Svetislav Pešić


Svetislav Pešić, also known by his nickname Kari, is a Serbian professional basketball head coach, most recently for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Pešić is one of the most successful European basketball coaches.

Playing career

During his club playing career, Pešić played with Pirot, Partizan, and Bosna. As a member of Bosna, he won the Yugoslav Cup and Yugoslav League championship, in 1978. With Bosna, he also won the FIBA European Champions Cup championship in 1979.

Coaching career

Club coaching career

On the club level, Pešić won the triple crown in 2003, while he was the head coach of FC Barcelona. On 16 November 2010, he was named the head coach of Power Electronics Valencia, for the rest of the 2010–11 season. In November 2012, Pešić was named the head coach of the German team Bayern Munich. On 28 February 2015, he extended his contract with the club until 2017. On 24 July 2016, he left Bayern at his own request, for health reasons.
On 9 February 2018, he returned to FC Barcelona as the team's head coach, until the end of the season.

National team coaching career

Pešić led a Yugoslavian junior national team, that featured future international stars Vlade Divac, Saša Đorđević, Toni Kukoč, and Dino Rađa, to a gold medal at the 1987 FIBA World Junior Championship, by defeating the Team USA twice during the tournament.
With the FR Yugoslavian senior side, Pešić won gold medals at the 2002 FIBA World Championship, which was held in Indianapolis, and the EuroBasket 2001. As the head coach of the senior German national basketball team, he also won the gold medal at the EuroBasket 1993.

Coaching record

EuroLeague

Personal life

Along with Serbian, Pešić also possesses German citizenship. His son, Marko, is a former professional basketball player, and was an occasional member of the senior German national team. Former German basketball player Jan Jagla, is his son-in-law, due to his marriage with Pešić's daughter, Ivana.