By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The captain of Partizan Mozzart Bet, Vanja Marinkovic, suffered an Achilles tendon injury and has been sidelined indefinitely.
On Saturday morning, following medical tests in Munich, the Belgrade outfit described the severity of the setback, noting a long recovery process. Marinkovic was hurt and forced to an early exit late in the fourth quarter of Friday’s overtime win over Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv in BMW Park.
Returning to the Serbian capital after Round 24 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season, the 29-year-old Serbian wing will undergo an MRI to shape a specific plan for his rehabilitation, as noted.
With Carlik Jones (foot), Shake Milton (hand), Mario Nakic (knee), Jabari Parker (foot), and Duane Washington Jr. (back) already on the injury report between short- and long-term setbacks, the situation for head coach Joan Penarroya worsens, heading to key challenges at the continental level and in the AdmiralBet ABA League.
Taking down the EuroLeague leaders, Partizan jumped to 8-16, which is four games away from the Play-In Showdown zone. Making 19 appearances, including ten starts over his seventh journey in Europe’s premier club competition, the contributions of Marinkovic amounted to 5.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks per contest. At the regional level, he had 8.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per ABA game, helping his side reach a current 12-1 tally in Group A.
A regular with the senior national team of Serbia in recent major tournaments, including a bronze-medal run in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and a silver-medal campaign in the FIBA World Cup 2023, the Belgrade native reunited with his parent club in 2024, five years after his initial departure.
Back in 2019, he was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the 60th overall pick of the annual NBA draft. His rights have been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Brooklyn Nets, but his career remained focused on Europe.