The latest national team including NBA players in the preliminary list of players for the approaching 2022 EuroBasket qualifiers is Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both Jusuf Nurkic and Dzanan Musa are among the players selected by head coach Vedran Bosnic.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Rumors
According to Bosnian publication the Sarajevo Times, in the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ address, Turkovic described the success of Nurk and Musa and the country’s gratitude. ”We are proud of their results,” said Turkovic. “They have shown that hard work can make a world result. Today, they play in the strongest league in the world – the NBA and always proudly point out that they come from BiH. They are a role model for many children in BiH who are starting their first sports steps. Therefore, I used only my right to award them diplomatic passports.”
“When I left the small town of Svojata, I never dreamed that I would get something from the state. But anything is possible, even to get from Svojat to the NBA league. The passport will make my travels much easier and I am grateful to Minister Turkovic for that.” Jusuf Nurkic told the Sarajevo Times
The dinner featured players from several Balkan countries: Serbia (Nikola Jokic and Boban Marjanovic), Slovenia (Luka Doncic, Goran Dragic and Vlatko Cancar) and Montenegro (Nikola Vucevic). Ivica Zubac and Mario Hezonja (Croatia) and Jusuf Nurkić (Bosnia and Herzegovina) weren’t there the first night, but they joined the group the next day for brunch and then two days later for a second dinner.
On that first night, the group longed for familiarity and comfort — and a little bit of fun. Dinner turned into drinks. Drinks turned into playing music from their phones while locking arms and belting Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian songs, including “Slavija” by Džej and “Ne Moze Nam Niko Nista” by Mitar Miric, seemingly every few minutes. They weren’t the only players unwinding by going out and eating and drinking in the bubble that night, but they were certainly the loudest. “We transformed the restaurant to a club,” Dragić said.
The quick-witted banter was led by Jokić and Marjanović, the two entertainers of the rowdy bunch. “Jokić is a jokester,” Zubac told The Athletic. “He’s the one always making jokes. Boban is always making jokes, too. Pretty much everyone is like that, but they’re the most. They’re always trying to make some jokes about other guys.”
