Michael Ružić

Michael Ružić (born 4 October 2006) is a Croatian college basketball player for the LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played basketball for Joventut Badalona.

Early life Ružić was born on 4 October 2006 in France, to Croatian parents. He received his name for Michael Jordan and Michael Schumacher. His father, Tomislav Ružić, played basketball while his mother, Barbara Jelić-Ružić, played volleyball and is considered one of the best Croatian volleyball players of all time. His grandfather, Ivica Jelić, competed in volleyball at the 1980 Summer Olympics, his aunt, Vesna Jelić, competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and an uncle, Jurica Ružić, played for the national basketball team. He started with the junior team, CB Prat, where he appeared in six games and averaged 10.0 points. He remained with the first team and made his Liga ACB debut in November, becoming the sixth-youngest player in team history. He had one game with a double-double and became only the second player in team history to do it under the age of 18.

In June 2024, he participated in the Adidas Eurocamp and was named one of the competition's "Rising Stars" after averaging 17 points and 4.6 rebounds.

International career Ružić played with the Croatian national under-16 team at the 2022 FIBA U16 European Championship, where he averaged 7.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in seven games.