By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After a stellar season with Crvena Zvezda and winning a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Filip Petrusev embarked on his NBA journey with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Unfortunately, after playing just three minutes, he was traded to the LA Clippers, and then to the Sacramento Kings. With only three appearances in the month and a half since the regular season started, the Serbian player decided to return to Europe, signing a three-year deal with Olympiacos.
“I felt it would be better to play in Europe. I saw some things in the NBA that I didn’t expect. I am a young player, and I want to compete and help my team,” Petrusev said upon landing in Greece to join the Piraeus team.
During his brief stint in Sacramento, Filip spent some time with former Olympiacos player Sasha Vezenkov.
“Sasha told me the best. We spent a lot of time together in Sacramento. We talked a lot, and he told me to come to Olympiacos. I haven’t had time to talk to Coach Bartzokas yet. Everything happened very quickly. I came to play, adapt, and help the team.”
His first NBA experience wasn’t successful, but the 23-year-old Serbian is not giving up.
“I didn’t give up on the NBA dream because it didn’t go well this year. I’m young, there’s time for everything. I might come back in 2-3 years. If I want to return to the NBA, I can go anywhere and not just to the Sixers, where it was my only choice,” Filip Petrusev said.