Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vučević (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Вучевић; pronounced [nǐkɔla ʋûːtʃɛʋitɕ]; born 24 October 1990) is a Montenegrin professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Southern California before being drafted 16th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He received his first All-Star selection in 2019.

Nikola Vučević
Vučević with the Magic in December 2013
No. 9 – Orlando Magic
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1990-10-24) 24 October 1990
Morges, Switzerland
NationalityMontenegrin
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High schoolStoneridge Preparatory
(Simi Valley, California)
CollegeUSC (2008–2011)
NBA draft2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16th overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career2011–present
Career history
2011Budućnost
2011–2012Philadelphia 76ers
2012–presentOrlando Magic
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Vučević was born in Morges, Switzerland during the time his professional basketball player father, Borislav, played for a club based in nearby Lausanne. The youngster was primarily raised in Belgium where the family moved in 1994 when his father got a professional contract there. Borislav Vučević played professionally for 24 years, a journeyman career that included stops in Yugoslavia, Switzerland, and Belgium, and was a member of the KK Bosna team that won the European Champions Cup in 1979 in addition to several appearances for the Yugoslavia national team, primarily at the 1983 Mediterranean Games in Casablanca, Morocco and EuroBasket 1985 in West Germany. Vučević's mother, Ljiljana Kubura, an ethnic Serb was a 6-foot-2 forward for the Sarajevo club Željezničar, as well as for the Yugoslavia women's national team.[1][2]

His family moved to Montenegro when he was a teenager.[3]

In 2007, fifteen-year-old Vučević was named Montenegro's Best Young Player.[1] He speaks Serbian, English and French.[4]

High school

Vučević moved to Simi Valley, California in the United States in October 2007 to play his senior year of high school at Stoneridge Prep.[5] He knew little English, but did speak French, which many of his teammates also spoke. Under coach Babacar Sy, a friend of his father's, he was team captain and led the team in scoring and rebounding with 18 points and 12 rebounds.[4]

College career

Vučević played three seasons with the Trojans of the University of Southern California.[6]

Freshman

Vučević missed the first eight games of the season while waiting to have his amateur status confirmed by the NCAA Clearinghouse. He averaged 2.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 23 games in three starts. Vučević played in his first game with USC on 15 December 2008, against Pepperdine, and had two points, two blocks, and two rebounds in six minutes. He made his first start of the season on 24 January 2009, at Washington State in the Trojans' 46–44 win with a season-high eight points and five rebounds. He also scored eight points on 9 February 2009 at UCLA, and in his second start of the season on 19 February against Washington State. Vučević had a season-best seven rebounds in that game and matched that total on 5 March 2009, vs. Oregon. Vučević scored six points and had four rebounds in the NCAA second-round loss to Michigan State on 22 March. In all, he made 57.8 percent of his shots from the field (26-for-45).

Sophomore
Vučević with the USC Trojans in February 2011

Vučević began to excel in his sophomore season. He scored 18 points and had eight rebounds in the first game of the season against UC Riverside on 17 November 2009, both totals better than any of his freshman games. Vučević had 18 points and 14 rebounds at Texas on 3 December 2009. He scored a career-high 19 points and had 11 rebounds vs. Loyola Marymount on 21 November 2009, for his first career double-double. He matched his career high with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting at UCLA on 16 January 2010, scoring 17 points in the second half. By the end of the year, he had led USC in scoring five times and in rebounding 20 times, including the last nine games.

Overall, he was the second-best scorer and leading rebounder on the Trojans, with 10.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Vučević led the Pac-10 with 283 rebounds and offensive rebounds per game (6.3) and his 39 blocks were the fourth most in the conference. Vučević's .504 shooting percentage (126-for-250) led USC and was seventh best in the Pac-10. Vučević was named the 2009–10 Pac-10 Most Improved Player, and earned all-Pac-10 second team and Pac-10 honorable-mention all-defensive team honors.[7] He had the second-most blocks ever in a season by a Trojan sophomore and the third-most rebounds. Vučević started all 30 games for USC and posted 10 double-doubles.

Junior

As a junior, Vucevic was picked to the Fourth Team All-America by Fox Sports[8] and was named to the All-Pac-10 first team. In March 2011, Vučević announced that he would give up his senior year to enter the NBA draft. The website NBAdraft.net projected him as the 23rd pick in the draft.[9]

During his stint with the Trojans, Vučević averaged 11.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.[10]

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (2011–2012)

On 23 June 2011, Vučević was drafted with the 16th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.[11] During the 2011 NBA lockout, Vučević played for Montenegrin team Budućnost Podgorica. Following the conclusion of the lockout, he returned to the United States and signed his rookie scale contract with the 76ers on 9 December 2011.[12] On 22 February 2012, Vučević scored a season-high 18 points in a loss to the Houston Rockets.[13]

Orlando Magic (2012–present)

2012–13 season
Vučević in December 2012

On 10 August 2012, Vučević was traded to the Orlando Magic in a four-team trade involving Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, Arron Afflalo, Andre Iguodala, and other players.[14] On 31 December 2012, in an overtime loss to the Miami Heat, Vučević set a franchise record with 29 rebounds.[15] On 10 April 2013, he recorded his second straight 20/20 game with a career-high 30 points and 20 rebounds in a 113–103 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[16]

2013–14 season

On 6 November 2013, Vučević recorded a career-high tying 30 points and 21 rebounds in a 98–90 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[17] Vučević's strong play over the second half of the 2013–14 season was noticeable on 28 March 2014 when he dominated the Charlotte Bobcats. He overcame a slow start shooting the ball to finish the game with 24 points and 23 rebounds in an overtime victory. Vučević made nine of his last 11 shots to lead a Magic rally in the second half, while also grabbing 16 first-half rebounds and 10 offensive boards in the game, marking the sixth 20-point, 20-rebound game of his career.[18]

2014–15 season

On 23 October 2014, Vučević signed a four-year, $53 million contract extension with the Magic.[19][20] On 3 April 2015, he scored a career-high 37 points in a 97–84 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[21]

2015–16 season

On 11 November 2015, Vučević didn't start for the Magic against the Los Angeles Lakers, returning to action after a three-game absence with a right knee contusion. Vučević, who had started all 223 games for the Magic over his four-season tenure, came off the bench for the first time and scored 18 points, including a fallaway 18-footer at the buzzer to lift the Magic over the Lakers 101–99.[22] Vučević averaged 18.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his first 12 games of December (1–23 December).[23] Shaquille O'Neal is the only other Magic player to reach those numbers in one month in franchise history.[24] On 7 February 2016, he scored 22 points and hit an 18-footer at the buzzer to lead the Magic over the Atlanta Hawks 96–94, winning for only the third time in 18 games in 2016.[25] On 23 February, he scored a season-high 35 points in a 124–115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[26] On 31 March, he returned to action after missing the previous 13 games with a right groin strain.[27] He subsequently came off the bench for just the second in his Magic tenure, as he scored 24 points in a 114–94 win over the Indiana Pacers.[28] He came off the bench for a further three games before returning to the starting line-up on 8 April against the Miami Heat, where he scored a game-high 29 points in a 112–109 win.[29]

2016–17 season

Vučević started in all 16 games for the Magic to start the 2016–17 season, coming off the bench for just the sixth time in his Magic tenure on 27 November 2016 against the Milwaukee Bucks.[30] Vučević continued to come off the bench throughout December, while also missing three games between 10 and 14 December with a back injury.[31] On 20 December, he had a season-high 26 points and 12 rebounds off the bench in a 136–130 double overtime win over the Miami Heat.[32] He regained his starting spot in mid-January, and as a result, he hit 13 of 18 shots, scored a season-high 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Magic to a 115–109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on 13 January.[33] On 7 February 2017, he had 14 points and a season-high 19 rebounds in a 128–104 loss to the Houston Rockets.[34] On 11 March 2017, in a 116–104 loss to Cleveland, Vučević had a team-high 20 points and 16 rebounds after missing the previous four games with a sore right Achilles.[35] On 10 April 2017, he grabbed 10 rebounds against Chicago to move ahead of Shaquille O'Neal into second place in franchise history, trailing only Dwight Howard.[36]

2017–18 season

On 20 October 2017, Vučević scored a career-high 41 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 126–121 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.[37] On 9 December 2017, he recorded his first career triple-double with game highs of 31 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in a 117–110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[38] He became the first Magic center to record a triple-double with assists—Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard each accomplished it with blocks.[39] On 23 December 2017, he suffered a fractured left hand against the Washington Wizards and was subsequently ruled out for six to eight weeks.[40] He returned to action on 22 February 2018 against the New York Knicks after missing 23 games, recording 19 points and six rebounds in a 120–113 loss.[41] On 14 March 2018, he recorded 22 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a 126–117 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[42]

2018–19 season

On 20 October 2018, Vučević recorded his second career triple-double with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in a 116–115 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.[43] On 17 November, he had a season-high 36 points and 13 rebounds in a 130–117 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[44] Eight days later, he had 31 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in a 108–104 win also against the Lakers.[45] Prior to the second match-up against the Lakers, Lakers coach Luke Walton described Vučević as a "nightmare to matchup [sic] with" because of the versatility of his offensive game.[45] Following the 108–104 win, Lakers forward LeBron James noted that "He's (Vučević) got our number this year. All you can say."[45] On 6 January, Vučević had 16 points and 24 rebounds in a 106–96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.[46] On 31 January, he received his first All-Star selection in his eight-year career, earning Eastern Conference reserve honours.[47] He became the Magic's first All-Star since Dwight Howard in 2012.[48] On 17 March, he scored 17 of his 27 points in the first eight minutes of the game and added 20 rebounds in a 101–91 win over the Atlanta Hawks.[49] Vučević helped the Magic go 22–9 over the final 31 games of the season to clinch their first playoff berth since 2012.[50] In game one of the Magic's first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors, Vučević scored 11 points in a 104–101 upset victory.[50] They went on to lose to the Raptors in five games.[51]

2019–20 season

Vucevic entered the offseason as an unrestricted free agent.[52] On June 30, 2019, he signed a four-year, $100 million contract to remain with the Magic.

Career statistics
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

NBA

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Philadelphia 511515.9.450.375.5294.8.6.4.75.5
2012–13 Orlando 777733.2.519.000.68311.91.9.81.013.1
2013–14 Orlando 575731.8.507.000.76611.01.81.1.814.2
2014–15 Orlando 747434.2.523.333.75210.92.0.7.719.3
2015–16 Orlando 656031.3.510.222.7538.92.8.81.118.2
2016–17 Orlando 755528.8.468.307.66910.42.81.01.014.6
2017–18 Orlando 575729.5.475.315.8199.23.41.01.116.5
2018–19 Orlando 808031.4.518.364.78912.03.81.01.120.8
Career 53647530.0.502.332.74110.12.4.9.915.7
All-Star 1012.01.000.000.0005.02.01.0.04.0

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012 Philadelphia 103.0.000.000.5001.0.0.0.01.0
2019 Orlando 5529.4.362.231.7866.23.0.41.0 11.2
Career 6525.0.356.231.7505.32.5.3.89.5

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 USC 23311.0.578.000.8752.7.3.4.42.6
2009–10 USC 303032.3.504.222.7189.41.2.61.310.7
2010–11 USC 343434.9.505.349.75510.31.6.51.417.1
Career 876727.7.509.303.7468.01.1.51.111.1

National team career

Vučević represented Montenegro Under-20 team at the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. He then represented the senior Montenegro national basketball team at FIBA EuroBasket 2011, FIBA EuroBasket 2013 and FIBA EuroBasket 2017. He averaged 5.0 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game in 2011 while backing up Nikola Peković.[53] With Peković out of the 2013 tournament, Vučević started for the team and put up 7.0 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game.[54]

Personal life

Vučević is an ethnic Serb and a member of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Vučević's son Filip was born on 17 December 2018.[55]

Vučević is a fan of KK Crvena zvezda and FK Crvena zvezda.[56]

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See also

References
  1. Holmes, Baxter (7 March 2011). "USC's Nikola Vucevic is following in his father's footsteps". LATimes.com. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  2. Glušac, Borislav (1987). "Ljubav između koševa". Ven. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  3. "Nikola Vucevic Stats, Video, Bio, Profile". NBA.com. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  4. Moura, Pedro (9 February 2011). "USC's Nikola Vucevic matures". ESPN.com. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  5. "USC basketball: Nikola Vucevic apologizes for his 'we played like women' comment after Arizona game". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. 30 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  6. Parry, Roy (15 January 2020). "Magic center Nikola Vucevic calls his time at USC an experience he'll never forget". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  7. "Player Profile: Nikola Vucevic". USC Trojans. University of Southern California. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  8. Goodman, Jeff (7 March 2011). "Goodman's 2010–11 All-America teams". Fox Sports. Fox Sports Interactive Media. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  9. 2011 Mock Draft Archived 16 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  10. Swanson, Mirjam (26 November 2018). "Former USC star Nikola Vucevic again proves a problem for Lakers". Orange County Register. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  11. 2011 NBA Draft Results: Nikola Vucevic Drafted By Sixers With No. 16 Pick
  12. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS ANNOUNCE 2011 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER - 12/9/2011
  13. Nikola Vucevic 2011-12 Game Log
  14. "It's official: Howard dealt to Lakers in four-team trade". NBA.com. 10 August 2012. Archived from the original on 19 November 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  15. "Notebook: Heat 112, Magic 110". NBA.com. 31 December 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  16. "Notebook: Magic 113, Bucks 103". NBA.com. 10 April 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  17. Nikola Vucevic's 30 points, 21 boards help Magic top Clippers
  18. 2013-14 Season Review: Nikola Vucevic
  19. Magic Sign Nikola Vucevic to Contract Extension
  20. Nikola Vucevic agrees to 4-year deal
  21. "Vucevic's career-high 37 power Magic over Wolves 97-84". Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  22. "Vucevic hits game-winner as Magic beat Lakers 101-99". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  23. Nikola Vucevic 2015-16 Game Log
  24. Wade, Heat rally for 108-101 victory over Magic
  25. Magic beat Hawks on Vucevic's shot
  26. Vucevic scores 35 points to lead Magic past 76ers 124-115
  27. Nikola Vucevic Makes Return, Comes Off Bench
  28. Magic pull out all tricks to pull away from Pacers 114-94
  29. Magic come up big down stretch to stun Heat
  30. "Henson scores 20 as Bucks beat Magic, 104-96". ESPN.com. 27 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  31. "Fournier takes over late as Magic beat Nets 118-111". ESPN.com. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  32. "Magic rally twice, then outlast Heat 136-130 in 2OT". ESPN.com. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  33. "Vucevic's season-high 30 lead Magic past Blazers, 115-109". ESPN.com. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  34. "Harden has 25 to lead Rockets over Magic 128-104". ESPN.com. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  35. "James's triple leads Cavaliers over Magic, 116-104". ESPN.com. 11 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  36. "Bulls embarrass Magic 122-75, near playoff berth". ESPN.com. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  37. "Nets beat Magic 126-121 in first game without Lin". ESPN.com. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  38. "Bazemore, Ilyasova lead Hawks past Magic, 117-110". ESPN.com. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  39. Cohen, Josh (9 December 2017). "Postgame Report: Magic at Hawks". NBA.com. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  40. Maloney, Jack (23 December 2017). "Report: Magic's Nikola Vucevic to miss 6-8 weeks after surgery for broken left hand". cbssports.com. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  41. "Burke leads Knicks past Magic to end 8-game losing streak". ESPN.com. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  42. "Simmons, Augustin power Magic over Bucks, 126-117". ESPN.com. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  43. Denton, John (20 October 2018). "Magic Lose Heartbreaker to 76ers". NBA.com. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  44. "Magic's Nikola Vucevic: Has season-high 36 points Saturday". cbssports.com. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  45. "Vucevic, Magic hand Lakers another loss 108-104". ESPN.com. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  46. "Harris, Clippers overcome slow start to beat Magic". ESPN.com. 6 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  47. Smith, Sekou (31 January 2019). "Davis, Westbrook, Griffin highlight reserves for All-Star Game". NBA.com. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  48. "Ross scores 30 as Magic hand Pacers 4th straight loss". ESPN.com. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019. He was chosen as an Eastern Conference reserve, becoming the Magic's first All-Star since Dwight Howard in 2012.
  49. "Vucevic leads Magic over Hawks 101-91". ESPN.com. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  50. "Augustin has 25, hits winning 3, Magic beat Raptors 104-101". ESPN.com. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  51. "Leonard has 27 as Raptors rout Magic 115-96, clinch series". ESPN.com. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  52. Denton, John (28 June 2019). "Magic Prepared For Start of Free Agency". NBA.com. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  53. "NIKOLA VUCEVIC 2011 Eurobasket Player Box". Eurobasket2011.com. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  54. "NIKOLA VUCEVIC 2013 Eurobasket Player Box". Eurobasket2013.org. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  55. "Aldridge nets 20, hot-shooting Spurs rout Magic 129-90". ESPN.com. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018. C Nikola Vucevic missed his first game of the season due to the birth of his son, Filip, on Monday.
  56. "Vučević: Lepo je gledati Zvezdu". novosti.rs. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
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