League Greek Basket League Coaching career 1983–present Position Head coach Pro career 1972–1983 Role Basketball Player | Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Name Dragan Sakota Nationality Serbian / Greek 1972–1983 IMT Beograd | |
 | ||
Born June 16, 1952 (age 71)
Belgrade, Serbia ( 1952-06-16 ) | ||
AEK - SIG STRASBOURG 78-69 (FIBA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QF, 2017/18)
Dragan Šakota (Serbian Cyrillic: Драган Шакота, Greek: Ντράγκαν Σάκοτα; born June 16, 1952 in Belgrade) is a Serbian-Greek professional basketball coach. His son, Dušan Šakota, is also a professional basketball player, while his other son, Miloš Šakota, is a retired professional basketball player, and a current professional basketball coach.
Contents
Club coaching career
Šakota has coached many top European clubs (mostly Greek) such as: Aris, Iraklis, Peristeri, Apollon, PAOK, AEK Athens, Red Star Belgrade, Zadar, and Cibona, among others. Šakota took over at Fortitudo Bologna for 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 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 Basketball League club Antalya Büyükşehir Belediyesi, replacing Serdar Apaydın, but after a few months he was fired again.
In 2014, he returned to AEK Athens.
Yugoslav and Serbian and Montenegro national teams
Šakota was an assistant coach of the 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 FR Yugoslav national basketball team at the EuroBasket 1999. He was also an assistant coach of the 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.