Ante Žižić facts for kids
.jpg)
Žižić with the Cavaliers in 2019
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Beşiktaş Gain | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 January 1997 Split, Croatia |
|||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 2.10 m (6 ft 10.68 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 121 kg (267 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23rd overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2013–present | |||||||||||||||||||
| League | Basketbol Süper Ligi EuroCup |
|||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Kaštela | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Cibona | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | →Gorica | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Darüşşafaka | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | →Canton Charge | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Anadolu Efes | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Virtus Bologna | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Beşiktaş | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Ante Toni Žižić, born on January 4, 1997, is a professional basketball player from Croatia. He plays as a center for Beşiktaş Gain in Turkey. He also plays in the EuroCup. In 2016, the Boston Celtics picked him 23rd overall in the 2016 NBA draft.
Contents
Ante Žižić's Basketball Journey
Early Career in Croatia
Ante Žižić started his basketball journey in Croatia. His first team was KK Split in the 2013–14 season. He played for their junior team in only three games. After that, he moved to the junior team of Cedevita Zagreb, where he played five games.
In 2014, Žižić played for Gorica. Later that year, he joined Cibona Zagreb. During his first year with Cibona, he played 25 games in the Adriatic League. He averaged 7.4 points and 0.9 blocks per game.
Breakout Season with Cibona
The 2015–16 season was a big year for Žižić. He was named the top young player in the 2015–16 ABA League. He averaged 12.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 26 games. He was also chosen for the Starting Five Team of the 2015–16 FIBA Europe Cup.
In October 2016, Žižić was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) for a week in the 2016–17 ABA League season. He scored 37 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in a tough game that went into double overtime.
Playing in Turkey: Darüşşafaka
On December 27, 2016, Žižić left Cibona and moved to Turkey. He signed with the team Darüşşafaka Doğuş, which plays in the Turkish Super League.
With Darüşşafaka, Žižić played his first game in the EuroLeague on December 30, 2016. The EuroLeague is the top basketball league in Europe. In his first EuroLeague game, he had 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Time in the NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers
The Boston Celtics picked Ante Žižić as the 23rd player in the 2016 NBA draft. On July 1, 2017, he signed with the Celtics.
However, before he played any regular season games for the Celtics, he was traded. On August 22, 2017, Žižić went to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This trade was part of a big deal that sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics.
During his first year, Žižić also spent some time playing for the Canton Charge. In March, he scored 15 points and had 7 rebounds in a game. He scored 20 points in the last game of the regular season. The Cavaliers reached the 2018 NBA Finals that year, but they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
Return to Europe: Maccabi Tel Aviv
On August 25, 2020, Žižić signed a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli team. In the 2020–21 season, he was the best in the league for his field goal percentage. He also ranked 10th in the EuroLeague for blocks per game.
In May 2022, during a game, Žižić fell and hit his head. He was taken to the hospital but woke up later that night. After two seasons, he left the Israeli club in June 2022.
Playing for Anadolu Efes and Virtus Bologna
On June 22, 2022, Žižić signed a three-year contract with Anadolu Efes in Turkey. This team had won the EuroLeague championship two times in a row.
On December 31, 2023, Žižić joined Virtus Bologna, a strong team in Italy. Virtus Bologna had a good first half of the season. They reached the Italian championship finals for the fifth time in a row. In the 2024–25 season, they won the Italian championship title for the 17th time.
Current Team: Beşiktaş
On July 1, 2025, Ante Žižić signed with Beşiktaş Gain. He now plays for them in the Basketbol Süper Ligi in Turkey.
Playing for Croatia's National Team
Žižić has played for Croatia's junior national basketball teams.
- In 2013, he played in the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship.
- In 2014, he won a bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.
- In 2015, he won a silver medal at the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.
Personal Life and Family
Ante Žižić has an older brother named Andrija Žižić. Andrija was also a professional basketball player. The two brothers even played on the same team, Cibona Zagreb, during the 2015–16 season. Andrija played in many EuroLeague games and even won a EuroLeague championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Career Statistics
NBA Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Cleveland | 32 | 2 | 6.7 | .731 | – | .724 | 1.9 | .2 | .1 | .4 | 3.7 |
| 2018–19 | Cleveland | 59 | 25 | 18.3 | .553 | – | .705 | 5.4 | .9 | .2 | .4 | 7.8 |
| 2019–20 | Cleveland | 22 | 0 | 10.0 | .569 | – | .737 | 3.0 | .3 | .3 | .2 | 4.4 |
| Career | 113 | 27 | 13.4 | .581 | – | .711 | 3.9 | .6 | .2 | .4 | 6.0 | |
NBA Playoffs Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Cleveland | 8 | 0 | 2.9 | .500 | - | .500 | .8 | .1 | .0 | .1 | 1.6 |
| Career | 8 | 0 | 2.9 | .500 | - | .500 | .8 | .1 | .0 | .1 | 1.6 | |
EuroLeague Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Darüşşafaka | 20 | 17 | 21.9 | .649 | — | .643 | 6.7 | .4 | .2 | .8 | 9.0 | 13.3 |
| 2020–21 | Maccabi | 34 | 30 | 19.9 | .589 | — | .771 | 5.4 | .7 | .4 | .8 | 9.1 | 11.4 |
| 2021–22 | 31 | 28 | 21.1 | .667 | — | .730 | 5.0 | .6 | .5 | .8 | 12.2 | 15.5 | |
| 2022–23 | Anadolu Efes | 31 | 13 | 15.7 | .703 | — | .655 | 3.7 | .7 | .4 | .3 | 7.7 | 10.0 |
| 2023–24 | Anadolu Efes | 13 | 7 | 15.8 | .714 | — | .700 | 2.8 | .7 | .5 | .2 | 6.5 | 9.0 |
| Bologna | 17 | 3 | 13.0 | .574 | — | .400 | 2.6 | .5 | .1 | .6 | 3.5 | 4.5 | |
| Career | 146 | 98 | 18.4 | .646 | — | .686 | 4.6 | .6 | .4 | .6 | 8.6 | 11.2 | |
See also
In Spanish: Ante Žižić para niños
