Nikola Prkačin

Nikola Prkačin

Personal information
Born	November 15, 1975 Dubrovnik, SR Croatia SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality	Croatian
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
Playing career	1993–2010
Position	Center
Career history
1993–1998	Split
1998–2003	Cibona
2003–2007	Efes Pilsen
2007–2008	Dynamo Moscow
2008	Panathinaikos
2008–2009	Cibona
2009–2010	Zagreb
Career highlights and awards
2001-02 Croatian League MVP

Nikola Prkačin (born November 15, 1975) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. He resides in Zagreb, Croatia, with his wife and three children.

His natural position is center, though he is also able to play as power forward. Prkačin is known for his pick and roll play, precise hookshot and half-distance shot. Although shorter in height comparing to most European centers, Prkačin compensates it with his immense strength and body balance. It is also a great rarity to see Prkačin try for a three point field goal.

In free time he enjoys fishing and playing water polo.^[1]

Playing history

Prkačin started his career in his hometown Dubrovnik, playing for the local team Pomorac. Aged 18, he moved to KK Split where he played for the next five seasons. At that time Prkačin was a constant member of Croatian U-22 national team. His debut for the senior national selection came on EuroBasket 1997. At the start of season 1998-99 he moves to Croatian champions KK Cibona, where he will reside for the next five seasons. Prkačin had a successful domestic career, winning Croatian Cup five times and bringing four Croatian championships to Cibona's trophy cabinet.

After spending a decade building his career in domestic league, Prkačin finally came to signing a contract with a foreign club. This time it was Turkish first division side Efes Pilsen. Prkačin established himself well, playing on a regular basis as a club's powerful forward-center. After the end of his four-year spell at Turkey he moved two times in the following two seasons, playing for Russian side Dynamo and Greek champions Panathinaikos. After winning the A1 Ethniki title he moved back to Croatia, signing a €400,000 annual contract with Cibona,^[2] ending in 2010. He is a regular first team player, also bearing a captain role for his team.

Prkačin has recently stated that he is leaving a possibility of returning to his hometown club Pomorac when his career is close to an end.^[3]

Croatian national team

Besides being a club captain, Prkačin is currently bearing the role of Croatia's captain since the 2008 Summer Olympics. His first national team appearance came in Eurobasket 1997. Since then Prkačin has been part of every competition's selection for Croatia. After that he has participated in five more European championships (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007) and the already mentioned Summer Olympics.

Honours through career

Prkačin has been playing basketball professionally since the 1993 when he signed for the Croatian Cup winners KK Split. He established himself as a successor to Split's famous center Dino Rađa and with years gaining significant experience and knowledge, which after few seasons, have turned him into a key player for Split. With them he won two Krešimir Ćosić cups before moving to KK Cibona at the start of season 1998-99. Playing alongside the players like Slaven Rimac, Zoran Planinić, Josip Sesar, Dino Rađa and Chucky Atkins, he won four A1 Liga titles and four Krešimir Ćosić cups, making a total of four league titles and six cup titles in domestic league. Less mentionable is the Euroleague Opening Tournament title won in 2001. In 2003-04 season he won the Turkish league title with Efes Pilsen and the next year the championship title was reclaimed. A cup double came in 2006-07 season, after which he moved to Moscow where he did not accomplish anything significant. Moving to Panathinaikos BC at the same season, he was a part of Panathinaikos's great season in which they brought home double by winning both the league and the national cup titles. All in all, in 16 years of an impressing career Prkačin has won as much as seven league titles, nine cup titles and one super cup title.

Season	Club	Domestic league	Domestic cup	Continental cup	National team
1993-94	KK Split		Krešimir Ćosić Cup winner		Under 22 team
1994-95	KK Split				Under 22 team
1995-96	KK Split				Under 22 team
1996-97	KK Split		Krešimir Ćosić Cup winner		Debut for Croatia 11th place on Eurobasket 1997
1997-98	KK Split
1998-99	Cibona	A1 Liga winner	Krešimir Ćosić Cup winner		11th place on Eurobasket 1999
1999-00	Cibona	A1 Liga winner
2000-01	Cibona	A1 Liga winner	Krešimir Ćosić Cup winner	Euroleague Top 16	7th place on Eurobasket 2001
2001-02	Cibona	A1 Liga winner A1 Liga MVP	Krešimir Ćosić Cup winner	Opening Tournament winner Euroleague group stage
2002-03	Cibona			Euroleague Top 16	11th place on Eurobasket 2003
2003-04	Efes Pilsen	Turkish League winners	Turkish Super Cup runner-up Turkish Cup runner-up	Euroleague Top 16
2004-05	Efes Pilsen	Turkish League winners	Turkish Super Cup runner-up	Euroleague Quarterfinalist	7th place on Eurobasket 2005
2005-06	Efes Pilsen	Turkish League runner-up	Turkish Super Cup runner-up Turkish National Cup winner	Euroleague Quarterfinalist
2006-07	Efes Pilsen	Turkish League runner-up	Turkish Super Cup winner Turkish National Cup winner	Euroleague's Top 16	6th place on Eurobasket 2007
2007-08	Dynamo Moscow
2007-08	Panathinaikos	A1 Ethniki winners	Greek cup winners	Euroleague Top 16	6th place on Summer Olympics
2008-09	Cibona		Krešimir Ćosić Cup winners	Euroleague Top 16 Adriatic League Final Four

References

1. hoo.hr profile (Croatian)
2. www.24sata.hr (Croatian)
3. naslov.hr (Croatian)

External links

• Official Adriatic League profile
• Official stats in current season
• Eurobasket profile
• Basketpedya profile
• draftexpress.com statistics