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Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade president Zeljko Drcelic also confirmed that Crvena Zvezda discussed a potential move with Nikola Vucevic this summer. The veteran center is a known supporter of the Serbian club but ultimately decided to continue his NBA career. "There were conversations," Drcelic revealed. "First of all, Nikola is an excellent person, but he is also a great Zvezda supporter. "That does not mean he will automatically become a Crvena Zvezda player."
Drcelic explained that Vucevic's family situation and long connection to the United States made a potential return to Europe a complicated decision. "He is a family man who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, since his high school days," he said. "Such moves are not easy, and in his case, money was absolutely not a factor."
BasketNews: Nikola Jokic's horse wins the top horse race in Serbia 🏆🇷🇸
Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic's horse wins the top Serbian race 🏆 🎥 X/arenasport_tv
Nikola's horse wins the top Serbian race 🏆 🎥 X/arenasport_tv
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets.bsky.social) 2026-07-27T19:03:12.746Z
Grant Hill: 'Contrary to popular belief, I do like Jaylen Brown. I love his game, and things got difficult there with that team. In putting the team together, just to give some context, we had Kawhi Leonard on that penciled in on that team, and he got hurt at the end of that season in 2024. He came to camp, he wasn't right, and so we had to pivot. A couple of things happened at that camp, and people want to believe what they want to believe, but at the end of the day, Kevin Durant showed up, he was hurt. He had a grade one calf strain, and I think we all have PTSD from the last time he had a calf strain, so we were very patient with him. Jayson Tatum had just had a baby, so he showed up late. Joel Embiid was, you know, we knew we were managing him, but we needed him for Nikola Jokic against Serbia, because that was the matchup. We didn't have our full roster, and then we started looking around and saying, oh man, like Jrue Holiday was so important for us in the FIBA game. A point guard who can play his role, ball pressure, the whole nine. If Jrue got hurt, our point guards were Jrue Holiday and Stephen Curry, and defense wasn't necessarily their strong point. It was like, okay, let's bring in insurance for Jrue Holiday and like Derrick White. So that was the thought process.'
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NBA star Victor Wembanyama is set to make his return to the French national team for the first time since the 2024 Olympics, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) announced on Saturday. Wembanyama has been named in the squad for the first two matches of the main qualifying round for the 2027 World Cup, which will take place at the end of August against Slovenia and then Sweden. Wembanyama will also take part in two warm-up matches against Serbia one week before the qualifiers.
Heat Central: Bam Adebayo speaks on watching Steph Curry light up Serbia in the Olympics: “To be apart of something special like that, obviously when everybody gets involved and it’s team USA, it’s about winning. The standard is Gold. To be apart of that run, we had the doubt in our mind down 15 going into the 4th. Stephen Curry became Stephen Curry. To be apart of those type of moments and watch somebody be at that highest stage, excel like that was pretty exciting.”
Ira Winderman: today's Heat stats from World Cup qualifying: Nikola Jovic in Serbia 94-78 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina: 32 points on 11 of 16 FG, 7 of 9 on 3s, 3 blocks. Pelle Larsson in Sweden 88-79 win over Slovenia: 31 points on 10 of 21 FG, 1 of 8 on 3s, 10-15 FTs, 3 assists.
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Nikola Kusturica is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents not only in Serbia, but in global basketball. He is currently shining at the FIBA U17 World Championship, where his performances have attracted significant interest from U.S. colleges. According to Meridian Sport, UCLA has offered the FC Barcelona prospect a $12 million NIL deal for two seasons. Kusturica had already been on the radar of several NCAA programs, but his standout performances at the tournament have further boosted his profile among scouts.
Following Serbia's 97-73 road win over Switzerland in the 2027 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers, Jokic was asked how it felt to return to the national team. Instead of talking about himself, the three-time NBA MVP immediately shifted the focus to the team's performance. "I think this press conference is supposed to be about this game and about the team," Jokic said. "We didn't start the game well, and I'm going to talk about that, not about me, so sorry."
FIBA Basketball World Cup: Look who's in Fribourg , Jamal Murray in the house to support his teammate Nikola Jokic. #FIBAWC x #StepItUp
Nemanja Jokic, the older brother of Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, has successfully transitioned from a protective family advisor into a credentialed professional by becoming a certified NBA agent, Serbian outlet Meridian Sports relayed on Tuesday. The middle of the three brothers had to navigate the strict licensing protocols dictated by the National Basketball Players Association, which stands as the sole governing body authorized to issue the official license required to negotiate contracts with league franchises. The former collegiate player turned team executive for Serbian club KK Joker Sombor completed the strict application process.