Jaka Klobučar returns to the Dragon’s Nest

In the jersey of Cedevita Olimpija, we will follow the former Slovenian national team player, Jaka Klobučar, in the upcoming competitive season. The latter was part of the preparations of the Ljubljana’s team from the opening days of training.

Before the start of the 2023/24 competitive season, Cedevita Olimpija was strengthened by defender Jaka Klobučar, who returns to the Dragon’s Nest after more than a decade. Klobučar, a 198-centimeter-tall and 36-year-old former Slovenian national team player, has worn the jerseys of Krka, Slovan, Partizan, Ulm, Istanbul, Galatasaray, and many other clubs in the past, but most recently he was part of the Hungarian team Kecskemét.

In his possession, Klobučar has three Slovenian national titles and three Slovenian cup championship titles, and in 2014 he was also the most valuable player in the final of the Slovenian national championship. In the 2010/11 season, he also won the title of Serbian national and cup champion with Partizan.

In the elite Euroleague, Klobučar played in 18 matches in the jersey of the then Union Olimpija, and he made another 16 appearances in the Euroleague club in the jersey of Partizan. He averaged 3.0 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in just over 12 minutes he spent on the floor. He played in ten games for Galatasaray in the European Cup, averaging 5.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Among other things, Klobučar also made 45 official appearances in the jersey of the Slovenian men’s national team, and in official matches he scored a total of 134 points. In 2010 and 2014, he participated in the World Championships, and in 2007, 2009 and 2015, he was part of the national teams that participated in the EuroBaskets. The last time he wore the national team jersey was in the qualifiers for EuroBasket 2017.

“Jaka Klobučar is a player who left a big mark on Slovenian and regional courts. He is a veteran who will play a slightly different role in our team, and with his experience he will have a great influence on his teammates in our young lineup on and off the court. I think he will help us achieve our goals, and I am very happy that Jaka will be with us this season,” Cedevita Olimpija Sports Director Vlado Ilievski said upon signing the contract with Klobučar.

“Jaka is an experienced player and a good guy who has been with us since the beginning of the preparations. He came to our help at a time when we were missing quite a few players in outside positions. We started to build a system and he proved himself with his experience, so we decided to keep him for the whole season. We know that the process of building our identity will take a long time, so it is important to have experienced players in our ranks who can lead with experience, connect with the youngsters and always help in training and matches and in the dressing room. We are happy that Jaka will stay with us throughout the season and that he will help us in our first step in this new project,” said Dragons’ head coach, Simone Pianigiani, upon signing the contract with Klobučar.

“I’m happy that I’m back in my home environment after a long period. Playing for Cedevita Olimpija is an honor for me, and on the other hand, it’s a responsibility, because it’s a team that always has the highest goals. The team is new, it will definitely take time to adjust, but I believe that we will look forward to victories and new laurels in full Stožice,” said Jaka Klobučar upon returning to Dragon’s family.