Dejan Vasiljevic

Dejan Vasiljevic (born 26 April 1997) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Miami Hurricanes.

Dejan Vasiljevic
Vasiljevic in February 2020
No. 34 – Adelaide 36ers
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1997-04-26) 26 April 1997
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
NationalityAustralian
Listed height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Listed weight88 kg (194 lb)
Career information
High schoolLake Ginninderra (Canberra, ACT)
CollegeMiami (Florida) (2016–2020)
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Playing career2013–present
Career history
2013Melbourne Tigers
2014–2015BA Centre of Excellence
2016Diamond Valley Eagles
2020–2023Sydney Kings
2022–2023Diamond Valley Eagles
2023–presentAdelaide 36ers
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Australia
FIBA Under-17 World Cup
Silver medal – second place2014 United Arab EmiratesTeam
Universiade
Bronze medal – third place2019 ItalyTeam

Early life

Vasiljevic was born in Calgary, Alberta, the son of Serbian handball player Todor Vasiljević. He moved with his family to Melbourne at the age of six. Growing up, Vasiljevic played soccer, tennis, and cricket, and did not begin playing basketball until the age of 12. His father attempted to mold him after Croatian basketball player Drazen Petrovic and enrolled his son at the Australian Institute of Sport. Vasiljevic was recruited by Stanford, LSU, Louisville, and California, but he signed with Miami because he liked the academics and his family loved the city.[1]

College career

Vasiljevic set the Miami freshman record for made three-pointers (51) while averaging 6.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.[2] He posted 9.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore, while shooting 41.1 percent from three-point range.[3] At the end of his sophomore season, Vasiljevic suffered a stress fracture in his foot. Instead of surgery, he went on a nutrition plan crafted by his girlfriend, and lost some weight.[4] As a junior, Vasiljevic averaged 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on a team that finished 14–18.[5] Following his junior season, Vasiljevic considered turning professional, but was persuaded to return by coach Jim Larrañaga.[4] On 21 November 2019, he scored a career-high 25 points including the two clinching foul shots with 1.2 seconds remaining in a 74–70 win over Missouri State.[6] As a senior, Vasiljevic averaged 13.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He scored 1,271 points in his college career, ranking 21st on the Hurricane's all-time list, and is second in made three-pointers with 272.[7]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Vasiljevic signed with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL) on 17 July 2020.[8] In 21 games in the 2020–21 NBL season, he averaged 15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.[9]

In the 2021–22 NBL season, Vasiljevic helped the Kings win the championship.[10] In 31 games, he averaged 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.[9]

In the 2022 off-season, Vasiljevic played for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Summer League[11] and the Diamond Valley Eagles in the NBL1 South.[9]

On 4 January 2023, Vasiljevic scored a career-high 42 points with ten 3-pointers in a 118–102 win over the South East Melbourne Phoenix.[12] He went on to help the Kings win back-to-back NBL championships.[13] In 36 games in 2022–23, he averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.[9] He opted out of his contract with the Kings following the season[14] and returned to the Diamond Valley Eagles for a short stint.[9]

Vasiljevic played for the Washington Wizards in the 2023 NBA Summer League[14] and then joined the team for a brief pre-season stint.[15][16]

On 17 October 2023, Vasiljevic signed with the Adelaide 36ers for the rest of the 2023–24 NBL season.[17]

National team career

Vasiljevic has represented Australia at several international tournaments. In the 2013 FIBA Oceania U16 Tournament, he averaged 20 points per game.[18] He won a silver medal at the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai and was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 17.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.[1][18] At the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Heraklion, Vasiljevic averaged 13.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.[19]

In 2019, he helped his team win bronze at the Summer Universiade in Italy, scoring 33 points in the consolation win against Israel.[20]

References
  1. Hajducky, Dan (30 January 2019). "Don't define Miami's Dejan Vasiljevic as only a 3-point shooter". ESPN. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  2. Hepburn, Ky-Shon (22 October 2017). "Canes Hoops player profile: Dejan Vasiljevic". State of the U. SB Nation. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  3. Uluc, Olgun (29 October 2018). "Top 5 Australian juniors entering the 2018-19 college basketball season". Fox Sports. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  4. Uluc, Olgun (29 November 2019). "Dejan Vasiljevic could've gone pro, but is using a lifestyle change and new leadership experience in a career season for Miami". Fox Sports. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  5. "Conference season comes early this year". Sports Illustrated. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  6. "Vasiljevic leads Miami to 74-70 win over Missouri State". ESPN. Associated Press. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  7. Stock, Christopher (19 April 2020). "Dejan Vasiljevic shooting on an island, aims to begin pro career". 247 Sports. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  8. "Sydney Sign Dejan Vasiljevic on Multi-Year Deal". NBL.com.au. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  9. "Dejan Vasiljevic". AustraliaBasket.com. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  10. "Kings Win First Championship in 17 Years with Record Crowd". NBL.com.au. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  11. "Phoenix Suns 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  12. "Kings Too Much for Phoenix on DJ's Career Night". NBL.com.au. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  13. "Kings' Big Finish to Secure Back-to-Back Championships". NBL.com.au. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  14. Uluc, Olgun (29 June 2023). "Dejan Vasiljevic opts out of his Sydney Kings' contract". ESPN.com.au. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  15. Washington Wizards [@WashWizards] (15 September 2023). "Official: We have signed guard Dejan Vasiljevic to an Exhibit 10 contract. Vasiljevic participated in 2023 Summer League with our team in Las Vegas" (Tweet). Retrieved 16 September 2023 – via Twitter.
  16. Washington Wizards [@WashWizards] (1 October 2023). "Official: We have signed Jules Bernard to an Exhibit 10 contract. We have also placed Dejan Vasiljevic on waivers" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 October 2023 – via Twitter.
  17. "Vasiljevic completes sensational NBL return". NBL.com.au. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  18. Porter, Matt (20 January 2016). "Basketball recruiting: Dejan Vasiljevic commits to Miami Hurricanes". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  19. "4 - Dejan Vasiljevic". FIBA. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  20. Arsenis, Damian (12 July 2019). "Dejan Vasiljevic powers Emerging Boomers to Universiade bronze". Pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
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