Marko Milić joined the Dallas Mavericks as an assistant coach ahead of the 2022-23 season after spending time with the Basketball Federation of Slovenia, including seven years on the coaching staff, a move that followed a decorated professional playing career.
Milić was the first Slovenian player to be drafted into the NBA when the Philadelphia 76ers selected him in the second round (34th overall) of the 1997 NBA Draft. He was traded to Phoenix in November 1997 and spent two years with the Suns, playing in 44 regular-season games and two playoff games before transitioning back overseas.
His professional playing career spanned 21 seasons from 1994 to 2015, and he played in seven different countries (Slovenia, Turkey, Spain, Italy, France, Iran and Kuwait). Among his many accolades,
Milić won domestic and European cups with clubs such as Real Madrid (Spain), Fenerbahce (Turkey) and Fortitudo Bologna (Italy). His No. 12 was retired by Union Olimpija in 2015, only the second number to be retired by the team.
Upon the conclusion of his playing career, Milić earned a FIBA Level 1 coaching license and proceeded to be a key member of the Basketball Federation of Slovenia.
He is currently head of the National Senior Team which won the European Championship in 2017 and reached the semifinals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Milić is also part of the NBA European Ambassador program, regularly coaching at youth camps across the continent.
Milić and his wife, Vesna, who is also an accomplished basketball professional at the international level, have three daughters.
