Upon winning his first NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets while solidifying himself as one of the great centers of all time, all eyes are now watching Nikola Jokic’s commitment to his country heading to the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines.
As such on Tuesday, the Serbian national team’s head coach Svetislav Pesic made it clear that the superstar is set to banner them for the grand tilt.
“Jokic is on the representative list, as are the other candidates,” Pesic told Rada Nikolic from SportKlub Srbija.
The No. 3 FIBA-ranked country in Serbia is slated to play in Manila’s Smart Araneta Coliseum as part of Group B. They are set to face China, Puerto Rico, and South Sudan in the group phase.
Meanwhile, Pesic indicated that Atlanta Hawks sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic, who missed last year’s EuroBasket, also expressed his desire to play for the Serbs this summer.
“He only started playing in December, and right now he feels good,” he said about Bogdanovic. “Since he has a good relationship with his body, he returned to America for another check-up to get instructions from his doctor and physiotherapist. The most important thing is that he feels good.”
The 2023 World Cup is set to commence from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10.
