Paris Olympics: Not Nikola Jokic, But 21YO Serbian Star Gives Bam Adebayo Chilling Michael Jordan Reminder

With the NBA going into the off-season, the fanfare is focusing now on the Olympics. Many teammates are going to play as rivals in the upcoming Paris Olympics, including Miami Heat’s veteran and rookie, Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic. While Adebayo will represent Team USA, Nikola, on the other hand, will play for Serbia. And no matter how much they cherish each other when playing together for Miami, Adebayo really wants to take Serbia and Nikola down this year.

He understands that Jovic will put up a great fight because he knows his teammate rather well. He feels he will bring out his inner Michael Jordan this year at the Olympics, which Bam Adebayo is more than eager to take down.

Adebayo said, “I expect Niko [Jovic] to play like he’s never played before because one – like I said – when people go play for their countries, it’s a different ball game.” He followed this by saying, “Because they become the No. 1 option, the No. 2 option. It feels like when guys go play for their countries, they become the Michael Jordans of their teams. The Kobe Bryant of their teams. The [Hakeem] Olajuwon’s, the Shaq’s (Shaquille O’Neal), however you wanna look at it. They become that guy or the guys because there is nobody to defer to”.

Well that’s something! Of course, for a general observer, Nikola Jokić would be the Michael Jordan of the Serbian national team. He’s got a resume here in the USA to back him up and has done as much to make his home country known for its famous athletes as much as tennis superstar Novak Djokovic. But for Adebayo to elevate his 21-year-old teammate to that level is equal to declaring Jovic the new face of the Serbian team.

Jovic was selected as the 27th overall pick in 2022, after which he played a significant part in the Serbian national team to win a silver at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Overall, he has garnered a lot of international exposure and experience in such a short time. At the FIBA World Cup, he played 8 times where he averaged 10.1 points.

It’s certain that Jovic will have an even bigger role this summer, as we have seen what he can do in the 2023-24 season of the NBA. In the 46 games he’s played this past season, the 21 YO averaged 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds, while he shot 45.2 percent from the field. Gradually, his role has only grown. And Bam understands his journey and is fond of him, but only when he’s on his side. So he is rather patriotic when it comes to winning the Olympics for the USA. “And seein’ Niko, obviously, he’s on the other team, so I wanna beat his a–, but seein’ him grow as a player and as a talent himself is gonna be incredible,” Adebayo said.

Nikola Jovic’s time in the spotlight

Jovic, and Jokic, were named to Serbia’s preliminary roster as of June 2024 along with Bogdan Bogdanovic, Alkeksej Pokusevski, and Vasilije Micić. Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo was announced to Team USA in April. Adebayo was on the last Olympic roster and won the gold in 2020. The Joker’s last Olympic appearance was in 2016 in Rio where he won the silver.

Heat’s Jovic has been on a nearly similar trajectory to the older Nikola. After a stint in the ABA, he signed with Miami and had a stint in the G-League. During his FIBA run, he averaged 10.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists over eight games. He’d return to Miami and in February, he scored a career-high 24 points and 7 rebounds, leading the team to a 123-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Not only Bam, but most of his teammates and even Coach Erik Spoelstra have been in awe of his visible improvement.

Jovic will have to live up to Bam’s MJ comparison on July 28, when Serbia plays its opening game against the US. This would be the biggest display of Nikola Jovic’s improvements in two NBA seasons.