Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic helped the Serbian team advance to the FIBA World Cup championship game.
Nikola Jovic has reason to celebrate, but it’s the way he does it that makes headlines and attracts attention.
After helping the Serbian national team win the FIBA World Cup with a 95-86 win over Team Canada on Friday morning, Jovic ran into the tunnel after the game and Canadian Dillon Brooks, forward of the Houston Rockets, whose last game shadow boxing routine went viral on social media this week and is being ridiculed.
Jovic, selected by the Miami Heat with the 27th pick in last year’s draft, played a starting role in Serbia’s run to the title on Sunday.
In Friday morning’s win over Canada, he finished with eight points on 4-for-4 shooting and one rebound.
Canada – a team that includes NBA talent like Brooks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Kelly Olynyk – is considered one of the favorites to win the tournament.
Jovic, a 20-year-old, 6-foot-11 forward, stands out among a list of Serbian talent that includes NBA player Bogdan Bogdanovic and several Serbian veterans.
Jovic averaged 10.
3 points on 60.
5% shooting (45.
5% from 3-point range) in seven tournament games.
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In the championship match, Jovic could face Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, an assistant on the Team USA coaching staff led by Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Team USA will face Germany in the semi-finals on Friday morning.
Jovic, the only Heat player to participate in the World Cup, was mentioned as a potential piece in a trade for Damian Lillard, who requested a trade to the Portland Trail Blazers in July.
If not included in the deal for Lillard, this strong World Cup performance could set him up for a better second NBA season after a back injury limited him to just 15 NBA games while still a rookie.