Jusuf Nurkić

About

Jusuf Nurkić ( YOO-soof NURR-kitch; born 23 August 1994) is a Bosnian professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the senior Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Nurkić was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, before being traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft night. He has also played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns and the Charlotte Hornets.

Nurkić was born on 23 August 1994 in Živinice, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He began playing basketball at age 14 after Bosnian sports agent Enes Trnovčević took Nurkić to Slovenia and gave him an opportunity to play. Nurkić played in the youth categories for Slovenian team Zlatorog Laško. In February 2012, he was briefly loaned to Union Olimpija in order to play the Nike International Junior Tournament, which was held in Belgrade. Nurkić attracted attention internationally by averaging 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds in five games. Shortly after the tournament, he parted ways with Zlatorog Laško. Just days after, it was revealed that Nurkić was training with Croatian team Cedevita.