Ivica Zubac facts for kids
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Zubac with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022
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| No. 40 – Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||||||
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| Center | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 March 1997 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
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| Nationality | Croatian | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 32nd overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2013–present | |||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Zrinjevac | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Cibona | |||||||||||||
| 2015 | →Gorica | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Mega Leks | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | →Los Angeles D-Fenders / South Bay Lakers | |||||||||||||
| 2019–present | Los Angeles Clippers | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Ivica Zubac (born March 18, 1997) is a professional basketball player from Croatia. He plays as a center for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also plays for the Croatian national basketball team.
Zubac was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2016 NBA draft. He played for the Lakers until 2019. Then, he joined the Clippers. In the 2021 NBA Playoffs, he helped the Clippers reach the Western Conference Finals. This was a first for the team!
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Early Life and Background
Ivica Zubac was born in Mostar, which is in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He grew up in a town called Čitluk. This town is very close to the border with Croatia. Ivica has citizenship for both countries. However, he feels completely Croatian.
Playing Basketball in Europe (2013–2016)
Zubac started his basketball journey in the youth program of KK Cibona. This is a famous club in Croatia. In the 2013–14 season, he played for Zrinjevac in Croatia's second division. The next season, he joined Cibona's main team. He played in Croatia's top league and the ABA League. He also played in the FIBA Europe Cup. In February 2016, he left Cibona because of money problems. He then signed with Mega Leks in Serbia.
Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (2016–2019)
On June 23, 2016, the Los Angeles Lakers picked Zubac in the NBA draft. He was the 32nd player chosen overall. He signed with the Lakers on July 7 and joined their Summer League team.
Zubac played his first NBA game on November 2, 2016. He scored six points as a starter. The Lakers won against the Atlanta Hawks. He didn't play much at first. But on January 17, 2017, he had a great game against the Denver Nuggets. He scored 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. He also blocked three shots.
On March 12, 2017, Zubac had 10 points, six rebounds, and four blocks. The next night, he scored a career-high 25 points. He also had 11 rebounds. On March 31, 2017, he hurt his ankle and missed the rest of the season. During his first year, Zubac also played for the Los Angeles D-Fenders. This was the Lakers' minor league team. In the 2017–18 season, he continued to play for the minor league team, now called the South Bay Lakers.
Playing for the Los Angeles Clippers (2019–Present)
On February 7, 2019, Zubac was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He quickly became an important player for the Clippers. He helped them reach the playoffs for the first time in his career.
On February 22, 2020, Zubac grabbed 15 rebounds in just 20 minutes. This was a season high for him. On March 5, he scored 17 points and had 12 rebounds. He made all six of his shots in a win against the Houston Rockets.
On August 6, 2020, Zubac had 21 points and 15 rebounds. He made all his shots in 24 minutes. This made him the first player in NBA history to do this so quickly.
On February 15, 2021, Zubac scored a season-high 22 points. He also had 8 rebounds in a win against the Miami Heat. On April 14, he had 18 points and 13 rebounds. This helped the Clippers win against the Detroit Pistons.
On January 19, 2022, Zubac scored a career-high 32 points. He also had 10 rebounds. In the 2021-22 NBA season, he started 76 games. He averaged 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. These were career bests for him.
On June 28, 2022, Zubac signed a new contract with the Clippers. On November 27, he had 31 points and a career-high 29 rebounds. This helped the Clippers win against the Indiana Pacers.
On April 21, 2024, Zubac scored 20 points and had 15 rebounds in a playoff game. This was his best playoff performance. The Clippers won against the Dallas Mavericks.
On August 30, 2024, Zubac signed another contract extension with the Clippers. He improved a lot this year. He had career highs in rebounds and points. On April 9, 2025, Zubac achieved his first career triple-double. He had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win against the Houston Rockets.
Playing for the National Team
Zubac played for the Croatian junior national team. He played in the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. In the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, he averaged 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds. He was named to the All-World Championship Under-19 Second Team. He also played in the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. There, he averaged 15.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. He was named to the all-tournament second team.
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Games
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | L.A. Lakers | 38 | 11 | 16.0 | .529 | .000 | .653 | 4.2 | .8 | .4 | .9 | 7.5 |
| 2017–18 | L.A. Lakers | 43 | 0 | 9.5 | .500 | .000 | .765 | 2.8 | .6 | .2 | .3 | 3.7 |
| 2018–19 | L.A. Lakers | 33 | 12 | 15.6 | .580 | — | .864 | 4.9 | .8 | .1 | .8 | 8.5 |
| L.A. Clippers | 26 | 25 | 20.1 | .538 | — | .733 | 7.7 | 1.5 | .4 | .9 | 9.4 | |
| 2019–20 | L.A. Clippers | 72 | 70 | 18.4 | .613 | .000 | .747 | 7.5 | 1.1 | .2 | .9 | 8.3 |
| 2020–21 | L.A. Clippers | 72* | 33 | 22.3 | .652 | .250 | .789 | 7.2 | 1.3 | .3 | .9 | 9.0 |
| 2021–22 | L.A. Clippers | 76 | 76 | 24.4 | .626 | — | .727 | 8.5 | 1.6 | .5 | 1.0 | 10.3 |
| 2022–23 | L.A. Clippers | 76 | 76 | 28.5 | .634 | .000 | .697 | 9.9 | 1.0 | .4 | 1.3 | 10.8 |
| 2023–24 | L.A. Clippers | 68 | 68 | 26.4 | .649 | — | .723 | 9.2 | 1.4 | .3 | 1.2 | 11.7 |
| 2024–25 | L.A. Clippers | 80 | 80 | 32.8 | .628 | — | .661 | 12.6 | 2.7 | .7 | 1.1 | 16.8 |
| Career | 584 | 451 | 23.0 | .616 | .083 | .726 | 8.1 | 1.4 | .4 | 1.0 | 10.2 | |
Playoff Games
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | L.A. Clippers | 4 | 3 | 9.7 | .500 | — | .667 | 5.5 | .3 | .5 | .5 | 5.0 |
| 2020 | L.A. Clippers | 13 | 13 | 24.6 | .564 | — | .811 | 7.2 | .6 | .2 | .8 | 9.1 |
| 2021 | L.A. Clippers | 17 | 7 | 17.7 | .596 | — | .796 | 5.8 | .4 | .1 | .7 | 6.3 |
| 2023 | L.A. Clippers | 5 | 5 | 26.0 | .567 | — | .750 | 9.6 | .6 | .6 | .2 | 9.2 |
| 2024 | L.A. Clippers | 6 | 6 | 32.0 | .600 | — | .650 | 9.3 | 1.0 | .8 | .5 | 16.2 |
| 2025 | L.A. Clippers | 7 | 7 | 36.6 | .659 | — | .528 | 10.1 | 2.3 | .7 | 1.0 | 17.4 |
| Career | 52 | 41 | 23.8 | .597 | — | .728 | 7.5 | .8 | .4 | .7 | 9.8 | |
Family Connections
Former NBA player Zoran Planinić is Ivica Zubac's cousin. Planinić was also born in Mostar.
More About Basketball
- List of European basketball players in the United States
- List of NBA career field goal percentage leaders
See also
In Spanish: Ivica Zubac para niños
