Marko Popovic
CroatiaBiography of Marco Popovich
Marco Popovich is a Croatian professional basketball player who played as a point guard and shooting guard. He comes from a basketball family, with his father, Petar Popovich, having played for the basketball club "Zadar" for many years and helping them win the Yugoslav Championship in 1986. His mother also played basketball.
Early Career
Marco Popovich grew up playing for "Zadar" and was promoted from the youth team to the senior team in the 1998/1999 season. In 2000, he moved to the United States and played for the college basketball team of Southern Idaho, which competed in the NCAA Division II for one season. After a year, Marco returned to "Zadar" and helped the team win the Croatian Cup and the Adriatic League.
Professional Career
Before the start of the 2003/2004 season, Popovich transferred to the Spanish team "Valencia", but left in February 2004 and returned to Croatia, signing a contract with "Cibona" in Zagreb, with whom he won the Croatian Championship. In the summer of 2005, Popovich moved to the Turkish team "Efes Pilsen" and helped them win the Turkish Cup. In 2006, the Croatian player joined the Lithuanian team "Zalgiris" and won two national championships, two national cups, and the Baltic League in two seasons.
UNICS and Zenit
In July 2008, Popovich signed a contract with the Russian team "UNICS" and played for them for three seasons, scoring over 1000 points in Russian league matches. He helped the team win the Russian Cup in 2009 and the EuroCup in 2011, and was also named the Most Valuable Player of the EuroCup final. In the summer of 2011, Popovich's contract with UNICS ended, and he signed a two-year contract with "Zalgiris" again, winning the Lithuanian championship, cup, super cup, and the Baltic League in the 2011/2012 season.
Management Career
In December 2019, Popovich became an assistant to the general director for first-team affairs at "Zenit". However, in July 2020, he left the St. Petersburg club after the expiration of his contract.
