TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with head coach Darko Rajakovic, the team announced Thursday.
Rajakovic led the Raptors to a 46-36 record this past season, improving the club by 16 wins and earning the fifth seed within the Eastern Conference.
Toronto pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the primary round of the playoffs.
He has a 101-145 record over three seasons with Toronto.
“Darko’s strong development philosophy and commitment to a team-first culture shine through every day,” Raptors general manager and executive vice-president Bobby Webster said in an announcement.
“We’ve seen these qualities play out on the court — our team plays hard, plays together, and fights until the tip. Darko knows there’s more to be done, and we’re looking forward to seeing the continued growth of this team.”
Rajakovic finished tenth in NBA Coach of the Yr voting and have become the primary European head coach to guide an NBA team through a full season and into the playoffs.
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Terms of the extension weren’t disclosed.
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“I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made, but our team knows there continues to be a variety of work to do, and I’m looking forward to continuing to construct and win with the Raptors,” Rajakovic said in a release.
“We’ll continue to grow, keep working together and stay committed to improving daily as we reach for our goal of an NBA championship.”
That goal recently received a shot within the arm with Toronto re-acquiring superstar Kawhi Leonard in a reported trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
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 Rajakovic one other elite defender so as 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 Rajakovic on June 13, 2023, to interchange 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. Rajakovic was charged with re-creating Toronto’s team culture because the Raptors looked to decisively move on from their championship era.
Rajakovic’s first 12 months coaching was stuffed 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 on account of 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 complete eleventh within the Eastern Conference.
Raptors team president Masai Ujiri was dismissed that off-season, with general manager Bobby Webster taking up as head of basketball operations.
Webster stuck with Rajakovic, and was rewarded with a return to winning basketball in 2025-26.
Rajakovic had previously coached in his native Serbia, Spain, as the pinnacle coach of the G-League’s Tulsa 66ers, and as an assistant for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies.
Also Thursday, the Raptors signed first-round pick Allen Graves to a rookie scale contract.
The Raptors chosen Graves with the nineteenth pick within the 2026 NBA draft.
Graves averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Santa Clara Broncos last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press