By Drazen Kanazir / info@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops caught up with NBA star Nikola Vucevic during the Basketball Without Borders 2018 summer camp.
Vucevic is no stranger to training camps for children, having launched his own this summer, an exciting and fulfilling process as he explains to Eurohoops:
“When I was a kid, I always wanted to go to camps, meet players, talk to them, take pictures. For me to have my own is very exciting and makes me happy. The kids had a great time, I did too, spending time with them.”
Vucevic, who got back in training this July for the next season with the Orlando Magic, shared a few words about rising star and Orlando’s 6th pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Mo Bamba: “I only watched a little bit of Summer League; his athleticism is great, his length. He has things that you can’t really teach. He will need a bit of time but I think he’s going to be a big player. I look forward to working with him and help him as much as I can.”
As for the biggest move of this summer, Vucevic explains what makes LeBron James so special: “He’s the best in the world. He knows the game very well, he’s smart and he simply does it all. Even his presence on the court makes his teammates play better. Some players have that, the great ones do, and obviously, he’s one of them.”
Vucevic looks up to another legendary European big guy who changed the NBA setting in his 21-year presence, Dirk Nowitzki. “Nobody plays like him. He helped big men step out of their comfort zone and shoot more, play more outside. Playing for the same franchise for so long is a great achievement and I have a lot of respect for him.”
Watch the full interview for more on Europeans in the NBA, coach Popovic and Basketball Without Borders below:
Photo credit: novosti.rs / N.Paraušić