ORLANDO (United States) - When taking the court for international duty, Montenegro has usually found itself at home in Podgorica's Moraca Sports Center, the site of several historic nights for the Black Mountain nation.
On July 5, 2026, another arena in the country erupted. Igor Drobnjak’s three-pointer with less than three minutes remaining and Montenegro’s late defensive stand secured a 65-64 victory over Romania, a crucial result on the road to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027.
It happened at Bar’s Topolica Sport Hall, not far from where the sun falls into the waves. The venue was inaugurated in November 2009, when Nikola Vucevic was in the middle of his college adventure with the USC Trojans. Nearly 17 years later, Bar stood up for him.
It was an extraordinary emotional day for me
"It was an extraordinary emotional day for me. It was in my hometown, and all of my family and friends were there," the Montenegrin icon tells FIBA about his retirement ceremony. "It was touching, and I’m honored that Montenegro awarded me with such love," Vucevic adds.
"When you play sports, you always try to win, but what remains is the effort and dedication that you show and provide. People see that, and I’m glad I’m recognized as the player who has always given everything for Montenegro. Regardless of wins and defeats," he continues.
"I will always remember it. It brought back all the memories, all the training camps in the mountains, all the long travels, all the sacrifices I’ve made for that jersey. It’s hard at times, but at the end of the journey you realize it was all worth it," he also says.
"It was an unforgettable and special night. It’s a big chapter of my career, and it’s tough to see it ending, but it’s a full-circle moment."
It was indeed a full-circle moment for a legend who has decided to leave space for the next generation, just as it happened to him in 2010.
Dominant early days with Montenegro
Youth national team competitions can be tricky. With such a wide pool of talent competing everywhere summer after summer, it’s difficult to figure out whether one standout player at a EuroBasket U20, for example, will go on to solidify his status as a professional.
In Nikola Vucevic’s case, it was pretty clear from the beginning that his all-around capabilities would make him a dominant player for years to come
Appearing for the first time on the court for Montenegro at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2009, he averaged a double-double of 15.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in eight appearances, making the All-Tournament First Team.
Despite the Quarter-Final defeat to France, he finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Montenegro finished in 7th place, and Vucevic was sure they would come back for more the following year, in Croatia.
Instead, Dejan Radonjic, who coached him in Greece at the FIBA EuroBasket U20 the previous summer, called him up for the senior national team’s training camp in 2010.
"I still had one year left to play for the U20. The year before, I was younger than anybody else, and I was inserted into the All-Tournament First Team. It was a good experience for me. I was hoping to play EuroBasket U20 again the following year," he recalls.
"But I was called up for the senior national team, and it was nice to go to practice with veterans such as Nikola Pekovic. From that standpoint, it was good, for sure."
"However, I do wish I’d stayed with the U20 so I could contribute to maybe getting a medal. We had a great team and finished 6th, and I think we would have been even better if I had been there with the team. That’s a little regret I have," Vucevic admits.
Making the jump from the U20 to the senior national team in 2010 also meant learning from the best Montenegrin player in his position.
"Nikola [Pekovic] was a real force at that time. He was coming off his first year in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he was playing extremely well," Vucevic says of the former Partizan Belgrade, Panathinaikos, and Timberwolves force.
"Having the chance to practice and compete against him was a huge challenge, but it was helpful for me to grow and improve. He always worked really hard, giving 100% in every game and practice. He was always all in. He has had some injury problems during those years, so he wasn’t always with us, and that affected us a little bit."
He’s one of my role models, an inspiration; thanks to him, I started to know what it takes to be at this level.
"He’s one of my role models, an inspiration: thanks to him I started to know what it takes to be at this level," he also comments.
From role model to teammate in a matter of months, the two Nikolas suited up together for Montenegro at FIBA EuroBasket 2011.
Only a few weeks before officially debuting with the senior national team, the Vucevic was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th overall pick in the NBA Draft.
"EuroBasket 2011 was a great moment for me, coming right after the NBA Draft. There was a lot going on, but I’ve tried to sponge as much as I could. We won that first game [against North Macedonia] but then had four defeats in a row," he says.
"It’s a bittersweet memory, but it was still the first big tournament for Montenegro and our people. I do believe we had a better team than what we showed on the court."
Despite wanting to continue learning from Nikola Pekovic, Vucevic quickly took flight alone as the focal point of the Montenegrin national team, forced to take the court without Pekovic, who had to constantly deal with injury setbacks.
That was the start of a 14-year journey that saw him compete in Montenegro’s colors in every corner of the world, putting the country on the map; through ups and downs.
Having to deal with "unrealistic" expectations
Once part of Yugoslavia and then united with Serbia, Montenegro gained complete independence in 2006. They had to wait 13 years to make it to their first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup, in 2019. In between, Nikola Vucevic’s role reached peak relevance.
As his NBA career proved him to be one of the league’s most skilled international players, the face and leader of the Orlando Magic, his presence for Montenegro felt crucial.
After finishing 17th at FIBA EuroBasket 2013 and 13th in 2017, they reached the global stage in 2019, but the experience ended up being not exactly what they initially thought it would be. Off-court noise affected the journey in China.
"Over the years we’ve always gone through tension due to high and unrealistic expectations. That has affected our mood, sometimes. But what was part of us growing up was actually understanding where our place really was, and what we could do," Vucevic mentions.
"In 2019, there was a lot of tension, as we were expected to go to the following phase easily. But Greece put us into a different reality; New Zealand was a tough matchup for us due to their fast-paced way of playing with a lot of three-pointers, and Brazil is always a difficult opponent to face. We ended up losing these three games, and we couldn’t advance."
"It’s not always easy to find the right adjustments even though you have good individual players. Something we’ve always struggled with, for example, was being unbalanced between the frontcourt and the backcourt. It was complicated to find the right fit," he adds.
"Before EuroBasket 2022, people expected big things for us, and it created pressure, but since then the mood got way more relaxed. [Nikola] Pekovic helped a lot in cooling down the whole environment as President of the Federation, because he understood that it’s not good to add such extra pressure, especially when it’s not realistic," he also comments.
"In Montenegro, things haven’t always worked out. We are a young national team, so to speak, as we became an independent country in 2006, so it took us some time to create the right culture and mentality around the national team. As the years went on, it got better and better. I think we’ve all made a huge step starting from EuroBasket 2022."
Speaking of that tournament, it was the first (and only) major event that the Montenegrin fan favorite decided not to attend. Looking back, he lists this as a kind of regret.
"I missed being there and not competing with the guys. We weren’t supposed to play originally as we didn’t make it, but we replaced Russia after they were withdrawn. I had already locked other appointments for the summer, and I couldn’t make it," he says.
"But once I saw the atmosphere and chemistry around the team, I understood that things were getting better. If we had qualified right away, I think my decision would have been easier. Looking back, I wish I did; it’s the only major tournament I’ve not played in. But overall, it was a very good tournament for us; we almost beat Germany after all,” he adds.
After almost upsetting Germany, who would go on to become World and European champions, Montenegro had two completely different outcomes in Nikola Vucevic’s last two international events, with the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in between.
From almost beating Team USA to elimination against Great Britain
Let’s start with the latest positive memory when talking about Nikola Vucevic’s trajectory with the national team: the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, in Manila.
His numbers in the competition are already impressive, as the former Chicago Bulls center almost put up an average double-double, finishing 10th overall in scoring (19.8 points per game) and 5th in rebounding (8.8 boards per game).
Starting off with a 27-point, 10-rebound display in the win against Mexico, he didn’t slow down at all, almost contributing to the upset of the century against Team USA, where he finished with another double-double: 18 points and 16 rebounds.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines was probably my best experience with the national team
"The FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines was probably my best experience with the national team. I was more aware of what it means to represent your country, especially being one of the best players on the team, coming from the NBA," Vucevic recalls.
"We played really well until the end against Team USA, but we couldn’t pull it off. It would have been pretty amazing to beat them, but they were too good. Everybody thought we were going to lose by 40 points, but it was a very close one in the end," he also remembers.
What felt like the start of a promising route toward his basketball sunset with Montenegro turned into missing out on closing his national-team chapter on a high note.
After three consecutive defeats at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 against Germany, Lithuania, and hosts Finland, Montenegro responded with an 87-81 victory over Sweden, giving themselves a chance to continue their adventure into the Final Phase in Riga.
However, in their Group B finale against Great Britain, Montenegro couldn’t keep up with the British team’s enthusiasm, suffering the 89-83 defeat that eliminated them from the competition.
"The last one against Great Britain, for sure," Nikola Vucevic answers when asked about the game he would like to replay among all the encounters he had with Montenegro. “It was really tough because we really wanted to make it to the Round of 16 in Riga,” he says.
"I really tried to help the team as much as I could, playing for more than 36 minutes and almost finishing with a triple-double [31 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists]. I really gave it all, and we came up short. I wish I could go back in time and have a sweeter ending to my last tournament and my last experience with the national team,” the 35-year-old admits.
Vooch already knew and had made it public that FIBA EuroBasket 2025 would be the final chapter of his long and eventful national team career.
He did want to continue fighting alongside his teammates, but he was also fully aware that he could still finish such a long chapter while playing at the best of his abilities.
"I wanted to finish my national team career on a high note, where I could still play at the best of my abilities. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel waking up next summer," he says.
"I didn’t want to leave it unknown. I wanted to make sure I went out on my own terms, doing it the way I would have really liked. I wish we made it to the next phase, but overall, I was happy with how I played and how the team competed," Orlando’s center adds.
Embodying the national team’s leadership
Now that he has not only embraced the support of a whole country but also carries the responsibilities of a father of three and a beloved husband, he wanted the final years of his playing career to feature some more family memories as well. Deservedly so.
After debating it for quite some time, he finally decided to mark a conclusive end to his 14-year adventure representing the Montenegrin national team. "I wanted to leave Montenegro in my best shape," Nikola Vucevic underlines.
"I want people to remember me at my highest level, not stretching it just for the sake of it. I felt it was the right timing; unfortunately, we didn’t finish on the highest note, but we’re experiencing a change of generation, and new younger players are coming in," he says.
Vucevic, who’s also a football fan and supports Italian side Juventus FC, would love for older generations to visibly support the new wave of talent emerging in Montenegro, just as Sergio Ramos, Xavi, Casillas, and others have for Spain.
"Everybody takes a lot of pride in representing the country, turning into role models and motivation for our countrymen. It’s part of our job to show the way to the next generation: how things should be done, how we should always stick together. The country should always come together and support one another," he explains.
Montenegro has always produced talented players. We have a huge basketball history
"Montenegro has always produced talented players, just like other countries in the Balkan region. We have a huge basketball history. Right now we can count on some interesting talents competing in college and in Europe."
"They’re now starting to experience high-level basketball, and I’m very curious to see them with the national team, still giving them the opportunity to go through ups and downs. It’s going to be better and better," Vucevic comments as well.
"Basketball is a big part of our culture, but we still are 600,000 people in Montenegro. It’s very impressive that a small country like ours is able to develop so many good and talented players. We’ve had important ones in Europe and in the NBA, and it’s a big achievement for us whenever we reach one of the big tournaments."
From his childhood days, when he was born in Switzerland and raised in Belgium while following his father Borislav’s playing career, he already knew he would love the opportunity to give his all for the national team.
At home, he had living proof that making it to national team wasn’t only a desire, but a legitimate and concrete opportunity, as Borislav Vucevic suited up for the Yugoslavia at FIBA EuroBasket 1985.
"Growing up watching Yugoslavia, and then Serbia and Montenegro, dominating the scene in basketball was inspiring for me. EuroBasket 1997 and 2001, FIBA Basketball World Cup 1998 and 2002, silver medal at 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta…" he lists.
"If you’re young and see your country winning all the tournaments, it turns into love and motivation. I wanted to become the player that would have also represented my country."
Those childhood aspirations turned out to be real outcomes. Fourteen years of giving his best to compete under his country’s flag is not a short period of time, for sure. But Nikola Vucevic has never backed down from trying to push Montenegro as high as possible.
"I’ve always taken a lot of pride in representing my country. It has always been an honor for me to put Montenegro on the biggest stage. It has always been a big thing for me to set a good example of how I’ve played and behaved on and off the court," he says.
"It was important for me to set a good example, for people and especially kids back home who want to pursue basketball, and generally any other sport, dreaming of wearing the national team’s jersey. I wanted them to understand that I was actually giving my best; I was giving up my summers and my free time to play for Montenegro," Vucevic concludes.
It was already extremely hot on July 5 when the legend himself makes his way to halfcourt to receive the love of his people. The whole audience at Topolica Sport Hall in Bar stands up.
It’s the end of a full-circle journey for Nikola Vucevic, Sin Crne Gore koji se popeo na Crnu Goru. Montenegro’s son has climbed the Black Mountain. One can only witness what the future holds by reaching for the highest heights. The clouds are painted in red and yellow for him, forever.
FIBA