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Nikola Peković

Peković with the Timberwolves in 2011

President of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro

Incumbent

Assumed office
26 April 2021

Preceded by

Veselin Barović

President of KK Partizan

In office
8 September 2015 – 14 June 2017

Preceded by

Predrag Danilović

Succeeded by

Ostoja Mijailović

Personal details

Born

3 January 1986 (age 39)
Bijelo Polje, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia

Nikola Peković

Personal information

Listed height

6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)

Listed weight

307 lb (139 kg)

Career information

NBA Draft

2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 31st overall

Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves

Pro career

2003–2017

Career history

2003–2005

Atlas

2004–2005

→Avala Ada

2005–2008

Partizan

2008–2010

Panathinaikos

2010–2017

Minnesota Timberwolves

2011

Partizan

Career highlights and awards

EuroLeague champion (2009)
All-EuroLeague First Team (2009)
All-EuroLeague Second Team (2008)
2× Greek League champion (2009, 2010)
All-Greek League Team (2009)
Greek Cup winner (2009)
2× ABA League champion (2007, 2008)
ABA League Final Four MVP (2008)
2× Serbian League champion (2007, 2008)
YUBA League champion (2006)
Serbian Cup winner (2008)

Medals

Men's basketball

Representing Serbia and Montenegro
U20 European Championship
Gold	2006 Turkey	Under-20 Team
Bronze	2005 Russia	Under-20 Team

Nikola Peković (born January 3, 1986) is a Montenegrin businessman and a leader in basketball. He used to be a professional basketball player. Today, he is the president of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro.

Nikola started his basketball journey playing in Europe. Later, he spent seven years playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played as a center and was known for his height, standing at 6 feet 11 inches. He was also chosen twice for the All-EuroLeague Team.

Basketball Career Highlights

Starting Out in Europe

Nikola Peković began playing basketball when he was 15 years old. He joined a junior team in Podgorica, Montenegro. In 2003, he moved to Belgrade, Serbia. There, he signed his first professional contract with a team called Atlas.

Playing for Partizan (2005–2008)

After two years with Atlas, Peković joined Partizan in July 2005. This team was already a national champion. With Partizan, he helped them win many titles. They won the Basketball League of Serbia three times in a row. They also won the Adriatic League twice and the Radivoj Korać Cup.

In 2008, Peković was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Adriatic League Final Four. That same year, he was also chosen for the All-Euroleague Second Team. This was because he helped Partizan reach the quarterfinals of the Euroleague competition.

Time with Panathinaikos (2008–2010)

In the summer of 2008, Peković moved to Greece. He joined the Greek champions, Panathinaikos. He signed a three-year contract with them. He played very well, averaging 13.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

He helped Panathinaikos win the 2008–09 EuroLeague title. This made him one of the best centers in Europe. He was even voted to the All-EuroLeague First Team. With Panathinaikos, he also won two Greek League titles and the 2009 Greek Cup.

Joining the NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–2017)

Peković guarded by Anthony Davis in 2014

Nikola Peković was chosen by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2008 NBA draft. He was the 31st player picked overall. Many experts thought he would be picked much earlier. However, because of his contract in Europe, he was chosen later. Players picked in the second round of the NBA draft can sometimes get different types of contracts. This meant the Timberwolves could offer him a better deal than some players picked earlier. This was important because Peković was already earning a good salary in Europe.

First Season (2010–2011)

On June 30, 2010, Peković officially signed a three-year contract with the Timberwolves. This was two years after he was drafted. In his first season in the NBA (2010–11), he averaged 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

In August 2011, Peković went back to play for his old team, Partizan. He played there until the 2011 NBA lockout ended. During this time, he led Partizan in Euroleague games. He averaged 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds. When the NBA lockout finished in December 2011, he returned to the United States.

Becoming a Key Player (2011–2014)

The 2011–12 NBA season started on December 25, 2011. When Peković returned to Minnesota, he became the starting center for the Timberwolves. He played well, averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He also finished third in the voting for the Most Improved Player.

During the 2012–13 NBA season, Peković became a very important player for the Timberwolves. He played alongside team superstar Kevin Love. Together, they led the team's frontcourt. The team won 31 games that season, which was their best record in years. Peković averaged 16.3 points and a career-high 8.8 rebounds per game.

On August 14, 2013, Peković signed a new five-year contract with the Timberwolves. In January 2014, he hurt his ankle. This injury affected him for the rest of the season. He only played 10 more games that year. Despite his injury, the Timberwolves had a successful season, winning 40 games. Peković averaged a career-high 17.5 points and 8.7 rebounds in 54 games.

In August 2014, the Timberwolves traded Kevin Love. They received Andrew Wiggins in return, starting a new chapter for the team.

Dealing with Injuries (2014–2017)

During the 2014–15 season, Peković played in only 31 games. This was due to a right ankle injury. He averaged 12.5 points per game. On April 8, 2015, he had surgery on his right Achilles tendon. This was to help with the pain in his foot. Without Love and with Peković often injured, the Timberwolves had a tough season. They finished with the worst record in the league. However, they won the draft lottery and picked Karl-Anthony Towns. This added another young, talented player to their team, along with Wiggins and Zach LaVine.

As he entered his third season of his new contract, Peković continued to have problems with his ankles and Achilles. He played his first game of the 2015–16 season on January 6, 2016. It was his first game since March 2015. He scored 12 points in 16 minutes. That season, he only played in 12 games. He averaged 4.5 points and 1.8 rebounds, which were career lows.

On September 25, 2016, it was announced that Peković would miss the entire 2016–17 season. This was due to ongoing right ankle pain. It seemed unlikely he would play for the Timberwolves again. On June 20, 2017, after the season ended, the Timberwolves released Peković from his contract.

Playing for His Country

Junior National Team

Nikola Peković played for the youth national teams of Serbia and Montenegro. He won a bronze medal at the 2005 European Under-20 Championship in Russia. He also won a gold medal with his team at the 2006 tournament in Turkey.

Montenegro National Team

Peković later played for the senior Montenegrin national team. He represented them at the EuroBasket 2011 tournament in Lithuania. In 5 games, he averaged 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds. Montenegro was eliminated after the first round of the tournament.

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

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2010–11	Minnesota	65	11	13.6	.517	.000	.763	3.0	.4	.3	.5	5.5
2011–12	Minnesota	47	35	26.9	.564	.000	.743	7.4	.7	.6	.7	13.9
2012–13	Minnesota	62	62	31.6	.520	.000	.744	8.8	.9	.7	.8	16.3
2013–14	Minnesota	54	54	30.8	.541	.000	.747	8.7	.9	.6	.4	17.5
2014–15	Minnesota	31	29	26.3	.424	.000	.837	7.5	.9	.6	.4	12.5
2015–16	Minnesota	12	3	13.0	.380	.000	.800	1.8	.9	.1	.0	4.5
Career		271	194	24.9	.518	.000	.760	6.7	.7	.5	.6	12.6

EuroLeague

†	Denotes seasons in which Peković won the EuroLeague

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2005–06	Partizan	14	2	18.0	.574	.000	.677	3.6	.3	.5	.4	7.1	5.9
2006–07		20	3	13.5	.593	.000	.714	2.5	.2	.6	.3	4.8	3.3
2007–08		23	14	26.5	.584	.000	.773	6.9	.8	.7	.6	16.4	19.6
2008–09†	Panathinaikos	21	9	18.1	.634	.000	.775	3.8	.3	.3	.7	13.0	14.0
2009–10	Panathinaikos	13	10	21.6	.607	.000	.727	3.5	.5	.6	.4	14.8	14.9
2011–12	Partizan	7	7	27.2	.549	.000	.811	4.6	.7	.3	.3	15.4	16.7
Career		98	45	20.5	.594	.000	.757	4.3	.5	.5	.5	11.7	12.3

Leadership Roles in Basketball

Leading KK Partizan

In September 2015, Nikola Peković became the new president of the KK Partizan basketball club. He took over after the previous president stepped down. Soon after, he hired Petar Božić as the club's new head coach.

He served as president until June 14, 2017, when he resigned from the position.

Montenegrin Basketball Federation (KSCG)

In January 2020, Peković became a team manager for the Montenegro national basketball team. Then, on April 26, 2021, he was named the president of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro. Before taking this role, Peković met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro. They discussed the future of basketball in Montenegro.

In June 2022, the Zlatibor basketball club also added Peković to their managing board.

Personal Life

Nikola Peković is from the Serb ethnic group in Montenegro. He is a Serbian Orthodox Christian. During his time off from basketball, he often spends time in Serbia. He has built an apartment house in Zlatibor and also spends time in Belgrade. He has tattoos that show his Serbian heritage, including symbols like the Battle of Kosovo and the Serbian cross.

In October 2020, Peković was hospitalized after getting sick with coronavirus.