Issue 10: Cool Cats: Boban Marjanovic is an NBA Movie Star

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Welcome to the latest installment of our “Cool Cats” series, where we check out a player that’s just as interesting off the court as he is on it. Today’s Cool Cat: Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic.

You really just need to see a single interview with Boban to become a fan of his. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that below.

At 7’4″, Boban is one of the ten tallest players ever to play in the NBA. He also holds a top-ten Player Efficiency Rating (PER). And his nickname, The Bobinator, is delightful.

Boban’s first love was volleyball, but because his small Serbian town of Boljevac didn’t have a youth volleyball club, the big man turned toward basketball and began his pro career at age 14. He was already 6’10”, but figured a few extra inches couldn’t hurt.

The Largest Hands In NBA History

Standing 7’4″, you might be wondering how large Boban’s hands are.

The answer: extremely large.

When the Serbian shakes someone’s hand, it’s an event. Boban’s hands are so big, he uses an iPad as a cell phone.

In fact, there’s an entire subreddit dedicated to Boban holding things simply to showcase how large his hands are. Popular items previously held include a sweat mop, a puppy, and Michael Jordan.

The constant hand attention seems like it could get annoying, but Boban is always gracious with people who want to shake them.

And if you’re curious, Boban’s feet are a size 19.

A Star Turn as a Movie Villain

Boban’s first appearance was in the 2015 Serbian sports drama We Will Be the World Champions.

Not content to only make appearances in sports films, Boban took a role as a bad guy in John Wick 3.

In the movie, Boban plays an assassin named Ernest. He’s got a penchant for quoting Dante’s Divine Comedy and fights Keanu Reeves in the New York Public Library.

I love me some libraries. But the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen at one was a super mathematician showing off his skills. So this is very impressive.

Here’s a look at Boban’s fight scene (slight spoiler if you haven’t seen the movie).

While Boban is solid on the big screen, he looms even larger on the mobile one.

One of Boban’s great friends is Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris. The duo was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Los Angeles Clippers, and then again from the Clippers to the 76ers.

All that bonding time meant plenty of misadventures for Boban and Harris. Why not document it with The Bobi + Tobi Show?

This Internet show features Boban and Harris trying new things, like teaching a spin class or practicing their footwork via the hottest dances that all the kids are doing (remember when flossing was new?).

Soup All Day, Every Day

Boban eats soup daily. If he had his way, he’d have every single meal start with soup.

“This is part of our culture—our mommies and grammies make it, and at any restaurant in Serbia, you can go in and find some soup,” Boban told GQ. “There might be minestrone, butternut squash, chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, mushroom soup, lamb soup. Whatever you can find, you can make a soup with that. I’m a big soup guy. Every meal I want to start with soup. I just finished my soup five minutes ago! It’s funny how everybody is surprised by that, but this is how most Serbians eat.”

His top soup choices are chicken noodle and tomato. He also likes to end most meals with a light dessert. Just don’t give him cake—he’ll eat anything but cake.

As his fondness for soup demonstrates, Boban still remembers where he came from. And he’s constantly praising his family, even taking time out from a post-game interview earlier this season to say hello to his mom and dad.

Put it all together and Boban Marjanovic is one cool cat.

That’s all ’til next time. Thanks for reading!

Joey