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Luka Brajkovic

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Luka Brajkovic
No. 77 – Pistoia Basket 2000
PositionCenter / Power forward
LeagueLBA
Personal information
Born (1999-06-26) 26 June 1999 (age 25)
Feldkirch, Austria
NationalityAustrian / Serbian
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High schoolGymnasium Schillerstraße
(Feldkirch, Austria)
CollegeDavidson (2018–2022)
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2018Dornbirn Lions
2022–2023Río Breogán
2023–2024Kolossos Rodou
2024–presentPistoia 2000
Career highlights and awards

Luka Brajkovic (Serbo-Croatian: Luka Brajković; born 26 June 1999) is an Austrian-Serbian professional basketball player for Pistoia 2000 of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Davidson Wildcats.

Early career

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Brajkovic joined the Dornbirn Lions of the Basketball Zweite Liga in 2015 and did not earn a salary to preserve collegiate eligibility.[1] During the 2016–17 season, he averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.[2] Brajkovic considered moving to Germany following the season, but it did not occur.[1] In March 2018, he committed to playing college basketball for Davidson over offers from Stanford, Purdue and Penn State.[3] He chose the Wildcats in part because head coach Bob McKillop travelled to Austria twice to recruit him.[4]

College career

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Coming into his freshman season, Brajkovic helped replace the scoring of the departed Peyton Aldridge at Davidson.[5] As a freshman, Brajkovic averaged 11.1 points and six rebounds per game.[6] He had to adjust to the faster speed of the American college game, including changing his passing motion.[4] He averaged 10.3 points and five rebounds per game as a sophomore.[7] As a junior, Brajkovic averaged 10.9 points and six rebounds per game.[8] Over the summer, he trained in Serbia against professional players.[9] On 5 February 2022 Brajkovic scored a career-high 30 points as well as eight rebounds in a 78–73 win over George Washington.[10] He was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.[11]

Professional career

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On 6 August 2022, Brajkovic signed with Rio Breogán of the Spanish Liga ACB.[12]

On 3 August 2023, Brajkovic moved to Greek club Kolossos Rodou.

On May 29, 2024, he signed with Pistoia Basket 2000 of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[13]

National team career

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Brajkovic has represented Austria in several international basketball competitions. In the 2017 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B, he averaged 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.[14]

Career statistics

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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

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Davidson 34 33 24.9 .549 .357 .704 6.0 1.4 .4 1.1 11.1
2019–20 Davidson 30 30 24.5 .519 .381 .716 5.0 1.6 .1 .9 10.3
2020–21 Davidson 21 21 26.8 .536 .315 .623 6.0 1.8 .3 .9 10.9
2021–22 Davidson 34 34 29.5 .583 .409 .637 7.1 2.5 .3 1.1 14.4
Career 119 118 26.4 .551 .373 .673 6.1 1.8 .3 1.0 11.8

LIGA ACB

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Río Breogán 32 0 9.3 .494 .143 .600 1.7 0.4 0.2 0.3 3.2

Personal life

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Luka was born to Slađan and Sanja Brajković. He has a brother named Filip.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ a b Vetter, Florian (May 9, 2017). "Der nächste Basketballer heißt Brajkovic". Der Standard. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "Folgt Luka Brajkovic Jakob Pöltl in die NBA?". Sky Sport Austria. April 3, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  3. ^ Cunningham, Sean (March 4, 2018). "Davidson Lands 2018 Austrian Big Man Luka Brajkovic". A10 Talk. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Vetter, Florian (March 11, 2019). "Davidson statt Dornbirn: Luka Brajkovic wirft sich ins Rampenlicht". Der Standard (in German). Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Northam, Mitchell (January 9, 2019). "Luka Brajkovic is Davidson's newest international weapon". Mid-Major Madness. SB Nation. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Scott, David (November 7, 2019). "For McKillop's Davidson Wildcats, the world is their basketball". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Lyttle, Steve (November 11, 2020). "How running in Austria — yes, Austria — could lift Davidson basketball to new heights". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "Davidson hopeful 'depth' leads to successful season". Mooresville Tribune. November 9, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  9. ^ Taylor, Victor (February 16, 2022). "Player Profile: Luka Brajkovic '22". The Davidsonian. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  10. ^ "Brajkovic leads Davidson over George Washington 78-73". ESPN. Associated Press. February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  11. ^ "Brajkovic Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, McKillop, Osunniyi Earn Top Honors" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. ^ "Luka Brajkovic chega ao Río Breogán para apuntalar o seu xogo interior". cbbreogan.com (in Spanish). August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  13. ^ "Estra Pistoia Basket firma Luka Brajkovic". pistoiabasket2000.com (in Italian). May 29, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "Luka BRAJKOVIC". FIBA. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "Vorarlberger Brajkovic will Wildcats als Teamleader zum Erfolg führen". skysportaustria.at. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Ein junger Feldkircher auf dem Weg ins Basketballmekka" (PDF). Feldkirch Aktuell (2/2018): 37. June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
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