Ognjen Kuzmić ( sr-Cyrl, Огњен Кузмић, ; born May 16, 1990) 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 (appro ...

player for KK FMP of the

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, ...

. He has also represented the senior Serbian national team in international competition. Standing at , he plays at the center position. He was selected with the 52nd overall pick in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball A ...

by 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 ...

and won the 2015 NBA Championship with the same team.

Professional career

Kuzmić started his senior career in Borac Banja Luka and the first basketball steps began in Findo Doboj. After one season, he left to play for

Korihait Korihait () is a Finnish basketball team from Uusikaupunki. It was formed as Uudenkaupungin Urheilijat, shortly UU, in 1898 and has won one Korisliiga The Korisliiga is the top-tier professional basketball league in Finland, comprising the top ...

in the Finnish league. In 2010, he returned to Bosnia to play for KK Čelik Zenica. In 2011, he signed with Unicaja Málaga but played the 2011–12 season with farm team, Clínicas Rincón Benahavís of the Spanish Second League. He also played two games with Unicaja. In 2012, Unicaja Málaga loaned him to

Joventut Badalona Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two team ...

. On September 27, 2013, he signed with the

. During his rookie and sophomore seasons, he had multiple assignments with the

Santa Cruz Warriors The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior to ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, earning a mention to the All-NBA Development League Defensive Third Team and winning a D-League championship during the 2014–15 season. To add to his D-League title, he was part of Golden State's championship winning team who defeated 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 ...

in the 2015 NBA Finals. Kuzmić failed to appear in any post-season action due to a recurring left ankle injury. On July 27, 2015, he signed a two-year deal with the Greek club Panathinaikos. On April 21, 2016, he left PAO. On July 19, 2016, Kuzmić signed a three-year contract with Crvena zvezda. Kuzmić was named MVP for the month of January in the 2016–17 EuroLeague season. On July 26, 2017, Kuzmić signed a two-year deal with

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

. In October 2017, he tore the ACL in his left knee and was sidelined for the rest of the season. He returned on the court in 2018–19 season, but soon injured his right ankle and missed considerable time. After recovering from injury, he fell out of Real Madrid's rotation and appeared in only 12 games till the end of the season. On July 3, 2019, Kuzmić signed a two-year contract for Crvena zvezda. On October 24, 2019, Kuzmić made a season debut against

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, less than four months after sustaining severe injuries in

traffic accident A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Tr ...

. In February 2020, he was loaned to FMP for the rest of the 2019–20 season. On July 27, 2023, Kuzmić renewed his contract through 2025. On Christmas Day 2023, Kuzmić mutually parted ways with the Serbian powerhouse.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 21 , , 0 , , 4.4 , , .385 , , , , .455 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , .1 , , .2 , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 16 , , 0 , , 4.5 , , .667 , , , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 37 , , 0 , , 4.4 , , .520 , , , , .600 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .1 , , .1 , , .9

Playoffs

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

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 3 , , 0 , , 2.7 , , , , , , , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 3 , , 0 , , 2.7 , , , , , , , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;", Panathinaikos , 25 , , 18 , , 13.8 , , .480 , , , , .682 , , 4.1 , , .3 , , .4 , , .3 , , 5.1 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Crvena zvezda , 30 , , 30 , , 20.7 , , .549 , , , , .707 , , 7.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 9.4 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#AFE6BA;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

, 2 , , 0 , , 4.5 , , .333 , , , , , , 2.0 , , , , , , , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , - , style="text-align:left;, 2018–19 , 5 , , 1 , , 6.8 , , .364 , , , , .600 , , 2.6 , , , , .2 , , .4 , , 2.2 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Crvena zvezda , 19 , , 16 , , 12.9 , , .620 , , , , .813 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.9 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , 32 , , 25 , , 13.9 , , .544 , , , , .641 , , 3.9 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.8 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , 33 , , 29 , , 17.6 , , .567 , , , , .600 , , 5.1 , , .4 , , .5 , , .3 , , 5.4 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , 21 , , 16 , , 9.2 , , .711 , , , , .600 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.0 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , 3 , , 1 , , 6.7 , , .000 , , , , , , 2.3 , , 1.7 , , , , .3 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 170 , , 136 , , 14.7 , , .548 , , , , .668 , , 4.4 , , .5 , , .5 , , .3 , , 5.1 , , 7.4

National team career

Being a Bosnian Serb, Kuzmić was eligible to play for either

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 ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. In May 2013, he turned down a call-up from Bosnia and Herzegovina's head coach Aleksandar Petrović for their

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 men's national basketball ...

training camp. In May 2014, Kuzmić publicly stated his desire to play for the Serbian national team. In June 2014, national team head coach Aleksandar Đorđević included him on the preliminary 29-player list for the twelve 2014 World Cup roster spots. Three weeks later, in early July 2014, Kuzmić further made Đorđević's shortened list of 20 players invited for the training camp, however, a

fibula The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. ...

injury he picked up during the 2014 NBA Summer League ruled him out.

EuroBasket 2015

The following summer at EuroBasket 2015, Kuzmić represented Serbia for the first time at a major tournament. In the first phase of the tournament, the team led by head coach Aleksandar Đorđević dominated its round-robin group with a 5–0 record, and then eliminated

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and

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

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

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

67–64, and later lost 68–81 to the host team

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in the bronze-medal game. Over 9 tournament games, Kuzmić averaged 3.1 points and 3.0 rebounds on 50% shooting from the field.

EuroBasket 2017

Kuzmić 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, 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 ...

. Over 9 tournament games, he averaged 7.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. On 1 July 2019, Kuzmić was selected to the Serbia 18-man preliminary roster for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. On 15 July 2019, he was excluded from consideration due to the unpredictability of the recovery from the traffic accident he had been involved in a day earlier. Nikola Jovanović was called up in Kuzmić's place.

Personal life

2019 traffic accident

In the morning hours of 14 July 2019 on the

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

Prijedor Prijedor ( sr-cyrl, Приједор, ) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it had a population of 80,916 inhabitants within its administrative limits. Prijedor is situated in the northwestern part of the Bosanska ...

state road near the village of Ramići, Kuzmić was involved in a serious

. Driving his Porsche SUV, the twenty-nine-year-old professional basketball player reportedly collided with a BMW vehicle going in the opposite direction while traveling at a high speed. He sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident, breaking his

maxilla In vertebrates, the maxilla (: maxillae ) is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The two maxil ...

and

mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

head bones (upper and lower jaws), as well as his

chest The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

. He was immediately placed in

induced coma An induced comaalso known as a medically induced coma (MIC), barbiturate-induced coma, or drug-induced comais a temporary coma (a deep state of unconsciousness) brought on by a controlled dose of an anesthetic drug, often a barbiturate such as pe ...

and airlifted via helicopter to the Clinical Centre of Serbia 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 ...

. Reportedly, thirty-year-old Bosnian professional boxer Dražan Janjanin was a passenger in the car that collided with Kuzmić's car. Three days later, on 17 July 2019, Kuzmić underwent a

surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...

in which surgeons removed severe maxillofacial injuries. The next day after the surgery, 18 July 2019, he woke up from the coma. On 25 July 2019, Kuzmić was discharged from the hospital to home care.