Overview
Aleksander "Sasha" Vujacic is a guard with the Los Angeles Lakers, who drafted him out of his native Slovenia in 2004. Vujacic has spent his entire five-season NBA career with the Lakers. Vujacic, who played professionally for three seasons in Italy prior to joining the Lakers, is listed at 6-feet, 7-inches and 205 pounds. His last name is pronounced VOO-ya-chich.
European Career
Sasha Vujacic began playing professional basketball with the youth team Polzela in Slovenia. After playing with Polzela during the '99-00 season, Vujacic signed with Snaidero Udine in Italy the next year. He played three seasons for Snaidero Udine, topping out by averaging 14.8 PPG in 32 league games in 2003-04.
NBA Career
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Sasha Vujacic with the 27th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, and he came over from Europe immediately to begin his NBA career. He played 35 games as a rookie, averaging 2.9 PPG.
Vujacic became a regular part of the Lakers rotation in his second season. He was one of only two Lakers to play in all 82 games in 2005-06, and upped his scoring average to 3.9 points in 17.7 minutes per game. The next season he played in 73 games, recording a then-career-high 18 points in a game at Memphis on Jan. 9, 2007.
In 2007-08, Vujacic more than doubled his previous best scoring average, posting a career-high 8.8 PPG in 72 games. He reached the 20-point mark four times, setting a career-high with 22 points against the Nuggets, and matching it later in the season against the Raptors. He also averaged 8.1 PPG during the postseason, scoring a playoff career-high 20 points to help the Lakers win Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Celtics.
Vujacic was a restricted free agent following the 2008 NBA Finals, but re-signed with the Lakers, agreeing on a 3-yr/$15M contract. In 2008-09, Vujacic's scoring average slipped to 5.8 PPG, but he still played 80 games. He played 18 games for the Lakers in the postseason leading up to the Finals, but averaged just 3.8 PPG on 28.2% shooting in the Western Conference Playoffs. He played all five games for the Lakers in their win over the Magic in the 2009 Finals, becoming the third player from Slovenia to win an NBA title.
Vujacic became a regular part of the Lakers rotation in his second season. He was one of only two Lakers to play in all 82 games in 2005-06, and upped his scoring average to 3.9 points in 17.7 minutes per game. The next season he played in 73 games, recording a then-career-high 18 points in a game at Memphis on Jan. 9, 2007.
In 2007-08, Vujacic more than doubled his previous best scoring average, posting a career-high 8.8 PPG in 72 games. He reached the 20-point mark four times, setting a career-high with 22 points against the Nuggets, and matching it later in the season against the Raptors. He also averaged 8.1 PPG during the postseason, scoring a playoff career-high 20 points to help the Lakers win Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Celtics.
Vujacic was a restricted free agent following the 2008 NBA Finals, but re-signed with the Lakers, agreeing on a 3-yr/$15M contract. In 2008-09, Vujacic's scoring average slipped to 5.8 PPG, but he still played 80 games. He played 18 games for the Lakers in the postseason leading up to the Finals, but averaged just 3.8 PPG on 28.2% shooting in the Western Conference Playoffs. He played all five games for the Lakers in their win over the Magic in the 2009 Finals, becoming the third player from Slovenia to win an NBA title.
Personal
Sasha Vujacic was born in Slovenia, but currently resides in Redondo Beach, CA.
In 2009, Vujacic was photographed with tennis star Maria Sharapova, sparking rumors that the two are dating. Vujacic has yet to address the situation publicly.
In 2009, Vujacic was photographed with tennis star Maria Sharapova, sparking rumors that the two are dating. Vujacic has yet to address the situation publicly.