadar from Kraljevo
Kraljevo
Kraljevo is a city and municipality in central Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 km west of its confluence with the Western Morava. It is located in the midst of an upland valley, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.In 2011 the city has population of...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
in 1943. Marko had started training basketball in the youth school of KK Zadar
KK Zadar
KK Zadar is a Croatian professional basketball team from the city of Zadar playing in the A-1 Liga.Zadar is the place where Croatian basketball was born in 1930. Zadar's reputation has been of a basketball hotbed with a team that can capture trophies at any given moment...
, but in 1991 the family was harassed for their Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
origin during the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
and when their cafe "Timeout" was blown up by local Croats, so they moved to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in 1994 when the father signed with Benston. Marko then entered the youth system of KK Cibona
KK Cibona
Košarkaški klub Cibona is a professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. It competes in the Croatian League and the Adriatic League.-History:The club was founded in 1946 under the name Sloboda...
, where he remained in 1997 as his family moved back to Zadar. His cadet team won the national championship and he himself was voted MVP of the tournament.
Pro career
Marko started his career with KK ZadarKK Zadar
KK Zadar is a Croatian professional basketball team from the city of Zadar playing in the A-1 Liga.Zadar is the place where Croatian basketball was born in 1930. Zadar's reputation has been of a basketball hotbed with a team that can capture trophies at any given moment...
in 1998. In the 1998/99 season he was in the junior squad but scored an average of 25 points per game, which earned him a spot in the top tier in 1999. In 2000, he competed in the European Junior Basketball Championship in Zadar where Croatia won the second place and Popović was the best assistant with an average of 5.2 assists per game. KK Zadar decided to offer him a seven-year contract at that point, but he refused and went to an American college at the NCAA Division II team Southern Idaho
Southern Idaho
Southern Idaho is a generic geographical term roughly analogous with the areas of the U.S. state of Idaho located in the Mountain Time Zone. It particularly refers to the combined areas of the Boise metropolitan area, the Magic Valley and Eastern Idaho....
where he stayed for a year. In 2001, he moved back to Croatia and Zadar. In the 2002-03 season, he won the Goodyear League's championship.
In 2003, he moved Pamesa Valencia of the Spanish ACB League for the 2003-04 season, where he stayed for one season until moving back to Croatia again, this time to Cibona Zagreb, with which he won the Croatian Championship
A1 Liga
The A-1 Liga or Croatian A-1 League is the highest level basketball league in Croatia. It is operated by the Croatian Basketball Federation.-Current season teams :-Playoffs Champions:...
in the 2004-05 season.
In 2005, Popović was signed to the Turkish league
Turkish Basketball League
The Turkish Basketball League is the top men’s professional basketball league in Turkey, which is also called Turkish Premier Basketball League . There is also a Turkish Second Basketball League consisting of 2 divisions .-History:The first basketball game played in Turkey was at the Robert...
club Efes Pilsen, and the next year he moved to Žalgiris Kaunas
BC Žalgiris
BC Žalgiris is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania. It is one of the oldest teams in the Euroleague and plays domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga , and regionally in the VTB United League...
of the Lithuanian League, with which he won the 2006-07 season and the 2007-08 season Lithuanian Championships
Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga
The Lietuvos krepšinio lyga is Lithuania's premier professional men's basketball league, composed of 12 teams.- History :...
. He was named the Eurocup Finals MVP
ULEB Eurocup Awards
The Eurocup Basketball Awards are the awards given to the top individual performers of each season's edition of Eurocup Basketball, which is Europe's second-tier level continental professional basketball competition...
in 2011.
In 2011, he returned to Žalgiris.
Croatian national team
Popović played for the Croatian men's junior national basketball teams, where his team won the silver medal at the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 ChampionshipFIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was inaugurated in 1964 and for the following 40 years it had been held biannually. From 2004 onwards, it is held every year.-Summaries:-Performances by nation:...
. He led the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
-Championship:-5th–8th playoffs:-Final standings:-References:**...
in both scoring and assists.
He joined the senior men's Croatian national basketball team in 2002, and with the senior team he has played at the following EuroBasket
Eurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...
s: EuroBasket 2003
Eurobasket 2003
-5th to 8th place:-Awards:-All-Tournament Team : Tony Parker Šarūnas Jasikevičius Saulius Štombergas Andrei Kirilenko Pau Gasol-Top scorers :# Pau Gasol 25.8# Andrei Kirilenko 23.1# Dirk Nowitzki 22.5# Mehmet Okur 18.7...
, EuroBasket 2005
Eurobasket 2005
The EuroBasket 2005 was held in Serbia and Montenegro between 16 September and 25 September 2005. Greece won the gold medal by defeating Germany, while France won the bronze medal over Spain...
, EuroBasket 2007
Eurobasket 2007
-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Second round:- Group E :- Group F :-Championship bracket:- Quarterfinals :-Classification rounds:- Semifinals :- Third place game:- Final :...
, and EuroBasket 2009
EuroBasket 2009
The EuroBasket 2009 was the 36th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September 2009 and concluded with the final on 20 September 2009...
. He also played at the 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament
Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Basketball contests at the 2008 Olympic Games were held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008. Competitions were held at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China...
and the 2010 FIBA World Championship
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...
.