Famous Serbian Basketball Players

Serbian basketball player Nikola Jokić is best known for his association with the NBA team Denver Nuggets. Nicknamed The Joker, he plays as a center. He scripted history as the first center to win the NBA’s MVP Award since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000. He has been named to NBA All-Star 4 times.

Boban Marjanović is a Serbian basketball player who plays for the Serbia national basketball team. In 2017, he helped his team win the silver medal at the EuroBasket in Turkey. He also plays in the NBA and is currently a part of the Houston Rockets. Apart from being a basketball player, Boban Marjanović is also an actor.

Serbian basketball player Bogdan Bogdanović is known for his association with the NBA team Atlanta Hawks. A talented shooting guard, he has previously also played for the Sacramento Kings. The 2-time Serbian Player of the Year has also won an Olympic silver for Serbia and been a World Cup runners-up.

Vlade Divac is a Serbian former basketball player and one of only seven players in the history of NBA to record 13,000 points, 3,000 assists, 9,000 rebounds, and 1,500 blocked shots. In 2010, he was made an inductee of the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2019, Vlade Divac was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Retired Serbian basketball player Darko Miličić scripted history as the youngest foreign NBA player and the youngest player to win an NBA Championship, having won the 2004 NBA finals with the Detroit Pistons. He was also part of the U-16 gold-winning Yugoslavian squad at the 2001 European Championship for Cadets.

Being the son of basketball player and coach Zufer Avdija, Israeli-Serbian small forward Deni Avdija was destined to excel in the sport. The Washington Wizards player is known for his towering 6’9” frame. Beginning his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he later won 2 FIBA U20 European Championship golds for Israel.

Serbian basketball executive Peja Stojaković had a successful 13-year NBA career and was a star player of the Sacramento Kings, a team with which he spent 8 years. He also won an NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks and later served as the assistant general manager for the Sacramento Kings.

Marko Jaric is a former basketball player who specialized in playing the shooting guard position, thanks to his height of 2.01 m. A popular player in European leagues, Jaric became the first player to win two consecutive Italian League championships with two different teams. He has also won gold medals at FIBA EuroBasket and FIBA World Cup, representing FR Yugoslavia.

Serbian basketball player Nemanja Bjelica plays as a power forward for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe. Starting his senior career with the Austrian club Traiskirchen Lions, he also represented NBA teams such as the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors, winning the NBA Championship with the latter.

Serbian basketball player Aleksej Pokuševski plays for the NBA team Oklahoma City Thunder. A talented power forward/small forward, he began his senior career with the Greek club Olympiacos, before being picked up by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA draft. He is the son of a professional basketball player and coach.

Serbian basketball player Alen Smailagić plays for the Serbian team Partizan Belgrade. The power forward scripted history as the youngest player to participate in the NBA G League. He has played for the Santa Cruz Warriors and the Golden State Warriors. He is also known for his 6’ 10” frame.

Serbian basketball player Miloš Teodosić plays for the Italian club Virtus Bologna. He was part of the Serbian squad that won a silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and has also won 2 junior European Championships representing Serbia and Montenegro and one U-20 European Championship representing Serbia.

Serbian basketball coach and former player Željko Obradović is best known for his association with Partizan, both as a player and a coach. He was also part of the Yugoslavian squad that won an Olympic silver in 1988. As a coach, he has several EuroLeague and Greek League wins under his belt.

American-Serbian basketball player Marcus Paige began his senior career with the Salt Lake City Stars and later played for teams such as Partizan Belgrade and the Charlotte Hornets. The 2-time Serbian Cup-winning point guard now plays for the club Monbus Obradoiro. He has both US and Serbian citizenships.

Serbian basketball player Vasilije Micić is associated with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes. The talented point guard has also been a 2-time EuroLeague champion with Anadolu Efes. He has also been part of the Serbian squad that won a silver at the 2017 EuroBasket. He is the brother of renowned snowboarder Nina Micić.

Serbian basketball player Miroslav Raduljica plays for the Serbian club Crvena Zvezda. The talented power forward/center began his senior career with FMP and later had successful stints with clubs such as Panathinaikos. He also won a silver each at the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup.

Serbian basketball coach and former basketball player Aleksandar Đorđević had an aillustrious playing career, which saw him win titles such as the EuroLeague with Partizan. He also won an Olympic silver and 3 EuroBasket championships with Yugoslavia. As a coach, he helped Serbia win an Olympic silver.

Retired Serbian basketball player and current executive Dejan Bodiroga chairs Euroleague Basketball. The former sportsperson usually played as a small forward and has had an illustrious career with teams such as Real Madrid and Panathinaikos. He is an Olympic silver medalist and a 2-time FIBA World Cup winner.

Serbian basketball player Nikola Milutinov currently represents KK Partizan Mozzart Bet. The talented center has previously been a Greek League champion with Olympiacos and a 2-time Serbian League champion with Partizan. He was also part of the Serbian squad that won a silver at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.

Nemanja Nedović is a Serbian basketball player who plays for Crvena zvezda at the EuroLeague and Adriatic League. He is best known for winning the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. A versatile player, Nemanja Nedović is also known for his athleticism and ball-handling skills.  

Ognjen Kuzmic is a Serbian basketball player best known for winning the NBA Championship in 2015 while playing for the Golden State Warriors. His popularity increased when he won the silver medal at EuroBasket 2017 for his country in Turkey. Ognjen Kuzmic currently plays for Crvena zvezda of the EuroLeague and the Adriatic League.  

Serbian basketball player Filip Petrušev, who plays for Crvena Zvezda, is known as much for his basketball skills as for his 6’ 11” frame. The talented power forward/center has been a 2-time FIBA Europe Under-18 Champion with the Serbian national squad and the 2022 EuroLeague champion with Anadolu Efes.

Serbian basketball player Nikola Kalinic began his career with Spartak Subotica and later won a EuroLeague with Fenerbahçe. He is also a 2-time Serbian League and 3-time Turkish League champion. He was part of the silver-winning Serbian team at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2014 World Cup runner-up team.

Vladimir Radmanović is a Serbian retired basketball player who played as a power forward or small forward. He came into prominence in 2002, when he helped FR Yugoslavia win the gold medal at the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis. Over the course of his career, Vladimir Radmanović also played for NBA teams like Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

Apart from being a 2-time German League champion with Bayern Munich, Serbian basketball player Stefan Jovic has also had successful stints at clubs such as Crvena Zvezda and Panathinaikos. He was also part of the silver-winning Serbian team at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the Serbian runner-up team at the 2014 World Cup.

Marko Gudurić is a Serbian basketball player who plays as a shooting guard or small forward for the Serbia men's national basketball team. A two-time Turkish League champion, Gudurić is best known for winning the silver medal at the 2017 EuroBasket in Turkey. Marko Gudurić has also won a couple of Serbian League championship titles.

Zufer Avdija is a Serbian–Israeli basketball coach and retired player. As a player, he played in the Yugoslav Basketball League, representing the Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda during the 1980s. He also played for several Israeli clubs, including Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Rishon LeZio during the 1990s. Avdija also appeared in international games, representing the Yugoslavian national basketball team.

The head coach of the Serbian men’s national basketball team, Svetislav Pešić has previously won several medals as the head coach of Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia, and Germany. Both his son, Marko, and his son-in-law, Jan Jagla, have played basketball for Germany. In his short career as a player, he went undrafted by the NBA.