Dušan Šakota

Dušan Šakota (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Шакота, Greek: Ντούσαν Σάκοτα Ntousan Sakota, born 22 April 1986) is a Serbian-Greek former professional basketball player. He is 6'10 3⁄4" (2.10 m) tall.[1][2] He is a power forward, who possesses the height of a center, and the shooting ability of a shooting guard. He has won two triple crowns in his career. He was the team captain of AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League for five seasons, and with the club, he won the 2018 FIBA Champions League title, the 2018 Greek Cup title, and the 2019 FIBA Intercontinental Cup title.

Dušan Šakota
Sakota in action with Varese
Ermis Argyroupolis
LeagueNational League 2
Personal information
Born (1986-04-22) 22 April 1986
Belgrade, SR Serbia,
SFR Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian / Greek
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2008: undrafted
Playing career2003–2020
PositionPower forward
Number5, 15, 16
Career history
2003–2009Panathinaikos
2007–2008→Panionios
2009–2010Scavolini Pesaro
2011–2012Oostende
2012Enisey
2012–2014Varese
2014–2019AEK Athens
2019–2020UCAM Murcia
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men’s Basketball
Representing  Greece
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Greece Under-19
World Military Championship
Gold medal – first place2009 Lithuania

Early years

Šakota was born in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia (now Serbia), but he moved with his family to Greece, at the age of four, when his father, Dragan Šakota, was given the head coaching job with the Greek League club PAOK. In the early 2000s, he played in the Greek junior league competitions, with the junior teams of AEK Athens, which was his father's club at the time.

Professional career

Panathinaikos and Panionios

In 2003, Šakota signed his first professional contract, with the Greek club Panathinaikos, which was coached by Željko Obradović at the time. He did not play much, due to his young age. He stayed with Panathinaikos until 2007, and won every possible title with the club, including: the prestigious triple crown in his last year: 4 Greek League championships (2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07), 3 Greek Cups (2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07), and a EuroLeague title (2006–07). He was also selected to the All-World Team Roster at the 2005 Nike Hoop Summit.

In 2007, he was loaned for the whole Greek League 2007–08 season, to Panionios, in order to get more playing time. He helped Panionios finish 3rd in the Greek League that season, and thus qualify for a place in the next season's EuroLeague; the first time in 12 years that Panionios had qualified for the European-wide top-tier level basketball competition.

In the 2008–09 season, he returned to Panathinaikos, and with them, he won his second triple crown. He got more playing time with Panathinaikos this time, than in his previous time with the club, as he played in 25 games in the Greek League, averaging 5.0 points per game. He also appeared in 9 EuroLeague games with Panathinaikos, during the early stages of the competition, with averages of 8.1 minutes and 3.2 points per game; at the 2009 Berlin EuroLeague Final Four, he was a member of the team's 12 man active roster, but finished both games as an unused substitute.

Victoria Libertas Pesaro and the accident

Seeking more playing time, Šakota joined the Italian League club Victoria Libertas Pesaro in 2009. Unfortunately, his season in Italy ended before the conclusion of the 2009–10 Italian League season, in a shocking way. On 25 April 2010, Šakota suffered a superficially light injury, after contact with Giuseppe Poeta in a screen during a game versus Teramo.[3][4] Following an incorrect initial medical diagnosis, which led to an equally wrong surgery the next day, he fell into a coma, caused by septicæmia.[3][4] Finally, the doctors managed to save his life, but he had to cease playing basketball for a long period.

Oostende, Enisey, and Pallacanestro Varese
Šakota, playing with Pallacanestro Varese, in 2013.

In the summer of 2011, after a year of recovery from severe septicæmia, Šakota joined the Belgian League club Oostende.[5] His contract with the team was terminated by mutual consent, in December 2011.[6] During the 2011–12 season's winter transfer window, Šakota was released from Oostende.

In the following days after he was released by Oostende, he signed a contract with the Russian League club Enisey. After playing with Enisey, Šakota signed a two-year contract with Pallacanestro Varese of the Italian League, on 17 July 2012.[7]

AEK Athens

In September 2014, Šakota signed a contract with the Greek Basket League club AEK Athens, the club for which he had previously played as a youth player.[8] He became the club's team captain. On 28 June 2017, Šakota signed a contract extension with AEK Athens, lasting through the 2019–20 season.[9]

With AEK, he was named to the European-wide 3rd-tier level Basketball Champions League's Star Lineup Second Best Team, of the 2016–17 season. With AEK, he won the 2018 Final of the Greek Cup. He also won the Basketball Champions League championship in 2018.

National team career

Greek junior national team

Šakota holds dual citizenship; Serbian (former Yugoslav) by birth, and Greek, because he's been permanently living in Greece, since his young childhood. In 2003, he declared his eligibility to play with Greece's national teams, although, according to the press, his father, Dragan, preferred for him to play with Serbia.

Between 2003 and 2006, he represented Greece at the junior levels, in a total of 59 games, averaging 13.5 points per game. He was a member of the Greek junior national team that won the bronze medal at the 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He also represented Greece at the World Military Championship in 2009.

Greek senior national team

Šakota has also been a member of the senior men's Greek national basketball team.[10] He played at the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification.[11]

Personal life

Šakota is the son of former professional basketball player and coach, Dragan Šakota, and the brother of former professional basketball player and coach, Miloš Šakota.

Career statistics

Regular season
Legend
  GP Games played  MPG  Minutes per game  FG%  Field goal percentage
 3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high     Led the league

Note: Only games in the primary domestic competitions are included. Therefore, games in cup or European competitions are left out.

Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Panathinaikos GBL 178.1.358.280.0001.1.1.202.0
2004–05 Panathinaikos GBL 1213.3.527.459.8751.90.5.16.8
2005–06 Panathinaikos GBL 1911.5.573.500.8231.6.1.607.0
2006–07 Panathinaikos GBL 2012.3.373.255.6661.9.4.3.13.8
2007–08 Panionios GBL 2329.1.517.440.9234.3.91.0.411.3
2008–09 Panathinaikos GBL 2012.0.591.511.6661.8.2.3.25.6
2014–15 A.E.K. GBL 2527.0.446.346.7843.42.4.8.212.4
2015–16 A.E.K. GBL 2418.4.473.367.8151.91.0.5.27.4
2016–17 A.E.K. GBL 2423.2.503.320.9502.51.2.8.212.3
2017–18 A.E.K. GBL 2223.5.503.414.8963.71.4.3.313.1
2018–19 A.E.K. GBL 2320.5.531.412.7763.2.9.4.310.3

Playoffs
Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Panathinaikos GBL 512.3.555.4611.0001.2.4.2.25.4
2004–05 Panathinaikos GBL 13.1.000.000.00000000
2005–06 Panathinaikos GBL 57.5.461.375.000.6.6.203.0
2006–07 Panathinaikos GBL 27.5.250.250.0001.5.5001.5
2007–08 Panionios GBL 1221.5.530.477.6002.41.0.8.28.3
2008–09 Panathinaikos GBL 57.5.357.200.0000.2.202.4
2014–15 A.E.K. GBL 325.4.652.454.7142.32.0.6015.0
2015–16 A.E.K. GBL 920.2.480.467.9092.2.9.3.79.6
2016–17 A.E.K. GBL 820.2.389.3461.0003.41.6.6.38.3
2017–18 A.E.K. GBL 223.4.429.167.7143.52.0.51.59.0
2018–19 A.E.K. GBL 1221.0.424.408.8553.3.7.5.312.1

FIBA Champions League

[12]

† Denotes seasons in which Dusan Sakota won the FIBA Champions League
Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 A.E.K. 1623.8.514.405.9004.11.8.4.413.5
2017–18† A.E.K. 1925.8.484.400.8004.21.2.4.414.0
2018–19 A.E.K. 1524.8.430.304.9534.31.7.5.311.9

Awards and achievements

Pro career

Greek junior national team

References
  1. LegaBasket.it Dusan Sakota Altezza: 210 cm (in Italian).
  2. ΣΑΚΟΤΑ Ντούσαν | HEIGHT 2.10 (in Greek).
  3. "Pesaro in ansia per Sakota – Sempre in pericolo di vita" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  4. "Sakota, nuovo intervento E' in coma farmacologico" (in Italian). la Repubblica. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  5. "Dusan Sakota naar Oostende" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  6. "Sakota en Winston weg bij basketclub Oostende" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 21 December 2011. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. ""Sua altezza" Sakota è della Cimberio" (in Italian). VareseNews.it. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  8. ΑΕΚ: Δικός της ο Σάκοτα (in Greek). OnSports.gr. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  9. "Dusan Sakota signs a three-year contract extension with AEK Athens". Sportando.com. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  10. Η "πρώτη" της Εθνικής σε φωτογραφίες (in Greek).
  11. Greece announce preliminary player list for games against Great Britain and Israel.
  12. "AEK at the Basketball Champions League 2017-2018".
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