Dragan Šakota

Dragan Šakota (Serbian Cyrillic: Драган Шакота, Greek: Ντράγκαν Σάκοτα; born June 16, 1952) is a Serbian–Greek professional basketball coach, executive and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for Crvena zvezda of the ABA League, the EuroLeague and the Basketball League of Serbia.

Playing career

Šakota played club basketball with the Yugoslavian club IMT, from 1972 to 1983.

Club coaching career

Šakota has been the head coach of many top European clubs (mostly Greek) such as: Aris, Iraklis, Peristeri, Apollon, PAOK, AEK Athens, Crvena zvezda, Zadar, and Cibona, among others. Šakota took over at Fortitudo Bologna, from Andrea Mazzone, who got fired due to poor results, in early January 2008, mid-season 2007–08. At the time, the club had a 7–10 record in their Italian national domestic league, and a 3–4 record in the EuroCup.

Šakota finished the 2007–08 season at the club, and also started the 2008–09 season there. In mid-December 2008, he got fired and was replaced by Cesare Pancotto. On November 16, 2011, Šakota became the new head coach of the Turkish Super League club Antalya Büyükşehir Belediyesi, replacing Serdar Apaydın, but after a few months he was fired again.

In 2014, he returned to AEK Athens. He was AEK's head coach from 2014 to 2016, and from 2016 to 2017, he was the club's sports director. He became AEK's head coach again in 2017, and with them, he won the FIBA Champions League and the Greek Cup titles, in 2018.

On November 23, 2019, he was named the head coach for the Belgrade-based team Crvena zvezda, for the second time in his career.

National team coaching career

Šakota was an assistant coach of the senior Yugoslav national basketball team, from 1989 to 1990, working as an assistant coach with Yugoslavia at the 1990 FIBA World Championship. He was then an assistant coach of the senior FR Yugoslav national basketball team, at the EuroBasket 1999. He was also an assistant coach of the senior Serbia and Montenegro national basketball team, from 2004 to 2005, working as an assistant at both the 2004 Summer Olympic Games and the EuroBasket 2005.

In 2006, Šakota was the head coach of the Serbia and Montenegro national basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Serbia and Montenegro finished the World Championship in 11th place, which was the lowest place finish ever for the Serbian national team at the tournament.

Personal life

Šakota's son, Dušan Šakota, is a professional basketball player, while his other son, Miloš Šakota, is a retired professional basketball player, and professional basketball coach. Šakota hold both Serbian and Greek citizenship. He speaks Serbian, English, and Greek fluently.