The big man joins the club after a spell with Cibona Zagreb in his native Croatia
Luka Samanic arrives to bolster Baskonia frontline
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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz announced on Monday that it has signed Luka Samanic (2.08 meters, 24 years old). The big man arrives from Cibona Zagreb, where he returned to action and averaged 9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 block in three games in the ABA League.
Samanic spent parts of four seasons in the NBA before returning to Europe this summer. He originally penned a two-year deal with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, but the sides agreed to void the deal in September due to personal reasons.
Samanic spent last season with the Utah Jazz, where he averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per night across 43 appearances in the NBA. That was his second campaign with the Jazz.
The Croatian power forward began his professional career with FC Barcelona B in the 2017-18 season and went on to play for Petrol Olimpija in 2018-19 before heading stateside. Samanic’s first two years in the NBA were with the San Antonio Spurs, having been selected by the five-time NBA champion with the 19th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Across those two seasons in San Antonio, he also played for the team’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. The 24-year-old went on to feature in the G League for the Westchester Knicks in 2021-22 and the Maine Celtics in 2022-23.
Samanic had his best NBA statistics in the 2022-23 campaign, which was his first with the Jazz. He posted 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in seven games. Then, he had one more season with Utah before opting to return to Europe.