Darko Rajaković of the Toronto Raptors will coach the international team at the All-Star Game on Feb. 15, the NBA announced Tuesday, a move that will give the new U.S. vs. The World format even more of a global feel.
Rajaković, who is Serbian and coaches the only NBA team that plays its home games outside of the U.S., will be an All-Star head coach for the first time.
The Raptors are 30-21 so far this season, on pace for their best record since going 53-19 as the defending NBA champions in the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign. The Raptors have already matched last season’s win total and are in line for what would be their first playoff berth since 2022.
The NBA will announce Tuesday night which players are on which team for the All-Star tournament.
Rajaković has a long history in international basketball, starting as a coach in his homeland as a 16-year-old, then later coaching in Spain and eventually serving as a European consultant for San Antonio for the better part of a decade before coming to the U.S. in 2012.
He also coached as part of Serbia’s staff at the 2019 Basketball World Cup.
At All-Star, Rajaković will join J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons and Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs as the coaches for this season’s mini-tournament — the first time the NBA has tried the U.S. vs. The World concept.
Bickerstaff got his spot because the Pistons have the best record in the Eastern Conference. Johnson got his because the Spurs were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference at Sunday’s cutoff date; the nod ordinarily goes to the coach of the team with the best record, but Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault was ineligible this year since he coached at the All-Star Game last season.
Rajaković will be one of at least four people in the Raptors' organization taking part in All-Star: Scottie Barnes will be in the All-Star Game, while Collin Murray-Boyles and Alijah Martin will be in the Rising Stars event.
Rajaković was part of the 2014 All-Star weekend as an assistant coach on Scott Brooks' Oklahoma City staff.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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