Roko Leni Ukić (born December 5, 1984) is a Croatian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player currently playing for

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertain ...

in the Croatian League and

ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Ma ...

. Standing at , he mainly played at the point guard position, but could also play at the shooting guard position.

Professional career

Ukić was born and raised in

, where he began playing basketball for the youth clubs of KK Split in 1992. He competed on cadet and junior teams for the club, winning the national youth championship twice with the cadet team, and earning the MVP award of the Croatian cadet championship in 2000. Ukić joined the club's senior team in 2000, at age 16. He scored his first professional points on October 14, 2000, as his Split team won the game against

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

(93–79). Ukić finished the game with five points. At age 17, Ukić was already the team's captain. During his five years with the club, he won the Croatian League championship in 2003, and the Croatian Cup in 2004. In the Croatian Cup final against

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...

, Ukić scored the winning buzzer beater. Ukić played for Split until 2005, when he was drafted by the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Atlantic Division (NBA) ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA) in the second round, with the 41st pick overall, after averaging 18.5 points and 4.3 assists, in 35.2 minutes per game, for Split in the ABA League.Prospect Profile Roko Ukic.
/ref> Rather than risk being buried on the bench as a reserve player in the NBA, Ukić opted to join Tau Cerámica of the

Spanish ACB League The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

, a team that had an open spot at the backup point guard position in 2005. In his first season in a foreign league, Ukić became the first Croatian player to win the Spanish ACB League's Player of the Week award. He got the award after scoring 27 points against

CB Valladolid Club Baloncesto Valladolid, S.A.D. was a professional basketball team based in Valladolid, Castile-León, Spain. CB Valladolid was member of the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB). Famous players that have played for the team include Arvyda ...

. Ukić won the Spanish Cup 2006, and played in the Spanish ACB League Playoffs, where his team eventually lost to Unicaja Malaga in the finals, by a 3–0 series score. After spending a season with Baskonia, he moved to the Spanish League rivals,

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional Football team, football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish footb ...

, in the summer of 2006, where he also held the backup position at point guard. With Ukić in the line-up, Barcelona won the 2007 Spanish Cup, but lost the 2007 Spanish League Finals versus

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

, by a 3–1 series result. In the summer of 2007, he moved to the Italian Lega Basket Serie A team Virtus Roma, on a loan deal, where he was coached by his mentor and Croatian national team head coach,

Jasmin Repeša Jasmin Repeša (born 1 June 1961) is a Bosnian-born Croatian professional basketball coach and former player whose last coached team was Fortitudo Bologna of the Italian Serie A. Repeša has won numerous pro club competitions during his head co ...

. Ukić had his best EuroLeague season with Virtus, averaging 12.7 points and 2.8 assists per game. He reached the Italian League's national championship finals, and once again his team was only second best. Montepaschi Siena won the finals by a 4–1 series result. On July 16, 2008, Ukić agreed to a three-year deal with the Toronto Raptors.Raptors Sign Roko Ukic.
/ref> During his first NBA season, he appeared in 72 games, as a backup at point guard to his former Saski Baskonia teammate, José Calderón, wearing jersey #1 for the Raptors. In 12.4 minutes of play, he averaged 4.2 points and 2.1 assists, with career highs of 22 points on February 22, 2009, against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

, and 10 assists on March 27, 2009, against the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

.NBA.com Roko Ukic Career Stats Page.
On August 18, 2009, Ukić was traded to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

, along with

Carlos Delfino Carlos Francisco Delfino (born August 29, 1982) is an Argentine-Italian professional basketball player for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He holds dual citizenship in both Italy and Argentina. Standing at , h ...

, in exchange for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems. On January 4, 2010, he was waived by the Bucks, at his own request, because he was not satisfied with his role on the team. After being waived by the Bucks during his second NBA season, in January 2010, Ukić returned to Europe, when he moved to the Turkish League team Fenerbahçe Ülker. He signed a two-year contract on June 17, 2010. Ukić led his club to the 2009–10 Turkish Basketball League title, by hitting the game-winning shot in Game 3 of the league's finals and scoring 15 points in Game 6 win by a score of 76–51. The club had also previously won the

Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup (Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...

, with Ukić scoring 11 points in the Cup's final game versus Mersin BB. In the 2010–11 season, Fenerbahçe repeated in winning the Turkish double. Ukić was voted the MVP of the Turkish League Playoffs. Fenerbahçe also reached the Top 16 phase of the EuroLeague, with Ukić posting averages of 13.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game. His final season with the Turkish club was injury plagued. Ukić missed the start of the 2011–12 season, due to a stress fracture in his foot, and later on in the season, he suffered a broken finger. In 2012, Ukić signed a two-year contract with the Greek League club Panathinaikos.PANATHINAIKOS signs playmaker Ukic
/ref> In his first season with the club, he won the third double of his career. In the final of the

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most i ...

, Panathinaikos beat Olympiacos 81–78, as Ukić scored 18 points, and won the Final MVP award. Panathinaikos and Olympiacos played again in the Greek League finals, and Panathinaikos claimed the title, with a 3–0 series sweep. Ukić was the leading scorer of the finals. In Game 2, he scored 17 points in 23 minutes on the court, helping his team to a 63–52 victory. Ukić played in 28 EuroLeague games in the 2012–13 season, averaging 8.9 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. He won the Player of the Round award for his performance in Round 8 of the Top 16. Panathinaikos won away at

BC Žalgiris Basketball Club Žalgiris ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Žalgiris) is a professional basketball team that is based in Kaunas, Lithuania, and competes domestically in the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL, Lithuanian Basketball League). Founded in 1944, ...

, 78–73, with Ukić contributing 21 points, six assists, four rebounds, and a performance index rating of 28. After the game, Ukić said he had felt back pain, and had thrown up on the Panathinaikos bench in the final minutes of the game. Ukić missed the beginning of the 2013–14 season, because of Achilles tendon strains in both feet. On August 7, 2014, Ukić returned to Croatia, signing a one-year deal with Cedevita. On October 9, 2015, Ukić signed a two-month contract with Italian club

Pallacanestro Varese Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian first division LBA. For past club spo ...

. Following the expiration of his contract, on December 16, 2015, he parted ways with Varese. On January 11, 2016, he signed with

Pallacanestro Cantù Pallacanestro Cantù, known for sponsorship reasons as Acqua S.Bernardo Cantù, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Cantù, Lombardy. On the European-wide club competition scene, Cantù is second to Real Madrid – agai ...

for the rest of the season. On September 1, 2016, Ukić signed with Greek club

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelf ...

for the 2016–17 season. On July 22, 2017, Ukić returned to Cedevita, signing a two year-deal. He left club in July 2018. On August 2, 2018, Ukić signed a one year-deal with French Pro A club

Levallois Metropolitans Metropolitans 92 is a French professional basketball club that is based in Levallois-Perret, in the Paris metropolitan area. The club currently plays in the LNB Pro A, the highest-tier level in French basketball. The club was established in 20 ...

. On July 31, 2019, he had signed with Antibes Sharks of the

Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the French basketball league system, 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since t ...

. On July 16, 2020, Ukić signed with Cedevita Olimpija. On January 5, 2021, he has signed with

of the Croatian League and the ABA League. After the end of the 2021-22 season, Ukić was not active for a while. He rejoined Split in December 2022, agreeing to play until the end of the 2022-23 season for free.

National team career

Ukić is a former member of the Croatian junior national teams, earning with them a gold medal at the

2002 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2002 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball competition held in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of ...

, and he also played with Croatia's junior national team at the

2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship The 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship (Greek: 2003 Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα FIBA Under-19) was the 7th edition of the FIBA U19 World Championship. The men's U19 youth international basketball championship organized by FIBA. ...

held in Greece, averaging 19.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.6 steals per game, as his team reached the tournament's semifinals. He has also been a member of the senior Croatian men's national team. Some of the tournament's he had played in with Croatia's senior national team include:

EuroBasket 2005 The 2005 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2005, was the 34th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. It also served as Europe qualifier for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, giving a berth ...

EuroBasket 2007 The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to ...

, 2008 Summer Olympics,

EuroBasket 2009 The 2009 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2009, was the 36th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September and concluded with the ...

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

, and

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France defeated Lithuania in t ...

. Since 2010, Ukić has been the Croatian national team's

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. With 1,471 points scored (), he is third in the list of all-time top scorers for the Croatian national team. He also represented Croatia at

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 Sept ...

, where they were eliminated in the eighth finals by the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

. He also played at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and at

EuroBasket 2017 EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar ...

Personal life

Roko's father is Zoran Ukić, drummer of Daleka Obala. Roko Leni Ukić got his first name after his grandfather, and his middle name after drummer

Lenny White Leonard "Lenny" White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won ...

. Roko also plays the drums. In the Summer of 2022, Roko's band Stereotrip, released their first single. Ukić is married to his wife Tamara (b. 1985), and he has a daughter, Sara, born October 20, 2007, in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

.Sara Ukic has been born.
He also has a son, Luka.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

, 72 , , 0 , , 12.4 , , .380 , , .177 , , .733 , , 1.0 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .0 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, 13 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .467 , , .250 , , .818 , , .2 , , .9 , , .1 , , .0 , , 3.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 85 , , 0 , , 11.6 , , .387 , , .189 , , .746 , , .9 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .0 , , 4.0

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;", Tau Cerámica , 17 , , 3 , , 14.6 , , .322 , , .189 , , .706 , , 1.3 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.4 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

, 23 , , 4 , , 16.1 , , .387 , , .350 , , .630 , , 1.3 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , .0 , , 5.1 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;", Lottomatica , 19 , , 15 , , 29.5 , , .470 , , .351 , , .824 , , 2.4 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 12.7 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=3, Fenerbahçe , 1 , , 1 , , 28.8 , , .500 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 6.0 , , 4.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 20.0 , , 21.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010–11 , 14 , , 14 , , 27.9 , , .483 , , .419 , , .818 , , 2.5 , , 3.5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 13.2 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , 15 , , 15 , , 28.0 , , .401 , , .293 , , .725 , , 2.8 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .0 , , 11.1 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, Panathinaikos , 28 , , 23 , , 27.0 , , .398 , , .306 , , .639 , , 2.7 , , 2.8 , , .5 , , .1 , , 8.9 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , 29 , , 27 , , 22.4 , , .346 , , .246 , , .720 , , 1.5 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .1 , , 6.3 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Cedevita , 8 , , 4 , , 22.4 , , .368 , , .281 , , .842 , , 2.0 , , 4.9 , , .4 , , .0 , , 10.1 , , 10.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 154 , , 106 , , 23.3 , , .404 , , .308 , , .727 , , 2.1 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .1 , , 8.6 , , 7.6