Vlatko Čančar

Vlatko Čančar
Čančar with Slovenia in 2016
No. 31 – San Pablo Burgos
PositionSmall forward / power forward
LeagueLiga ACB
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (1997-04-10) 10 April 1997
Koper, Slovenia
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight236 lb (107 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2017: 2nd round, 49th overall pick
Drafted byDenver Nuggets
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2016Union Olimpija
2014–2016→LTH Castings
2016–2018Mega Leks
2018→San Pablo Burgos
2018–2019San Pablo Burgos
2019–2025Denver Nuggets
2019→Erie BayHawks
2021→Grand Rapids Gold
2025Olimpia Milano
2026–presentSan Pablo Burgos
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com 
Stats at Basketball Reference 
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Slovenia
EuroBasket
Gold medal – first place2017 Finland–Israel–Romania–Turkey

Vlatko Čančar (/ˈtʃɑːntʃɑːr/ CHAHN-char;[1] born 10 April 1997) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for San Pablo Burgos of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), he plays primarily as a small forward. He has previously played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Denver Nuggets, winning the NBA Finals with them in 2023.

Professional career

Union Olimpija (2015–2016)

On 16 April 2015, Čančar signed a five-year contract with Union Olimpija.[2]

Mega Leks (2016–2018)

On 30 June 2016, Čančar left Olimpija and signed with Serbian team Mega Leks.[3]

San Pablo Burgos (2018–2019)

On 13 March 2018, Čančar was loaned to the Spanish club San Pablo Burgos.[4]

On 13 June 2018, Čančar renewed his contract with the club for an additional two seasons.[5]

Denver Nuggets (2019–2025)

On 22 June 2017, Čančar was selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.[6]

On 2 August 2019, Čančar signed his rookie contract with the Denver Nuggets.[7]

On 13 May 2021, Čančar scored a career-high 14 points off the bench in a 114–103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[8][9]

On 3 January 2022, during a 89–103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Čančar suffered a right foot injury. Two days later, he was diagnosed with a fracture of his right fifth metatarsal.[10] On 7 January, Čančar underwent surgery for the fracture and was ruled out for at least three months.[11]

On 10 April, in the regular season finale, Čančar returned to the Nuggets and played a season high 24 minutes in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Čančar recorded 2 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in his last regular season game.[12]

On 7 July 2022, Čančar re-signed with the Nuggets on a three-year deal.[13]

On 23 November 2022, Čančar scored a career high 20 points, along with 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in an overtime win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.[14][15]

In June 2023, Čančar won his first NBA championship when the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals. During the season, he played in 60 games, almost 15 minutes per game, and scored approximately five points per game.[16] In the five-game NBA Finals, he played for 29 seconds.[17]

On 9 July 2024, Čančar re-signed with the Nuggets.[18]

Olimpia Milano (2025)

On July 17, 2025, Čančar signed with Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague.[19] On October 22, of the same year, Čančar and his team have a mutual agreement to terminate his contract. He only appeared in two EuroLeague games during the season, the result of a knee issue.[20]

Return to San Pablo Burgos (2026–present)

On 21 July 2026, Čančar returned to San Pablo Burgos of the Liga ACB and the EuroCup.[21]

National team career

Čančar has been a member of the Slovenia national basketball team. He played with the team at EuroBasket 2017, where he won the gold medal with his country.

Čančar represented the Slovenian national basketball team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

On 4 August 2023, during an exhibition game against Greece, Čančar suffered a torn ACL in his left knee.[22][23] On 17 August 2023, he underwent surgery to reconstruct the ACL, and was ruled out indefinitely.[24] He ultimately missed the entire 2023–24 NBA season.[25]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Denver 1403.2.400.1671.000.7.2.1.11.2
2020–21 Denver 4116.9.458.273.7691.2.3.3.02.1
2021–22 Denver 15111.7.561.583.6432.11.1.1.24.1
2022–23† Denver 60914.8.476.374.9272.11.3.4.25.0
2024–25 Denver 13010.5.385.267—2.5.7.2.21.8
Career 1431110.7.472.354.8471.8.9.3.23.4

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Denver 504.21.0001.000.800.6.2.2.22.2
2022 Denver 204.5.667.500—1.0.5.0.02.5
2023† Denver 502.0.000.000—.6.2.0.0.0
2025 Denver 303.7———.7.0.0.0.0
Career 1503.4.455.286.800.7.2.1.11.1

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). 24 October 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "Olimpija Ljubljana signs Vlatko Cancar to a 5-year contract". Sportando. 16 April 2017. Archived from the original on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Čančar from Union Olimpija to Mega Leks". 30 June 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Vlatko Čančar se seli v Burgos". KZS (in Slovenian). 13 March 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "ACB.COM - Vlatko Čančar renueva con el San Pablo Burgos por dos años". ACB.com (in European Spanish). 13 June 2018. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "2017 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "Denver Nuggets sign Vlatko Čančar". NBA.com. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Jokic scores 31 points; Nuggets beat Timberwolves 114-103". CBSSports.com. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2023. JaVale McGee had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Vlatko Cancar scored a career-high 14 points off the bench for Denver.
  9. ↑ "Nikola Jokic leads super-sized Nuggets past Timberwolves". The Denver Post. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2023. Both Markus Howard (15 points) and Vlatko Cancar (14) enjoyed career-highs and helped offset Karl-Anthony Towns' 20-point, 11-rebound effort for Minnesota.
  10. ↑ "Vlatko Cancar out indefinitely due to fractured right foot". BasketNews.com. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "Vlatko Čančar Injury Update". NBA.com. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Vlatko Cancar, Denver Nuggets, SF - 2021-22 Game Log - NBA". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  13. ↑ "Vlatko Cancar signs three-year contract extension with Nuggets". The Denver Post. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  14. ↑ "Nikola Jokic, Bruce Brown and Vlatko Cancar save Nuggets with gripping OT win vs. Thunder". The Denver Post. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2023. Cancar scored a career-high 20 points, with numerous instances of spectacular defense to stymie the Thunder.
  15. ↑ "Vlatko Čančar 2022-23 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  16. ↑ "For Čančar, NBA ring a dream come true". SloveniaTimes.com. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  17. ↑ "Vlatko Čančar z Denverjem do naslova lige NBA! (VIDEO)" [Vlatko Cancar and Denver to the NBA title (VIDEO)]. Sportklub N1info (in Slovenian). 13 June 2023.
  18. ↑ "Denver Nuggets resign Vlatko Čančar". NBA.com. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  19. ↑ Guzman, Matt (18 July 2025). "Denver Nuggets NBA Champion Signs with Team Overseas". Denver Nuggets On SI. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  20. ↑ Gillingham, Geoff (22 October 2025). "Vlatko Cancar, Milan part ways". EuroLeague. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  21. ↑ "Burgos brings back forward Vlatko Cancar". EuroCup. 21 July 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Singer, Mike (5 August 2023). "Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar suffers left ACL tear, source says". The Denver Post. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  23. ↑ MacMahon, Tim (5 August 2023). "Sources: Nuggets F Vlatko Cancar suffers torn ACL in left knee". ESPN. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  24. ↑ Petersen, Will (17 August 2023). "Vlatko Cancar undergoes ACL surgery and a long recovery looms". Denver Sports. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  25. ↑ Brooks, Matt (9 July 2024). "2024 Free Agency Profile: Vlatko Čančar". NBA. Retrieved 25 August 2026. Čančar missed the entirety of the 2023-24 season while recovering from an ACL tear.
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