Luka Samanic is a professional basketball player. Luka Samanic played for the NBA G League’s Westchester Knicks. In the 2019 NBA Draft, he was selected by the San Antonio Spurs and eventually assigned to the G League.
Luka formerly played in the Slovenian league for Petrol Olimpika and the ABA League.
Samanic is also considered one of the top NBA draft prospects for 2019.
Table of Contents
Childhood, Family, and Nationality
Luka Samanic was born on January 9, 2000, to his father Marko Samanic, and an unknown mother.
He was born in the Croatian city of Zagreb.
He is also Croatian by nationality, and there is no mention of his ethnicity or religion on the internet as of yet.
There were no such stories found when I looked into his early life, parents, childhood, and education.
We can, however, provide you with some information.
Marco, Luka’s father, was a professional basketball player for more than two decades.
He was a member of the Slovenian team Krka in the Euroleague.
He was a lefty, and it was through him that Luka learned his shooting skills from the start.
Luka had previously led a nomadic existence due to his father’s profession.
He had the opportunity to go to nations such as Belgium, Slovenia, and Germany.
He moved to Belgium when he was nine months old. Luka, unlike his father, was not a big basketball fan when he was younger.
He loved and played football, sometimes known as soccer in the United States, until he was eleven years old.
He also credits his soccer background with helping him establish a basketball foundation.
Luka also participated in a range of sports, including handball and tennis. He was also involved in breakdancing, although no footage has yet been discovered.
But, yeah, when he was nine or ten years old, he did it for enjoyment. He loved rap music and would dance his heart out to it.
Luka would sway his legs to Drake, Meek Mill, and Travis Scott’s music if he had to.
Facts of Luka Samanic
| Full Name | Luka Samanic |
| Birth Date | January 9, 2000 |
| Birth Place | Zagreb, Croatia |
| Nick Name | The Croatian Kevin Durant‘ |
| Religion | Not known |
| Nationality | Croatian |
| Ethnicity | Not revealed yet |
| Education | Not revealed yet |
| Horoscope | Capricorn |
| Father’s Name | Marko Samanic |
| Mother’s Name | Not known |
| Siblings | A sister |
| Age | 22 years old |
| Height | 6’10” (2.08m) |
| Weight | 227 lb (103 kg) |
| Wingspan | 6’10.5 |
| Standing reach | 8′ 11” |
| NBA Draft | Year-2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19th overall |
| Hair Color | Blonde Hair |
| Eye Color | Brownish Eyes |
| Career Highlights and Awards | 2017 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship B MVP |
| Build | Athlete |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Girlfriend | Not known |
| Position | Power Forward |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| Net Worth | $8 million as of 2021 |
| Salary | $2,824,320 base salary |
| Former Team | FC Barcelona B, Olimpija, San Antonio Spurs, Westchester Knicks |
| Currently Plays for | Westchester Knicks |
| Jersey number | #19 (San Antonio Spurs) |
| League | NBA G League |
| Active Since | 2017- present |
| Social Media | |
| Merch | Rookie Card, Basketball Tee |
| Last Update | May 2022 |
Net Worth & Salary
Luka Samanic’s net worth is estimated at $8 million as of 2022.
Talking about his net worth and salary, Luka has inked a 3-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs worth $8,473,320 which offers him an annual average salary of $2,824,440.
Youth Career
He began his basketball career as a child with the local team Zagreb.
Later, on November 16, he led Zagreb to a 160-21 victory over Samobor with 43 points, eight rebounds, and seven steals.
Luka was named the most valuable player (MVP) in a youth tournament in Italy on January 3, 2016, after leading his team to a championship victory over Virtus Roma.
In the same way, a winning streak was on its way. On January 16, Luka scored 32 points in a 111–43 win over the Rude junior team.
He and his teammates trounced the Cedevita junior squad, combining for 26 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, and four blocks.
After a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds in a rout of the Cibona junior team on May 29, he was awarded MVP of the Croatian cadet championship for his efforts on the court.
Luka attended the Adidas EuroCamp, a three-day pre-National Basketball Association (NBA) draft camp for foreign candidates in Treviso, Italy, later in June.
Basketball career advancement
In 2016, he signed a two-year contract with FC Barcelona to further his basketball career in the amateur leagues.
Luka was offered scholarships to some of the best Division I institutions in the United States (including Florida, Gonzaga, and Purdue), but he decided to stay in Europe.
On December 22, the Croatian player won the Slam Dunk Contest at a youth tournament in Tenerife.
Luka again competed in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in 2016–17, and was the youngest player in both events.
With 11 points and 5 rebounds in the first game, he led his side to a 79-56 victory over the Olimpija junior squad.
He won the Rising Star Trophy after averaging 8.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists over three games in the final tournament in May.
Luka also won the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2017 EuroLeague Final Four, which was a three-day entertainment event.
He was also selected MVP of the L’Hospitalet tournament and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Professional Career
He joined FC Barcelona Basque B, the FC Barcelona reserve squad in the LEB Oro, the Spanish League Basketball System, for the 2017-2018 season.
And despite only playing four minutes, he led the club to victory against Força Lleida.
Luka also attended a ‘Basketball Without Borders Camp’ in Los Angeles, where he was joined by a number of other foreign NBA hopefuls.
Olimpija
Luka signed a multi-year professional contract with Petrol Olimpija of the Slovenian League and the ABA League on May 31, 2018.
He also received offers from the Croatian team Zadar, but things did not work out.
In 19 minutes, he scored two points and grabbed three rebounds against Petrol Olimpija of the Slovenian League and ABA League.
Luka scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in an 85-73 triumph over Sencur, a Slovenian professional basketball team.
Spurs of San Antonio
On April 20, 2019, Luka declared his entry into the 2019 NBA Draft. It had been his childhood dream.
He was constantly working on his body, his shots, and anything else that would help him transition to the NBA as a modern big man.
Luka was also one of a record-breaking 58 international prospects to declare that year.
On June 20, 2019, the San Antonio Spurs selected him in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft.
Luka received his first assignment to the Austin Spurs, which is the San Antonio Spurs’ affiliate team in NBA G League.
He played a game against Utah Jazz on August 13, 2020, as a starter which, unfortunately, his team went through a loss. He recorded 16 points and 6 rebounds there.
National Team Career
He made his national team debut at the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in Radom, Poland, representing Croatia.
However, Croatia accomplished the fourth spot, and Luka received the All-Star Five honors.
In 2017, he participated at the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B in Tallinn, Estonia.
He took the gold medal to his country after scoring 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game.
Luka also participated in the 2018 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in Latvia.
He could only average 17 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game in the tournament, Croatia completed in the eleventh spot.
Personal Life
Luka Samanic is one young handsome man. He totally nails it with his looks and power-packed personality.
No wonder any girl would probably fall for him and go down on their knees just in case (we know that’s a boy thing mostly)
Does Luka have a girlfriend?
Keeping the curiosities in mind, we did take a random search on the internet portal but sadly could not come up with any accurate information.
Maybe he is single as of now and strictly prudent towards his career.
And that’s okay enough, he is young, and there are days to come when he can match someone who is meant for him in real.
Also Read: Who is Steve Kerr’s Wife? Top 12 NFL Quarterbacks of the Current Year,
Social Media Presence
Luka Samanic is not that socialite when it comes to social media presence.
By that we mean, he is only available on Twitter as @SamanicLuka with 8,602 followers.
We cannot catch him on Facebook and Instagram. Also, checking on his Twitter account, most of the content is related to basketball.
It seems like he is quite attached to basketball.
