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Balša Koprivica

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Balša Koprivica
No. 5 – Partizan Belgrade
PositionCenter
LeagueEuroLeague
ABA League
Basketball League of Serbia
Personal information
Born (2000-05-01) 1 May 2000 (age 24)
Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian
Listed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeFlorida State (2019–2021)
NBA draft2021: 2nd round, 57th overall pick
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentPartizan
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Serbia
FIBA U18 European Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 Slovakia Team

Balša Koprivica (Serbian Cyrillic: Балша Копривица; born 1 May 2000) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Partizan Belgrade of the EuroLeague, ABA League and the Basketball League of Serbia. He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles. He was considered one of the top ten college recruits in the class of 2019 until he dropped to a four-star recruit during his senior year.[1]

Early life

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Koprivica was born in Belgrade to Slaviša Koprivica and Tanja Čavić. Slaviša, who stands 6-foot-9 (2.06 m), is a former Serbian professional basketball player who won the 1992 EuroLeague with Partizan. Koprivica moved to Florida, United States in 2012. In February 2017, he joined the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in New Orleans.[2]

High school career

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Koprivica began playing high school basketball in 2015 with University School of Nova Southeastern University[3] in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida. He played at the 2015 Battle at The Villages high school tournament. In July 2017, he transferred to Windermere Preparatory School[4] in Lake Butler, Orange County, Florida.

In December 2017, he transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida.[5]

Recruiting

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On 26 October 2018, he committed to Florida State University.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Balša Koprivica
C 		Belgrade, Serbia Montverde Academy (FL) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Oct 26, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 88  247Sports: 93  ESPN: 51
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Florida State 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  • "2019 Florida State Seminoles Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 6 July 2019.

College career

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Koprivica played his freshman and sophomore year with the Florida State Seminoles. As a freshman, he averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.

On 13 April 2021, Koprivica declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[6]

Professional career

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Partizan (2021–present)

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On August 23, 2021, Koprivica officially signed a three-year deal with his hometown and his father's former club Partizan, under head coach Željko Obradović.[7] His father was coached by Obradović, who played for Partizan (1991–1993).[8] In his debut season with the club, Koprivica averaged 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds over 33 ABA League games, but Partizan failed to lift any trophy.

In 2022–23 season, his second with the club, Koprivica had his role reduced, appearing in only six EuroLeague games, but managed to lift the ABA League title with averages of 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds over 12 games played. Over 2023–23, his role improved slightly, as he averaged 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds over 14 EuroLeague games. The season was deemed to be unsuccessful for Partizan as they finished the season without lifting any trophy.[9]

NBA draft rights

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Koprivica was selected with the 57th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2021 NBA draft and traded to the Detroit Pistons for Mason Plumlee and JT Thor, the 37th overall pick of the 2021 draft.[10][11] In August 2021, he joined the Pistons for the NBA Summer League. On August 11, he made his debut in the Summer League in a 111–91 loss to the Houston Rockets in which he posted 2 points and a rebound in 4 minutes.[12]

Koprivica joined the Pistons for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[13]

On June 30, 2023, the Pistons traded the draft rights to Koprivica to the Los Angeles Clippers for sum of $2.1 million.[14]

On July 18, 2024, the draft rights for Koprivica were traded from the Clippers to the Utah Jazz as part of a deal centering on Russell Westbrook and Kris Dunn.[15]

National team career

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Koprivica was a member of the Serbian U-18 national basketball team that won gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship,[16] with Marko Pecarski as teammate. Thirty years earlier, their respective fathers Slaviša Koprivica and Miroslav Pecarski had played together for the Yugoslavia under-19 national team, winning gold at the 1987 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.[17]

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  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

EuroLeague

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* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2022–23 Partizan 6 1 4.4 .500 .000 .000 1.3 .2 .0 .2 1.0 .7
2023–24 14 2 8.3 .833* .000 1.000 1.7 .3 .2 .6 3.3 3.9
Career 20 3 7.2 .767 .000 .857 1.6 .2 .2 .4 2.6 2.9

EuroCup

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2021–22 Partizan 17 10 16.1 .632 — .600 5.5 .8 .5 1.2 6.4 10.1
Career 17 10 16.1 .632 — .600 5.5 .8 .5 1.2 6.4 10.1

Domestic leagues

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Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Serbia Partizan ABA 33 13.6 .635 — .587 3.9 .7 .4 .8 5.2
2022–23 Serbia Partizan ABA 12 11.4 .636 — .750 3.3 .6 .4 1.1 4.2
2023–24 Serbia Partizan ABA 25 14.6 .647 — .644 4.6 .6 .4 1.3 8.2

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Florida State 27 0 10.3 .699 – .658 2.4 .3 .3 .3 4.7
2020–21 Florida State 24 20 19.5 .599 1.000 .689 5.6 .8 .3 1.4 9.1
Career 51 20 14.6 .632 1.000 .677 3.9 .5 .3 .8 6.8

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Dominant 7ft1 Balsa Koprivica Flashes Skills! Top 2019 Center". ballislife.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  2. ^ "NBA announces field of top international prospects for third Basketball without Borders global camp". pr.nba.com. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  3. ^ Balsa Koprivica, 15-16 Varsity Basketball
  4. ^ "Five-star center, Koprivica, changes high schools". rivals.com. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Montverde adds Balsa Koprivica for TV game vs. OCP". orlandosentinel.com. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Balsa Koprivica to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft". eurohoops.net. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Sada je i zvanično: Balša Koprivica novi centar Partizana, ugovor na tri godine". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Slaviša Koprivica o sinu: Mene je u Partizanu trenirao početnik, a Balšu će najbolji trener u Evropi". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Očekuje nas burno leto u Partizanu – ko ostaje, a ko odlazi?" (in Serbian). 6 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  10. ^ "2021 NBA Draft results: Picks 1-60". nba.com. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Charlotte Hornets Acquire Mason Plumlee and the Draft Rights to JT Thor". nba.com. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  12. ^ "91-111 Pistons @ Rockets Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV". nba.com. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Detroit Pistons 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  14. ^ "Home". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  15. ^ Hundman, Gabby (July 18, 2024). "Utah Jazz Complete Trade with LA Clippers". NBA.com. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  16. ^ "Player Profile at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship". FIBA.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Koprivica-Pecarski, 30 godina kasnije" (in Serbian). kosmagazin.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
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