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Jokic was simply asked to clarify who is the best defender against him in the NBA. Serbian center shortly said "Everyone," before naming a full list of different players: "Everyone. Some teams defend very well as a unit, while others have excellent individual defenders. Zubac guards me really well, and so does Nurkic. I guess they’re just bulkier, so I can’t move them when we’re battling for position," he said. "I think Rudy Gobert is a great defender, even though I’ve historically played well against him. Jalen Duren, he’s undersized but tricky. Wendell Carter Jr. is also on the shorter side, and Myles Turner blocks a lot of shots. There’s no need to even talk about Wembanyama. They’re all good; the league is talented on both ends of the floor."
Keith Smith: Jusuf Nurkic had 20 points (12-for-12 FTs) as Bosnia fell to Lithuania today. Luka Garza finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Jusuf Nurkic led Bosnia and Herzegovina to a crucial 78-76 win over Italy in the 2027 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers. The Utah Jazz center finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds. He shot 11-of-15 from two-point range, grabbed six offensive rebounds, and completed the match with a game-high 28 efficiency rating.
Ira Winderman: In another World Cup qualifying game Friday, Heat forward Simone Fontecchio closed with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting (1 of 4 on 3-pointers) in Italy's 78-75 loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Fontecchio added six rebounds in his 30:28, with his team done in by the 25 points and 14 rebounds of Jusuf Nurkic.
Shams Charania: Free agent center Jusuf Nurkic intends to sign a two-year, $22 million contract to return to the Utah Jazz, sources tell ESPN. Nurkic thrived in coach Will Hardy's system and was excited about the Jazz new look roster. Utah officials worked through the deal with Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul on Monday.
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The Utah Jazz has expressed interest in re-signing center Jusuf Nurkic, league sources told Hoopshype.
Jusuf Nurkic: And what happened in the end, Connelly didn't even want to hear about Portland. And now, in a sense, he's telling me that, "No way, we have to go East," this and that... I said, "You have to trust me on this, give me a chance," you know, "give me a chance to make something happen," you know? And in the end, it really happens like that. I go to Portland.
Jimmy Kimmel: Who do you think's going to win? Draymond Green: I think the Knicks are going to win. Kimmel: Oh, maybe they won't hate you. Now, keep in mind, we don't know… Green: I like Steve. I've said too many things about the Knicks to come back now, so they'll hate me just like Steve. Kimmel: Well, it's great to see you. And we like you here in LA, even though we don't like you, but we do like you. I happen to like you, okay? Green: Thank you. I appreciate that. That means a lot.
In a positive tone, he reflected on his period in Oregon, where, according to him, there was strong chemistry within the team. “We had that great mindset, starting with Damian Lillard, who was a real leader. He led by example. I don’t know how to explain it in the best way, but whatever he wanted others to do, that’s how it was. He could be loud, but he always led by example, whether in practice or on the plane — the guy was never late.
Jusuf Nurkic: "We never had any problems in the locker room. Whoever came in through trades had to fit into that system. Until Carmelo (laughs). He kind of stepped outside the system because he was always late, he missed almost every meeting. The coach was traumatized by that and didn’t want anyone to be late, and he didn’t have many rules, but he stuck to that one. Carmelo wasn’t like he didn’t want to come (laughs), he was like: nobody told me. If practice was at 10, he would show up at 10:45 because nobody told him it started then. He’s not a bad person at all. Far from it. He just had that flexibility, and the coach couldn’t really say anything, which made it even funnier. Later we would joke: where is Carmelo? There were no problems at all.
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Jusuf Nurkic: The bubble was the hardest and the best experience in the world, probably the best basketball ever played — it was just basketball, food, and sleep. We got tested every day, and Carmelo figured out that if he didn’t take the test, he had 24 hours free. We would all be practicing, and then wonder how he got a day off while we were working. He wouldn’t show up for testing and would get a day off. It was like elementary school, they would take you by the hand to go get tested. We would come back from practice and he would already be waiting by the bus to be the first to take the test. The coaches were thinking about how he would fit in, but it was really great with Carmelo. We all hung out off the court, we were together more than with our families, especially a few of us. I remember talking with Dame, McCollum, and myself about how much we missed OG Anunoby from New York…”
Basketball Sphere: "Damian Lillard would pull up a three-pointer from half court. The next possession, Mario Hezonja would do the same. I'd tell him, 'Hezi, you can't do that...' He was always an incredible talent. But he didn't want to change himself or accept a smaller role on an NBA team." Former Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic shared his perspective on why Mario Hezonja never fully lived up to his potential in the NBA.
Jusuf Nurkic: “Right after arriving at camp, he was extremely negative toward everyone. It didn’t matter whether it was me, Booker, or anyone else. Every practice was full of criticism — ‘you are not good enough’, ‘you should not be playing basketball’. Nobody really took his words seriously at first. We couldn’t understand that at one point he had lost his compass, that he didn’t care how anyone felt, and that is the most important thing in such a team environment. It was no longer about anything. We had a video meeting, 15–18 of us, all the coaches, and Budenholzer was showing clips of how everyone was performing. Booker tried to say something, he listened to him, and then told him, ‘Please do not speak anymore in these meetings so my assistants can talk.’
Jusuf Nurkic: After that meeting, nobody cared anymore about what he was showing. He was explaining to Kevin Durant how to make a basket… explaining to him how to score is like teaching a pilot how to fly a plane. It was absurd. In the end, he had a serious alcohol problem, that is known. Maybe that also affected things, but he completely lost control with the team. He started holding one-on-one meetings just to provoke players — Beal, Allen — you would come there and not believe what he was saying.
