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Ivica Zubac posted 24 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks to help Croatia edge the Netherlands 101-99. The center shot 8-of-10 from the field, while Dario Saric matched his 24 points and added six assists. Luka Bozic scored 18 and Mario Hezonja finished with 16.
Dennis Schroder posted his second consecutive double-double as Germany faced Croatia in the DBB Supercup final in Hamburg. Germany captured the title with a 96-87 victory, with Schroder contributing 10 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and three steals despite shooting 3-of-16 from the field.
Mario Hezonja delivered a spectacular performance as Croatia faced Turkey at a friendly tournament in Hamburg ahead of the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifying window. Hezonja scored 37 points and hit the decisive step-back three-pointer with four seconds remaining to give Croatia a 95-94 victory.
LA Emmy winner Jack Baric (Bloody Thursday) is set to begin production on feature doc, More Than A Dream, which will tell the story of the Croatian national basketball team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Baric will direct and produce the film, which will explore the team’s surprise silver medal win in their Olympic debut as an independent nation, challenging the legendary U.S. “Dream Team” in the gold medal game. This came amid the country’s early ’90s war of independence. Led by four players who were among the first group of international players to enter the NBA – Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, and Stojko Vrankovic – the Croatians emerged as a premier European force, defying expectations and securing a place in basketball history.
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An injury from recent international action with Croatia forced Real Madrid’s Mario Hezonja to the sidelines. The team based in the capital of Spain updated the status of the 30-year-old combo forward on Monday. Per the press release: “Following tests carried out on Mario Hezonja by Real Madrid‘s medical department, the player has been diagnosed with a muscular injury to the biceps femoris in his right thigh, which occurred during training with the Croatian national team. His progress will be monitored.”
The 1992 Summer Olympics is often cited as the big bang for international basketball because of the star power of the Dream Team. I hadn’t quite realized how shallow the global talent pool was until I dug into the rosters for the 1992 Olympic squads. Here’s what I found: Only one team, Croatia, boasted multiple players who was actively playing in the NBA in the summer of 1992, and they only sported two such players, Drazen Petrovic and Stojko Vrankovic. Three others on the roster — Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja and Zan Tabak — would come to the NBA later.
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Think about that. Croatia, which took home silver in Barcelona, represented the stiffest competition for Team USA but they only had two active NBA players and five total when we look at the roster’s entire careers. Do you know how many non-USA teams in the 2024 men’s basketball field have multiple NBA players? Not one. Not two. Try seven. That’s right, seven teams today have as much active NBA players as the strongest non-USA team in 1992.
BasketNews: 🇬🇷 Greece will go up against 🇭🇷 Croatia for the ticket to Paris Olympics 👀 #FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/KNyjPOFJSt
Christos Tsaltas: Ivica Zubac has put Croatia on his back today with a monster game, dominating on both ends. Against New Zeeland (3 quarters) 27 points, 14 rebounds, 11-13 FG, 40 ranking #FIBAOQT #iznadsvihHrvatska #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/NAwv89CjyU
Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double, but Slovenia had a night to forget in their FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) opener in Piraeus, Greece. Despite Doncic scoring a game-high 26 points, he struggled with his shooting, hitting only 8 of his 23 field goals (35%) and missing all nine of his three-point attempts. Slovenia lost their first OQT game 108-92 to Croatia.
