The Nikola Jokic-led Serbian team was considered one of their favourites to win the gold medal at Eurobasket 2025.
Because of its value, Serbia impressed the fans with a solid run in the group stage of the 2025 Euro Basket.
However, the journey through Serbia was suddenly finished by Laurimalkanen and Finland on the knockout stage. Basketball fans were shocked by Nikola Jokic’s loss of upset in the tournament.
Speaking of tournaments, Chicago Bulls star Nikola Vsevic recently revealed that Djokic had told him about Serbian aspirations before the tournament began.
Like Nikola Dzokic, Vsevic represented his country at the Eurobasket 2025. However, Vesevic’s Montenegro was unable to overcome the group stage.
After all, the Bulls star later announced his retirement from the national team following a disappointing run.
Putting that aside, Vucevic recently broke his silence about what Jokic told him about his expectations from Serbia in the tournament.
“We talked a bit. He knew, and he knew. He came because he wanted to take that money. I think they all had a great desire.
“So he believed in it. He played everything. So he gave everything he did, as he did all of them, but that wasn’t for them,” Vsevic told B92 in an exclusive interview.
He added:
“It’s the hardest for them. They have to deal with that and all that pressure, and it stays.”
Given that things like Victor Wenbanyama and Domantas Sabonis came out of the tournament, it wasn’t surprising that Jokic was hoping to win a gold medal in Serbia.
Dennis Schroeder and Germany won gold medals in the tournament as Serbia was knocked out early.
Djokic is likely to shift his focus to the Denver Nuggets ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, but what about future tournaments with Serbia? Vucevic provided a solid answer as to how players must feel.
“They will definitely remember the rest of their careers, the rest of their lives, how they had the opportunity, and that happened to them.
“Okay, it’s all part of an athlete’s career, and sometimes you open up,” concluded Vsevic.
Now that’s solid advice for the Serbian national team as they’ve been shot at correcting mistakes in the next edition of the tournament.