Nikola Vucevic has always moved to the beat of his own drum. At EuroBasket 2025, the Chicago Bulls big man is the rhythm for Montenegro. He knows this is his last dance in the red and yellow and is in no mood for the story to end early.
The odds were against them and the situation was grim. Montenegro, already 0-3 to start EuroBasket 2025 in Tampere, were in a tight battle entering the fourth quarter against Sweden. Nikola Vucevic had one big spell left in him.
Just get it done
Nikola Vucevic only had 5 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter against Sweden. That wasn’t the job that was needed of him. No, what was required of the Chicago Bulls man was to do anything and everything to get Montenegro over the line.
That meant freeing up space for Kyle Allman in any and every way he could. Vucevic recorded 7 rebounds in the fourth quarter, along with 1 block and 1 steal. He made Sweden come at him so that everyone else could rally against them.
The result was a 7 point swing in the final frame, resulting in a 6 point win. Having been battered in successive games by Germany, Lithuania, and Finland, Montenegro had somehow stayed alive in EuroBasket 2025. The win they absolutely needed came from Vucevic being selfless in the cause.
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The next part should be easy
Montenegro still need one more win to be certain of making it to the last 16. On Wednesday they face a Great Britain side that has been wholly outmatched at this tournament. Indeed, Great Britain has lost its last 15 games in the competition dating back to 2013.
That’s the good news. Montenegro will be rested and ready to go at an opponent they know they can outmatch. If they desire, they can even dial down how much they use Nikola Vucevic and Kyle Allman. The result is unlikely to be in doubt at any point in proceedings.
This would leave Vucevic and his teammates in familiar territory. They’ll take fourth place in the group and advance to the round of 16. Since separating from Serbia, Montenegro has regularly been there or thereabouts when it comes to progressing. More often than not they’re good enough to make the knockout stages but not much more.
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A man at peace
The real surprise throughout EuroBasket 2025 has been how relaxed and giving Nikola Vucevic has been with journalists. Normally, when a guy that is relevant for a team like the Chicago Bulls is on a team taking regular batterings, they are somewhat prickly.
Vucevic by contrast has been a model ambassador for the Montenegro national team. He knows this is his last time representing his homeland and he clearly wants to go out with class. His comments post game have been honest and insightful.
Vucevic doesn’t have to be here. Plenty of NBA grade talent opted out of this tournament. He wants to be here because he wants to give his all one last time for Montenegro. Vucevic doesn’t fool himself, he admits the rotation is short which puts a likely ceiling on his side’s chances. Still, he wants to show just how far he is willing to go for this team.
The end is coming
Even with the expected win over Great Britain on Wednesday, Nikola Vucevic knows this story doesn’t have many pages left. Depending on results, his side either faces Serbia or Turkey in the round of 16 in Riga.
Both of these sides are expected to compete for medals at EuroBasket 2025. Serbia remain tournament favourites even after losing Bogdan Bogdanovic for the remainder of the tournament. Serbia and Turkey have a level of depth that Montenegro simply can’t answer.
Yet for the Chicago Bulls man, it’s a chance for a final big battle for Montenegro. It will be either Nikola Jokic or Alperun Sengun facing him down, two men he knows well from the NBA. With national pride on the line, he will roar into battle one final time. If Nikola Vucevic is to go down at EuroBasket, he’ll do so fighting.
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