Article by David Istrate – Published Friday, March 27, 2026, 11:55 / Updated Friday, March 27, 2026 12:01
Ivica Zubac, the pivot of the Indiana Pacers and the highest paid Croatian athlete, talked about the moment when the management of the Los Angeles Clippers told him that they decided to make a trade with the Pacers and send him to the Indianopolis team. The 29-year-old player said it was one of the hardest moments of his career.
Originally from Mostar, a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ivica Zubac grew up in Citluk, a municipality near the border with Croatia, and identifies as Croatian. The Croatian Basketball Federation obtained Zubac's documents in exchange for the documents of Andrija Stipanovic, the former basketball player of U-BT Cluj-Napoca, whom the Bosnian Basketball Federation wanted for the 2013 European Championship.
Zubac made his professional basketball debut in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and in 2016, after playing for Mega Basket, he was drafted into the NBA by the Los Angeles Lakers. Three years later, the 2.13-meter pivot was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers, the fellow city of the Lakers, where he stayed until 2026, becoming one of the team's important playersi.
Ivica Zubac, traded by LA Clippers to Indiana Pacers: “You never expect it, you don't want it to happen”
However, on February 5, 2026Zubac and Kobe Brown were sent by the Clippers to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and some NBA draft picks. In a podcast, the leader of the Croatian national team revealed that the moment of departure from the Clippers was extremely difficult.
“It was hard when Lawrence Frank (L.A. Clippers president of basketball operations) called me and told me this was happening and then I was on the phone with the Pacers people and going through all of this. Then it hit me that the Clippers were going on the road, so I thought I'd better go there. I called Lawrence and he said I could come anytime,” Zubac said, as quoted by sportal.rs.
“I went there and found a lot of people before they went away. We stayed for 5 or 6 hours, I don't even know how long, and we talked about memories, about everything we did and what we went through. Many people were crying. I cried too. It was hard, man. It was hard. You always think it might happen – transfers and all that, but you never actually expect it to happen, you don't want it to happen. When it happened, it was really hard,” continued the 29-year-old basketball player.
In 513 regular season games played for the LA Clippers, Zubac averaged 11.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists. In this season, he records the following statistics: 14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Ivica Zubac on Clippers fans: “They come to every game and support you”
Zubac talked about the Clippers fans and what it will be like to play against his former team.
“Clippers fans are incredible. They accepted me when I was young, they always supported me, even when I wasn't playing well. They've always had my back, they've always believed in me and they're some of the best fans in the world. Like I said before, it's not the biggest fan base, but it's definitely a very proud fan base that knows how to appreciate their players,” he said.
“They've been through a lot, a lot of bad luck and bad luck in various seasons, and yet they come to every game and support you. They're really sincere and I've had a great time with them. I still can't believe that I'll be playing against them in the future. They're my people for life, for sure,” concluded Zubac.
At this moment, The Indiana Pacers are in last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 16 wins and 57 losses. Instead, the LA Clippers, with 37-36, occupy the 8th position in the Western Conference.
Ivica Zubac is the highest paid Croatian athlete, having a contract signed for the period 2025-2028, worth 58,650,480 dollars. In the current season, the pivot's salary is $18,893,980.
