The defending 2023 British Basketball League Playoff Champions, London Lions, have confirmed former NBA G-League winner, Petar Božić, as their new Head Coach for the forthcoming League and European campaigns.
Coach Božić joins the Lions after spending the last six years with the San Antonio Spurs organisation in the NBA, as an Assistant Coach (2017-2021) and as a Head Coach (2021-2023) of the Austin Spurs in the G-League, during which time his team was crowned G-League Champion (2018).
Prior to his stint in the NBA G-League, Božić served as Head Coach of Partizan Belgrade in his home country of Serbia during the 2015/2016 season, and as an Assistant Coach from 2013-2015 helping them win the Serbian League Championship in 2014, transitioning to a coaching role with the Serbian powerhouses after a historic playing career with them.
Božić’s 16-year time as a player included eight seasons (2004-2012) and 471 games played with Partizan, where he won 18 titles across the Serbian League, the Adriatic (ABA) League, in addition to five Serbian Cups, logging 122 EuroLeague appearances and a EuroLeague Final Four appearance (2010) as the team’s long-time captain.
London Lions General Manager Brett Burman commented on the appointment:
“We are ecstatic to welcome Coach Božić and his family to the London Lions. He is an individual who brings the toughness and passion of his playing days right to the sideline.
“Coach Božić embodies all the characteristics we were searching for when identifying the next leader of our program. I can’t wait to watch him raise the bar and take this group to new heights.”
Božić will be joined by Assistant Coaches, Robert Youngblood and Polat Kaya, who return to the Lions for the 2023-2024 season, and the newly signed Assistant Coach Chris Caird.
You can keep track of every new signing in the British Basketball League this summer by clicking here. With the countdown to the new season continuing, you can still get your British Basketball fix by following the League on social media or heading to our YouTube channel to relive all of the best moments from last year!
