Igor Milicić Jr., the son of Poland men's national basketball team head coach Igor Milicić, signed a contract with the New York Knicks of the NBA, only for his time at the club to last a mere 12 minutes before he was released.
At 1:48am Polish time, the Knicks' public relations account announced that Milicić Jr. had signed a contract along with Jaden Akins, Mitch Mascari, Toby Okani and Paul Zilinskas. By 2:00am, the club confirmed that Milicić Jr. had already been released.
Quick Move to Westchester Knicks
The brief stint with the Knicks was not the end of his push toward the NBA. Milicić Jr. was signed instead by the Knicks' affiliate club, the Westchester Knicks, who play in the NBA G League.
According to the website weszlo.com, if Milicić Jr. stays on the Westchester roster for 60 days, he will qualify for an additional financial bonus worth more than $90,000 for the 2026-27 season. He has already been announced as a new player for the Westchester Knicks.
Second Attempt to Break Into the League
This is not the first time the Polish forward has tried to fight his way into the NBA through the G League. He previously signed an exhibition contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, but was later released and went on to join the Delaware Blue Coats.
Father's Route to the Poland Job
Igor Milicić Sr. has coached the Poland national team since October 2021. The former Croatian basketball player has held Polish citizenship since 2003, but was never able to play for Poland because he had already represented Croatia internationally. His eldest son faced no such restriction, holding Polish citizenship as well, and made his debut for Poland's senior national team in 2021 in a win over Romania.
Knicks Also Add Konchar
According to probasket.pl, the Knicks also signed a one-year contract with John Konchar, who will be entering his eighth NBA season. The deal is reportedly likely to be without a guaranteed salary, but the report noted that Konchar had other options available and would not have signed with the club had he not believed he had a genuine chance of making the final roster.
