Nikola Milutinov ( sr-cyr, Никола Милутинов; born 30 December 1994) is a Serbian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

(GBL) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Serbian national team in international competition. Standing at , Milutinov plays at the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

position.

Professional career

Hemofarm

Milutinov made his professional debut with the Serbian club Hemofarm, in the 2011–12 season.

Partizan (2012–2015)

In June 2012, Milutinov signed a four-year contract with

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...

of the

Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...

. In his first season with Partizan, he won the Adriatic League 2012–13 season championship, and the Serbian League 2012–13 season championship. In his second season, he won the

Serbian League The Serbian League () is the third level football league in Serbia. It consists of four groups, namely Belgrade, East, Vojvodina, and West. The winner of each group earns promotion to the Serbian First League. History 1992–1995 In the summer of ...

championship for the second time in a row, after his team defeated

Crvena zvezda Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional Association football, foot ...

, with a 3–1 win in the league's finals series. In the 2014–15 season, following the departure of

starters

Dejan Musli Dejan Musli ( sr-cyr, Дејан Мусли; born January 3, 1991) is a Serbian professional basketball player for MoraBanc Andorra of the Liga ACB. Standing at , he plays at the center position. Professional career FMP In the youth Musli won t ...

and

Joffrey Lauvergne Joffrey Lauvergne (born 30 September 1991) is a French professional basketball player for ASVEL of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague.. He was drafted 55th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2013 NBA draft, who then traded his rights ...

, Milutinov's role in the team increased. In a 15 November game against

Levski Sofia Levski Sofia ( bg, Левски София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 b ...

, he posted a season-high 21 points, and also added 10 rebounds. For that performance, he was selected to the Adriatic League 2014–15 season's ideal five of Round 8 of the competition. On 14 April, in Game 1 of the

semifinal series against

, he hurt the

cornea The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power ...

in his right eye, after a collision with

Jaka Blažič Jaka Blažič (born June 30, 1990) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and Basketball Champions League. He also represents the Slovenian national basketball team. Standing at , ...

. He returned to action in the following game, although without the recommendation of the team's medical staff. Eventually, Crvena zvezda won the Adriatic League's finals series over Milutinov's team, Partizan, with a 3–1 series score. Over 28 games played in the Adriatic League that season, Milutinov averaged 9.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Olympiacos (2015–2020)

On 25 July 2015, Milutinov signed a three-year deal with the Greek League club

. With Olympiacos, he won the Greek League 2015–16 season championship. He was named the Greek League Most Improved Player in 2017. Milutinov also reached the Euroleague final with Olympiakos in the same year. In October 2017, he extended his contract with Olympiacos for three more seasons. In the 2017–18 season, Olympiacos was eliminated in the playoff series to Žalgiris Kaunas with 3–1. Milutinov had his best season since coming into the club, and averaged career-highs of 8.8 points and 5.7 rebounds over 29 EuroLeague games. In 2018–19 season, Milutinov appeared in 28 games of the EuroLeague and averaged new career-highs of 11.7 points and league's second-highest 7.9 rebounds, while shooting 66.3% from the field. In the Greek League, he averaged 10.9 points and 7 rebounds over 24 games.

CSKA Moscow (2020–2023)

On 2 June 2020, Milutinov signed a three-year contract with Russian club

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...

. On 30 December 2020, Milutinov set the EuroLeague record for most offensive rebounds in a game – he had 16 offensive rebounds in a 91–87 win over

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

, finishing the game with 17 points and career-high 19 total rebounds. On 30 May 2023, Milutinov and CSKA officially parted ways after the expiration of their contract.

Return to Olympiacos (2023–present)

On 24 June 2023, Milutinov made his return to

after three seasons, signing a lucrative two-year contract worth 3.6 million euros.

NBA draft rights

On 16 April 2015, Milutinov declared himself eligible for the 2015 NBA draft. On 25 June 2015, Milutinov was selected with the 26th overall pick of the first round of the draft, by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. On 6 August 2021, the Spurs sent his draft rights to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

as part of a multi-team trade.

National team career

Junior team

Milutinov played for the Serbian under-19 national team, at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, on a roster alongside

Vasilije Micić Vasilije Micić ( sr-cyr, Василије Мицић, born 13 January 1994) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball Super League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Serbian national basket ...

Mihajlo Andrić Mihajlo Andrić ( sr-cyr, Михајло Андрић; born January 4, 1994) is a Serbian professional basketball player for MoraBanc Andorra of the LEB Oro. Professional career On 15 November 2013, Andrić played his first match in Euroleague ...

, Jovan Novak, Nikola Jokić, and Nikola Janković. He won the silver medal at the tournament, after losing 68–82 to the U.S. under-19 team, which featured

Aaron Gordon Aaron Addison Gordon (born September 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the University of Arizona before bein ...

Justise Winslow Justise Jon Winslow (born March 26, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, with whom he won the 201 ...

, Elfrid Payton,

Marcus Smart Marcus Osmond Smart (born March 6, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Smart was drafted with the ...

, and

Jahlil Okafor Jahlil Obika Okafor (pronounced ; born December 15, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the NBA G League. He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 ...

. Milutinov averaged 10.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game at the tournament.

Senior team

Milutinov represented the senior men's

Serbian national basketball team Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation) ...

for the first time, at the

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 Sept ...

, under the team's

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević or Sale Đorđević (Anglicized: Sasha Djordjevic; sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serve ...

. In the first phase of the tournament, Serbia dominated in the toughest group of the tournament,

Group B Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportscar ...

, with a 5–0 record, and they then eliminated

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, in the round of 16 and quarterfinal games, respectively. However, they were beaten in the semifinal game by

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, by a score of 67–64, and they would go on to eventually lose to the tournament's host team,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, in the bronze-medal game, by a score of 81–68. Milutinov appeared in 6 games during the tournament, playing in only 3.5 minutes per game, the lowest on the team. At the

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first since 1967 FIBA World Ch ...

, the national team of Serbia was dubbed as favorite to win the trophy, but was eventually upset in the

quarterfinals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. With wins over the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

, it finished in fifth place. Milutinov averaged 7 points and 2.3 rebounds over 8 games. In 2023, Milutinov won silver medal at the

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament will be the second to feature 32 teams. For the first time in its history, the World Cup will be ...

with the Serbia national team. He averaged 12.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game on 66.1% shooting from the field. In recognition of his individual play, Milutinov was named to the All-FIBA World Cup Second Team.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

, 8 , , 1 , , 7.9 , , .556 , , , , .750 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .1 , , .3 , , 3.3 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , 21 , , 16 , , 20.3 , , .513 , , , , .640 , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .6 , , 4.7 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=5,

, 18 , , 13 , , 10.8 , , .542 , , , , .778 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .3 , , .7 , , 3.7 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , 36 , , 15 , , 12.7 , , .579 , , .000 , , .692 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , .8 , , 4.4 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , 29 , , 26 , , 21.7 , , .653 , , , , .756 , , 5.7 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .6 , , 8.8 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , 28 , , 28 , , 26.0 , , .663 , , 1.000 , , .740 , , 7.9 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .7 , , 11.7 , , 20.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , 24 , , 24 , , 24.6 , , .656 , , , , .765 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 8.2* , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .6 , , 10.3 , , 19.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

, style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2,

, 20 , , 19 , , 23.3 , , .670 , , .500 , , .702 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 8.6* , , .8 , , .4 , , .5 , , 9.8 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , 16 , , 13 , , 19.0 , , .585 , , .000 , , .711 , , 6.5 , , .9 , , .4 , , .4 , , 7.7 , , 13.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 200 , , 155 , , 19.2 , , .622 , , .400 , , .732 , , 5.5 , , .9 , , .4 , , .6 , , 7.5 , , 12.0