Slovenian basketball player
Matjaž Smodiš (born December 13, 1979) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. Standing at a height of 2.05 m (6'8 3 ⁄4 ") tall, he played at the power forward and center positions. During his pro club playing career, he played in seven EuroLeague Finals (2001 , 2002 , 2004 , 2006 , 2007 , 2008 , 2009 ), and he was a three-time EuroLeague champion (2001 , 2006 , 2008 ). He was also an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2007 . Smodiš was also the team captain of the senior Slovenian national team . He is currently a sporting director of KK Žoltasti Troti .
Professional career
During his pro career, Smodiš played with teams like Krka Novo Mesto of the Slovenian League and the Italian League clubs Virtus Bologna and Climamio Bologna . Smodiš also played with the Russian League club CSKA Moscow , from 2005 to 2011, being one of the team's major stars. In 2011, he left CSKA Moscow, and signed with the Croatian club Cedevita Zagreb (A1 Croatian League ).[ 1]
On November 30, 2012, he signed with his home town team, Krka .[ 2] Smodiš announced his retirement from playing professional basketball in May 2013, after leading Krka to their 4th consecutive Slovenian national domestic league championship.
National team career
Smodiš was a member of the Slovenian Under-20 junior national team that won the silver medal at the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship . Smodiš also played with the senior Slovenian national team . With Slovenia's senior national team, he played at the 1999 EuroBasket , the 2001 EuroBasket , the 2007 EuroBasket , the 2009 EuroBasket , and the 2011 EuroBasket .[ 3]
Career statistics
EuroLeague
†
Denotes season in which Smodiš won the EuroLeague
Awards and accomplishments
Pro career
2× Slovenian League All Star: (1999, 2000)
2× Slovenian League Champion: (2000, 2013)
2× Italian Cup Winner: (2001, 2002)
2× Italian League Champion: (2001, 2005)
3× EuroLeague Champion: (2001 , 2006 , 2008 )
2× Triple Crown Winner: (2001, 2006)
4× EuroLeague runner-up: (2002 , 2004 , 2007 , 2009 )
Italian League All-Star : (2004)
3× Russian Cup Winner: (2006, 2007, 2010)
6× Russian Championship Champion: (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
All-EuroLeague Second Team: (2007 )
2× VTB United League Champion: (2008, 2010)
Croatian Cup Winner: (2012)
Croatian Cup MVP: (2012)[ 4]
Slovenian League Finals MVP: (2013)
Slovenian junior national team
References
External links
Settlements
Breg, the old part of Novo Mesto along the Krka River Local communities Landmarks Notable people