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In addition to their significant achievements for Serbia on the global stage, including Olympic honors in both 2016 and 2024, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jokic almost teamed up at Partizan back in 2013.
He was meant to join us at Partizan,” the 32-year-old Los Angeles Clippers guard revealed in an interview with the Denver Post while competing against the Denver Nuggets and Jokic in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google. “He opted to stay at Mega because he had a larger role there.”
“We crossed paths in two preparatory games and faced each other again during the regular season. I initially didn’t think much of him,” Bogdanovic humorously reflected on his first encounter with Jokic. “He was awkward, struggling to make shots and mainly focused on passing.”
“He could have taken it to the basket and scored at will. He was playing around with the game, if you will. That’s the right term—he was playing, almost as if he were joking with it,” he remembered.
Jokic was eventually selected by the Nuggets with the 41st pick overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and has since become a pivotal player for the team, highlighted by his NBA Championship win in 2023.
Bogdanovic remained with Partizan until 2014, followed by a three-year period at Fenerbahce, where he secured a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title in 2017. He later transitioned to the North American league, spending three years with the Sacramento Kings and five with the Atlanta Hawks, before being traded to the Clippers in February.
Photo Credit: FIBA
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