Vlatko Čančar

Vlatko Čančar ( ; born 10 April 1997) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for San Pablo Burgos of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Standing at , 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.

Mega Leks (2016–2018) On 30 June 2016, Čančar left Olimpija and signed with Serbian team Mega Leks.

San Pablo Burgos (2018–2019) On 13 March 2018, Čančar was loaned to the Spanish club San Pablo Burgos.

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

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.

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

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

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. On 7 January, Čančar underwent surgery for the fracture and was ruled out for at least three months.

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.

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

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.

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. In the five-game NBA Finals, he played for 29 seconds.

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

Olimpia Milano (2025) On July 17, 2025, Čančar signed with Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. 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.

Return to San Pablo Burgos (2026–present) On 21 July 2026, Čančar returned to San Pablo Burgos of the Liga ACB and the EuroCup.

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. On 17 August 2023, he underwent surgery to reconstruct the ACL, and was ruled out indefinitely. He ultimately missed the entire 2023–24 NBA season.

Career statistics

NBA Regular season

Playoffs