Gordan Giriček

Gordan Giriček
Gordan Giriček
Born	June 20, 1977 (age 49); Zagreb, Croatia
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	1993–2011
Known for	NBA player for Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns; European teams Cibona, CSKA Moscow, Fenerbahçe

Gordan Giriček (born June 20, 1977) is a retired Croatian professional basketball athlete. Measuring , he primarily occupied the roles of shooting guard and small forward. Throughout an 18-year span, he competed in the NBA with franchises such as the Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and Phoenix Suns. Additionally, he represented European teams including Cibona, CSKA Moscow, and Fenerbahçe.

Early years

Giriček’s basketball journey began with Zagreb’s Jedinstvo youth squad before advancing to the esteemed club Cibona. In the 1999 NBA draft, he was chosen 40th overall in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks, but his rights were traded to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Leon Smith. Subsequently, the Spurs transferred his rights to the Memphis Grizzlies in return for a second-round pick in 2004. Giriček continued playing in Croatia until 2001.

In 2001, he signed with Russian elite team CSKA Moscow, where he emerged prominently by averaging 22.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists across 18 games in the Euroleague season.

Memphis Grizzlies (2002–2003)

Entering the NBA in 2002, Giriček joined the Memphis Grizzlies and made an immediate impact by scoring 29 points in his first game—this was the highest scoring debut since 1996 until it was surpassed during the 2025-26 season. He appeared in 49 regular-season contests, posting an average of 11.2 points per game.

Orlando Magic (2003–2004)

On February 19, 2003, Giriček was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Drew Gooden in exchange for Mike Miller, Ryan Humphrey, and future draft selections. His performance earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie second team at season’s end.

Utah Jazz (2004–2007)

On February 19, 2004, Giriček moved to the Utah Jazz through a trade involving DeShawn Stevenson and a future second-round draft choice. He achieved a personal best by scoring 33 points against Phoenix on March 12, 2004. Known mainly as a three-point specialist coming off the bench and occasionally starting, he shot an impressive 53.8% from beyond the arc during the 2007 playoffs, helping Utah reach the Western Conference Finals.

After that season, Ronnie Brewer assumed the starting shooting guard position for Utah, pushing Giriček back to a bench role. On December 19, 2007, following a confrontation with coach Jerry Sloan during a game in Charlotte, Giriček was sent home. Although both parties reconciled afterward, Utah sought to trade him; that Charlotte match was his final appearance for the Jazz.

Philadelphia 76ers (2007–2008)

On December 26, 2007, Giriček was traded from Utah to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Kyle Korver and a future first-round pick. Upon returning to Utah five days later, he was met with boos from fans. The 76ers released him on February 29, 2008 after just 12 games to enable him to sign with a playoff contender and become eligible for postseason competition.

Phoenix Suns (2008)

Giriček signed with the Phoenix Suns on March 4, 2008 for the remainder of that season. During his time there, he was involved in a physical altercation with teammate Shaquille O'Neal.

Fenerbahçe (2008–2010)

At 31 years old, Giriček departed from the NBA in August 2008 and inked a two-year contract worth €4 million net with the Turkish team Fenerbahçe. His tenure with the club concluded when he was released on May 15, 2010.

Cibona Zagreb (2010–2011)

Giriček made a comeback to Croatian basketball in December 2010 by signing with Cibona Zagreb for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. He ended his professional playing career following this period.

Croatian national basketball team

Giriček took part in five straight European Championships representing Croatia, competing in the tournaments held in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2005.

Personal life

In December 2003, Giriček married Nataša Gulan in Orlando, Florida. Their daughter Lara was born in February 2004. After securing a $16 million four-year contract with the Jazz in July 2004, Giriček sought a postnuptial agreement to limit his wife's financial claims in case of divorce, which she declined to sign. Subsequent separation led to legal disputes over finances and child custody, including a court settlement of $102,500 and monthly child support payments of $1,500. Due to visitation scheduling conflicts with his former spouse, Giriček opted out of joining the Croatian national team for EuroBasket 2007.

Regular season

|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Memphis | 49 || 35 || 24.2 || .433 || .354 || .822 || 2.2 || 1.4 || .4 || .1 || 11.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | 27 || 27 || 35.6 || .440 || .328 || .816 || 4.8 || 2.5 || 1.1 || .1 || 14.3 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | 48 || 25 || 29.9 || .440 || .407 || .827 || 3.4 || 1.7 || .9 || .2 || 10.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 25 || 18 || 24.2 || .431 || .359 || .883 || 2.5 || 1.7 || .6 || .2 || 13.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 81 || 44 || 20.5 || .448 || .362 || .810 || 2.2 || 1.7 || .6 || .1 || 8.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 37 || 36 || 25.8 || .433 || .305 || .754 || 1.9 || 1.7 || .4 || .1 || 10.6 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 61 || 6 || 19.5 || .462 || .426|| .816||2.1||1.0||.5||.1||7.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah |22||0||12.7||.402||.353||1.000||1.4||0.7||0.6||0.0||4.3 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Philadelphia |12||0||9.2||.317||.333||.750||1.2||0.9||0.3||0.1||3.1 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Phoenix |22||0||20.1|| .497||.380||.941||2.3||1.6||0.4||0.1||8.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |384||191||23.0||.442||.368||.823||2.5||1.5||0.6||0..1||9.6

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2003 | align="left" | Orlando |7|||7|||31.9||| .464|||0..333|||0..818|||3..1|||1..0|||0..3|||0..1|||9..4 |- |- |- |align=left |2007 NBA Playoffs |- |- |align=left |2006–07 Utah Jazz season |- |'17'||3|'18..1'|'0..418'|'0..538'|'0..875'|'1..6'|'1'|'0..2'|'0..1'|'6..1' |- class=sortbottom

Euroleague

2000–01 Euroleague	KK Cibona	6		4		27		0.232		0.129		0.788		3		0.8		0.3	0	10.3		2.7
2001–02 Euroleague	PBC CSKA Moscow	18		17		32.9		0.528		0.373		0.808		3.1		0.16		1.1	0.1	22.9	20.6
2008–09 Euroleague	Fenerbahçe Ülker	5		3		28.1		0.353		0.250		0.842	0.32	1.2	0.16	0	11.4	9.8
2009–10 Euroleague	Fenerbahçe	10	3	21.2	0.394	0.367	0.833	2.9	0.8	0.3	0	8.2	4.5
Career \| 39 \| \| 27 \| \| 28.4 \| \| 0.446 \| \| 0.311 \| \| 0.810 \| \| 3.1 \| \| 1.2 \| \| 0.8 \| \| 0 \| \| 15.7 \| \| 12.3

External links