Nikola Jović is currently a rookie who plays for the Miami Heat in the NBA. It turns out the Serbian basketball player had a very successful career as a teenager. He has a couple of years of experience playing for his national team and competing in several basketball tournaments in and around Serbia. Jović was born in Leicester, England but was raised in Serbia because of his father who competed as a professional Water Polo athlete in the country.
Before his big break with Mega Basket, the 19-year-old competed in the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament between 2020 and 2021. After averaging 29.3 points and 10.3 rebounds, he was named MVP of the tournament. Eventually, he competed under Mega Basket and the ABA. The young athlete was named one of the best players yet to play in the NBA in 2022.
Nikola Jović participated with the Serbian U-19 National Team in various world-level tournaments. He competed in the FIBA U-19 Basketball World Cup and the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. In 2022, Jović made his way to the NBA after being drafted 27th overall by the Miami Heat. He is yet to play an entire season and live up to his true potential. So far, he has been battling with injuries that have kept him off-court as well.
Nikola Jovic skipped his final tests to prepare for the NBA Draft
The NBA stopped allowing basketball high school recruits to declare for the draft for several years now. Its current age limit is 19 for American athletes and 18 for international athletes. Nikola Jović passed all eligibility rules except that he may not have finished high school. While most of us would want to believe that Nikola has been illegally competing in the NBA, based on what’s permitted, he checks out all requirements.
During training camp, Head Coach Erik Spoelstra revealed that his rookie skipped his final tests to prepare for the NBA draft. Nikola Jović eventually confirmed that he is yet to complete his high school tests. However, he still has the opportunity to take these tests and officially graduate. Nikola might win an NBA title before earning himself a high school degree.
Crazy to think about: Nikola Jovic has made the NBA Finals before graduating from high school.
He can’t even drink champagne if they win the title 🤯 pic.twitter.com/LXSWvWlBZn
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 1, 2023
Jović Initially planned on completing his course via Zoom and taking his tests simultaneously. However, he was not allowed to do that. The Serbian rookie will have to return to his hometown to finish his tests. He could very well complete it this summer following the NBA Finals as well.