Sasha Vujačić facts for kids
Vujačić playing for the Knicks in 2017
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| Shooting guard / point guard | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
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| Born | March 8, 1984 Maribor, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia |
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| Nationality | Slovenian / American | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 27th overall | ||||||||||
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||
| Pro career | 2001–2019 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Snaidero Udine | ||||||||||
| 2004–2010 | Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | New Jersey Nets | ||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Anadolu Efes | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Reyer Venezia Mestre | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Laboral Kutxa | ||||||||||
| 2015 | İstanbul BB | ||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | New York Knicks | ||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Auxilium Torino | ||||||||||
| 2019 | Scaligera Basket Verona | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Medals
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Aleksander "Sasha" Vujačić (born March 8, 1984) is a former professional basketball player from Slovenia. He was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft. Sasha is famous for his great three-point shooting. He helped the Lakers win two NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. He was also a two-time All-Star in the Turkish Basketball League and won the MVP award there once.
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Early Basketball Journey
Sasha Vujačić started playing basketball in Slovenia. From 1998 to 2000, he played for youth teams like Branik and Polzela.
In 2001, he joined the senior team of Snaidero Udine in Italy. Sasha also played for the Slovenian junior national team. He won a silver medal at the 2002 European Junior Championship.
Professional Career Highlights
Playing in Italy (2001–2004)
From 2001 to 2004, Sasha played for Snaidero Udine in Italy's top basketball league, Lega Basket Serie A.
Time with the Los Angeles Lakers (2004–2010)
The Los Angeles Lakers picked Sasha as the 27th player in the 2004 NBA draft. He signed with them in July 2004. On November 29, 2007, he scored a career-high 22 points against the Denver Nuggets.
During the 2007–08 season, Sasha set a Lakers record. He had the best three-point shooting percentage in a single season, making 43.7% of his shots. In Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals, he scored 20 points off the bench. The Lakers lost that series to the Boston Celtics.
Sasha re-signed with the Lakers in July 2008. The Lakers returned to the NBA Finals in 2009. They beat the Orlando Magic 4–1, and Sasha won his first NBA championship.
In Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Sasha scored 9 points from the bench. This included two important three-pointers. In Game 7, with only 11 seconds left, Sasha made two free throws. These shots sealed the Lakers' victory over the Celtics, giving him his second NBA championship.
Moving to the New Jersey Nets (2010–2011)
On December 15, 2010, Sasha was traded to the New Jersey Nets. He tied his career high of 22 points on January 1, 2011. On February 9, 2011, he set a new career high with 25 points in a win against the New Orleans Hornets.
Playing for Anadolu Efes (2011–2013)
In July 2011, Sasha signed a contract with Anadolu Efes S.K. in Turkey. In his first season in the Euroleague, he averaged 13.9 points per game.
He stayed with the team for another season in 2012. On November 16, he scored 29 points in a Euroleague game. Sasha helped Efes reach the Top 16 round of the Euroleague.
Short Stays with Other Teams (2014–2015)
On February 3, 2014, Sasha signed a short contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. He did not stay with the team after it ended.
Later in March 2014, he signed with Reyer Venezia Mestre in Italy. He played 5 games there, scoring 11 points per game.
In October 2014, Sasha joined Laboral Kutxa in Spain. He left the team in December 2014.
In January 2015, he signed with İstanbul BB in Turkey.
Back to the NBA with the New York Knicks (2015–2017)
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On August 7, 2015, Sasha signed with the New York Knicks. He played his first game for the Knicks on October 28. He scored 11 points and had 6 rebounds in a big win. On March 9, 2016, Sasha scored a season-high 23 points.
He re-signed with the Knicks in July 2016. On February 1, 2017, he made Knicks history. He completed two "four-point plays" in a game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Playing in Italy Again (2017–2018)
Sasha signed with the Italian club Auxilium Torino for the 2017–18 season. On February 18, 2018, Sasha scored the winning basket. This helped Fiat Torino win the 2018 Italian Basketball Cup.
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 |
NBA Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | L.A. Lakers | 35 | 3 | 11.5 | .282 | .270 | .947 | 1.8 | 1.5 | .3 | .1 | 2.9 |
| 2005–06 | L.A. Lakers | 82* | 4 | 17.7 | .346 | .343 | .885 | 1.9 | 1.7 | .6 | .0 | 3.9 |
| 2006–07 | L.A. Lakers | 73 | 4 | 12.8 | .392 | .373 | .878 | 1.5 | .9 | .6 | .0 | 4.3 |
| 2007–08 | L.A. Lakers | 72 | 0 | 17.8 | .454 | .437 | .835 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .5 | .1 | 8.8 |
| 2008–09† | L.A. Lakers | 80 | 0 | 16.2 | .387 | .363 | .921 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .1 | 5.8 |
| 2009–10† | L.A. Lakers | 67 | 1 | 8.6 | .402 | .309 | .848 | 1.2 | .6 | .3 | .1 | 2.8 |
| 2010–11 | L.A. Lakers | 11 | 0 | 4.9 | .348 | .429 | .500 | .4 | .5 | .1 | .0 | 1.8 |
| 2010–11 | New Jersey | 56 | 17 | 28.5 | .404 | .369 | .851 | 3.3 | 2.3 | .9 | .1 | 11.4 |
| 2013–14 | L.A. Clippers | 2 | 0 | 5.0 | .400 | .500 | .000 | 1.5 | .0 | .5 | .0 | 2.5 |
| 2015–16 | New York | 61 | 25 | 14.9 | .383 | .364 | .821 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .6 | .1 | 4.9 |
| 2016–17 | New York | 42 | 4 | 9.7 | .309 | .311 | .708 | 1.4 | 1.2 | .3 | .0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 581 | 58 | 15.3 | .390 | .367 | .858 | 1.9 | 1.3 | .6 | .1 | 5.3 | |
NBA Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | L.A. Lakers | 7 | 0 | 18.4 | .423 | .600 | 1.000 | 2.4 | .9 | .6 | .0 | 6.0 |
| 2007 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | 0 | 10.8 | .556 | .250 | .000 | 1.0 | .8 | .3 | .0 | 2.8 |
| 2008 | L.A. Lakers | 21 | 0 | 21.7 | .399 | .392 | .857 | 2.2 | .8 | .6 | .2 | 8.1 |
| 2009† | L.A. Lakers | 23 | 0 | 10.9 | .264 | .314 | .833 | 1.4 | .5 | .4 | .2 | 3.0 |
| 2010† | L.A. Lakers | 10 | 0 | 7.6 | .435 | .400 | .833 | .8 | .5 | .2 | .0 | 3.1 |
| Career | 65 | 0 | 14.7 | .366 | .384 | .879 | 1.6 | .6 | .4 | .1 | 5.0 | |
Euroleague Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Anadolu Efes | 16 | 16 | 29.0 | .407 | .338 | .864 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .2 | 13.9 | 12.2 |
| 2012–13 | Anadolu Efes | 24 | 7 | 21.7 | .376 | .376 | .758 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .8 | .1 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| 2014–15 | Laboral Kutxa | 8 | 2 | 21.7 | .318 | .292 | .667 | 1.9 | .8 | .3 | .1 | 4.9 | 1.8 |
| Career | 48 | 25 | 24.1 | .409 | .349 | .803 | 2.9 | 1.2 | .8 | .1 | 10.0 | 7.4 | |
Sasha's Personal Life
Sasha Vujačić was born in Maribor, Slovenia. His father, Vaso Vujačić, was a basketball player and coach. His mother, Ksenija, was a volleyball player.
Sasha's parents divorced when he was two years old. He grew up with his mother and stepfather. He has two siblings, a sister named Nina and a brother named Aljosa. Besides basketball, Sasha enjoys playing volleyball, tennis, and soccer.
He was once engaged to famous tennis player Maria Sharapova. They separated in 2012. In early 2020, it was shared that Sasha was in a relationship with American TV presenter Kristine Leahy. They met in October 2019 when he was a guest on her interview show.
See also
In Spanish: Sasha Vujačić para niños
- List of European basketball players in the United States
