Karlo Matković
Croatian basketball player (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karlo Matković (born 30 March 2001) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He represents the Croatia national team internationally.
Matković with the Croatia national team in 2022 | |
| No. 17 – New Orleans Pelicans | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center / power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 30 March 2001 Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 231 lb (105 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2022: 2nd round, 52nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Playing career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2024 | Cedevita / Cedevita Olimpija |
| 2019–2020 | →OKK Beograd |
| 2020–2022 | →Mega Basket |
| 2024 | Birmingham Squadron |
| 2024–present | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2024 | →Birmingham Squadron |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early career
In 2017, Matković participated in the Jordan Brand Classic camp. In August 2018, he participated at the Basketball Without Borders Europe camp in Belgrade, Serbia, representing Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1]
Professional career
Europe (2018–2024)
During the 2018–19 Croatian League season, Matković was promoted to the Cedevita senior team. In April 2019, he signed his first professional contract for Cedevita.[2] In September 2019, he was loaned to OKK Beograd for the 2019–20 Serbian League season.[3][4] In August 2020, he was loaned to Mega Soccerbet for the 2020–21 ABA season.[5] Following the 2020–21 season, Matković declared for the 2021 NBA draft, but withdrew his name from consideration on July 19, 2021.[6]
After declaring for the 2022 NBA draft in April 2022,[7] Matković was selected with the 52nd overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans[8] and joined them for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[9] However, he didn't join the Pelicans for the 2022–23 NBA season[10][11] and on 23 July, he joined Cedevita Olimpija.[12][13]
On 4 February 2024, Matković left Cedevita.[14]
New Orleans Pelicans / Birmingham Squadron (2024–present)
On 22 February 2024, Matković joined the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League[15] and on 14 July, he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.[16] He made his NBA debut on 23 October, in a 123–111 win over the Chicago Bulls.[17] Throughout his debut season, he has been assigned several times to Birmingham.[18]
National team career
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Matković was born to a Croat family in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina under-18 team at the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship in Latvia. Over seven tournament games, he averaged 8.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.[19] His team finished the last at the tournament with a 0–7 record.
Croatia
In November 2021, Matković expressed his interest to represent Croatia internationally in the senior competitions, if called.[20] He made his debut for Croatia in February 2022, in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers match against Sweden.[21]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | 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 |
NBA
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | New Orleans | 42 | 7 | 18.8 | .574 | .318 | .773 | 5.0 | 1.1 | .5 | 1.0 | 7.7 |
| 2025–26 | New Orleans | 62 | 2 | 14.7 | .604 | .422 | .732 | 3.7 | .8 | .4 | .9 | 5.7 |
| Career | 104 | 9 | 16.4 | .589 | .378 | .753 | 4.2 | .9 | .5 | .9 | 6.5 | |