Darko Rajaković is sticking around Toronto.
The head coach agreed to a multi-year extension with the Raptors, the team announced on Thursday.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Rajaković, the 47-year-old Serbian, joined the Raptors in June 2023 and helped guide them to a 46-36 record and his first playoff appearance as head coach last season before falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a seven-game, first-round series.
Now, he'll face greater expectations with the reported return of Kawhi Leonard in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers as the Raptors aspire for title contention.
"We’re thrilled to extend Darko as head coach of the Toronto Raptors. Darko’s strong development philosophy and commitment to a team-first culture shine through on a daily basis," Raptors general manager and executive vice-president Bobby Webster said in a statement.
"We’ve seen these qualities play out on the court — our team plays hard, plays together, and fights until the end. Darko knows there’s more to be done, and we’re looking forward to seeing the continued growth of this team."
Rajaković has a 101-145 regular-season record on the sidelines.
He spent time as an assistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies before landing the lead role in Toronto. He has increased the team's win total from 25 to 30 to 46 across his three seasons.
Rajaković finished 10th in NBA Coach of the Year voting and became the first European head coach to guide an NBA team through a full season and into the playoffs.
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, but our team knows there is still a lot of work to do, and I am looking forward to continuing to build and win with the Raptors. We will keep growing, keep working together and stay committed to getting better every day as we reach for our goal of an NBA championship,” Rajaković said in a statement.
“I’m grateful to Bobby, to MLSE and the board of directors, to my coaching staff and especially to the players.”
Earlier this off-season, the Raptors also handed Webster a multi-year extension as well as his new EVP title.
Leonard was the leader of the Raptors team that won the 2018-19 NBA championship in his lone season with the club.
His addition gives Rajaković another elite defender to add to an already smothering roster featuring fellow all-star Scottie Barnes, promising sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles and tenacious guard Jamal Shead.
The Raptors hired Rajaković on June 13, 2023, to replace Nick Nurse, who helped Toronto to the 2019 title but was fired after the Raptors' loss to visiting Chicago in a play-in tournament game. Rajaković was charged with re-creating Toronto's team culture as the Raptors looked to decisively move on from their championship era.
Rajakovic's first year coaching was filled with hurdles, including the Raptors front office rebuilding the team with major trades, a raft of injuries to players like all-star Scottie Barnes and the lifetime ban of backup centre Jontay Porter due to match manipulation.
Toronto stumbled to a 25-57 record in 2023-24, including a franchise-worst 15-game losing skid through March and into April.
Injuries continued to plague the Raptors into the 2024-25 season, with the team's planned starting lineup not playing a single minute together until 35 games into the season. Toronto finished that campaign with a 30-52 record to finish 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Raptors team president Masai Ujiri was dismissed that off-season, with Webster taking over as head of basketball operations.
Webster stuck with Rajakovic, and was rewarded with a return to winning basketball in 2025-26.
Rajakovic has also previously coached in his native Serbia, Spain, and as the head coach of the G-League's Tulsa 66ers.
--with files from The Canadian Press
