Contract extended until 2025
Tue | 08/02/22 | 12:15
Vladimir "Luća" Lucic remains loyal to FC Bayern Basketball
He has become one of the most elite EuroLeague players and is known as "Mister Clutch" of FC Bayern Basketball because of his strong nerves and commitment - and he will remain so: Vladimir Lucic, 32, has extended his contract with Munich, which was set to expire in the summer, by another three years until the end of the 2024/2025 season. This means that the Munich co-captain will soon be entering his seventh, eighth and ninth seasons with the five-time German champions - the Serbian international has already been playing for Bayern since 2016.
"We are very happy and proud that in Vladimir Lucic we can continue to present our fans with one of Europe's proven best players for the next three years," said club president Herbert Hainer. And further: "I think this is also great news for German basketball to be able to continue to have such a great competitor and character in the Bundesliga and the EuroLeague. This valuable further commitment underlines our ambitions to establish ourselves in the European top league for the next years."
Vladimir Lucic said: "I am very happy to be a part of the FC Bayern family for three more years. We have all put in so much hard work here together already and I am excited to see what the future holds for the club. I want to thank all my teammates, the coaching staff and the whole organization for this opportunity and the great trust."
"FCBB Player of the Decade", first BBL professional on the "All-EuroLeague First Team".
Vladimir "Luća" Lucic was the first professional from a German team to be selected to the All-EuroLeague First Team in the top division last season, alongside Nikola Mirotic (FC Barcelona), Vasilije Micic (Efes Istanbul), Kevin Pangos (then St. Petersburg) and Edy Tavares (Real Madrid). The passionate and crunch-time specialist averaged 13.6 points and 4.8 rebounds with a Performance Index Rating of 17.8 in 39 EuroLeague games for Germany's first playoff team, and was twice named MVP of the Week.
"Vladimir is an exceptional player who many clubs would like to have in their ranks. He knows that and yet he and his family are staying with us and in Munich. This is a great success for our club, a real award that means a lot to all of us here," said Managing Director Marko Pesic. And sports director Daniele Baiesi: "Vladimir is and remains our franchise player and leader. We are very happy that he continues this unusually long road with us."
We are very happy that he continues this unusually long journey with us.
FCBB-Sports director Daniele Baiesi
A symbol of Lucic's winning mentality was the final sequence in the decisive victory to advance to the 2021 playoff quarterfinals against Kaunas (71-70) with his memorable block on the opponent's last shot attempt. In the third playoff duel with Milan (2-3), Lucic in particular forced game four with his career-best performance of 27 points, which he then helped to decide spectacularly with an alley-oop dunk. Coach Andrea Trinchieri's comment at the time: "I always say to young players: look at Lucic, how he works, every day. He's a machine, he's our leader, our Che Guevara."
In the Bayern jersey since 2016
Lucic also played a leading role in Munich's Cup victory in 2021: After the final victory over Alba Berlin (85-79), he was named MVP of the Top Four in the Audi Dome. Last year, Munich fans voted the popular all-rounder "FCBB Player of the Decade" with several thousand votes in the online poll.
This season, Vladimir Lucic (12.9 ppg) is again leading the team after weeks of absence due to illness at the start of the season. Next Friday at Fenerbahce Istanbul he will play his 150th EuroLeague game where over the years he has averaged 10.4 points. In the BBL, it is 10.1 points per game in 161 appearances so far.
Vladimir Lucic began his professional career in his hometown of Belgrade with Partizan, where he won a total of 13 titles in five years and rose to team captain. This was followed by three years in the jersey of Valencia BC in the Spanish ACB from 2013 and the triumph in the EuroCup in 2014. With the Serbian national team, Lucic won European Championship silver in 2017 (8.9 ppg).
Lucic is married and father of two young girls.
VLADIMIR LUčić (*17. June 1989, Belgrad/SRB)
Small Forward – 6ft7 – 209 lbs
- 2008 –2013: KK Partizan Belgrad (SRB)
- 2013 – 2016: Valencia BC (ESP)
- since 2016: FC Bayern Basketball
Achievements/Awards:
- 5 x Serbian champion (2009 – 2013)
- 4 x Serbian cup winner (2009 – 2012)
- 4 x Adria-League-Champion 2009 – 2011, 2013)
- EuroCup-winner 2014
- German Champion 2018, 2019
- German Cup Winner 2018, 2021
- Gold medal 2011
- EM-Silver 2017
- BBL-Pokal Top Four MVP 2021
- All-EuroLeague First Team 2021
- 2020/2021 EuroLeague MVP Of The Week No. 3 & 7