Petar Božić (Serbian Cyrillic: Петар Вожић; born 6 December 1978) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the London Lions of the Super League Basketball (SBL).

Petar Božić
Božić in November 2009.
London Lions
PositionHead coach
LeagueSuper League Basketball
Personal information
Born (1978-12-06) 6 December 1978 (age 45)
Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian
Listed height6 ft 5.75 in (1.97 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2000: undrafted
Playing career1997–2013
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Number20
Coaching career2013–present
Career history
As player:
1997–2000Beobanka
2000–2001Radnički Jugopetrol
2001–2004Hemofarm
2004–2012Partizan
2012–2013Metalac Valjevo
As coach:
2013–2015Partizan (assistant)
2015–2016Partizan
20172021Austin Spurs (assistant)
20212023Austin Spurs
2023–presentLondon Lions
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As head coach:

As assistant coach:

During his playing career, he used to play at the point guard and shooting guard positions. He was well known for his defense and three-point shooting. He is a Partizan player with the second-most played games (471) in the history of the club, a record that was broken in January 2020 when Novica Veličković surpassed him. He is also a part of the Partizan Belgrade supporters All-decade Team.

Playing career

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Before coming to Partizan, Božić was a little-known player. He started his professional career in KK Beobanka, playing there for three years. He then played for the club Radnički Jugopetrol. He stayed there for just one season (2000–01). The last club he played for before Partizan was Hemofarm Vršac. After three seasons in Hemofarm, the team recommended him to Partizan.

Božić was signed by the Partizan Belgrade in 2004 at the beginning of the season. In the same season he won the Serbian Super League with the club. Years spent captaining the club, he became club legend with the most appearances (471 games played) for the club ever in history; record was broken in January 2020 after Novica Veličković surpassed him.[1] He has won over 17 trophies with Partizan and is dubbed by the Partizan fans as a "professional trophy lifter".

Coaching career

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Following his retirement from the professional basketball, he was named an assistant coach of Duško Vujošević in Partizan back in 2013. After Partizan decided not to extend a contract with Vujošević, Božić was named the new head coach of the team in September 2015.[2] On 5 January 2016, he parted ways with the team after 6–12 record in the ABA League.[3]

In October 2017, Božić was hired by the Austin Spurs to be an assistant coach.[4] In 2021, he was promoted to the head coaching position.[5]

On 17 August 2023, Božić was named head coach for the London Lions of the British Basketball League (BBL) and the EuroCup.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Veličković igrač sa najviše nastupa za KK Partizan". danas.rs (in Serbian). Beta. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Božić novi trener Partizana!". b92.net (in Serbian). 8 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  3. ^ "KK Partizan: Božić otišao, Džikić novi trener". novosti.rs (in Serbian). Beta. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Austin Spurs Announce 2017 Training Camp Roster and Practice Schedule". NBA.com. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Austin Spurs Name Petar Božić Head Coach". OurSports Central. 17 September 2021.
  6. ^ "London signs head coach Bozic". EuroCup Basketball. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
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