Slaven Rimac (born 19 December 1974) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for Split of the Adriatic League and the Croatian League.

Slaven Rimac
Rimac with Bayern Munich in 2022
KK Split
PositionHead coach
LeagueAdriatic League
Croatian League
Personal information
Born (1974-12-19) 19 December 1974 (age 49)
Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
NationalityCroatian
Listed height6 ft 4.75 in (1.95 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
NBA draft1996: undrafted
Playing career1989–2012
PositionShooting guard
Coaching career2013–present
Career history
As player:
1989–1990Dubrava
1990–1998Cibona
1998–2000Tofaş
2000–2001Joventut
2001–2002Olimpia Milano
2002–2004Cibona
2004–2005Makedonikos
2005–2006AEK Athens
2006–2007Azovmash Mariupol
2007Paris Basket Racing
2007–2008Cedevita
2008Le Havre
2008–2012Pau-Orthez
As coach:
2013Cibona (assistant)
2013–2015Cibona
2017–2018Cedevita (assistant)
2018–2019Cedevita
2019–2020Cedevita Olimpija
2021–2023Bayern Munich (assistant)
2023–presentSplit
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As head coach:

As assistant coach:

Playing career

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Rimac led the 1996–97 EuroLeague in free throws shooting percentage 93.1%. He retired from professional basketball in May 2012, as a member of the French club EB Pau-Orthez.[1]

National team career

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Rimac was a member of the senior Croatian national basketball team at the 1996 Summer Olympics and 1997 EuroBasket.

Coaching career

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Cibona (2013–2015)

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On 14 November 2013, following the departure of Neven Spahija, Rimac was appointed the head coach of Cibona.[2] He led the club to win the 2013–14 ABA League championship, despite the huge financial problems that the club was facing at the time.[3] As the champion of the ABA League, Cibona gained a direct spot in the following EuroLeague season, but the club withdrew from it in order to stabilize financially.[4] Eventually, Crvena zvezda, the third-placed team in the league, took Cibona's spot in the EuroLeague.[5] He was sacked in Cibona on 6 December 2015, following a series of poor results in the ABA League.[6]

Cedevita (2017–2019)

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From 2017 to 2018, Rimac worked as an assistant coach of Cedevita under the coaching staff of Jure Zdovc,[7] while between June and October 2018, he served as the head coach of the Cedevita second team, which played in the Croatian League regular season.

On 25 October 2018, following the departure of Sito Alonso, who led the first team in the ABA League and EuroCup, Rimac was appointed his successor as Cedevita head coach.[8] In July 2019, Cedevita merged with the Slovenian club Petrol Olimpija to form a new club named Cedevita Olimpija.[9]

Cedevita Olimpija (2019–2020)

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On 8 July 2019, Rimac was named the first head coach for Cedevita Olimpija in the club's history.[10] On 27 January 2020, he was replaced by Jurica Golemac.[11]

Bayern Munich (2021–2023)

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On 16 August 2021, Rimac joined German powerhouse Bayern Munich as an assistant coach under Andrea Trinchieri.[12] With Bayern, Rimac won the 2023 German Cup.

Split (2023–present)

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On 26 June 2023, Rimac was appointed head coach of Split of the Croatian League and the Adriatic League.[13]

Career achievements and awards

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Club titles than Rimac won as a senior level player:

Club titles that Rimac won as a head coach:

Personal life

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His mother Ružica Meglaj-Rimac, brother Davor and aunt Kornelija Meglaj were all professional basketball players.

References

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  1. ^ "Osmerostruki prvak Hrvatske s Cibonom Slaven Rimac završio karijeru". Index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  2. ^ "Smjena u Ciboni: Neven Spahija odlazi, Slaven Rimac novi trener, Amerikanci ostaju". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  3. ^ "CEDEVITA - CIBONA 59-72 Briljantni Šarić srušio Cedevitu i odveo Cibonu do prvog trofeja u regionalnoj ABA ligi!". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Zvezda direktno u Evroligi?". b92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Cibona odustala, Zvezda u Evroligi!". b92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Rimac više nije trener Cibone". N1 HR (in Croatian). 6 December 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Slaven Rimac pojačao stručni stožer Cedevite" (in Croatian). KK Cedevita. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Rimac replaced Alonso at Cedevita bench". aba-liga.com. 25 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Pričakovano: Rimac novi trener Cedevite Olimpije, Edo Murić prva okrepitev". 24ur.com (in Slovenian). 8 July 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Slaven Rimac novi trener Cedevite Olimpije, prva okrepitev Edo Murić". RTV Slovenija (in Slovenian). 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Slaven Rimac nije više trener Cedevite Olimpije". sportnet.rtl.hr (in Croatian). 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Slaven Rimac and Luka Svilar join Trinchieri's coaching team". FC Bayern Munich. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Coach Slaven Rimac (ex Bayern) is a newcomer at Split". Eurobasket. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
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