Jusuf Nurkić facts for kids
Nurkić with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021
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| No. 20 – Phoenix Suns | |
|---|---|
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 23 August 1994 Živinice, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 290 lb (132 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16th overall |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Pro career | 2012–present |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 2012–2014 | Cedevita |
| 2013 | →Zadar |
| 2014–2017 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2017–2023 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2023–present | Phoenix Suns |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Jusuf Nurkić (born August 23, 1994) is a professional basketball player from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He plays as a center for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing 7 feet tall, he was chosen by the Chicago Bulls in the 2014 NBA draft. Later, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets on the same night. Nurkić also plays for the Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national basketball team.
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Early Career in Basketball
Jusuf Nurkić was born in Živinice, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He started playing basketball when he was 14 years old. A sports agent named Enes Trnovčević helped him get started in Slovenia.
Nurkić played for a youth team called Zlatorog Laško. In 2012, he briefly joined Union Olimpija for a special tournament in Belgrade. There, he played very well, scoring about 18.8 points and getting 11.0 rebounds per game. Soon after, he began training with the Croatian team Cedevita.
Professional Basketball Journey
Playing for Cedevita Zagreb (2012–2014)
In October 2012, Nurkić signed a contract with Cedevita Zagreb. In his first season, he didn't play much. He only played six games in the Euroleague, scoring 1.8 points per game.
In January 2013, Nurkić moved to Zadar to get more playing time. In his second season, he improved a lot. He averaged 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in the Adriatic League. This was impressive because he only played about 16 minutes per game. In 2014, he was even nominated for the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year Award.
Time with the Denver Nuggets (2014–2017)
On June 26, 2014, the Chicago Bulls picked Nurkić 16th overall in the 2014 NBA draft. However, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets right away. He signed his first NBA contract with the Nuggets on July 31, 2014.
Nurkić played his first NBA game on October 29, 2014. He scored five points and grabbed seven rebounds. On January 1, 2015, he achieved his first "double-double" (scoring at least 10 points and getting at least 10 rebounds). Two days later, he had another double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks. He continued to play well, even scoring a season-high 17 points in a game.
In October 2015, the Nuggets kept Nurkić for another season. He started the 2015–16 season later because he was recovering from a leg injury. On January 6, he had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He kept improving, scoring a career-high 21 points on April 8, 2016.
During the 2016–17 season, Nurkić scored a new career high of 23 points in the first game. He also had a career-high 18 rebounds in another game. Later, another player, Nikola Jokić, became the starting center. Nurkić was moved to the bench, and he asked to be traded. The Nuggets traded him in February 2017.
Years with the Portland Trail Blazers (2017–2023)
First Seasons in Portland (2017–2019)
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On February 13, 2017, Nurkić was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. He played his first game for Portland on February 15, scoring 13 points and getting seven rebounds. In his first start for the team, he had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Nurkić had some amazing games with the Trail Blazers. On March 9, 2017, he scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. He also had eight assists and six blocks! This was a very rare achievement in NBA history. On March 28, he scored a new career-high of 33 points against his old team, the Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately, he suffered a leg injury shortly after and missed the rest of the regular season.
He returned for the playoffs in April 2017 but missed some games. The Trail Blazers lost their playoff series.
In the 2017–18 season, Nurkić continued to play well. He had 29 points and 15 rebounds in a game against the Brooklyn Nets. He also grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds in another game.
Nurkić re-signed with the Trail Blazers in July 2018. On October 22, he had 22 points and 18 rebounds. He also matched his career high with eight assists in a game on November 18. He achieved his career-best five straight double-doubles in November 2018.
On January 1, 2019, Nurkić had an incredible game. He grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds and also had 24 points, seven assists, five blocks, and five steals. This was a historic "5x5" game, meaning he had at least five in five different stats! On January 16, 2019, he recorded his first "triple-double" (at least 10 in three different stats) with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Seasons with Injuries (2019–2023)
On March 25, 2019, Nurkić suffered a serious leg injury during a game. He had a season-high 32 points and 16 rebounds before the injury. This injury ended his season.
He was expected to return in March 2020, but the NBA season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurkić finally returned on July 31, 2020, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
On January 14, 2021, Nurkić broke his right wrist. He returned to play on March 26. On April 23, he scored a season-high 26 points.
In January 2022, Nurkić scored 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a win against the Boston Celtics. In March 2022, he was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a foot injury.
On July 6, 2022, Nurkić signed a new contract with the Trail Blazers.
Joining the Phoenix Suns (2023–Present)
On September 27, 2023, Nurkić was traded to the Phoenix Suns as part of a big trade involving several teams.
He made his Suns debut on October 24, scoring 14 points and getting 14 rebounds. On November 8, he had 20 points, 17 rebounds, and eight assists, helping the Suns win in overtime.
On March 3, 2024, Nurkić set a new career high with an amazing 31 rebounds in a game! This was the most rebounds by any NBA player since 2010. He also broke the Suns' team record for most rebounds in a single game.
Playing for His Country
Jusuf Nurkić has played for the Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national basketball team. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B in 2012. He averaged 19.4 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in that tournament.
He was also the MVP of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship Division B in 2014. There, he averaged 21.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Nurkić played for the senior national team in the Eurobasket 2017 qualification, averaging 19.2 points and 13.5 rebounds.
Nurkić also played at EuroBasket 2022. He helped his country get a surprising win against the defending champions, Slovenia. He averaged 16.2 points and 7.0 rebounds during the tournament.
Career Statistics
Here are some of Jusuf Nurkić's basketball statistics from his professional career.
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Denver | 62 | 27 | 17.8 | .446 | .000 | .636 | 6.2 | .8 | .8 | 1.1 | 6.9 |
| 2015–16 | Denver | 32 | 3 | 17.1 | .417 | .000 | .616 | 5.5 | 1.3 | .8 | 1.4 | 8.2 |
| 2016–17 | Denver | 45 | 29 | 17.9 | .507 | .000 | .496 | 5.8 | 1.3 | .6 | .8 | 8.0 |
| 2016–17 | Portland | 20 | 19 | 29.2 | .508 | .000 | .660 | 10.4 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 15.2 |
| 2017–18 | Portland | 79 | 79 | 26.4 | .505 | .000 | .630 | 9.0 | 1.8 | .8 | 1.4 | 14.3 |
| 2018–19 | Portland | 72 | 72 | 27.4 | .508 | .103 | .773 | 10.4 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 15.6 |
| 2019–20 | Portland | 8 | 8 | 31.6 | .495 | .200 | .886 | 10.3 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 17.6 |
| 2020–21 | Portland | 37 | 37 | 23.8 | .514 | .400 | .619 | 9.0 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 11.5 |
| 2021–22 | Portland | 56 | 56 | 28.2 | .535 | .268 | .690 | 11.1 | 2.8 | 1.1 | .6 | 15.0 |
| 2022–23 | Portland | 52 | 52 | 26.8 | .519 | .361 | .661 | 9.1 | 2.9 | .8 | .8 | 13.3 |
| 2023–24 | Phoenix | 76 | 76 | 27.3 | .510 | .244 | .640 | 11.0 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 10.9 |
| Career | 539 | 458 | 24.6 | .503 | .280 | .667 | 8.9 | 2.5 | .9 | 1.1 | 12.1 | |
Play-in
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Portland | 1 | 1 | 40.7 | .571 | .667 | .444 | 21.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 22.0 |
| Career | 1 | 1 | 40.7 | .571 | .667 | .444 | 21.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 22.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Portland | 1 | 1 | 16.7 | .333 | .000 | .000 | 11.0 | 4.0 | .0 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| 2018 | Portland | 4 | 4 | 23.4 | .487 | — | .818 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 11.8 |
| 2020 | Portland | 5 | 5 | 32.3 | .439 | .273 | .783 | 10.4 | 3.6 | 1.4 | .2 | 14.2 |
| 2021 | Portland | 6 | 6 | 28.9 | .545 | .200 | .720 | 10.3 | 2.7 | .5 | 1.2 | 13.2 |
| 2024 | Phoenix | 4 | 4 | 25.9 | .500 | .000 | .455 | 8.3 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 7.8 |
| Career | 20 | 20 | 27.4 | .489 | .211 | .714 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 11.5 | |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Cedevita | 6 | 0 | 3.7 | .625 | 1.000 | .000 | .7 | .0 | .2 | .5 | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| Career | 6 | 0 | 3.7 | .625 | 1.000 | .000 | .7 | .0 | .2 | .5 | 1.8 | 2.0 | |
Domestic leagues
| Season | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Cedevita Zagreb | Adriatic League | 5 | 6.8 | .750 | .000 | .500 | 1.0 | .2 | .0 | .0 | 2.6 |
| KK Zadar | 9 | 6.6 | .579 | .000 | .600 | 2.0 | .6 | .3 | .4 | 4.1 | ||
| Croatia A-1 Liga | 19 | 13.3 | .495 | .000 | .691 | 4.4 | .5 | .8 | .9 | 8.1 | ||
| 2013–14 | Cedevita Zagreb | Adriatic League | 28 | 16.6 | .560 | .143 | .701 | 5.7 | .7 | 1.1 | .8 | 11.7 |
| Croatia A-1 Liga | 15 | 16.5 | .551 | .000 | .614 | 5.3 | 1.0 | .7 | 1.2 | 11.5 |
Personal Life
Jusuf Nurkić's father, Hariz, is a police officer in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is also very tall, standing at 7 feet (2.13 meters), and weighs over 400 pounds (181 kg). Jusuf has a younger brother who is also interested in basketball. His brother, at 13 years old, already wears size 16 shoes!
See also
In Spanish: Jusuf Nurkić para niños
- List of NBA single-game rebounding leaders
- List of European basketball players in the United States
