The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 135-127 double-overtime win over the Toronto Raptors featured a matchup between former colleagues.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic squared off for the first time as the latter navigates his first season at the helm.
Both young head coaches have had similar career paths. Rajakovic was the Tulsa 66ers head coach from 2012-14 before Daigneault took over in 2015 when the G League affiliate rebranded as the OKC Blue.
Rajakovic spent five seasons as a Thunder assistant for Scott Brooks and Billy Donovan (2014-19). Daigneault spent one season as a Thunder assistant (2019-20) before being promoted to head coach.
Rajakovic left OKC in 2019 and was an assistant for the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies before being named a first-time head coach by the Raptors this past offseason.
When reflecting on his seven years in OKC, Rajakovic spoke fondly of it and appreciated the Thunder giving him a chance for his first job in the NBA after coaching overseas for 16 years.
“I owe Sam (Presti) a lot for taking a chance on me,” Rajakovic said. “At the time, I was the first international head coach in the G League. He had a vision of where basketball in general is going. He took the chance on me and I always had huge support from him and the organization to be myself.”
Beyond the court, the 44-year-old spoke positively about his time living in OKC, stating the importance the city has to his heart.
“There isn’t a lot of pro teams, so there is a lot of love for the team and a lot of support,” Rajakovic said. “It’s always sold out and have great attendance. This organization always does a good job at drafting people and brings good character people into the organization.
“It is an amazing place to live, not a lot of distractions, really good food scene. You can really just focus on work, not a lot of traffic going down, all you have to do is show up to work and focus on playing basketball.”
It’s pretty evident Rajakovic credits much of his growth to the Thunder. He is the latest example of OKC fostering a productive environment that brings the best out of people, even if it doesn’t occur within the organization.
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