Serbia is looking to reclaim some of the form at this year's EuroBasket that saw them win three gold medals decades ago.
The team captured gold in 1995, 1997 and again in 2001 in what can be considered the golden era of Serbian basketball since the breakup of the old Yugoslavia. They secured a bronze in 1999 and more recently managed two second-place finishes (2009, 2017).
With the arrival of two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, expectations for the national team have risen. Jokic is the engine that will make the Serbian team run.
With that in mind, is Jokic available to play at EuroBasket 2022? The Sporting News has you covered with all the latest news surrounding the Serbian national team.
Watch every EuroBasket 2022 game live and on demand with ESPN+. Sign up now to catch all of the action with some of the NBA's biggest stars including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and more. Stream all games from both the group stage and knockout round from September 1 through the championship on September 18.
Is Nikola Jokic playing at EuroBasket 2022?
Jokic made his long-awaited return to the national team this summer and will play in his first major tournament since 2019 when he suited up for the FIBA World Cup.
In 2016, Jokic helped his country secure a late ticket to the Olympic Games via the FIBA Qualifying Tournament. From there, they finished second behind the USA in the final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“I feel great, similar to every time I reunite with these guys. I just met some of them,” Jokic said during media availability at the announcement of the Serbian squad. “We are preparing, we just started and we will see how far we can go. Up first are the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and the goal of helping Serbia qualify to the World Cup.”
The Nuggets star is used to displaying his dominance on an NBA court, as evidenced by his consecutive MVP wins. Now, he will have to do it in FIBA basketball, too.
It’s a “championship-or-bust” mentality in Serbia, according to Nikola Jokic.
— #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) August 4, 2022
Can they bring home the trophy? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/yGA5vzi2Nd
What is Serbia's final EuroBasket 2022 roster?
Jokic leads head coach Svetislav Pesic’s squad.
Aleksej Pokusevski and Nikola Jovic have both been ruled out of playing at the tournament by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat, respectively, according to Pestic.
Bogdan Bogdanovic was not called up since he underwent knee surgery at the end of the 2021-22 NBA season.
12 of the following players will make Serbia's final roster for EuroBasket 2022:
- Aleksa Avramovic, G
- Nemanja Bjelica, F
- Dejan Davidovac, F
- Ognjen Dobric, G
- Marko Guduric, G
- Marko Jagodic-Kuriza, F/C
- Ognjen Jaramaz, G
- Nikola Jokic, C
- Nikola Kalinic, F
- Balsa Koprivica, C
- Vladimir Lucic, F
- Vanja Marinkovic, G
- Vasilije Micic, G
- Nikola Milutinov, C
- Nemanja Nedovic, G
- Filip Petrusev, F/C
- Dusan Ristić, C
- Borisa Simanić, F
- Alen Smailagic, F
- Milos Teodosic, G
When does Serbia play at EuroBasket 2022?
Serbia, which is ranked sixth in the world, has been drawn into Group D along with the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Finland, Israel and Poland.
| Date | Opponent |
| Sept. 2 | Netherlands |
| Sept. 3 | Czech Republic |
| Sept. 5 | Finland |
| Sept. 6 | Israel |
| Sept. 8 | Poland |
