By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Despite back-to-back losses on Tuesday and Wednesday, Darko Rajakovic remains steadfast in his mission to infuse the Toronto Raptors with Serbian basketball passion as they fight for positioning in the Eastern Conference.
Following a tough home defeat against the San Antonio Spurs at Scotiabank Arena, where the Raptors successfully neutralized Victor Wembanyama’s scoring only to fall short in the closing minutes, he used his postgame platform to dismantle common misconceptions about the modern NBA. The 47-year-old head coach explicitly rejected the narrative that the league has devolved into a merged tactical landscape where every franchise employs the same strategy.
“The NBA is very, very diverse,” Rajakovic explained, countering the idea of a one-sided tactical approach. “There is a different headache that you have in preparation for every team. Every team has to play a little bit differently. That narrative that every team is playing the same way, I think that’s complete BS.”
This outspoken confidence is a hallmark of Rajakovic’s third season in Toronto, a campaign that recently saw him honored as the head coach of Team World during the 2026 All-Star Game.
His rise to the top of the coaching ranks is a testament to a journey that began in his hometown of Cacak, Serbia. From coaching youth teams at Borac Cacak and Crvena Zvezda to pioneering as a G League head coach and a respected NBA assistant, Rajakovic has reached a professional peak.
With the Raptors holding a 34-25 record in the 2025-26 Regular Season, he looks to snap the recent skid and realign the team’s playoff trajectory, with the next game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Saturday.