Željko Šakić

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Željko Šakić

| nickname =

| image = SWE-CRO 20220218 Zeljko Sakic.jpg

| caption = Šakić with Croatia in 2022

| position = Power forward

| league = French League

| team = Élan Chalon

| number = 4

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 8

| weight_lb = 234

| nationality = Croatian

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1988|4|14}}

| birth_place = Zagreb, SR Croatia,
SFR Yugoslavia

| draft_year = 2010

| career_start = 2006

| career_end =

| years1 = 2006–2007

| team1 = Kaptol

| years2 = 2007–2010

| team2 = Dubrava

| years3 = 2010–2011

| team3 = Zrinjski Mostar

| years4 = 2011–2013

| team4 = Široki

| years5 = 2013–2014

| team5 = Sutor Montegranaro

| years6 = 2014–2015

| team6 = Manresa

| years7 = 2015–2016

| team7 = Lukoil Academic

| years8 = 2016–2017

| team8 = Cibona

| years9 = 2017–2018

| team9 = U-BT Cluj-Napoca

| years10 = 2018–2019

| team10 = Stelmet Zielona Góra

| years11 = 2019–2020

| team11 = Lietkabelis Panevėžys

| years12 = 2020–2021

| team12 = Avtodor

| years13 = 2021

| team13 = Estudiantes

| years14 = 2021–2022

| team14 = Avtodor

| years15 = 2022

| team15 = UNICS

| years16 = 2022–2023

| team16 = Lietkabelis Panevėžys

| years17 = 2023–2024

| team17 = Tofaş

| years18 = 2024–present

| team18 = Élan Chalon

| highlights = * 2× Bosnian League champion (2011, 2012)

Bulgarian League champion (2016)
Bosnian Cup winner (2012)

}}

Željko Šakić (born April 14, 1988) is a Croatian professional basketball player currently playing for Élan Chalon of the French League. Standing at {{height|ft=6|in=8}}, he plays the power forward position.

Professional career

Šakić started playing basketball in the Cibona youth systems but never got an opportunity to play for the senior squad. After he almost quit basketball, in 2007 he got an offer from another club from Zagreb, Dubrava where he spent the next 3 seasons.{{cite news|title=Željko Šakić je najstariji debitant za Hrvatsku|url=http://www.hercegovina.info/vijesti/sport/kosarka/zeljko-sakic-je-najstariji-debitant-za-hrvatsku-94453|accessdate=20 August 2015|work=hercegovina.info|issue=22 July 2015|language=Croatian}} After that he spent 3 seasons in the Bosnian League and then moved to Sutor Montegranaro of the Italian League. He spent the 2014–15 season in Manresa of the Spanish League earning the 4th week Player of the Week award.

In August 2015 he moved to the Bulgarian champion Lukoil Academic.{{cite news|title=Željko Šakić nakon sezone u Manresi preselio u redove najboljeg bugarskog kluba|url=http://www.hrsport.net/mobile/vijesti/488723/kosarka-ostale-lige/zeljko-sakic-nakon-sezone-u-manresi-preselio-u-redove-najboljeg-bugarskog-kluba/|accessdate=20 August 2015|work=sportnet.hr|issue=14 August 2015|language=Croatian}}

On June 29, 2016, Šakić signed with Cibona.{{cite news|title=Cibona tabs Zeljko Sakic|url=http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/croatia/204081/cibona-tabs-zeljko-sakic.html|accessdate=29 June 2016|work=Sportando.com|date=29 June 2016}} After a season spent playing in the Romanian League for U-BT Cluj-Napoca, in September 2018 he moved to the Polish side Stelmet Zielona Góra.{{cite news|title=Željko Šakić s Ciboninih treninga u Poljsku|url=https://basketball.hr/vijesti/zeljko-sakic-s-ciboninih-treninga-u-poljsku/6237|work=basketball.hr|date=12 September 2018|language=Croatian}}

On 10 July 2019, Šakić signed a one-year deal with Lietkabelis Panevėžys of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).{{cite web|title=Sunkiojo krašto puolėjo poziciją stiprina kroatas|url=https://www.kklietkabelis.lt/sunkiojo-krasto-puolejo-pozicija-stiprina-kroatas/|work=kklietkabelis.lt|language=lt|date=10 July 2019|accessdate=1 July 2023}}

On June 25, 2020, he has signed with Avtodor of the VTB United League.{{Cite news|url=https://sportando.basketball/en/avtodor-saratov-signs-zeljko-sakic/|title=Avtodor Saratov signs Zeljko Sakic|last=|first=|date=25 June 2020|website=|newspaper=Sportando|language=En|access-date=25 June 2020|last1=Carchia |first1=Emiliano }}

In March, 2022, Šakić signed with UNICS for the rest of the season.{{cite news|title=Hrvatska kolonija u ruskom Kazanju se povećala; reprezentativac Željko Šakić pridružio se Mariju Hezonji i trenerskom tandemu|url=https://www.tportal.hr/sport/clanak/hrvatska-kolonija-u-ruskom-kazanju-se-povecala-reprezentativac-zeljko-sakic-pridruzio-se-mariju-hezonji-i-trenerskom-tandemu-20220322|work=vtportal.hrecernji.hr|date=22 March 2022|accessdate=23 March 2022|language=Croatian}}

On 24 July 2022, Šakić returned to Lietkabelis Panevėžys for a second stint, signing a two-year (1+1) deal.{{cite web|title=Lietkabelis brings back forward Sakic|url=https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/lietkabelis-brings-back-forward-sakic/|work=EuroLeague|date=24 July 2022|accessdate=1 July 2023}} On 1 July 2023, he parted ways with the club.{{cite web|title="7bet-Lietkabelis" atsisveikino su Šakičiumi|url=https://basketnews.lt/news-191404-7bet-lietkabelis-atsisveikino-su-sakiciumi.html|work=basketnews.lt|language=lt|date=1 July 2023|accessdate=1 July 2023}}

On July 11, 2023, he signed with Tofaş of Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).{{Cite web|url=http://tofasspor.com/haber-2856-zeljko_sakic_tofasta|title=Zeljko Sakic Tofaş'ta|last=|first=|date=July 11, 2023|website=tofasspor.com|publisher=|language=tr|access-date=July 11, 2023}}

In September 2024, Šakić signed with Élan Chalon of the French League.{{cite news|title=Zeljko Sakic (ex Tofas) agreed terms with Chalon/Saone|url=https://www.eurobasket.com/Croatia/news/890413/Zeljko-Sakic-ex-Tofas-agreed-terms-with-ChalonSaone|work=eurobasket.com|date=5 September 2024}}

Croatian national team

Šakić was part of the Croatian national team youth selections. He was one of the leading Croatian players at the 2006 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship and the 2008 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, but to play with the senior team he had to wait for the 2015 EuroBasket preparation games. At the age of 27, he was the oldest debutant in the history of the Croatian national basketball team.{{cite news|title=Novi Perasov adut: Željko Šakić je najstariji debitant za Hrvatsku|url=https://www.vecernji.hr/sport/novi-perasovicev-adut-zeljko-sakic-je-najstariji-debitant-za-hrvatsku-1015749|work=vecernji.hr|date=21 July 2015|accessdate=13 March 2022|language=Croatian}}

References

External links

[http://www.aba-liga.com/player.php?id=2113_Sakic Željko Šakić] at aba-liga.com
[http://www.acb.com/jugador.php?id=2B6 Željko Šakić] at acb.com
[https://web.archive.org/web/20160817141544/http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/gamecent/p/pid/6035080/playerview.html Željko Šakić] at fiba.com
[http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Zeljko-Sakic/Summary/27158 Željko Šakić] at realgm.com

Category:Living people

Category:1988 births

Category:21st-century Croatian sportsmen

Category:ABA League players

Category:Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:Bàsquet Manresa players

Category:BC Avtodor players

Category:BC Lietkabelis players

Category:BC UNICS players

Category:Croatian expatriate basketball people in Bulgaria

Category:Croatian expatriate basketball people in France

Category:Croatian expatriate basketball people in Italy