Former Gonzaga guard Rasir Bolton signs with Serbian club in ABA League

Bolton joins MKK Spartak Subotica after the club won the 2023-24 NLB ABA League 2 championship

Mar 1, 2023; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Rasir Bolton (45) is introduced before a game against the Chicago State Cougars at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

After a standout first season as a pro in Belgium, Rasir Bolton is taking his talents to one of the top divisions in the ABA League. 

On Thursday, the former Gonzaga men’s basketball guard signed a deal with MMK Spartak Subotica (also known as Spartak Office Shoes), a Serbian club that was crowned champion of the NLB ABA League 2 (the second-tier division in the ABA) this past May. 

Bolton, 24, makes the transition to the ABA after one season with the Antwerp Giants of the BNXT League, regarded as the highest-tier of basketball in Belgium. He was named a league MVP finalist after putting up 17.7 points per game to go with 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 28 games. The Giants went 21-7 overall and finished second in the Elite Gold division.

As a rookie, Bolton scored 20 or more points in 10 games, including a season-high 29 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor in a win over Okapi Aalstar. The 6-foot-3 guard also recorded 21 points and six steals on March 30 against B.A. Limburg. In his second game as a pro, Bolton dropped 20 points and seven assists in a narrow loss in the 2024 Basketball Champions League qualifiers in September.

As the champions of the second division this past season, Subotica will be promoted to the ABA League First Division for the 2024-25 campaign. Crvena zvezda, the Serbian team that former Gonzaga standout Filip Petrusev once suited up for in 2022, finished atop the first division standings and won the Serbian Cup, ABA League and Serbian League Finals.

Bolton started 69 games across two seasons at Gonzaga, averaging 10.6 points while shooting 42.5% from 3-point range. He scored in double figures in three of the seven NCAA Tournament games with the Bulldogs, including a 17-point performance against Memphis in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Before transferring to Gonzaga in 2021, Bolton played two seasons at Iowa State and started his career at Penn State in 2018.