Selected with pick 32 in the 2016 season by the Los Angeles Lakers, life in the NBA for Ivica Zubac couldn’t be more difficult.
Minimal playing time and opportunities on the court were hard to come by. The Croatian big man struggled in his first three seasons with the Lakers, unable to gain the trust of Luke Walton and his coaching staff.
Despite this Zubac never gave up hope of becoming a star centre in the league, all he needed was an opportunity. Enter the “younger brother” of Los Angeles basketball, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Traded in February 2019, the Croatian superstar welcomed the chance to have a fresh start, flourishing with the Clippers, becoming one of the premier big men in the NBA today.
In his first season with the Clippers, Zubac averaged 20.2 minutes, 9.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and one block a game, highlighting his potential as the Croatian talent that got away from the Lakers.
Now in his seventh season with the Clippers, Zubac is having a career year under Ty Lue, averaging a career high in minutes (32.8), points (16.8) and rebounds (12.6). Despite this, he faces his toughest challenge of his basketball career to date.
Zubac faces off against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in the 2025 playoffs, a feat that would scare any opponent, however, it’s a challenge that the Croatian is more than up for.
In the first four games of the 2025 playoffs against Nikola Jokic, Zubac is averaging 38.5 minutes, 18.8 points and 11.5 rebounds. Doing everything he can to be a thorn in the side of Jokic, making this the most intriguing series in the first round of the playoffs so far, with it all tied up at two wins each.
Whilst the series still has more pages to be written, if Zubac continues to hold his own against Jokic it will go a long way to helping the Clippers win the series.