Joseph said it’s no coincidence so many Kings have been stepping up to help. Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica partnered with the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation to provide help for hospitals in their native Serbia, and there will be more efforts from players and the organization. “I think it shows the characteristics of the type of guys we have,” Joseph said. “Selfless guys who want to see the community they live in be healthy and be good. I think it just boils down to that. Guys are trying to help any way they can. And that’s why you see a lot of guys on our team, whether it be internationally because we have a lot of international guys or right there in Sacramento, the community we live in currently, we want to step up and do our part.”
Nemanja Bjelica Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: F-G
Born: 05/09/88
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight:224 lbs. / 101.6 kg.
Salary: $6,825,000
Born: 05/09/88
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight:224 lbs. / 101.6 kg.
Salary: $6,825,000
Bogdan Bogdanovic and his Kings and Serbian National Team teammate Nemanja Bjelica have partnered with the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation to donate medical-grade masks, ventilators and other needed supplies to hospitals in Serbia to support patients who test positive for COVID-19, those who have been exposed or at high risk.
“I feel like they need our help right now,” Bogdanovic told The Athletic. “It doesn’t matter where you donate, where you’re trying to help, I feel like the whole world needs some kind help. So it’s good to be there (to help), especially in this tough time. I’m just following the example of others I saw and I hope I will be an example for someone else.” According to the U.S. Embassy in Serbia, there are 2,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 58 deaths as of Monday. Commercial flights in and out of Serbia have been suspended indefinitely.
Bogdanovic plans to continue to monitor the happenings around the world and how he might be able to help. He also believes players can begin to look at their lives from a bigger perspective and what they might want to pursue after basketball. “I feel like everyone should see what is going on and what it might be like when you’re retired,” Bogdanovic said. “That’s what you can learn from this situation, and follow the rules that the government is giving us, the World Health Organization as well, for this pandemic to go away as quickly as it can.”
James Ham: Bogdanovic, Bjelica and Vlade and Ana Divac donate medical supplies to Serbia during the coronavirus epidemic. pic.twitter.com/gs8Deilswt
Sacramento doesn’t need to trade Bogdanovic, and it has declined some offers already. The Kings offered Nemanja Bjelica and a pick to the Lakers for Kyle Kuzma, and Los Angeles countered by asking for Bogdanovic, according to multiple league sources. Sacramento refused.
Jason Anderson: Kings coach Luke Walton says he will start Bjelica and Dedmon with Bagley out tonight.
Jason Anderson: No sign of Marvin Bagley III on the injury report for Kings vs. Heat. Kings: PROBABLE – Nemanja Bjelica (ankle). OUT – Richaun Holmes (shoulder).
Dave Mason: Marvin Bagley, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Richaun Holmes will be out tonight vs. Milwaukee. Bjelica and Joseph are good to go.
James Ham: Bogdan Bogdanovic and Richaun Holmes are out for tonight’s game. Nemanja Bjelica (right ankle) and Marvin Bagley (left foot) are both questionable. Kyle Guy is with the team and available to play.
James Ham: Nemanja Bjelica will start at the power forward spot tonight for Sacramento. Fox, Hield, Barnes, Bjelica and Dedmon.
Jason Jones: Luke Walton said Nemanja Bjelica is likely to replace Bagley in the starting lineup, but there is no final decision. Injury occurred in the fourth quarter last night. De’Aaron Fox (ankle) practiced, Buddy Hield (ankle) did not practice and is day-to-day.
Serbia forward Nemanja Bjelica made his self-criticism while praising his team’s camaraderie following the eliminating loss to Argentina in the World Cup quarterfinals. “We weren’t ready for this game. Especially mentally. Especially myself. I take complete responsibility for it. I know we are a team but as one of the leaders… I must say I played like s–t,” Bjelica said in the post-game presser.
“They deserved this victory today. What I can say for us is that we are a great group of guys. We didn’t lose this game because are arrogant or we think that we are something special. We just didn’t prepare ourselves the right way. I can talk for hours but this loss is very tough. It’s hard. But it’s basketball.”
Jorge Sierra: Major upset at the World Cup: Argentina, without a single NBA player, beats a Serbian NT with Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica and Boban Marjanovic. The Serbians won their first four games of the tournament by an average of 40.7 points. Life comes at you fast.
Serbia advanced to the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 on Monday after trouncing Philippines 126-67 in Foshan. Nemanja Bjelica led seven Serbian players who scored 10 points or more, while the Philippines’ most important player Andray Blatche had a night to forget, finishing with 5 points, 5 rebounds before fouling out.
The Philippines provided no serious challenge to red-hot Serbia. Sasha Djordjevic’s side strolled to the 126-67 win in 2019 FIBA World Cup Group D action at Foshan on Monday to secure a spot in the second round. Nemanja Bjelica saw action after missing the first game and made 7/7 from the field for 20 points. Bogdan Bogdanovic put up 17 points to include himself among seven players scoring in double digits. Nikola Jokic tallied 11 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in just 18:45.
Despite trailing at halftime (32-23), Serbia turned the tables in the second half and logged a 61-56 win over France at the AusTiger Tournament. With this win, Serbia stayed the only undefeated national team in preparations for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China as they won all ten of their games. Miroslav Raduljica led the way with 13 points followed by Nikola Jokic’s ten while Vasilije Micic added nine points. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica and Vladimir Lucic didn’t play for Serbia.
Any thoughts of returning to Europe in the near or distant future? Nemanja Bjelica: I don’t know. I want to finish my career in the NBA, but you never know. I belong to the NBA and I want to stay there.
What’s your feeling concerning your presence in the NBA? Nemanja Bjelica: I’ve been there for the last four years. I have found my role, I feel great at Sacramento. Our guys treat me well, we have a young team and one day we will fight for the championship.
Harrison Wind: Serbia, without Jokic and Marjanovic for all but five minutes, edges Giannis and Greece 85-80 in OT to take the Acropolis Tournament gold. Bogdanovic (28 points, five 3s) and Bjelica (18 points, 14 rebounds) did the heavy lifting for Serbia in front of a loud, pro-Greek crowd.
After beating Turkey, Serbia logged its second win at the Acropolis Tournament by dominating Italy 96-64. Nikola Jokic scored 20 points in addition to Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 15. Boban Marjanovic, Marko Guduric and Nemanja Bjelica added 13 points each.
Serbia took down Lithuania in a tough preparation game ahead of the FIBA World Cup thanks to the effort of its NBAers. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 27 points and was Serbia’s leading scorer, followed by Nikola Jokic stopped at 14 and Nemanja Bjelica added 11 points.
Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica said that there’s nothing like of playing for the Serbian national team for him since the feeling is incomparable with everything else he experiences as a basketball player. “When you play for your national team it’s something really special. You can’t compare it with NBA or with EuroLeague. It’s the same sport but you take a lot of pride when you represent your country,” Bjelica said during an interview for the Kings.
Kayte Christensen: Nemanja Bjelica will not return in the 2nd half due to stomach illness
James Ham: De’Aaron Fox, Nemanja Bjelica and Iman Shumpert all out tonight for Sacramento. Resting and recharging.
Jason Anderson: Interestingly, Kings coach Dave Joerger said his decision to start Koufos over Bjelica the other night was only partly due to the way JJJ attacked Bjelica on Nov. 16 in Memphis. Joerger said there was also “something else” he wanted to look at, but he wouldn’t elaborate.
Returning to the arena that played host to the end of the Jimmy Butler saga, the Timberwolves looked nothing like the team that had been rejuvenated by the arrival of Robert Covington and Dario Saric. That relentless, turnover-generating defense that wreaked havoc at Target Center was buried under an avalanche of 3-pointers, most notably from ex-Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica. “I have a coach who is trusting me,” Bjelica told The Athletic after a 141-130 victory over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night. “He knows how to use me. Not just me, he knows how to use everybody on this team. We have a great atmosphere, great group of guys. It’s the NBA. Everything is about opportunity in this league.”
An old Wolf looks awfully good running free in Sacramento. The new-look team from Minnesota, you didn’t even have to squint to see the same old Timberwolves rear their ugly heads. Returning to the arena that played host to the end of the Jimmy Butler saga, the Timberwolves looked nothing like the team that had been rejuvenated by the arrival of Robert Covington and Dario Saric. That relentless, turnover-generating defense that wreaked havoc at Target Center was buried under an avalanche of 3-pointers, most notably from ex-Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica.
“I have a coach who is trusting me,” Bjelica told The Athletic after a 141-130 victory over the Timberwolves on Wednesday night. “He knows how to use me. Not just me, he knows how to use everybody on this team. We have a great atmosphere, great group of guys. It’s the NBA. Everything is about opportunity in this league.”
It was no secret that Bjelica was frustrated in his two seasons playing for Tom Thibodeau. When Butler was out with a knee injury, Bjelica was inserted into the starting lineup and played 34 minutes per night. When Butler was healthy, Bjelica hovered between 13 and 19 minutes. “When you don’t play a lot and you get an opportunity, you need to stay ready and play good,” Bjelica said. “But then the next game, when everybody’s healthy, you don’t play. That was really hard for me, but not just for me, for every player in the league who doesn’t have a big role. I will never say that I was the best player in Minnesota. We had a great team. I think coaches like me there. People love me there. But maybe that wasn’t a good fit for me.”
This is still a roster with little margin for error. Not much has worked for the Kings outside of lineups with Fox, Cauley-Stein, Hield, and Bjelica. All four have net ratings higher than plus-8.0. No one else in their rotation has a positive net rating. Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has been out since the start of the season recovering from offseason knee surgery, will likely be asked to stabilize their bench units when he returns later this month. However, even with Bogdanovic, the Kings will have a tough time holding on to a playoff spot. They are ninth in the Western Conference in net rating (plus-0.3), and the three teams directly behind them are the Lakers (minus-0.8), Pelicans (minus-1.8), and Rockets (minus-5.3)—all of whom have the star power to make up ground quickly.
Nemanja Bjelica is set to make his Kings debut. The free agent acquisition missed the team’s first three games with a sore left knee, but he adds another scorer and an option at both forward positions.
Sean Cunningham: Kings vs. Warriors (in Seattle) Kosta Koufos-OUT, right hamstring strain. Iman Shumpert-OUT, sore left calf (day to day) Nemanja Bjelica-OUT, sore left knee (day to day) Yogi Ferrell – Questionable, sprained right thumb; x-rays negative.
Dmitry Planidin: NBAers in today’s #FIBAWC qualifiers: Yuta Watanabe vs Kazakhstan (17), Nicolas Batum vs Bulgaria (17p/5r/5a), Tomas Satoransky vs Russia (16p/8r/6a), Jusuf Nurkic vs Finland (20p/9r), Dzanan Musa vs Finland (15p/9a/5r), Dennis Schroeder vs Estonia (16p/10a/6r), Bogdan Bogdanovic vs Greece (19p/3s), Nemanja Bjelica vs Greece (9p/12r/5a)
List of players set to join September World Cup qualifiers, final: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica, Tyler Dorsey, Cedi Osman, Furkan Korkmaz, Tomas Satoransky
Sasa Djordjevic on Divac doing his best to help the Serbian national team: “Divac is exceptionally positive towards us, he understands our obligations. There are a few more details to be taken care of regarding Bogdanovic, but as far as Bjelica goes it’s done. Bogdanovic underwent a surgery at the end of the season, so we have to keep an eye, but Vlade is a man who remembers the problems he had while playing with NBA teams and he is exceptionally willing to help.
That connection has been very important for the Serbian team as two important players are bound by the Kings at the moment – Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica. Djordjevic noted that Divac understands the situation as he also experienced the same problems during his career and has provided real help: “Huge! Divac is exceptionally positive towards us, he understands our obligations. There are a few more details to be taken care of regarding Bogdanovic but as far as Bjelica goes it’s done. Bogdanovic underwent a surgery at the end of the season, so we have to keep an eye, but Vlade is a man who remembers the problems he had while playing with NBA teams and he is exceptionally willing to help. We’ve been in touch for the past three or four nights talking about it. I’m so glad both of them are on his team because it will help them in their further careers”, Djordjevic told the Serbian press, per Basketballsphere.
Jovica Antonic, who is the assistant of Serbia’s head coach, Sasa Djordjevic, talked to the Serbian newspaper “Novosti” and confirmed that Nikola Jokic will not play for the national team in the World Cup Qualifiers in September. “We cannot count on Nikola Jokic to join us for the Qualifiers. However, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica will be available for both matches,” Antonic said.
His transition to the NBA was certainly made easier by having Serbian legends Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic in the Kings managing board but he is looking forward to having Nemanja Bjelica on the court with him next season: “I already had two guys to speak to in Serbian over there which helped me a lot. Now, I have another one on the court which is going to help me even more.”
David Morrow: Basketball Without Borders Europe 2018 coaches will include Nikola Jokic, Nemanja Bjelica, Gary Harris, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Frank Kaminsky, Boban Marjanovic, Nikola Vucevic, Ana Dabovic and Sonja Petrovic. Also participating: Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, Gregg Popovich.
The NBA, FIBA and the Basketball Federation of Serbia (KSS) on Tuesday announced the top 40 boys and 23 girls ages 17 and under from 25 countries who will participate in the 17th edition of Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Europe taking place from August 15-18 at Belgrade’s Zarkovo Sports Hall & Kosarkaski Centar. BWB is the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program. The campers will be put through their paces by current NBA and FIBA players Nemanja Bjelica (Sacramento Kings, Serbia), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Kings, Serbia); Gary Harris (Denver Nuggets, USA); Nikola Jokic (Nuggets, Serbia), Frank Kaminsky (Charlotte Hornets, USA/Serbia), Boban Marjanovic (Los Angeles Clippers, Serbia) and Nik Vucevic (Orlando Magic, Montenegro). WNBA players Ana Dabovic (Los Angeles Sparks, Serbia) and Sonja Petrovic (Phoenix Mercury, Serbia) will also participate in the camp.
03 Aug 18
