In just two years as an NBA player, Dario Saric has proven that the awards he won during his time in Europe were no coincidence, as he was able to reproduce the goods in the supposedly much more competitive American League.
The 6-foot 10-inch, 223-pound power forward for the Philadelphia 76ers, a two-time winner of the FIBA European Young Player of the Year award, is a member of the 2017 NBA All-Rookie First Team, which has proven crucial to the success of his team competing for the highest awards in the Eastern Conference.
Dario Saric Bio
Dario Saric was born on April 8, 1994, in Sibenik, Croatia. He is the son of former basketball professionals Predrag and Veselinka Saric, who influenced their son to pursue a career in this sport.
Saric started his professional basketball career at the age of 15 with the Zagreb-based club Zrinjevac, which plays in the Croatian second division. After a few months on the team, his performances caught the attention of the first division club Zagreb, which he joined between the 2009/10 season, although he was loaned to another Croatian club called Dubrava for much of the 2010/11 season.
In 2011 Saric also participated in the Euroleague Junior Basketball Tournament, winning and being named MVP of the Euroleague Junior Basketball Tournament. His career continues to progress and he was recognized as one of the brightest talents from Europe, which earned him a nomination for the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year 2012 award. During this time Saric played for another Zagreb-based club, Cibona. When the 2013 NBA draft was presented, Saric declared that he was available, but later withdrew his declaration and decided to play another season in Europe. The decision paid off, as he was named FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year 2013 when he won the Croatian National Cup and the Croatian League Championship.
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In 2014, after declaring for the NBA Draft 2014, where he was selected with the 12th overall selection by Orlando Magic, who subsequently traded his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers, Dario Saric moved to the Turkish team Anadolu Efes. He said again that he wanted to continue his development in Europe for at least one more year before moving to the NBA. However, he stayed in Europe for two years and won the 2014 FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year award before signing a contract in the NBA.
Career Stats, Highlights, and Injuries
Dario Saric experienced an explosive first rookie season in the NBA, in which he played several games with more than 20 points, which earned him participation in the All-Star Weekend Rising Stars Challenge 2017. Following this event, Saric was named “Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month” for the months of February and March. At the end of the season, after an average of 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in 81 games, he finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year competition and was appointed to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
In the 2017-18 season, season Saric scored an average of 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 78 regular-season games, although he suffered from a sore muscle in his right elbow for most of the campaign. He also helped his team to the playoffs, where he averaged 17.2 points and 7.3 rebounds in 10 games.
What is his Salary and Net Worth?
In 2016, Dario Saric put on paper a 3-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers worth $7,267,680. This means he will receive an average annual salary of $2,422,560, making him the 9th highest-paid player on the Sixers’ list.
However, it is not clear what his exact net worth is, since he has only been an NBA veteran for three years and has not yet reached the peak of his career.
Dario Saric Relationships
Usually, the details about an NBA player’s wife or girlfriend are just a click away from your favorite search engine, and a boatload of pictures is also available to everyone. However, if the players are originally from Europe, the information about their partners, who are usually also from their home countries, is not available. The few times you find something, it is either very limited or sketchy because it is lost in translation, as is the case with Dario Saric’s partner, Karla Puseljic.
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Saric is supposed to be together with his compatriot Puseljic since 2012. When he finally took the step to come to the United States and sign a contract with the 76ers, she was supposedly at his side the whole time. No further details are known about her, except that she was born in Zagreb, Croatia and her parents are Kika and Zoran Puseljic.
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