Darko Rajaković always feels like he's representing Serbia. At the All-Star Game, he'll be representing the world.
Rajaković, the Toronto Raptors' head coach, will be the coach for the international team at the All-Star Game in Inglewood, California, on Feb. 15, the NBA announced Tuesday. It's a move that will give the new U.S. vs. The World format even more of a global feel.
Rajaković, who is Serbian and coaches the only NBA team that plays its home games outside of the U.S., will be an All-Star head coach for the first time.
“We had conversations with the NBA, and they were discussing the best way how to have a coach for the World team, for All-Star, for a little bit different format,” Rajaković told reporters in Toronto on Tuesday. “And obviously, it is amazing honor to represent Serbia, to represent Canada, to represent the whole world at the All-Star Game. Really excited to get there together with guys, and, you know, to be part of the great spectacle.”
He'll lead a team that includes, among others, Serbia's Nikola Jokic, Slovenia's Luka Doncic, Cameroon's Pascal Siakam, plus Canadians Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.
“All of those guys, obviously the best of the best, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to see all of those international guys being on the same team,” Rajaković said. “There’s going to be three or four guys that speak my language, so it’s going to be pretty fun. Nikola Jokic, he’s celebrating his birthday around that time as well, so we’ll have a good time.”
Rajaković has done one of the finest jobs in the league this season.
The Raptors are 30-21 so far this season, on pace for their best record since going 53-19 as the defending NBA champions in the coronavirus-shortened 2019-20 campaign. The Raptors already have matched last season’s win total and are in line for what would be their first playoff berth since 2022.
The NBA will announce Tuesday night which players are on which team for the All-Star tournament.
Rajaković has a long history in international basketball, starting as a coach in his homeland as a 16-year-old, then later coaching in Spain and eventually serving as a European consultant for San Antonio for the better part of a decade before coming to the U.S. in 2012.
He also coached as part of Serbia’s staff at the 2019 Basketball World Cup.
“Growing up in Europe and coaching in Europe in 17 years before coming to the NBA really shaped me as a coach in fundamental things,” Rajaković said. “Now taking over as a coach with the Toronto Raptors and really understanding that I represent a different NBA team, a team that represents a whole country, a team that is in Canada, I think it’s a great fit for me and the organization.”
At All-Star Weekend, Rajaković will join J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons and Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs as the coaches for this season’s mini-tournament — the first time the NBA has tried the U.S. vs. The World concept.
Bickerstaff got his spot because the Pistons have the best record in the Eastern Conference. Johnson got his because the Spurs were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference at Sunday’s cutoff date; the nod ordinarily goes to the coach of the team with the best record, but Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault was ineligible this year since he coached at the All-Star Game last season.
Rajaković will be one of at least four people in the Raptors organization taking part in All-Star: Scottie Barnes will be in the All-Star Game, while Collin Murray-Boyles and Alijah Martin will be in the Rising Stars event.
Rajaković was part of the 2014 All-Star weekend as an assistant coach on Scott Brooks' Oklahoma City staff.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, right, speaks to guard Immanuel Quickley (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings, Jan. 21, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic shouts to players on the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Tuesday passed a roughly $1.2 trillion spending package to end the partial government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump while setting the stage for an intense debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding.
The vote was 217-214, and wrapped up congressional work on 11 annual appropriations bills that fund government agencies and programs through Sept. 30. Trump has said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk, ending the partial government shutdown that began Saturday.
Passage of the legislation marked the end point for one funding fight, but the start of another. That's because the package only funds the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks, through Feb 13, at the behest of Democrats who are demanding more restrictions on immigration enforcement after the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis.
Difficult negotiations are ahead, particularly for the agency that enforces the nation’s immigration laws — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries quickly warned Democrats would not support any further temporary funding for Homeland Security without substantial changes to its immigration operations., raising the potential of another shutdown for the department and its agencies.
“We need dramatic change in order to make sure that ICE and other agencies within the department of Homeland Security are conducting themselves like every other law enforcement organization in the country,” Jeffries said.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects the two sides will be able to reach an agreement by the deadline.
“This is no time to play games with that funding. We hope that they will operate in good faith over the next 10 days as we negotiate this,” said Johnson. “The president, again, has reached out.”
But Johnson’s counterpart across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., sounded less optimistic of a deal. “There’s always miracles, right?” Thune told reporters.
The funding bill that cleared Congress Tuesday had provisions that appealed to both parties.
Republicans avoided a massive, catchall funding bill known as an omnibus as part of this year’s appropriations process. Such bills, often taken up before the holiday season with lawmakers anxious to return home, have contributed to greater federal spending, they say.
Democrats were able to fend off some of Trump's most draconian proposed cuts while adding language that helps ensure funds are spent as stipulated by Congress.
Still, Johnson needed near-unanimous support from his Republican conference to proceed to a final vote on the bill. He narrowly got it during a roll call that was held open for nearly an hour as leaders worked to gain support from a handful of GOP lawmakers who were trying to advance other priorities unrelated to the funding measure.
The final vote wasn't much easier for GOP leaders. In the end, 21 Republicans sided with the vast majority of Democrats in voting against the funding bill, while that exact same number of Democrats sided with the vast majority of Republicans in voting yes.
Trump had weighed in Monday in a social media post, calling on Republicans to stay united and telling holdouts, “There can be NO CHANGES at this time.”
The current partial shutdown that is coming to a close differed in many ways from the fall impasse, which affected more agencies and lasted a record 43 days.
Then, the debate was over extending temporary coronavirus pandemic-era subsidies for those who get health coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Democrats were unsuccessful in getting those subsidies included as part of a package to end the shutdown.
Congress made important progress since then. Some of the six appropriations bills it passed prior to Tuesday ensured the current shutdown had less sting. For example, important programs such as nutrition assistance and fully operating national parks and historic sites were already funded through Sept. 30.
The remaining bills passed Tuesday mean that the vast majority of the federal government has been funded.
“You might say that now that 96% of the government is funded, it’s just 4% what’s out there?" Johnson said. "But it’s a very important 4%”
Associated Press video journalist Nathan Ellgren and writers Lisa Mascaro, Joey Cappelletti and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, confers with an aide, left, and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, following a Senate Democratic Caucus meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses for questions from reporters as he arrives for an early closed-door Republican Conference meeting on how to end the partial government shutdown and deal with demands over immigration enforcement operations, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., center, joined from left by Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., chair of the House Republican Conference, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., meets with reporters ahead of a key procedural vote to end the partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses for questions from reporters as he arrives for a closed-door Republican Conference meeting on how to end the partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, early Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., gestures as he meets with reporters ahead of a key procedural vote to end the partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., walks through the House Rules Committee hearing room to meet with Republicans on the panel as they try to advance a federal funding package and prevent a prolonged partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
