Jaka Blažič Explained

Position:Shooting guard / small forward
Height M:1.96
Weight Kg:96
Birth Date:30 June 1990
Birth Place:Jesenice, SR Slovenia,
SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality:Slovenian
League:Slovenian League
ABA League
Team:Cedevita Olimpija
Number:11
Draft Year:2012
Career Start:2007
Career End:2023
Years1:2007–2009
Team1:Triglav
Years2:2009–2011
Team2:Slovan
Years3:2011–2013
Team3:Olimpija
Years4:2013–2015
Team4:Crvena zvezda
Years5:2015–2017
Team5:Baskonia
Years6:2017–2018
Team6:Andorra
Years7:2018–2019
Team7:Barcelona
Years8:2019–2022
Team8:Cedevita Olimpija
Years9:2022–2023
Team9:Bahçeşehir Koleji
Highlights:
Team10:Cedevita Olimpija
Years10:2023–present

Jaka Blažič (born 30 June 1990) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for Cedevita Olimpija of the Adriatic League and the Slovenian Basketball League. He also represents the Slovenian national basketball team. Standing at, he plays the shooting guard and small forward positions.

Early life

Born in the town of Jesenice in a family of athletes—skiing coach father Dušan Blažič and mother Ksenija who had formerly played volleyball—young Jaka took up basketball early.[1] His younger sister Pia would go on to become a professional volleyball player.

Professional career

Blažič started his professional career in 2007 with Triglav Kranj. From 2009 to 2011 he played with Geoplin Slovan.

In July 2011, he signed a three-year deal with Union Olimpija.[2]

On 18 June 2013 Blažič signed a three-year deal with the Serbian team Crvena zvezda.[3] On 14 September 2015 he parted ways with the club.[4]

One day later, on 15 September 2015, he signed a three-year contract with the Spanish team Baskonia.[5] On 3 July 2017 Blažič parted ways with Baskonia.[6]

On 16 July 2017 Blazič signed with MoraBanc Andorra for the 2017–18 season.[7] On 9 August 2018 Blazič signed a one-year deal with FC Barcelona Lassa of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.[8]

On 20 July 2019 Blazič signed a two-year contract with Cedevita Olimpija.[9]

On 2 June 2022 he signed with Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).[10]

National team career

As a member of the senior men's Slovenian national basketball team, Blažič competed at the EuroBasket 2013 and 2014 FIBA World Cup. He also represented Slovenia at the EuroBasket 2015 where they were eliminated by Latvia in eighth finals.[11] [12]

He was part of the national team at the 2017 EuroBasket and 2020 Summer Olympics where Slovenia took gold and fourth place, respectively.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2011–12| style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| Union Olimpija| 10|| 1 || 14.2 || .350 || .182 || .600 || 2.4 || .4 || .2 || .0 || 3.6 || 2.3|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2012–13| 10 || 9 || 28.3 || .373 || .278 || .731 || 4.0 || 1.9 || .5 || .0 || 12.4 || 10.9|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2013–14| style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| Crvena zvezda| 10 || 2 || 19.7 || .462 || .345 || .750 || 3.5 || 1.1 || .9 || .2 || 10.3 || 8.8|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2014–15| 24 || 10 || 21.4 || .422 || .309 || .750 || 2.8 || 1.0 || .5 || .1 || 9.1 || 5.8|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2015–16| style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| Baskonia| 29 || 3 || 19.0 || .432 || .352 || .793 || 3.2 || .6 || .6 || 0 || 7.8 || 6.4|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17| 33 || 7 || 13.9 || .397 || .387 || .560 || 2.1 || .5 || .5 || 0 || 4.7 || 3.3|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| Barcelona| 25 || 7 || 13.7 || .465 || .387 || .809 || 2.3 || .6 || .4 || .1 || 5.2 || 5.7|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:left;"| Career| style="text-align:left;"|| 141 || 39 || 17.6 || .418 || .338 || .743 || 2.7 || .7 || .5 || .1 || 7.0 || 5.7

Personal life

2014 traffic accident

In the early morning hours of Saturday, 4 October 2014, Blažič caused a traffic accident while driving under the influence, slamming his Volkswagen Golf into the back of a taxi vehicle while changing lanes at the corner of Nemanjina and Resavska streets in central Belgrade. No injuries were reported as the traffic patrol administered a breathalyzer test on the twenty-four-year-old KK Crvena zvezda basketball player, determining his blood alcohol level was above the 0.5 legal limit in Serbia.[13] Several hours earlier, Friday evening 3 October 2014, Blažič had played in KK Crvena zvezda's opening game of the 2014–15 Adriatic League season versus Levski Sofia,[13] an 85-55 blowout win in which he contributed 8 points including a spectacular dunk.[14] [15]

Later in the day, after paying the RSD16,000 (~135) fine to the misdemeanor judge,[16] Blažič publicly apologized "to the taxi driver whose car I hit, as well as to my club and its fans"[13] while his club Crvena zvezda fined him according to its own disciplinary code of conduct by reportedly docking the amount of two monthly salaries from his pay.[16]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Andreja. Comino. Ksenija in Dušan Blažič o sinu Jaki in hčerki Pii. svet24.si. 5 October 2017. 13 November 2021.
  2. News: UNION OLIMPIJA invests in promising guard Blazic . 23 September 2014 . Euroleague.net . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121106011526/http://www.euroleague.net/euroleaguenews/transactions/2011-12-signings/i/86940/5611/union-olimpija-invests-in-promising-guard-blazic . November 6, 2012 .
  3. Web site: CRVENA ZVEZDA adds Blazic . Euroleague.net . 18 June 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130707142000/http://www.euroleague.net/euroleaguenews/transactions/2013-14-signings/i/114370/8177/crvena-zvezda-adds-blazic . July 7, 2013 .
  4. News: JAKA HVALA TI ZA SVE I SREĆNO!. 14 September 2015. kkcrvenazvezda.rs. 14 September 2015. sr. https://web.archive.org/web/20150916195341/http://www.kkcrvenazvezda.rs/index.php/article/jaka-hvala-ti-za-sve-i-srecno. 16 September 2015. dead.
  5. Web site: Jaka Blazic joins Baskonia for the next three seasons - Saski Baskonia. Saski Baskonia. 15 September 2015. 15 September 2015.
  6. Web site: ¡Gracias por todo, Jaka Blazic! - Saski Baskonia. Saski Baskonia. 3 July 2017. es-ES. 3 July 2017.
  7. News: Arriba Jaka BLAZIC. 16 July 2017. bca.ad. 16 July 2017. es.
  8. News: Jaka Blazic: An intense and physical presence for Barça Lassa FC Barcelona . 9 August 2018 . FC Barcelona . 9 August 2018.
  9. Web site: Jaka Blažič is coming back to Stožice . aba-liga.com . 20 July 2019.
  10. Web site: Jaka Blazic Bahçeşehir'de. June 2, 2022. basketfaul. tr. June 12, 2022.
  11. News: SLOVENIA MAKE LAST CUT BEFORE ZAGREB TRIP. 12 September 2015. 3 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150912014600/http://www.eurobasket2015.org/en/compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2015.roundID_9322.coid_3vewO7r7JzwYiYvLCCYtK1.articleMode_on.html. 12 September 2015. dead.
  12. News: STRELNIEKS STEERS LATVIA INTO LAST EIGHT. 12 September 2015. eurobasket2015.org. 12 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150913160108/http://www.eurobasket2015.org/en/compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2015.roundID_9322.coid_Zh8ddUnqI,EQbxr3MV43r0.articleMode_on.html. 13 September 2015. dead.
  13. News: Zvezda kaznila Blažiča zbog izazivanja saobraćajnog udesa: Izvinjavam se taksisti, klubu i navijačima. Večernje novosti. 4 October 2014. 25 May 2019.
  14. News: Ovako je Blažič naterao navijače da mu skandiraju u "Pioniru"!. Telegraf.rs. 3 October 2014. 25 May 2019.
  15. News: Zvezda demonstrirala silu na startu ABA lige, šoutajm Kalinića i Blažiča!. Telegraf.rs. 3 October 2014. 25 May 2019.
  16. News: Todorović. N.. Blažič se izvinio za saobraćajnu nezgodu, Zvezda ga kaznila sa dve plate. Blic. 4 October 2014. 25 May 2019.