Luka Brajkovic
No. 77 – Pistoia Basket 2000 | |
---|---|
Position | Center / Power forward |
League | LBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Feldkirch, Austria | 26 June 1999
Nationality | Austrian / Serbian |
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Gymnasium Schillerstraße (Feldkirch, Austria) |
College | Davidson (2018–2022) |
NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
Playing career | 2015–present |
Career history | |
2015–2018 | Dornbirn Lions |
2022–2023 | Río Breogán |
2023–2024 | Kolossos Rodou |
2024–present | Pistoia 2000 |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Luka Brajkovic (Serbo-Croatian: Luka Brajković; born 26 June 1999) is an Austrian-Serbian professional basketball player for Pistoia 2000 of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Davidson Wildcats.
Early career
[edit]Brajkovic joined the Dornbirn Lions of the Basketball Zweite Liga in 2015 and did not earn a salary to preserve collegiate eligibility.[1] During the 2016–17 season, he averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.[2] Brajkovic considered moving to Germany following the season, but it did not occur.[1] In March 2018, he committed to playing college basketball for Davidson over offers from Stanford, Purdue and Penn State.[3] He chose the Wildcats in part because head coach Bob McKillop travelled to Austria twice to recruit him.[4]
College career
[edit]Coming into his freshman season, Brajkovic helped replace the scoring of the departed Peyton Aldridge at Davidson.[5] As a freshman, Brajkovic averaged 11.1 points and six rebounds per game.[6] He had to adjust to the faster speed of the American college game, including changing his passing motion.[4] He averaged 10.3 points and five rebounds per game as a sophomore.[7] As a junior, Brajkovic averaged 10.9 points and six rebounds per game.[8] Over the summer, he trained in Serbia against professional players.[9] On 5 February 2022 Brajkovic scored a career-high 30 points as well as eight rebounds in a 78–73 win over George Washington.[10] He was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.[11]
Professional career
[edit]On 6 August 2022, Brajkovic signed with Rio Breogán of the Spanish Liga ACB.[12]
On 3 August 2023, Brajkovic moved to Greek club Kolossos Rodou.
On May 29, 2024, he signed with Pistoia Basket 2000 of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[13]
National team career
[edit]Brajkovic has represented Austria in several international basketball competitions. In the 2017 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B, he averaged 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.[14]
Career statistics
[edit]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 | Bold | Career high |
College
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018–19 | Davidson | 34 | 33 | 24.9 | .549 | .357 | .704 | 6.0 | 1.4 | .4 | 1.1 | 11.1 |
2019–20 | Davidson | 30 | 30 | 24.5 | .519 | .381 | .716 | 5.0 | 1.6 | .1 | .9 | 10.3 |
2020–21 | Davidson | 21 | 21 | 26.8 | .536 | .315 | .623 | 6.0 | 1.8 | .3 | .9 | 10.9 |
2021–22 | Davidson | 34 | 34 | 29.5 | .583 | .409 | .637 | 7.1 | 2.5 | .3 | 1.1 | 14.4 |
Career | 119 | 118 | 26.4 | .551 | .373 | .673 | 6.1 | 1.8 | .3 | 1.0 | 11.8 |
LIGA ACB
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022–23 | Río Breogán | 32 | 0 | 9.3 | .494 | .143 | .600 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 3.2 |
Personal life
[edit]Luka was born to Slađan and Sanja Brajković. He has a brother named Filip.[15][16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Vetter, Florian (May 9, 2017). "Der nächste Basketballer heißt Brajkovic". Der Standard. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ "Folgt Luka Brajkovic Jakob Pöltl in die NBA?". Sky Sport Austria. April 3, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ Cunningham, Sean (March 4, 2018). "Davidson Lands 2018 Austrian Big Man Luka Brajkovic". A10 Talk. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Vetter, Florian (March 11, 2019). "Davidson statt Dornbirn: Luka Brajkovic wirft sich ins Rampenlicht". Der Standard (in German). Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ Northam, Mitchell (January 9, 2019). "Luka Brajkovic is Davidson's newest international weapon". Mid-Major Madness. SB Nation. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ Scott, David (November 7, 2019). "For McKillop's Davidson Wildcats, the world is their basketball". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ Lyttle, Steve (November 11, 2020). "How running in Austria — yes, Austria — could lift Davidson basketball to new heights". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ "Davidson hopeful 'depth' leads to successful season". Mooresville Tribune. November 9, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ Taylor, Victor (February 16, 2022). "Player Profile: Luka Brajkovic '22". The Davidsonian. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ "Brajkovic leads Davidson over George Washington 78-73". ESPN. Associated Press. February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ "Brajkovic Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, McKillop, Osunniyi Earn Top Honors" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Luka Brajkovic chega ao Río Breogán para apuntalar o seu xogo interior". cbbreogan.com (in Spanish). August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ "Estra Pistoia Basket firma Luka Brajkovic". pistoiabasket2000.com (in Italian). May 29, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ "Luka BRAJKOVIC". FIBA. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- ^ "Vorarlberger Brajkovic will Wildcats als Teamleader zum Erfolg führen". skysportaustria.at. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Ein junger Feldkircher auf dem Weg ins Basketballmekka" (PDF). Feldkirch Aktuell (2/2018): 37. June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
External links
[edit]- 1999 births
- Living people
- Austrian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
- Austrian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
- Austrian expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Austrian men's basketball players
- Austrian people of Serbian descent
- CB Breogán players
- Centers (basketball)
- Davidson Wildcats men's basketball players
- Kolossos Rodou B.C. players
- Sportspeople from Feldkirch, Vorarlberg
- Power forwards
- 21st-century Austrian sportsmen