Fiba Credits
A EuroBasket 2025 Bosnia and Herzegovina relies on its undisputed leader: jusuf nurkic. The center of the Utah Jazz, coming off a turbulent year in the NBA with the moves from Phoenix to Charlotte and finally to Salt Lake City, has clear ideas: the Bosnian national team can only go far by following his guidance and he spoke about it to BasketNews.
The “weight” of the leader
At 31, Nurkic is the fulcrum of Bosnia, both in defense and attack. Without Dzanan Musa and with mechanical Luka garza ineligible, the offensive game will revolve entirely around the “Bosnian Beast”, called upon to score, create from the high post and dominate the rebounds.
After some criticism from coach Adis Beciragic during preparation, Nurkic responded on the court: “If you put up 25 points in just 14 minutes against Belgium, I don’t think you can be considered out of shape.”
Bosnia’s goal
“Our goal is to reach the second stage. It’s something that hasn’t happened for years and we believe in it,” Nurkic said. An ambitious goal, considering that in group C Bosnia will face top-level opponents such as Spain, Italy, Greece and surprising Georgia, as well as hosts Cyprus.
On Giannis Antetokounmpo
The most feared name in the group remains that of Giannis AntetokounmpoNurkic doesn’t hide:
“Giannis is an incredible player, but he needs to be limited in transition and forced to shoot from the perimeter. One player isn’t enough; it takes a collective effort to contain him.”
The Utah Jazz big man also emphasized how the FIBA rules, with their smaller spaces than the NBA, could make the challenge slightly more manageable, but without illusions: “He will always score points, what matters is stopping the others.”
EuroBasket, an unpredictable tournament
Nurkic then reiterated that EuroBasket’s appeal lies in its unpredictability: “There is no absolute favorite. Everyone talks about Greece or Serbia, but let’s remember that few would have bet on Spain in the last edition. That’s what makes the tournament special.”