Everyone in the basketball world has undoubtedly heard the name Misko Raznatovic. While he’s not a player or a coach, he can be considered a kingmaker in his own right. Misko Ražnatovic is the founder and president of BeoBasket, one of the world’s leading basketball agency.
Ražnatovic represents a constellation of talent. From Nikola Jokix, the NBA’s most unconventional superstar, to towering personalities like Boban Marjanovic, Cedi Osman, and Ivica Zubac, his agency has placed more players into the NBA and EuroLeague than any other in the world. His influence has been transformational. But who is the man behind the empire?
What is Misko Raznatovic’s background and early life?
Misko Ražnatovic, born September 16, 1966, in Kruševac, Serbia, grew up in a modest but intellectually rich environment. Both of his parents were educators, and he was raised in Staro dvoriste, a spirited Serbian neighborhood where kids played ball all day long. His early exposure to sports, especially basketball, began in these dusty schoolyard courts. He attended the Vuk Karadzic Elementary School, where his sharp analytical mind and competitive spirit began to shine. A standout in both the classroom and on the court, Misko quickly developed a passion for sports and discipline that would fuel his future success.
As a teen, he split time between academic pursuits and local basketball tournaments, earning a reputation as a gritty and thoughtful player. He later enrolled in the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law, graduating in 1988 with a law degree. Remarkably, he did this while still playing professional basketball in the former Yugoslavia.
How did Raznatovic build his career as a top basketball agent?
Misko didn’t plan on being a sports agent. He initially started a law firm in 1992, focusing on criminal law. But as money began pouring into Serbian basketball in the early 90s, players needed someone who could protect their interests. With his dual background in law and basketball, Miško was the perfect fit. “They started coming to me for drawing their contracts,” he said in an interview. What began as side consultations evolved into full-blown representation. That’s how BeoBasket was born.
The turning point came in 2002, when Misko negotiated a three-year deal for legendary coach Dusan Ivkovic with CSKA Moscow. That deal catapulted him into the European elite. BeoBasket became the most powerful basketball agency in Europe, and arguably, the world. In the 2017/18 EuroLeague season, BeoBasket represented 35 players, more than any other agency. Their client list spans generations and includes Boban Marjanovic, Dario Šaric, Rodrigue Beaubois, Ivica Zubac, Ante Zizic, Nikola Jovic, Cedi Osman and Vasilije Micic.
Misko was instrumental in orchestrating Deron Williams’ 2011 move to Besiktas during the NBA lockout. And then, there’s the Nikola Jokic story, one of the most unlikely scouting finds in modern basketball. Misko was reading a Serbian newspaper and noticed a kid putting up ridiculous numbers in the U18 league. “29 points and, if I’m not wrong, 26 rebounds,” he recalled. The next week, Jokic had 30 points and 37 rebounds. Misko was intrigued.
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“So I called my scout and asked him about him. It was silence. He didn’t know him,” said Misko. “For me, it was the surprise of the year… I told him, ‘Go to his place, which is like 50 miles from Belgrade, find the family, and talk with them.’” BeoBasket made a rare exception and signed Jokic without ever seeing him play live, the only time in the agency’s history.
“Nikola joined the agency at 17-and-a-half,” Misko said. “This is the first and last player in the 27-year-old history of the agency when we signed him without anybody seeing him.” Jokic went on to become a two-time NBA MVP, an NBA Champion, and arguably the best player on the planet. That’s vision.
In 2004, Raznatovic acquired KK Avala Ada, later renamed KK Mega, with a bold mission to create a breeding ground for elite young talent. The club evolved into Mega Basket, one of Europe’s best-known development teams. Through Mega, Misko helped launch the careers of Vasilije Micic, Goga Bitadze, Ivica Zubac, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Nikola Jokic. Mega won the Radivoj Korac Cup in 2016 and has become a staple in the ABA League, constantly feeding talent to bigger European clubs and the NBA.
What is known about Misko Raznatovic’s personal life?
Misko keeps a low profile. He’s married to Dr. Vanja Raznatovic, a highly regarded medical professional. Together, they have a daughter, Masa, who plays basketball for Art Basket, a Belgrade-based club. Maas isn’t just a promising athlete. She’s also become a social media presence and has over 33,000 Instagram followers. Despite his monumental professional success, Misko is known for being humble and family-oriented. His private life rarely makes headlines, and that’s by design. In an industry fueled by ego and flash, Raznatovic keeps it grounded.
Miško doesn’t do things the American way. He’s blunt, direct, and believes in telling players the truth, not coddling them. He told Pete Radovich, “From the beginning, I’ve been doing things my own way. Even after years of success, that hasn’t changed. I consider it my duty to talk to the players and point out their mistakes.”
He’s the only agent in history to represent both the EuroLeague MVP and NBA MVP in the same year. He even made headlines recently when he posted a picture on Instagram with LeBron James and Maverick Carter on a boat in Saint-Tropez. That’s the circle Misko moves in now, global powerbrokers of the sport. He blends deep basketball IQ, legal prowess, business savvy, and unmatched gut instinct. Whether he’s mentoring kids in Mega, negotiating multimillion-dollar deals, or watching youth games in Serbia for fun, Misko lives and breathes the game.
The post Who Is Nikola Jokic’s Agent Misko Raznatovic? Early Life, Career, and Personal Life Explained appeared first on EssentiallySports.