By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Returning to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet for a third stint, Nikola Kalinic inked a three-year contract.
Following Isaiah Canaan and Uros Plavsic, the Belgrade outfit announced the third summer signing on Friday.
Capturing numerous titles across his career, including the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championship with Fenerbahce in 2017, Kalinic hopes to add to an impressive tally with Zvezda. During his previous two stints, he contributed to Triple Crown campaigns in 2015 and 2022. Another Triple Crown, winning the AdmiralBet ABA League, the Radivoj Korac Cup, and the AdmiralBet Basketball League of Serbia marked the 2023-24 campaign for the team located in the capital of Serbia.
For the 32-year-old Serbian small forward, the 2023-24 season was his second year with FC Barcelona, after leaving Zvezda in 2022. He tallied 7.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.8 steals per contest over 39 appearances in the EuroLeague. In Spain’s Liga Endesa, he ended up with 5.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Between his first and second spell with Zvezda, Kalinic played for Fener between 2015 and 2020. On to his next stop, he joined Valencia for the 2020-21 season. Overall, he is up to 309 games through ten consecutive years in the EuroLeague. Earlier at Radnicki Kragujevac, he logged 14 appearances in the EuroCup.
Highlighting his international career, he got a silver medal in the 2016 Olympic Games with Serbia. However, he did not make the preliminary list of Svetislav Pesic for the 2024 Olympic Games.