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Nikola Jović

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Not to be confused with basketball center Nikola Jokić.

Nikola Jović
No. 5 – Miami Heat
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2003-06-09) 9 June 2003 (age 21)
Leicester, England
NationalitySerbian
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2022: 1st round, 27th overall pick
Selected by the Miami Heat
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Mega Basket
2022–presentMiami Heat
2022–2023→Sioux Falls Skyforce
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Serbia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Team
FIBA World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2023 Philippines–Japan–Indonesia

Nikola Jović (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Јовић, pronounced [nǐkola jǒːʋitɕ]; born 9 June 2003) is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected 27th overall by the Heat in the 2022 NBA draft.

Early career

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Jović was born in the Royal Infirmary in Leicester, Leicestershire, England due to his professional basketball player father Ilija playing there at the time.[1] He grew up playing water polo for VK Partizan as well as basketball.[2][3] Jović was playing basketball for the KK Sava youth system before he joined the Mega Basket youth system in 2018.[4][5] At the 2021–22 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament in the Serbian capital Belgrade,[6] he averaged 29.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.8 blocks in 28 minutes per game, while shooting 66% from the field and 17% from three and won the MVP award.[2]

Professional career

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Mega Basket (2021–2022)

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Jović made his senior debut for Mega Basket in February 2021 at the Radivoj Korać Cup tournament in Novi Sad. On 19 March, Jović made his ABA League debut in a 74–65 loss to Split recording 10 points and 9 rebounds in 21 minutes of playing time.[7] On 10 June 2021, one day after his 18th birthday he signed his first professional contract with Mega.[8][9]

In the NBA.com GM Survey for the 2021–22 NBA season, Jović received votes for the best international player not playing in the NBA.[10] In April 2022, he was named the ABA League Top Prospect for the 2021–22 season.[11][12] During the 2021–22 season, Jović averaged 11.7 points while shooting 42.8 percent from the field, 35.6 percent on threes and 75.4 percent from the free throw, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists to 2.7 turnovers and 0.4 blocks per game in 25 appearances.[13]

Miami Heat / Sioux Falls Skyforce (2022–present)

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In April 2022, Jović declared for the 2022 NBA draft.[14][15] On 23 June 2022, Jović attended the 2022 NBA draft held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.[16][17] He was selected with the 27th overall pick by the Miami Heat in the Draft.[18][13][19] Jović officially signed a multi-year rookie scale contract with the Heat on 2 July 2022.[20] In July 2022, he joined the Heat for the NBA Summer League.[21]

On 23 October 2022, Jović was suspended for one game without pay for leaving the bench during an altercation between the Heat and the Toronto Raptors the night before.[22] He was assigned to the NBA G League on 30 December 2022.[23] Jović made the 2023 NBA Finals but the Heat lost the series in 5 games to the Denver Nuggets.

On February 13, 2024, Jović scored a career-high 24 points, with 7 rebounds, in a 123-97 win against the Milwaukee Bucks.[24]

National team career

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Jović missed the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine, Italy due to a right arm injury.[2]

In July 2021, Jović was a member of the Serbia U19 national team at the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup. Over seven tournament games, he averaged 18.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.[25] He was named to the all-tournament team.[26]

In February 2022, Jović made his debut for the Serbia national team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, at the age of 18.[27] Initially at the preliminary Serbia roster for EuroBasket 2022, Jović was cut from the squad due to disapproval of the Heat.[28][29]

In August 2023, Jović played for the Serbia national team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He averaged 10.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists over eight games helping Serbia win the silver medal. He won the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics with Serbia.[30]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Adriatic League

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Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2020–21 Mega Basket 4 24.7 .550 .400 .750 5.5 1.0 0.2 0.5 11.8 15.8
2021–22 25 27.8 .430 .360 .750 4.4 3.4 0.6 0.4 11.7 12.7

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Miami 15 8 13.6 .406 .229 .947 2.1 .7 .5 .1 5.5
2023–24 Miami 46 38 19.5 .452 .399 .702 4.2 2.0 .5 .3 7.7
Career 61 46 18.0 .443 .369 .773 3.7 1.6 .5 .3 7.1

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024 Miami 2 2 20.5 .500 .400 — 5.5 1.0 .0 .5 5.0
Career 2 2 20.5 .500 .400 — 5.5 1.0 .0 .5 5.0

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Miami 7 0 1.8 .250 .000 — .7 .0 .0 .0 .3
2024 Miami 5 5 25.7 .444 .409 .857 6.6 2.2 1.0 .6 9.4
Career 12 5 11.7 .425 .375 .857 3.2 .9 .4 .3 4.1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tek drugi Srbin u top 10 na draftu? Nikola Jović je Megin novi NBA projekat". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Schmitz, Mike (29 April 2021). "Nikola Jovic: The next great Serbian prospect?". ESPN - Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Oni Dolaze Nikola Jović: Novi srpski zlatni grumen rođen u Engleskoj". Večernje novosti. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Nikola Jović kao novi Danilović". Danas (newspaper). 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Nikola Jović 0 Bek/Nisko krilo". bcmegabasket.net. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Game Center | Adidas Next Generation Tournament". Euroleague Basketball. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Split 74:65 Mega Soccerbet Beograd". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Nikola Jović potpisao profesionalni ugovor sa Megom". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Prvi profesionalni ugovor – Nikola Jović". lige.kss.rs. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  10. ^ "NBA.com 2021–22 GM Survey". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  11. ^ "2021/22 Top Prospect: Nikola Jović (Mega Mozzart)". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Nikola Jović najbolji mladi igrač ABA lige". b92.net. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Miami Heat keeps pick, drafts Serbian forward Nikola Jovic at No. 27 in NBA Draft". Miami Herald. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Nikola Jović izlazi na NBA draft". b92.net. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Nikola Jovic, 18-year-old top prospect from Serbia, to enter 2022 NBA draft". ESPN. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Košarkaška Srbija Neće Spavati: Sjajna vest pred NBA draft". Večernje novosti. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Nikola Jović pozvan u "zelenu sobu"". b92.net. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  18. ^ "2022 NBA Draft results: Picks 1–58". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Heat draft Serbian forward Nikola Jovic with 27th pick". Yahoo! Sport. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Heat Sign Nikola Jović". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  21. ^ "Miami Heat 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Heat's Caleb Martin and Nikola Jović suspended; Raptors' Christian Koloko fined". National Basketball Association. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Miami Heat's Nikola Jovic Assigned To G League". Sports Illustrated. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Balanced Attack Lifts Heat". NBA.com. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Nikola Jovic, PF, 2021 World Cup". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  26. ^ "Chet Holmgren takes home TISSOT MVP award after helping USA to U19 World Cup title". FIBA. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Nikola Jović – "Pešićev ljubimac" na putu za NBA". nova.rs. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  28. ^ "Problemi za Srbiju: Majami i Oklahoma nisu pustili Jovića i Pokuševskog". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Pešić otkrio: Jović i Pokuševski nisu dobili dozvolu". b92.net. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  30. ^ "Србија освојила бронзану медаљу на Олимпијским играма!". kss.rs (in Serbian). 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
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