Ex-NBA'er: This Player is More Important Than Jokic to Serbian EuroBasket Team

While Nikola Jokic may be the best player in the world, Czech National team Tomas Satoransky thinks Bogdan Bogdanovic is the most important player on the Serbian national team.

Many of the NBA's best players are taking part in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament. And with so many international players in the NBA now, most squads feature several players with NBA experience. 

Team Serbia looks to be especially loaded. First, the team features the transcendent Jokic. Other current NBA players include Nikola Jovic, Nikola Topic and Bogdan Bogdanovic. 

It is likely that Jokic will made his mark in the tournament, but Satoransky, who played for the Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Pelicans, is most impressed with Bogdanovic. He told Meridian Sport: 

"It’s always a challenge to build the team when Jokic is there, because he plays differently in the NBA, and the system here is not the same. For me, the key player has always been Bogdan Bogdanovic. He played brilliantly at the Olympics and in previous tournaments, and to me, he’s the main leader.Jokic is probably the best player in the world, but things are sometimes structured differently in national teams. The whole squad plays unselfishly, and that means a lot when you have that much talent."

Like Jokic, Bogdanovic has carved out a terrific career in the NBA. Over his eight seasons in the league, he has averaged 14.3 points per game while shooting 38.2% from downtown. Bogdanovic is currently set to play for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2024-25.