Mario Nakić


Mario Nakić is a Serbian-Croatian professional basketball player for Filou Oostende of the Belgian Pro Basketball League, on loan from Real Madrid of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.

Early life and career

Nakić was born in Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia to a Croatian father and a Serbian mother. His father is Ivo Nakić, a former Croatian professional basketball player. His mother is Zorica Desnica. Nakić's older half-brother is Filip Živojinović, a son of Serbian former tennis player Slobodan Živojinović.
He started his basketball career with the youth team of Zemun where he played until 2014. In the 2014–15 season, Nakić played with the youth selection of Serbian powerhouse Partizan. He moved to the Real Madrid's youth team one year later, for the 2015–16 season. He was selected to the all-tournament team for the 2017–18 season of the Next Generation Tournament. Nakić was a member of the Real Madrid U18 team that won the Next Generation Tournament in the 2018–19 season. He was named the MVP and selected to the all-tournament team after helping defeat Mega Bemax Belgrade in the final. He set championship game records with 33 points and a performance index rating of 41.

Professional career

On May 24, 2018, Nakić made a debut with Real Madrid in the Liga ACB. He scored two points in a Real Madrid's 2017–18 season loss from Herbalife Gran Canaria.

National team career

Nakić is eligible to play for either Croatia or Serbia. In May 2019, the Croatian head coach Veljko Mršić stated that Nakić has not decided anything yet, but he is closer to play for Serbia. That was followed by confirmation of the Basketball Federation of Serbia Vice president Igor Rakočević. In the end, the Serbian head coach Aleksandar Đorđević confirmed that Nakić has not decided anything yet.

Career achievements and awards

EuroLeague