Jusuf Nurkić ( ; born 23 August 1994) is a Bosnian 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 (appro ...

player for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He was selected by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, before being traded to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

on draft night. Nurkić has also played for the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

and Phoenix Suns. He internationally represents the Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national basketball team.

Early career

Born in

Živinice Živinice is a city located in Tuzla Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, south of Tuzla. As of 2013, it has a population of 57,765 inhabitan ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, Nurkić began playing basketball when he was 14 years old, after Bosnian sports agent Enes Trnovčević took him to Slovenia and gave him an opportunity to play. Nurkić played in the youth categories for Slovenian team Zlatorog Laško. In February 2012, he was briefly loaned to Union Olimpija in order to play the Nike International Junior Tournament, which was held in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

. Nurkić attracted attention internationally by averaging 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds in five games. Shortly after the tournament, he parted ways with Zlatorog Laško. Just days after, it was revealed that Nurkić was training with Croatian team Cedevita.

Professional career

Cedevita Zagreb (2012–2014)

In October 2012, after a few months of training with Croatian team Cedevita, Nurkić signed a contract with Cedevita Zagreb. In his first season with Cedevita, Nurkić had a small role in the team under head coach Aleksandar Petrović, mostly playing in garbage time. In the Euroleague, he played in only six games, averaging 1.8 points per game. In January 2013, Nurkić was loaned to

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

until the end of the season on his initiative, hoping to play more minutes. In his second season, under new head coach Jasmin Repeša, Nurkić had breakthroughs in the regional

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

, averaging 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, for only 16.3 minutes spent on the court. This was attributed mainly to foul troubles and conditioning issues. In 2014, Nurkić was nominated for the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year Award.

Denver Nuggets (2014–2017)

On 26 June 2014, Nurkić was selected by the

with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He was later traded to the

on draft night. On 31 July 2014, Nurkić signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets. On 29 October 2014, Nurkić made his NBA debut, recording five points and seven rebounds in an 89–79 victory over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

.Jusuf Nurkic 2014-15 Game Log
/ref> On 1 January 2015, Nurkić had his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 106–101 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Two days later, Nurkić recorded his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five blocks in a 114–85 victory over the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

. Nurkić went on to record two more double-doubles in February. He was named a participant in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge as a replacement for Steven Adams of 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

, but declined to play in the event for personal reasons. In the regular-season finale against the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

, Nurkić scored a season-high 17 points in a 133–126 loss. On 20 May, he underwent successful surgery to repair a partially torn left patellar tendon. On 11 October 2015, the Nuggets exercised their third-year team option on Nurkić's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016–17 season. He made his 2015–16 season debut on 2 January against the Warriors, having been inactive for the first two months of the season due to recovering from his torn left patellar tendon. Four days later, Nurkić had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in a 78–74 victory over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

. On 12 March, he scored a season-high 17 points in a 116–100 victory over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

. Nurkić topped that mark twice in late March, scoring 18 points against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

on 25 March, and 19 points against the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

on 27 March. On 8 April, he scored a career-high 21 points in a 102–98 victory over 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. In the Nuggets' 2016–17 season opener on 26 October 2016, Nurkić set a new career high with 23 points in a 107–102 victory over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. Five days later, he had 13 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in a 105–102 loss to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. After

Nikola Jokić Nikola Jokić ( ; sr-Cyrl, Никола Јокић ; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a Center (basketball), center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the ...

emerged as Denver's starting center, Nurkić was demoted to the bench. The demotion to the bench did not sit well with Nurkić, and he was not afraid to voice his displeasure with the situation, requesting to be traded twice, first in April 2016 and then again in December 2016. The Nuggets eventually granted Nurkić his wish 10 days before the 2017 trade deadline.

Portland Trail Blazers (2017–2023)

First years in Portland (2017–2019)

On 13 February 2017, Nurkić was traded, along with the rights to the

' 2017 first round draft pick, to the

in exchange for

Mason Plumlee Mason Alexander Plumlee (born March 5, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily plays the forward and center positions. As a freshman in 2009–10, he was ...

, a 2018 second round pick and cash considerations. Nurkić made his debut for the Trail Blazers on 15 February 2017, recording 13 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench in a 111–88 loss to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. Nurkić made his first start for the Trail Blazers in the next game on 23 February 2017 following the NBA All-Star break, recording 12 points and 12 rebounds in a 112–103 victory over the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

. On 2 March 2017, he had 18 points, 12 rebounds, a career-high six assists, and five blocks in a 114–109 victory over the

. On 9 March 2017, Nurkić had a career-high 28 points and 20 rebounds in a 114–108 overtime victory over the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. He also had eight assists and six blocks, becoming the first NBA player to post at least 28 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists, and six blocks in a game since

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...

pulled the feat in November 1986. On 28 March 2017, Nurkić set a new career high with 33 points to go along with 15 rebounds in a 122–113 victory over his former team, the Denver Nuggets. Three days later, Nurkić was ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a non-displaced fracture in his right leg. On 22 April 2017, Nurkić returned to action in Game 3 of the Trail Blazers' first-round playoff series against the

, after having missed the final seven games of the regular season and the first two playoff games at Golden State. He finished the 119–113 loss with two points and 11 rebounds as the Trail Blazers went down 3–0 in the series. Nurkić went on to miss Game 4 of the series, as the Trail Blazers bowed out of the playoffs with a 4–0 series loss to the Warriors. On 24 November 2017, Nurkić recorded 29 points and 15 rebounds in a 127–125 victory over the

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

. On 18 January 2018, he had 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds in a 100–86 victory over the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On 9 April 2018, Nurkić recorded 20 points and 19 rebounds in an 88–82 loss to the Nuggets. In Game 4 of the Trail Blazers' first-round playoff series against the

, Nurkić had 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 131–123 loss. The loss eliminated Portland from the playoffs, as they lost the series in a four-game sweep. On 6 July 2018, Nurkić re-signed with the Trail Blazers. On 22 October 2018, he recorded 22 points and 18 rebounds in a 125–124 overtime loss to the

. On 18 November 2018, Nurkić had 13 points, 14 rebounds, and matched his career high with eight assists in a 119–109 victory over the Wizards. Two days later, Nurkić had 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 118–114 victory over the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

, thus recording his career-best fifth straight double-double. On 27 December, Nurkić had 27 points and 12 rebounds in a 110–109 overtime victory over the Warriors. On 1 January 2019, Nurkić logged a career-high 23 rebounds in a 113–108 overtime win against the Sacramento Kings, while also putting up an impressive stat line of 24 points, seven assists, five blocks, and five steals in that game. This performance marked a historic milestone, as it was the first ever game since the official recording of steals and blocks in 1973, where a player achieved 20+ points, 20+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 5+ blocks, and 5+ steals for an official 5x5. On 11 January 2019, Nurkić had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and tied career highs with eight assists and six blocks in a 127–96 victory over the

, becoming the third player in NBA history to record such a stat line in fewer than 30 minutes. On 16 January 2019, he recorded his first career triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 129–112 victory over the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

Injury-plagued seasons (2019–2023)

On 25 March 2019, Nurkić suffered a

compound fracture An open fracture, also called a compound fracture, is a type of bone fracture (broken bone) that has an open wound in the skin near the fractured bone. The skin wound is usually caused by the bone breaking through the surface of the skin. An open fr ...

of his left

tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...

and fibula in the second overtime of the Trail Blazers' 148–144 victory over the

. Nurkić had a season-high 32 points and 16 rebounds before the injury. The Trail Blazers confirmed that it was a season-ending injury the same night. Nurkic was expected to return from his injury on 15 March 2020. However, with the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Nurkić did not make his return until 31 July 2020, in a 140–135 overtime victory over the

, in which he recorded 18 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks. On 14 January 2021, Nurkić fractured his right wrist in an 87–111 blowout loss to the

. Nurkić made his return on 26 March 2021, recording eight points and eight rebounds in a 112–105 victory over the

. On 23 April 2021, Nurkić logged a season-high 26 points in a 130–128 loss to the

. On 6 January 2022, during the fourth quarter of a 115–109 loss to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, Nurkić was ejected from the game after an altercation with Heat guard Tyler Herro. The next day, the NBA fined both Nurkić and Herro $25,000 each for the incident. On 22 January 2022, Nurkic scored 29 points, including a go-ahead basket with 13 seconds left, and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 109–105 victory over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. On 22 March 2022, he was fined $40,000 by the NBA for a confrontation with a fan two days earlier after a 129–98 blowout loss to the

, during which Nurkić threw the fan's phone into the stands. On 28 March 2022, Nurkić was ruled out for the remainder of the season with

plantar fasciitis Plantar fasciitis or plantar heel pain is a disorder of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue that supports the Arches of the foot, arch of the foot. It results in pain in the heel and Sole (foot), bottom of the foot that is usuall ...

in his left foot. On 6 July 2022, Nurkić re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a four-year, $70 million contract.

Phoenix Suns (2023–2025)

On 27 September 2023, Nurkić, alongside Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns as part of a three-team trade that sent

Damian Lillard Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr. (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Dame Time", he played college basketball for the Weber State Wi ...

to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

and Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Trail Blazers. Nurkić made his Suns debut on 24 October, recording a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds, including a game-securing driving lay-up, in a 108–104 victory over the

. On 8 November, Nurkić recorded 20 points, 17 rebounds, and eight assists alongside a game-winning floater in a 116–115 overtime victory over the

. On 3 March 2024, Nurkić recorded a career-high 31 rebounds alongside 14 points in a 118–110 loss to the

, marking the most rebounds in a game by a player since 2010. He also broke the Suns franchise record for most rebounds by a player in a game, which was previously held by Tyson Chandler. On 28 December 2024, Nurkić was suspended for 3 games without pay for an altercation involving both Naji Marshall and P. J. Washington during a game against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. With the Suns sitting at 15–18 to begin the 2025 part of their 2024–25 campaign, the Suns elected to move Nurkić to the bench in favor of

, beginning with their January 6, 2025 game against the

. He would later miss out on playing time altogether starting on their January 9 game against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

as well.

Charlotte Hornets (2025–present)

On 6 February 2025, Nurkić was traded to the

alongside a 2026 first-round pick in exchange for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micić, and a 2026 second-round pick.

National team career

Playing for

, Nurkić was named

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

of the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B held in 2012, where he averaged 19.4 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Nurkić was also MVP of the

FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The FIBA U20 EuroBasket is the new name for the FIBA U20 European Championship, originally known as the European Championship for Men '22 and Under'. It is a men's youth basketball competition that was inaugurated with the 1992 edition. Through ...

Division B, held in 2014, where he averaged 21.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Nurkić played a minor role in the senior team of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 qualification, but did not make the squad for the final tournament due to the conflict with the board of Bosnian National Basketball Association. Nurkić represented the senior

Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team The Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national basketball team (Bosnian language, Bosnian: ''Košarkaška reprezentacija Bosne i Hercegovine'' / Кошаркашка репрезентација Босне и Херцеговине) represents Bosnia ...

during Eurobasket 2017 qualification. He averaged 19.2 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. Nurkić represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at EuroBasket 2022, where the team was eliminated in the group stage. He helped his country get a "shock win", 97–93, against the defending champions

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. Nurkić averaged 16.2 points and 7.0 rebounds over the tournament.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 62 , , 27 , , 17.8 , , .446 , , .000 , , .636 , , 6.2 , , .8 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 3 , , 17.1 , , .417 , , .000 , , .616 , , 5.5 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , 1.4 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

, 45 , , 29 , , 17.9 , , .507 , , .000 , , .496 , , 5.8 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .8 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 20 , , 19 , , 29.2 , , .508 , , .000 , , .660 , , 10.4 , , 3.2 , , 1.3 , , 1.9 , , 15.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 79 , , 79 , , 26.4 , , .505 , , .000 , , .630 , , 9.0 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , 1.4 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 72 , , 72 , , 27.4 , , .508 , , .103 , , .773 , , 10.4 , , 3.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 8 , , 8 , , 31.6 , , .495 , , .200 , , .886 , , 10.3 , , 4.0 , , 1.4 , , 2.0 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 37 , , 37 , , 23.8 , , .514 , , .400 , , .619 , , 9.0 , , 3.4 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 56 , , 56 , , 28.2 , , .535 , , .268 , , .690 , , 11.1 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 52 , , 52 , , 26.8 , , .519 , , .361 , , .661 , , 9.1 , , 2.9 , , .8 , , .8 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 76 , , 76 , , 27.3 , , .510 , , .244 , , .640 , , 11.0 , , 4.0 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 25 , , 23 , , 23.7 , , .454 , , .322 , , .696 , , 9.2 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .6 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 26 , , 9 , , 18.1 , , .497 , , .283 , , .627 , , 6.5 , , 2.6 , , .7 , , .7 , , 9.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2, Career , 590 , , 490 , , 24.3 , , .501 , , .285 , , .667 , , 8.8 , , 2.5 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , 11.8

Playoffs

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2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 1 , , 1 , , 16.7 , , .333 , , .000 , , .000 , , 11.0 , , 4.0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 4 , , 4 , , 23.4 , , .487 , , , , .818 , , 8.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 5 , , 5 , , 32.3 , , .439 , , .273 , , .783 , , 10.4 , , 3.6 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 6 , , 6 , , 28.9 , , .545 , , .200 , , .720 , , 10.3 , , 2.7 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 4 , , 4 , , 25.9 , , .500 , , .000 , , .455 , , 8.3 , , 2.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , 7.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 20 , , 20 , , 27.4 , , .489 , , .211 , , .714 , , 9.5 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 11.5

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;", Cedevita , 6 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .625 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .7 , , .0 , , .2 , , .5 , , 1.8 , , 2.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 6 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .625 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .7 , , .0 , , .2 , , .5 , , 1.8 , , 2.0

Domestic leagues

Personal life

Nurkić's father, Hariz, is a police officer in Bosnia and Herzegovina and as first noted by some of the

' broadcasters, he stands at a similar height to Jusuf at 7 feet (2.13 m) tall, but weighs over 400 pounds (181 kg). In an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Nurkić confirmed his father's enormous physical stature and noted that his younger brother, at the age of 13, is already engaged in basketball, donning size 16 shoes, and is looking to play collegiately in the United States once he reaches that education level. Nurkić is a practicing

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. On 12 April 2021, he sparked controversy in former Yugoslavia after marking the beginning of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

by tweeting an image of the Meštrović Pavilion in 1944, when it was converted into a mosque by the

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

regime in the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

, a

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

puppet state A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its ord ...

established in the occupied Yugoslavia. During that time, the Pavilion bore the name of Croatian

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

dictator and

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

perpetrator, '' Poglavnik'' Ante Pavelić (, ).

References

External links

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Jusuf Nurkić
at abaliga.com
Jusuf Nurkić
at eurobasket.com
Jusuf Nurkić
at euroleague.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Nurkic, Jusuf 1994 births Living people ABA League players Bosnia and Herzegovina men's basketball players 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in the United States Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls draft picks Denver Nuggets players KK Cedevita players KK Zadar players NBA players from Bosnia and Herzegovina People from Živinice Phoenix Suns players Portland Trail Blazers players Sportspeople from Tuzla Canton