BELGRADE (Serbia) - Two defeats to Türkiye in the last window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers have created a clear sense of urgency for Serbia men's national team.
Luckily for coach Dusan Alimpijevic, the country's superstar Nikola Jokic should play both windows this summer. Serbia, who last had Jokic in a Round of 16 defeat to Finland at the EuroBasket 2025, square off against Switzerland on July 2 and then face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Belgrade on July 5.
The second window games will be played at the end of August.
Jokic made the All-Star Five at the 2024 Olympics after nearly leading Serbia past the USA and into the Final in a classic game for the ages.
The team defeated Germany in the Bronze Medal Game.
“Nikola Jokic should be available for both the July and August windows,” Alimpijevic told Mozzart Sport recently.
“Nothing was ever questionable from the very beginning. He's someone I've been in contact with since the first moment I became head coach.
"Communication with him happens on the simplest and easiest possible level. He truly lives for the national team, even if at certain moments it may not have looked that way to some people.
"He is genuinely passionate about representing Serbia. He even called his teammates and thanked them for fighting in the previous windows. If everything continues according to plan — of course, we don't know what could happen before June 22 — but God willing and with good health, we expect him to be there."
Jokic is already assured of going down in history as one of the best to ever play the game by virtue of his three NBA MVP awards, his 2023 NBA title with Denver and his five All-NBA First Team selections. With Serbia, he has Olympic silver from 2016 and the Olympic bronze from 2024. He was the MVP of the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.
He is genuinely passionate about representing Serbia
Serbia captain Bogdan Bogdanovic's availability is less certain. Bogdanovic, who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers, is hugely important.
"I can say it is likely that he will skip the July window, but he should be with the team during the August window."
There is going to be even more hype surrounding Serbia this summer because they also have a couple of glitzy friendlies with France. And recently, the French Federation felt confident that Victor Wembanyama will join the Les Bleus in August.
In games right before the fourth window of the European Qualifiers, Serbia will take on the French on August 20 in the Belgrade Arena and then on August 23 in Orleans, France.
This means two of the top three players in the world, judging from this season's NBA MVP voting, will square off as they already did in a friendly game before the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Jokic finished second to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the NBA MVP voting and Defensive Player of the Year Wembanyama, in his third NBA season with the San Antonio Spurs, was third.
FIBA