Aleksander “Sasha” VUJACIC
Category
“A Life Dedicated to Sport”
Sport
BASKETBALL
After his initial experiences as a teenager in the Slovenian league, he debuted as the youngest basketball player in the Italian Serie A with Snaidero Udine, where he scored 816 points in three seasons.
He was drafted by the Lakers in the Los Angeles NBA, beginning a historic seven-season tenure with the team during which he won two NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. Across the Atlantic, as Kobe Bryant’s permanent backup, he showcased his exceptional shooting skills, earning the nickname ‘The Machine’. He is also scored the two decisive free throws with 11 seconds left in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals against the Boston Celtics.
After several seasons in Europe, he returned to the NBA with the New York Knicks, where he made his mark by recording two historic four-point plays, etching his name in the team’s record books.
He returned to Italy with Auxilium Torino and scored the game-winning layup in the final of the 2018 Italian Basketball Cup. He retired in 2019 after playing for Scaligera Verona.