Out of the blue, Nikola Kalinic announced his retirement via message, stating that he will continue his career as an assistant coach at Crvena Zvezda.
Nikola Kalinic wore the Crvena Zvezda jersey during three stints, first in the 2014/15 season, followed by 2021/22 season and then from 2024 until today, when he unexpectedly decided to retire at the age of 34.
“Guys, I’m ending my career. I’m becoming an assistant coach at Zvezda. Due to a life situation, I want to be close to Belgrade. Thank you all for being part of a crazy ride”, Serbian forward wrote in short farewell message.
In recent weeks, Nikola Kalinic was linked with a move to Vojvodina, competing in the ABA 2 League, but due to recent developments, that will not materialize as he has ended his illustrious career.
2015-2020 yıllarında formamızı giyen ve Sarı Miras'ımızın önemli isimlerinden biri olan Nikola Kalinic, emekli olduğunu açıkladı.
— Souvess (@souvess) August 17, 2026
Her şey için teşekkürler 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/hmQ8HBbeqm
Illustrious career
The Serbian forward began his career at Spartak Subotica, before playing for Novi Sad, Vojvodina, and Radnicki Kragujevac, prior to joining Crvena Zvezda for his first stint.
He spent only one season wearing the red-and-white jersey, but quickly became a fan favorite in Belgrade.
He spent the next five seasons playing for Fenerbahce, where he won the 2017 EuroLeague title, as well as three Turkish Super League titles and two Turkish Cups.
Before his second stint at Crvena Zvezda, Kalinic played for Valencia. He returned to Crvena Zvezda in 2021, winning the ABA League MVP award and title, alongside the Serbian League and Serbian Cup.
From 2022 to 2024, he played for Barcelona, helping the Spanish powerhouse win their last Liga Endesa title to date, when they lifted the trophy under Sarunas Jasikevicius in 2023.
A return to Crvena Zvezda followed, where he spent the next two seasons, though a noticeable decline in his performance occurred, mostly caused by frequent injuries.
Nikola Kalinic will now take the next step in his career, spending the next two seasons as an assistant coach at Crvena Zvezda while simultaneously completing his coaching degree.
