Nikola Đurišić

Nikola Đurišić
	Đurišić in 2023
No. 7 – College Park Skyhawks
Position	Small forward
League	NBA G League
Personal information
Born	23 February 2004 (age 20); Ghent, Belgium
Nationality	Serbian
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	214 lb (97 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	2024: 2nd round, 43rd overall pick
	Selected by the Miami Heat
Playing career	2020–present
Career history
2020–2024	Mega Basket
2020–2021	→OKK Beograd
2024–present	College Park Skyhawks
Career highlights and awards
	ABA League Top Prospect (2023); Euroleague NGT champion (2022); 2× Junior ABA League champion (2021, 2022); Euroleague NGT MVP (2022); Junior ABA League Ideal Starting Five (2021);
	Stats at NBA.com

Nikola Đurišić (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Ђуришић; born 23 February 2004) is a Serbian professional basketball player for the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League.

Early life and career

Đurišić was born in Ghent, Belgium, as his father was playing football professionally. His father is Duško Đurišić, a Montenegrin former professional footballer, and his mother is Vesna Čitaković, a Serbian former professional volleyball player who helped the Serbia national team to win a silver medal at the 2007 European Championship and a bronze at the 2006 World Championship.^[1]^[2] He spent his early childhood in Belgium, Italy, Turkey, and Germany with his mother as she was playing volleyball, before he moved to Belgrade, Serbia when he was 8. His uncle, Perica Đurišić, a basketball coach, introduced him to the game.^[3]

Đurišić was playing basketball for the KK Banjica youth system before he joined the Mega Basket youth system in 2017.^[4] At the 2020–21 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament, he averaged 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, and won the All-Tournament Team selection.^[5]^[6]

In May 2022, was named the Euroleague NGT Finals MVP and honored with Euroleague NGT All-Tournament Team, after his team won the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament for the 2021–22 season.^[7]^[8]^[9]

Professional career

Mega Basket (2020–2024)

In September 2020, Mega Basket loaned Đurišić to OKK Beograd for the 2020–21 Basketball League of Serbia. Over 29 regular season games, he averaged 16.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and three assists per game.^[10]

Đurišić made his senior debut in the ABA League for Mega Basket on 11 April 2021 in a 84–76 loss to FMP making only 17 seconds of playing time.^[11] On his 18th birthday, 23 February 2022, Đurišić signed his first professional contract with Mega Basket.^[12] In 2022–23 season, Đurišić became one of the team leaders, averaging 13.1 points, 3.7 assists and 3 rebounds over 24 ABA League games. During the 2023–24 season, Đurišić averaged 15.4 points, 3.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds on 46.3% shooting from the field, in 30 ABA League games with Mega.

College Park Skyhawks (2024–present)

On 26 October 2024, Đurišić signed with the College Park Skyhawks.^[13]

NBA rights

On 27 June 2024, Đurišić was selected with the 43rd overall pick by the Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA draft, however, immediately on draft night, he was traded along with cash to the Atlanta Hawks via a three-way trade with the Houston Rockets.^[14]

National team career

Đurišić was a member of the Serbia U16 national team that participated at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine, Italy. Over seven tournament games, he averaged 4.7 points, three rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.^[15] He was a member of the Serbia U19 national team at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup. Over three tournament games, he averaged 7.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.^[16]

On 25 February 2022, Đurišić made his debut for the Serbia national team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, just two days after his 18th birthday. In a 75–63 win over Slovakia, he recorded 7 points, 4 rebounds, one assist, and 3 steals in 20 minutes of playing time.^[17]^[18]^[19]

Career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	PIR	Performance Index Rating
Bold	Career high

Adriatic League

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2020-21	Mega Basket	1	14.0	.670	.000	.800	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	8.0	4.0
2021-22		19	18.6	.390	.500	.790	2.1	1.9	0.6	0.0	6.1	5.1
2022-23		22	28.3	.410	.220	.700	3.0	3.7	1.1	0.1	13.3	12.1
2023-24		26	30.7	.450	.330	.740	2.7	3.4	1.0	0.4	14.4	14.2

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2022-23	Mega Basket	2	26.9	.440	.400	.500	2.5	3.5	0.5	0.5	11.0	9.5
2023–24	Mega Basket	4	33.8	.510	.380	.760	3.8	4.5	2.0	0.8	22.3	23.5

References

^ "Novi NBA projekat Mege je sin naše čuvene odbojkašice: Upoznajte jednog od najvećih talenata Srbije". telegraf.rs. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "It's all in the family for young talents at ANGT Finals". adidasngt.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "TANDEM ZA BUDUĆNOST NAŠE KOŠARKE Jedan je novi Nikola Jokić, drugi je debitovao sa 16 godina u ABA ligi, a obojica su Megini zlatni juniori". sport.blic.rs. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "Nikola Đurišić #45 Bek". bcmegabasket.net. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "DJURISIC, NIKOLA U18 Mega SoccerBet Belgrade 7 Guard". adidasngt.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "ANGT Finals Valencia: Best 5". adidasngt.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "Djurisic named ANGT Finals MVP after helping Mega to title". euroleaguebasketball.net. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
^ "Pretty in pink: Mega beat NGS celebrate first ANGT crown". euroleaguebasketball.net. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
^ "U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade 82 61 U18 Next Generation Select Team". euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
^ "Nikola Đurišić, OKK Beograd". kls.rs. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "Mega Basket Beograd 76-84 FMP Beograd". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "Poklon za 18. rođendan Nikole Đurišića: Prvi profesionalni ugovor sa Megom Mozzart". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^ "College Park Skyhawks Finalize Training Camp Schedule and Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
^ "Atlanta Hawks Acquire Draft Rights to Nikola Djurisic". NBA.com. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
^ "2019 U16 Serbia Nikola DJURISIC Forward". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "Nikola Đurišić, F, 2021 World Cup". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
^ "Serbia 1st Round Group A Final Score 75 63 Belgrade (SRB) Slovakia". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^ "Đurišić: Fenomenalan debi - nisam mogao bolje da zamislim; Ristić: Po novu pobedu u Slovačkoj". rtv.rs. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^ "Srpski biser nakon debija za reprezentaciju: Adekvatan poklon za 18. rođendan". nova.rs. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.

External links

Profile at euroleague.net
Profile at realgm.com
Profile at eurobasket.com
Profile at aba-liga.com

[1] "Novi NBA projekat Mege je sin naše čuvene odbojkašice: Upoznajte jednog od najvećih talenata Srbije". telegraf.rs. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[2] "It's all in the family for young talents at ANGT Finals". adidasngt.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[3] "TANDEM ZA BUDUĆNOST NAŠE KOŠARKE Jedan je novi Nikola Jokić, drugi je debitovao sa 16 godina u ABA ligi, a obojica su Megini zlatni juniori". sport.blic.rs. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[4] "Nikola Đurišić #45 Bek". bcmegabasket.net. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[5] "DJURISIC, NIKOLA U18 Mega SoccerBet Belgrade 7 Guard". adidasngt.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[6] "ANGT Finals Valencia: Best 5". adidasngt.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[7] "Djurisic named ANGT Finals MVP after helping Mega to title". euroleaguebasketball.net. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

[8] "Pretty in pink: Mega beat NGS celebrate first ANGT crown". euroleaguebasketball.net. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

[9] "U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade 82 61 U18 Next Generation Select Team". euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

[10] "Nikola Đurišić, OKK Beograd". kls.rs. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[11] "Mega Basket Beograd 76-84 FMP Beograd". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[12] "Poklon za 18. rođendan Nikole Đurišića: Prvi profesionalni ugovor sa Megom Mozzart". mozzartsport.com. Retrieved 24 February 2022.

[13] "College Park Skyhawks Finalize Training Camp Schedule and Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.

[14] "Atlanta Hawks Acquire Draft Rights to Nikola Djurisic". NBA.com. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

[15] "2019 U16 Serbia Nikola DJURISIC Forward". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[16] "Nikola Đurišić, F, 2021 World Cup". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 12 September 2021.

[17] "Serbia 1st Round Group A Final Score 75 63 Belgrade (SRB) Slovakia". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 12 April 2022.

[18] "Đurišić: Fenomenalan debi - nisam mogao bolje da zamislim; Ristić: Po novu pobedu u Slovačkoj". rtv.rs. Retrieved 12 April 2022.

[19] "Srpski biser nakon debija za reprezentaciju: Adekvatan poklon za 18. rođendan". nova.rs. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.

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