TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Raptors have agreed to a multiyear contract extension with coach Darko Rajakovic, who will soon lead a team featuring Kawhi Leonard.
The Raptors announced the agreement on Thursday, days after making a blockbuster deal to bring Leonard back the franchise he led to the 2019 NBA title.
Rajakovic led Toronto to 46 wins last season, guiding the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2022 before losing in Game 7 of an first-round series against Cleveland. He helped the Raptors bounce back from winning 30 or fewer games the previous two seasons under him. Rajakovic is 101-105 over three seasons with the Raptors.
Rajakovic was hired by the Raptors a little more than three years ago, replacing Nick Nurse after he was fired. He is the second Serbian-born coach in the NBA, following former Phoenix Suns coach Igor Kokosov.
Born and raised in Serbia, Rajakovic has been involved in coaching since his teens. He coached in Spain before coming to the United States.
He was a head coach for two seasons in the G League before becoming an assistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder during 2014-15 season.
Rajakovic spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant with Phoenix and joined the Memphis Grizzlies the following year for a three-season stint before Toronto gave him a chance to lead an NBA team.
He coached the international team at the All-Star Game as part of the NBA’s new U.S. vs. The World format earlier this year
Toronto acquired Leonard in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, a person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The Raptors are dealing Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and pick swap to the Clippers for Leonard, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade has not received the required league approval.
Leonard spent one season in Toronto, and that was the year the Raptors won their only championship. The 35-year-old Leonard scored a career-high 27.9 points in 65 games last season. He is a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, a two-time NBA champion, who also won a title in 2014 with San Antonio, and is an asset on defense.
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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