Rocco Zikarsky

Zikarsky was born in Hurstville (Sydney), New South Wales to German Olympic medal-winning swimmer Björn Zikarsky^[2] and Australian champion ironwoman Kylie Zikarsky.^[3][4] He grew up on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, excelled in Queensland representative teams and was a standout player at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra.^[5] He attended Brisbane Grammar School throughout his early teenage years.^[6] He has 3 siblings, Ruben, Jade and Lennox.^[7] He is the nephew of Bengt Zikarsky.^[8]

In 2023, Zikarsky played for the BA Centre of Excellence in the NBL1 East, averaging 9.9 points, six rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in seven games. During a domestic league game he was stripped by Sunshine Coast native Kaiyan Hibbert, reports indicated that may have impacted Zikarsky being overlooked in the first round.^[9]

On 7 July 2023, Zikarsky signed with the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL) as part of the NBL's Next Stars program.^[10] At 16 years old, he became the youngest player in the program's history.^[11] On 7 January 2024, he had six points and four blocks in 10 and-a-half minutes against the Sydney Kings.^[12] He played in 27 of the Bullets' 28 games in the 2023–24 season, averaging 3.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and one block on 59.7% shooting in seven minutes per game.^[13]

Zikarsky returned to the Bullets for the 2024–25 NBL season,^[14] entering his second season as one of the top prospects for the 2025 NBA draft.^[15] In the Bullets' season opener, Zikarsky played six minutes, scored four points and grabbed three rebounds.^[16] He struggled to break into the starting lineup ahead of fellow centre Tyrell Harrison.^[17] On 29 November 2024, he made his first NBL start with Harrison out with illness, recording thirteen points, eight rebounds and three blocks in a 117–89 loss to the Perth Wildcats.^[18]

Zikarsky declared his eligibility for the 2025 NBA draft on 30 April 2025^[19] and later attended the NBA draft combine.^[20] He was selected with the 45th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. His draft rights were then immediately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.^[21][22] On July 9, 2025, he signed a two-way contract with the Timberwolves.^[23] In his pre-season debut against the Denver Nuggets, he recorded 9 points, 8 rebounds and 1 steal in 13 minutes of play.^[24] On February 22, 2026, Zikarsky made his official NBA debut against the Philadelphia 76ers, where he logged in one rebound in four minutes of gameplay in a 135-108 loss to the 76ers.

In 2022, Zikarsky played for Australia at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship and the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup.^[25] In 2024, he led Australia to victory at the Albert Schweitzer-Tournament, earning MVP honours. He averaged 18.7 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks in 26 minutes per game on 73.1% shooting.^[26][27]

Zikarsky debuted for the Australian Boomers during the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.^[25][28]