“So many players, so many coaches from ex-Yugoslavia, and especially from Serbia, have made this journey possible for me. Without all these successes in the national team, at club level, and without the individual successes of players and then coaches, I would never have reached where I am,” commented Darko Rajakovic.
Darko Rajakovic, 47 years old, was born in Cacak, ex-Yugoslavia, and it was in his hometown that he began his coaching career at the age of 16. He then took charge of the youth teams at Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, while simultaneously establishing connections with American college basketball and its coaches. After a stint in the Spanish 5th division, he infiltrated the G-League in 2012 and became an assistant coach at OKC in 2014. The Serbian then moved on to the Suns and Grizzlies before being hired as the 10th head coach of the Raptors in June 2023.
Darko Rajakovic was the head coach of Team World during the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and also served as an assistant coach for the Serbian national team during the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
