About Balsa Koprivica
Balsa Koprivica was born on May 1, 2000 in Belgrade, Serbia. His father, Slavisa Koprivica, is a former Serbian pro basketball player and EuroLeague champion (Partizan). Growing up, Koprivica played soccer and learned Taekwondo. At age seven, he began playing basketball. As a sixth-grader, he grew to 6-foot-8, and he reached seven feet tall by his freshman year of high school.
In 2012, Koprivica moved to the United States, where he would later attend University School of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Two years later, Koprivica transferred to Windermere Prep in Lake Butler, Florida, but he transferred again in December of 2017 — this time to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, where he would play his final two years of high school basketball. As a senior, Koprivica was a consensus four-star recruit ranked inside the top 100 by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals. As a freshman at Florida State, Koprivica averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game across 27 appearances. He played a larger role as a sophomore, posting 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and a team-leading 1.4 blocks in 19.5 minutes per game. In two ACC Tournament games, Koprivica averaged 14.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks en route to ACC All-Tournament First-Team honors.
Koprivica has also competed in international competitions for Serbia. He was a member of the Serbian U18 national team that captured the gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Europe U18 Championship.
Koprivica was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 57 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.