Jusuf Nurkic, center of the Phoenix Suns, was playing for the tanking Portland Trail Blazers last season and was traded to the Suns in the 2023 preseason. The 29-year-old player was born on August 23, 1994. He has been playing basketball for the last 14 years and made his debut in the sport with a Croatian team, Cedevita Zagreb.
Although the player started with minimal minutes in the EuroLeague, he finally got a breakthrough in the regional Adriatic League. In 2014, he was nominated for the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year Award. The 7-foot-star center started with the Denver Nuggets in the NBA league in 2014.
Although the 16th overall draft pick was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, he was later traded to the ‘Defending Champions’. He recorded his first minutes on the hardwood in the NBA on October 29, 2014. Talking about the player’s ethnicity, he preaches Islam. He is among the numbered few who practice Islam and hails Southeast Europe. The player is right now averaging 12.2 points per game with a 46.1% field goal percentage.
Where was Jusuf Nurkić born?
Nurkić was born in Zivince, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Southeast Europe. He got his first break when Bosnian sports agent Enes Trnovcevic took him to Slovenia and offered him an opportunity to play. Filling the void of a floor spacing element, Nurkić represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Euro Basket 2022.
Nurkić’s father was a police officer in Bosnia and Herzegovina and matched the height of the 7-height beast. The center also has a younger brother who is already exploring his interest in basketball and is planning to play collegiate basketball. Although the player was once surrounded by a religion-related controversy, he is in the news only for his stellar gameplay.
‘The Bosnian Beast’ has showcased his prowess in above-the-break 3s while supporting the defense. One thing is for sure: if the center is not able to rely on his 3-ball game, then there is a spectrum of ways in which he will open the floor.
3rd block of the game 👋 https://t.co/kEBcQ0zz4G pic.twitter.com/cF3uXOxlvv
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 27, 2023
Along with all these qualities, Jusuf Nurkic is a sturdy screen setter and an underrated passer. Playing alongside Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, he is accustomed to setting bone-crushing screens. The player has received enough traction regarding the hand swing implicated by Draymond Green in a 2023–24 regular-season game. There’s no doubt that the player has yet to achieve the peak of his career; however, his season with the Suns is far from the best one.