Jusuf Nurkic to Represent Home Country in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic announced he will represent Bosnia and Herzegovina in the upcoming 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Nurkic, who re-signed with Portland on July 6th, is from the city of Tuzla. He played for his home country in the FIBA Europe U-18 Championship, where he was named MVP, averaging 19.4 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in 2012. He last played for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2017 during Eurobasket qualifiers.

The Dragons could use his help, as they sit tied in last place in their bracket for qualifiers at 2-4. They will face 3-3 Finland next, followed by a crucial match against the 5-1 Czech Republic. The top three teams in each six-team bracket will advance to the World Cup stage.

The only other NBA player on the roster is Dzanan Musa, who was drafted 28th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets. Musa leads the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game.

In his first full season with the Trail Blazers last year, Nurkic averaged 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.