Vasilije Micić ( sr-cyr, Василије Мицић, born 13 January 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for Anadolu Efes of the

Turkish Basketball Super League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Serbian national basketball team internationally. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 52nd overall pick in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

. A three-time

All-EuroLeague The All-EuroLeague Team is an award for Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 season. During the FIBA era of the EuroLeague, players were honor ...

selection, Micić led Anadolu Efes to two EuroLeague titles, for

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

and

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

, winning the

EuroLeague MVP The EuroLeague MVP, or EuroLeague Full Season MVP, is the award bestowed to the player that is deemed to be the "Most Valuable Player" during the full season of the EuroLeague. The EuroLeague is the top-tier level European-wide men's prof ...

in 2021 as well as the both Final Four MVPs.

Junior career

From 2002 to 2006, Micić played for the

OKK Beograd Omladinski košarkaški klub Beograd ( sr-cyr, Омладински кошаркашки клуб Београд), commonly referred to as OKK Beograd, is a men's professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. They are currently competi ...

youth system. In 2006–07, he played for Crvena zvezda juniors, and then from 2007 to 2010, he played for FMP Železnik juniors.

Professional career

Mega Vizura (2010–2014)

In 2010, Micić signed with Mega Vizura. At the age of 16, he made his

Basketball League of Serbia The Basketball League of Serbia ( sr, Кошаркашка лига Србије, Košarkaška liga Srbije; abbr. КЛС or KLS), is a top-tier men's professional basketball league in Serbia. Founded in 2006, it is run by the Basketball Federatio ...

debut, going on to play 35 games in 2010–11. In his first season with the club, he appeared in 35 games of 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 ...

and averaged 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. On 22 November 2011, just 8 games into the 2011–12 season, Micić suffered a season-ending knee injury. Over 8 games, he averaged 15.9 points, 5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. In the 2012–13 season, he became a leader with

Boban Marjanović Boban Marjanović ( sr-Cyrl, Бобан Марјановић; born August 15, 1988) is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also plays for the Serbian national basket ...

of the team which was promoted to 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 Mac ...

for the first time in the club's history at the end of the season. Over 41 games in the Serbian League, he averaged 11.8 points and 5 assists per game. On 6 June 2013, Micić signed a two-year contract extension with Mega Vizura. On 8 April 2014, he broke his hand which sidelined him off the court for one month. In his first

ABA 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 ...

season, he averaged 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists over 25 games.

Bayern Munich and loan to Crvena Zvezda (2014–2016)

On 4 August 2014, Micić signed a two-year deal with an option for one more season with the German team Bayern Munich. On 28 November 2014, in a EuroLeague game against Panathinaikos, he partially ruptured collateral ligament in his right elbow and was expected to miss six weeks of play. He appeared in 32 games of the German League averaging 7 points and 3.3 assists per game. He also made a debut in the

2014–15 Euroleague The 2014–15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague was the 15th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the fifth under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous iteration as the FIBA Europe Champi ...

, but appeared in only 6 games and averaging 7.5 points per game. With the start of 2015–16 season, his playing time furtherly decreased in Bayern. In mid-season, on 27 December 2015, Micić was loaned to

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 ...

for the rest of the 2015–16 season. He appeared in 17 games of the

2015–16 Euroleague The 2015–16 Turkish Airlines Euroleague was the 16th season of the modern era of EuroLeague, Euroleague Basketball and the sixth under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA E ...

for Crvena zvezda, averaging 5.5 points and 3.6 assists per game. With loan being ended, Micić was released by Bayern on 25 July 2016.On celebrating the titule,he sang "Da volim crno bele( a song dedicated to Partizan which fans sing before every game).

Tofaş (2016–2017)

On 26 July 2016, Micić signed with Turkish BSL club

Tofaş Tofaş (acronym for ''Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi''; ''Turkish Automobile Factory Joint-Stock Company'' pronounced ) is a Turkish automobile manufacturer which was established in 1968 by Vehbi Koç, who was the founder of Koç Ho ...

for the

2016–17 Basketbol Süper Ligi The 2016–17 Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) was the 51st season of the top-tier professional basketball league in Turkey. The season started on October 8, 2016. Fenerbahçe won their eighth national championship this season. Teams Promotion and ...

season. In 24 games with Tofaş, Micić averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 46% from the field.

Žalgiris Kaunas (2017–2018)

On 15 June 2017, Micić signed a two-year contract with the Lithuanian club Žalgiris Kaunas. Žalgiris Kaunas had a historic season in which it won yet another Lithuanian League championship and qualified to

EuroLeague Final Four The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, f ...

tournament. In 2018 EuroLeague Final Four, it lost to the Fenerbahçe Basketball in the semifinal and won in the third-place game against the

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 era, it was a central piece of the big So ...

. Over 36 in 2017–18 EuroLeague season, Micić averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game. After the season, Micić along with his teammate

Kevin Pangos Kevin Joseph Pangos (born January 26, 1993) is a Canadian-Slovenian professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He spent his college basketball career playing for the Gonzaga B ...

parted ways with the team.

Anadolu Efes (2018–present)

On 20 June 2018, Micić signed a two-year contract with Turkish club Anadolu Efes. In 2018–19 season, Micić led his team to the 2019 EuroLeague Final Four, where they lost in the final game to the CSKA Moscow. Over 37 games in 2018–19 EuroLeague season, he averaged career-highs of 12.1 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game. On 25 May 2019, Micić signed two-year contract extension with Anadolu Efes. On 10 August 2020, his agent confirmed that he was returning to the team for the 2020-21 season, rather than try for the NBA. By the end of his

2020–21 EuroLeague The 2020–21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was the 21st season of the modern era of the EuroLeague and the 11th under the title sponsorship of Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA Europe Champions Cup, thi ...

campaign, Micić became just the fourth EuroLeague player of all-time to score at least 100 two-pointers, 70 threes, and 100 free throws in a single season. He also became the first player ever to have made more than 132 two-pointers while making at least 70 triples and 100 free throws. For his major performances all season long, Micić was named to the

All-EuroLeague First Team The All-EuroLeague Team is an award for Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 season. During the FIBA era of the EuroLeague, players were honor ...

, and received the

award. As well, Micić and his fellow Serbian countryman Nikola Jokić became the first-ever pair of players from the same country to be awarded both NBA MVP and EuroLeague MVP honors in the same season. On 30 May 2021, he led his team to their first Euroleague Championship and was named the

EuroLeague Final Four MVP The EuroLeague Final Four Most Valuable Player Award is presented and awarded to the basketball player who has exhibited the most exceptional play during the EuroLeague Final Four. The award often goes to the best player on the European-wide top ...

. Over 40 EuroLeague games, he averaged then-career-high 16.7 points per game. Over 34 games of the

2021–22 EuroLeague The 2021–22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was the 22nd season of the modern era of the EuroLeague, and the 12th under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA Europe Champions C ...

season, Micić averaged season-leading and career-high 18.2 points (for which he received the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy), 4.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. Micić won back-to-back EuroLeague title with Anadolu Efes, after scoring the winning three-pointer in the 2022 EuroLeague Final Four semifinal game against

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 ...

, and later scoring 23 points in the final game against Real Madrid. For his performances, he was once again named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP.

NBA draft rights

In June 2014, alongside his teammates Nemanja Dangubić and Nikola Jokić, Micić attended the Eurocamp, a basketball camp based in

Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and '' comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Ven ...

for the NBA draft prospects. He impressed scouts, putting 14 points and 10 assists in 25 minutes of the game. In March 2014, Micić confirmed that he would enter the

. On 26 June 2014, Micić was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 52nd overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. On 8 December 2020, Micić's draft rights were acquired by the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

as part of the trade that sent Danny Green to the 76ers.

National team career

In 2011, Micić won a silver medal with the Serbian U18 team at the

2011 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2011 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was the 28th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. 16 teams featured the competition, held in Poland from July 21–31. Lithuania were the defending champion. Spain won their third title. Te ...

. In 2013, he again won a silver medal with the Serbian U19 team at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where he was to the All-Tournament Team. In the same year, he debuted for the senior Serbian national team at the

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France defeated Lithuania in th ...

in Slovenia, where he averaged 4.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Micić also represented Serbia at the

EuroBasket 2017 EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar ...

, where they won the silver medal, after losing in the final game to

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. At the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, 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 and

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 ...

, it finished in fifth place. Micić averaged 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists over 8 games.

Personal life

Vasilije's sister, Nina, is a professional

snowboarder Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2,

Bayern Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, 6 , , 1 , , 18.0 , , .450 , , .200 , , .875 , , 1.5 , , 3.2 , , .5 , , .0 , , 7.5 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, 2015–16 , 4 , , 0 , , 6.2 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .8 , , .8 , , .5 , , .3 , , .5 , , -1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 1 , , 17.4 , , .341 , , .361 , , .724 , , 1.8 , , 3.6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 5.5 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Žalgiris , style="background:#CFECEC;", 36* , , 10 , , 22.4 , , .432 , , .355 , , .707 , , 2.2 , , 4.2 , , .9 , , .0 , , 7.7 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;"rowspan="4", Anadolu Efes , style="background:#CFECEC;", 37* , , 30 , , 28.2 , , .474 , , .371 , , .819 , , 2.2 , , 5.5 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 12.4 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , 24 , , 22 , , 30.6 , , .467 , , .397 , , .964 , , 2.5 , , 5.8 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 14.5 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2020–21† , 40 , , 34 , , 29.6 , , .489 , , .389 , , .865 , , 2.6 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 16.7 , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2021–22† , 34 , , 26 , , 30.2 , , .461 , , .339 , , .854 , , 2.7 , , 4.6 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 18.2* , , 17.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 198 , , 126 , , 26.3 , , .460 , , .365 , , .837 , , 2.3 , , 4.7 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 12.7 , , 13.3