Lakovič has been the assistant coach in Bilbao for a while. The first team he will coach is in the 17th, penultimate position four rounds before the end of the Spanish Championships. It faces a struggle to keep from getting relegated.
Last year, Lakovič was an assistant to the national team coach Igor Kokoškov when Slovenia won gold at the European Championships.
The 39-year-old Lakovič was the captain of the Slovenian national team between 2001 and 2013 and was among the top scorers in its history.
He has played for Slovan, Krka, Panathinaikos, Galatasaray, Avellino, Gaziantep, and Barcelona, winning the European Champion title with the latter. He ended his impressive career in 2016.