Nikola Vucevic is set to join the FIBA World Cup where Montenegro will make only its second appearance in history. Amid the final preparations for the Mundobasket, participants are finding ways to have fun, and Chicago Bulls’ center had an interesting task assigned by the media.
In the midst of World Cup preparations, participants are finding ways to have fun, and Chicago Bulls’ center had an interesting task assigned by the media. His mission was to assemble an ideal starting five from European players participating in the tournament.
The only uncertainty he had when asked by journalists was whether the selection should include active players only or could also consider those who have retired.
Nikola Vučević izabrao najbolju 5️⃣ u Evropi
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“Luka Doncic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Lauri Markkanen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic. I will be their coach,” replied a smiling Nikola Vucevic without much hesitation.
From the listed players, Greece missed the services of their best player. The same happened with the Serbian national team, as Svetislav Pesic cannot count on the reigning NBA champion.
In the recent period, the Chicago Bulls and Vucevic signed a new four-year contract. He played 82 games for the Bulls in the previous season, averaging a double-double. He scored 17.6 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out just over three assists per game. He shot with an impressive 55% field goal percentage. Notably, he significantly improved his three-point shooting (35%).
Montenegro’s national team has never been part of a FIBA World Cup until now. Their debut in the competition in China wasn’t particularly successful, finishing 25th out of 32 teams. They held the record for being the country with the smallest population to qualify for the World Cup until this edition, surpassed by Cape Verde Islands with only 571,966 inhabitants.
The World Cup draw placed Montenegro in Group D alongside Lithuania, with whom they clashed during the qualifiers, as well as Egypt and Mexico.
Nikola Vucevic and his team will open the World Cup against the Mexican national team. The match is scheduled for Friday, August 25th, starting at 10:45