Boban Marjanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Бобан Марјановић; born August 15, 1988) is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for the Ilirija of the Slovenian League and the ABA League. He represented the Serbian national team in international competition.
A 2007 junior world champion, Marjanović played abroad in Russia and Lithuania between 2010 and 2012 before making his breakthrough in his home country. As the 2013 MVP of the Serbian league, he moved to KK Crvena zvezda, with whom he won the national championship and the cross-border Adriatic Basketball League (ABA League) in 2015. In addition to further MVP awards in Serbia, Marjanović was also voted one of the five best players in the ABA League and the top European club competition EuroLeague in 2015.
Marjanović signed his first ever NBA contract as a 27-year-old rookie in 2015 with the San Antonio Spurs. He also played for the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets between 2016 and 2024. At 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in), Marjanović is one of the tallest players in NBA history.
Marjanović was born and raised in Boljevac in eastern Serbia. Although he was tall from a young age, his family members are all of average height: his father stands only 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) in height. A pituitary gland condition is thought to have contributed to his gigantism.
Marjanović began playing basketball with the youth teams of Boljevac-based club Rtanj. By age 14, he was 2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄2 in) tall, and began playing for the Serbian professional team Hemofarm. He played in their youth categories until the 2005–06 season.
Marjanović joined Hemofarm's first team, playing in the Adriatic League, in the second half of the 2005–06 season. He played there until January 2007 when he moved to the Serbian League team Swisslion Takovo on loan. After half seasons there, Marjanović returned to Hemofarm. His teammates included Stefan Marković and Milan Mačvan, with whom he had played on the Serbian junior national team.
In summer 2010, Marjanović signed a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow, on the insistence of Duško Vujošević. After Vujošević was sacked, Marjanović lost his place in CSKA's first team. On December 31, 2010, he moved to Žalgiris on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season. In July 2011, Marjanović signed for Nizhny Novgorod, staying there for half a season.
In January 2012, Marjanović returned to Serbia and signed for Radnički Kragujevac on loan for the rest of the 2011–12 season. The same year in July, Marjanović signed a contract with Serbian team Mega Vizura for the 2012–13 season. He was named the MVP of the Serbian League.
On July 2, 2013, Marjanović signed a two-year contract with Crvena zvezda. In December 2013, he was named EuroLeague MVP of the Round for Round 10. In April 2014, along with his teammate DeMarcus Nelson, he was selected for the Ideal Team for the 2013–14 ABA League season.
In the first match of the 2014–15 Euroleague on October 18, 2014, Marjanović led his team to a 76–68 victory against Galatasaray, scoring 22 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in 28 minutes on the court. He was later named the EuroLeague MVP of the Round for Round 1. On November 22, Marjanović recorded 23 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for a total index rating of 39 in a double overtime 103–110 loss against Galatasaray. At the time, his 17 rebounds in a single game was the highest number by any player in the EuroLeague since 2011–12.
In a match against Panathinaikos on April 9, he set the EuroLeague record (since the 2000–01 season) for the most rebounds in a single season with 256, passing the previous record by Mirsad Türkcan, who had 248 rebounds in the 2002–03 season. He also set the EuroLeague record for the most double-doubles in a season with 16, surpassing the record of 14 set by Tanoka Beard in the 2004–05 season. Over 24 EuroLeague matches, his all career-highs were 16.6 points on average, a league-leading 10.7 rebounds and a record (since the EuroLeague 2000–01 season) of 25.67 in PIR.
On April 2, 2015, he was selected for the Ideal Team for the 2014–15 ABA League season. Later that month, he helped his team to win the 2014–15 ABA League trophy. He was named the MVP of the ABA League playoffs. In May 2015, he was chosen for the All-EuroLeague First Team.
On June 5, 2015, Marjanović was named the Serbian Super League MVP for the third consecutive season, having helped his team to reach first place in the regular season with a record of 13–1. Crvena zvezda won the 2014–15 Serbian League championship after a 3–0 victory against Partizan Belgrade.
On July 17, 2015, Marjanović signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs. He made his NBA debut on October 30, recording six points and five rebounds in the Spurs' 102–75 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On December 4, he was assigned to the Austin Spurs, San Antonio's D-League affiliate. He was recalled by San Antonio on December 6, and, the following day, scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting in a 119–68 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. On December 28, in a victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves – with Tim Duncan out injured and LaMarcus Aldridge limited to six points – Marjanović scored 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting in 14 minutes to help the Spurs defeat the Timberwolves 101–95 and extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 27 matches in the 2014–15 season. Two days later, in a win over the Phoenix Suns, he became the first player in Spurs franchise history to record 12 rebounds in 15 minutes or less. On January 21, 2016, he recorded 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a 117–89 win over the Phoenix Suns. On March 20, he was reassigned to the Austin Spurs, earning a recall two days later. On March 23, he scored a then-career-high 19 points in a 112–88 victory against the Miami Heat. On April 13, in the team's regular-season finale, Marjanović recorded a career-high 22 points and 12 rebounds in a 96–91 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
After the 2015–16 season, Marjanović became a restricted free agent. On July 7, 2016, he received a three-year, $21 million offer sheet from the Detroit Pistons. The Spurs declined to match the offer and he signed with the Pistons on July 12. On January 5, 2017, Marjanović recorded 15 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in a 115–114 win over the Charlotte Hornets. He had played only 76 minutes all season prior to the game against the Hornets but, with Andre Drummond in foul trouble and Aron Baynes out injured, coach Stan Van Gundy was forced to give Marjanović extended minutes. On April 7, 2017, he led the Pistons with a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds off the bench in a 114–109 win over the Houston Rockets.
Los Angeles Clippers (2018–2019)
On January 29, 2018, along with Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley – a future protected first-round draft pick and a future second-round draft pick – Marjanović was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson. On February 27, 2018, he scored a season-high 18 points in a 122–120 victory against the Denver Nuggets.
On February 6, 2019, Marjanović, alongside Tobias Harris, was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. In 22 appearances for the 76ers in the regular season, Marjanović averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per game. He later helped the 76ers get past the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2019 NBA playoffs, but the 76ers were eventually eliminated by the Toronto Raptors in the Conference Semifinals.