Dario Saric Bio: Early Life, Stats, Contract & Salary

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Dario Saric, also famous for his nicknames  “The Homie,” “Super Dario,” and “Sisi,” is a Croatian professional basketball athlete currently signed with the Phoenix Suns of the NBA.

As a power forward for Croatian teams, NBA teams, and the National team, Saric has shown tremendous skills throughout his games.

His skills have undoubtedly achieved him with various honors in this career, including FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship MVP- 2012, 2× Croatian Cup champion- 2010, 2013, and Croatian League Finals MVP- 2013.

Dario Saric
Dario Saric representing Croatia National Team

Moreover, let’s get to know more about the famous Croatian Basketball player.

First, let’s browse through some quick facts.

Dario Saric | Quick Facts

Full Name Dario Saric
Birth Date 8th April 1994
Birth Place Sibenik, Croatia
Age 30 Years Old
Nickname “The Homie,” “Super Dario,” “Sisi”
Religion Roman Catholic
Nationality Croatian
Education Not Available
Horoscope Aries
Father’s Name Predrag Saric
Mother’s Name Veselka Saric
Siblings Dana Saric
Height 6’10” (2.08 m)
Weight 225 lb (102 kgs)
Build Athletic
Shoe Size Not Available
Hair Color Black
Eye Color Dark Brown
League NBA
Active Years 2009–present
Marital Status Unmarried
Girlfriend Karla Puseljic
Children None
Profession Professional Basketball Player
Position Power Forward
Former Teams Zrinjevac, Zagreb, Dubrava, Cibona, Anadolu Efes, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves
Net Worth $15 million
Career Highlights & Awards FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship MVP- 2012

FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship MVP- 2010

Croatian League Finals MVP- 2013

2× Croatian Cup champion- 2010, 2013, etc.

Social Media Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
Zrinjevac’s Merch Books
Last Update October, 2024

Dario Saric | Early Life, Family, & Education

Dario Saric was born on 8th April 1994, in Sibenik, Croatia, to Predrag Saric and Veselinka Saric. He has a sibling whose name is Dana Saric.

Saric grew up in a family that plays basketball professionally. Dairo’s father, Predrag Saric, is a former Croatian professional basketball player who has played for various Croatian teams like Sibenka, Zadar, and Triglav Osiguranje Rijeka.

Similarly, Saric’s mother, Veselinka Saric, was also a former Croatian professional female basketball player. His sister Dana Saric is a basketball player who plays for ZKK Sibenik, a professional women’s basketball club based in Croatia.

Dario Saric
Dario Saric with his family

According to the horoscope, Saric is an Aries. The most common traits in Aries are passion, motivation, and determination. We can unquestionably observe these traits in Saric throughout his career as a professional basketball athlete.

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Age, Height, and Body Measurements

Moreover, Saric turned 26 years in 2020. His listed height stands at 6’10” (2.08 m) with 225 lb (102 kgs) weight.

As a power forward, his body stats are considered significant assets.

Education

The information regarding Dario’s educational background is not available from any sources. However, Dario was born and raised in Croatia, so we can assume that he graduated from Croatian educational institutions.

Dario Saric | Career and Profession

Early Years

Dario began his professional career in 2009 with Zrinjevac, a professional men’s basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia.

Dario Saric
Dario Saric

During the 2009–10 season, after Saric registered a triple-double in the final game with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and ten assists, he won the tournament’s title MVP.

Dario won the Citta di Roma EuroLeague (IJT) in May 2011 with his teammates Mario Hezonja and Dominik Mavra. Furthermore, in the years 2010 and 2011, Dario was nominated for the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year Award.

In 2012, Dario was selected to compete for the World Team, for the second year in a row, at the Nike Hoop Summit located in Portland, Oregon.

During the all-star game, the World Team’s international players beat the US team, and Saric scored thirteen points with fourteen rebounds and five assists.

Cibona Zagreb

Dario signed a four-year contract with the Croatian club Cibona in November 2012. In the same year, he was nominated again for the FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year Award, where he finished second

Dario Saric
Cibona winning the Adriatic League 

Saric initially decided to represent for the 2013 NBA draft on April 4th, 2013. Two days after the initial declaration, he chose not to participate in the NBA draft and planned to play for KK Cibona for one more season.

During 2013, Saric won the MVP award for the Croatian finals alongside, Croatian National Cup and Croatian League Championship with Cibona.

Moreover, in February 2014, Dario was named the 2013 FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year, where he was selected into the ideal team and won the MVP of the Adriatic League in April 2014.

During the Final Four of the competition, Cibona won the league championship. As a result, Dario was named the MVP of the final four alongside ABA League Top Prospect for the season 2013-2014.

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Anadolu Efes

Dario signed a 2+1 contract with the Turkish team Anadolu Efes on June 24th, 2014, before the 2014 NBA draft.

The Orlando Magic selected Dario as the 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft. However, Orlando Magic traded his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers for Elfrid Payton on draft night.

After the draft, he stated that he planned on playing in Europe for at least one more year but would eventually play in the NBA.

Saric won the EuroLeague 2014–15 season’s MVP of the Month for November and became the youngest player to win the monthly Most Valuable Player award in EuroLeague history.

During January 2015, Dario became the 2014 FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year, which was his second consecutive award.

Philadelphia 76ers  

Saric signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on 15th July 2016. During the season 2017 with the Philadelphia 76ers, Dario was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month by the NBA for games played in February on March 2nd, 2017.

Dario scored his career-high 29 points in a 118–116 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Eventually, he surpassed that mark on 24th March 2017, scoring 32 points in a 117–107 win over the Chicago Bulls.

On 3rd April 2017, he was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month by the NBA for the second straight month, along with NBA All-Rookie First Team, and second in NBA Rookie of the Year. 

Minnesota Timberwolves

Dario was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves by the Philadelphia 76ers on 12th November 2018, with Jerryd Bayless, Robert Covington in exchange for Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton.

Saric made his debut for the Minnesota Timberwolves two days later, scoring nine points in 20 minutes with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Phoenix Suns

Saric and Cameron Johnson were traded to the Phoenix Suns by Minnesota Wolves in exchange for Jarrett Culver on July 6th,2019.

On November 24th, Dario scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds in a 116–104 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

On December 14th in Mexico City, he later met his career-high of 17 rebounds, scoring 19 points this time in an overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

You can see Dario Saric’s career statistics on the website of basketball-reference

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National team career

Croatia’s Under-16 National Team

Saric played with Croatia’s Under-16 national team and was named the Most Valuable Player by the 2010 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship after leading the tournament.

Dario registered a triple-double in the final, becoming the second player after Ricky Rubio in 2006.

Croatia’s Under-18 National Team

Dario won the gold medal with Croatia’s Under-18 national team in the 2012 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, where he finished first in scoring and second in rebounds.

Saric scored 39 points and led Croatia to victory in the gold medal game against Lithuania. Dario was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Croatia’s Under-19 National Team

While playing with Croatia’s Under-19 national team in the 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, he finished fourth in scoring and third in rebounds. 

FIBA Europe

Dario Saric represented the senior men’s Croatia men’s national basketball team at a FIBA tournament for the first time at EuroBasket 2013. His average was 5.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.

He also played with Croatia’s senior men’s team at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, where his average was 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.

During EuroBasket 2015, the Croatian team was eliminated in the eighth-finals by the Czech Republic. Dario’s average for the six games was 2.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 9.7 points per game, with 44.7% shooting from the field.

Again, Saric represented Croatia at the EuroBasket 2017. Russia eliminated the Croatian team in the 16th round.

During the tournament, Dario’s average was 14.8 points, 2.5 assists, 32.4 minutes, and 6.7 rebounds, per game, with 37.4% field goal shooting. 

2016 Olympic Games

Dario played with Croatia at the 2016 Olympic games, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Serbia.

Over six tournament games, Saric’s average was 33.1 minutes, 6.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 11.8 points per game on 43.1% shooting from the field.

Dario Saric | Salary and Net Worth

Saric is a successful basketball athlete who has played for various major teams and represented the National team. Furthermore, NBA players have an average salary of $2.5 million.

Looking back at his previous contract deals, his salary for Minnesota Timberwolves was $2.5 million. For the Philadelphia 76ers in the year 2016-2017, his salary was $2.3 million later. For the year 2017-2018, it was $2.4 million.

Dario is currently playing with the Phoenix Suns, and his salary for the year 2020-2021 is $3.4 million. Moreover, his estimated salary for the year 2021-2022 will be $4.7 million.

It can be estimated that Dario Šarić’s net worth falls around $15 million.

Dario Saric | Lips

Dario Saric was born with a condition called cleft lips and cleft palate. In this condition,  an opening or split is seen in the roof of the mouth. It is caused when tissues do not get fused together while the fetus develops in the womb.

Dario Saric | Injury

Saric faced an injury in 2018 on the first play against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. It was a Tuesday night’s game.

He was associated with the Philadelphia 76ers then. He suffered a cut on his upper lip and accompanied by a chipped left central incisor (big tooth).

Saric collided with Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins, causing the injury.

Dario Saric | Jersey

The Phoneix Suns Power forward Dario Saric wears jersey number 20. You can purchase Saric’s jersey on the website of the Global NBA store.

Dario-Saric-jersey
Dario Saric’s jersey

Similarly, here is his jersey for the Croatian national basketball team.

Dario-Saric-jersey
Dario Saric wearing his Croatian jersey

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Dario Saric | Awards and Honors

Club Honors

Junior club honors

  • Citta di Roma Tournament- 2010, 2011
  • EuroLeague Junior Tournament- 2011

Senior club honors

  • Turkish President’s Cup Winner- 2015
  • Adriatic League Champion- 2014
  • Croatian Cup Winner- 2013
  • Turkish Cup Winner- 2015
  • Croatian League Champion- 2013

Individual Honors

Junior honors

  • 2010 Albert Schweitzer Tournament- Burkhard Wildermuth-Award
  • Città di Roma Tournament- All-Tournament Team, MVP- 2010, 2011
  • 2010 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship- All-Tournament Team, MVP
  • 2011 EuroLeague Junior Tournament- All-Tournament Team, MVP
  • 2012 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship- All-Tournament Team, MVP
  • 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup- All-Tournament Team

Senior honors

  • Croatian League Finals MVP-  2013
  • 2014 Adriatic League- First Team, Season MVP, Final Four MVP
  • Adriatic League Top Scorer, Top Prospect- 2014
  • FIBA European Young Player of the Year- 2013, 2014
  • NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month- February, March 2017
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team- 2017

Dario Saric | Girlfriend

Saric is currently in a relationship with his Croatian girlfriend, Karla Puseljic. Reportedly, the couple has been dating since 2012. Karla moved with Dario to the USA after he signed with the NBA team.

dario saric
Saric with his girlfriend, Karla

Dario Saric | Social Media Presence

Instagram111k Followers 

Twitter– 32k Followers 

Facebook– 47k Followers

Common Queries about Dario Saric

Who did Dario Saric guard in the Olympic game against Spain?

When Croatia and Spain faced off in their first game of the 2016 Olympics, Dario Saric and Sergio Rodriguez became foes.

Saric contributed to leading Croatia to a 72-70 victory, guarding his opponent Sergio Rodriguez.

Saric and Rodriguez later became teammates in Philadelphia 76ers.

Who drafted Dario Saric?

The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Dario Saric in the 2014 NBA draft, 12th overall pick. 

Aaditya Bhatta
Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta is a dynamic writer and sports enthusiast, whose passion for both realms is reflected in his work. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, Aaditya brings a unique perspective to his writing, captivating readers with his engaging content.

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Aaditya's journey as a writer and sports aficionado began at a young age when he discovered his passion for both pursuits. Throughout his academic and professional endeavors, Aaditya has honed his skills in content creation and sports analysis, immersing himself in the intricacies of the games he loves.

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