One of Croatia’s best-known sports names has built a visible life in the heart of the city
Bojan Bogdanović is one of the most recognisable names in Croatian basketball, but in Dubrovnik he is not only seen as a famous athlete passing through. Over the years, he has built a much more tangible connection with the city. Bogdanović is married to Zrinka Šahurić, a Dubrovnik native, and the couple celebrated their wedding in Dubrovnik in September 2023, at the Jesuit Church in the Old Town. They have a son, Luka.
That connection also includes property on Stradun and the well-known restaurant Forty Four, just off the main street in Miha Pracata.
A Croatian basketball star with a major international career
Bogdanović’s profile in Croatian sport goes far beyond local recognition. He built a long NBA career and became one of the country’s most prominent basketball players on the international stage, which is exactly why his Dubrovnik link draws attention.
This is not simply a sportsman choosing a summer address, but one of Croatia’s most visible basketball figures becoming closely tied to one of its most visible cities.
Forty Four is part of that Dubrovnik connection
The clearest public sign of that connection is Forty Four, the restaurant associated with Bogdanović for several years and now firmly placed on Dubrovnik’s dining map.
The number is no coincidence. Both Villa 44 and Forty Four draw on the same personal reference — the number 44 jersey Bojan Bogdanović wore throughout his NBA career, playing for the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.
The restaurant is known not only as a refined Old Town address, but also for its pasta dishes, especially those prepared in a whole wheel of Parmesan, a detail that adds a touch of theatre to the dining experience and has become one of its more memorable signatures.
His Dubrovnik tie feels rooted, not accidental
One reason the story works so well is that it feels less like a one-off coastal indulgence and more like an ongoing relationship with the city.
With a house on Stradun and a restaurant in the very heart of the Old Town, Bogdanović’s Dubrovnik connection feels visible, concrete and lasting. He is not simply someone who has visited the city. He is one of those well-known Croatian figures whose link to Dubrovnik has become easy to recognise.
A face people may associate with the city for years to come
In a place like Dubrovnik, famous names come and go every season. But some leave a more permanent trace than others.
Bojan Bogdanović’s Dubrovnik story stands out because it is tied to Stradun, to a recognisable address and to one of the city’s better-known restaurants. That makes his connection to Dubrovnik feel more lasting than a celebrity sighting — and much more like a quiet personal stake in the life of the Old Town.
Photo: Villa 44/MyLuxoria
