“I’ve got 18 minutes before I get to the airport, so let’s get going,” Nikola Vučević says with a laugh at the start of our transatlantic conversation.
Spoken like a 15-year NBA veteran.
He’s on his way to the airport in Los Angeles, about to head back to his basketball home in Orlando, but Vučević talks as casually as if we were sitting down for a drink somewhere by the river.
This summer, he chose to go back to the Magic, the franchise he called home for nine years. Ahead of his 16th NBA season, Vučević says his love for the game hasn’t faded.
Quite the opposite.
Over the next 18 minutes, we cover plenty of ground: what it’s really like to play against Victor Wembanyama, how much LeBron James can still bring in Philadelphia, the advice Vučević gives younger players and why, after all these years, Orlando once again felt like home.
And since we’re talking to one of Europe’s finest NBA big men, we also ask him to “invent” the EuroLeague career he never had – along with his thoughts on Crvena zvezda’s new roster and the teammates he’ll remember most fondly from a decade and a half in the NBA.
It feels to me – and I’m not the only one – that you’re somewhat underrated when people talk about the great European players in the NBA. Do you feel that way too?
“Honestly, I haven’t paid much attention to that throughout my career. You’ve got Luka (Dončić), Jokara (Jokić), Giannis, now Wembanyama… It’s only natural that they get more coverage.
“I don’t pay much attention to it, but I think I’ve gotten plenty of coverage myself. People know who I am. I think there was a little more attention when I was playing my best basketball, during my last few years in Orlando and in Chicago, but my role was different then as well.”
Fifteen Years Later, the Love Is Still There
You’re a veteran now. How much has your relationship with basketball changed over the years? How much of that love for the game is still there?
“The love is still there. When it isn’t, that’s probably when I’ll decide it’s time to stop playing.
I still enjoy everything about basketball. What drives me most is the competitive side of it – trying to win, helping the team and doing whatever it takes for us to win.
“I actually enjoy being a veteran now because I can help the younger guys. I can be there to talk to them, give them advice – individually or to the whole team. I’ve started to embrace that role and understand that it’s now an important part of what I do.
“It’s always interesting for me to look at how much everything has changed since I came into the NBA. Back then, I was the one learning, watching other guys and trying to figure things out, find my routine and find my place.
“Now the roles have reversed. I’m the experienced guy. I’ve got 15 years in the NBA behind me, national-team experience and everything that comes with that, so now I’m able to help others and give them advice.”
Lessons From the Long Road
What advice do you give them, especially when it comes to life off the court? We know how easy it is for a young player to get carried away when a lot of money suddenly comes into the picture.
“When it comes to life off the court, I mostly tell them to be patient and take things slowly.”
“Obviously, when the money comes – especially today, when there’s already a lot of money in college – players are getting it at a much younger age. There’s a big difference between getting that kind of money when you’re 21 or 22 and getting it when you’re 18. Three or four years is still a big difference.
“I tell them to take things slowly, be patient, not let it carry them away and not want everything immediately. There’s time for everything. Sometimes, when you wait and give yourself time before buying something you want or doing something you want to do, you enjoy it even more later. When you can have everything immediately, somehow it loses some of its appeal.
“But it isn’t easy for young players today. People often don’t understand that. They form opinions about some young players because of the way they behave, but they don’t think about the fact that these are kids who suddenly have a lot of money, they’re famous, suddenly the whole world has opened up to them, and some of them may have grown up in difficult circumstances.
“All of a sudden, you have access to literally everything. Now try staying exactly the same and not letting any of that affect you. It’s not easy.
“A lot of it starts at home too – how you were raised and whether you have people around you who can give you advice, who can tell you, ‘Slow down.’ You need that grounding.
“It’s not easy. I made mistakes when I was young too, things I wouldn’t do now if I could turn back time. But that’s OK, those mistakes…”
What was the biggest mistake you made in that sense?
“They weren’t drastic mistakes. I didn’t do anything stupid that seriously affected me. Maybe I bought something I didn’t really need, maybe I did something I wouldn’t do now… Nothing serious.
“But looking at it now, at 35, with a lot more life experience, I think I definitely could’ve done without some of those things. Then again, they’re all good life experiences that help you and that you probably need in order to grow up and mature.
“It’s different in sports. When the big money, fame and everything else suddenly arrive, your whole life changes overnight. You have to keep your feet firmly on the ground, and that’s not easy.
“Fortunately, my father played basketball and knows a lot about all of this. That helped me handle certain situations pretty well.”
If you could change one decision from your basketball career, what would it be?
“Honestly, there’s nothing I’d want to change, and I don’t like looking at things that way. Of course, there are games I could’ve played much better or things I could’ve done much better, but that’s always the case.
“I think you have to focus on the present, learn from mistakes or from things that didn’t turn out the way you imagined – and move on. Because when you have regrets and spend too much time looking back, thinking, ‘How could I have done that?’, you can’t make progress. You can’t move forward.
“I look at it as my journey. That’s the way it was meant to be. If someone had told me 15 or 20 years ago, ‘You’re going to play in the NBA for this long and this is how it’s going to go,’ I would’ve signed up for it immediately.
“On the other hand, I’m the kind of person who always thinks I can do better. I’m never 100 percent satisfied. Maybe when it’s all over, I’ll finally tell myself, ‘That was pretty good.’
“But as long as I’m playing, I’ll always think I can do better. I’m very self-critical, but that’s what keeps pushing me forward. It keeps me going. It keeps me from ever being satisfied.”
In Another Basketball Life…
Nikola, let’s use our imagination for a moment. Imagine you’re exactly the same player, but for whatever reason, you couldn’t play in the NBA. What would your EuroLeague career have looked like?
“Which EuroLeague teams would I have played for? Well, Crvena zvezda for sure. I’m a Zvezda fan, everybody knows that.
“Other than that, Real Madrid has always caught my attention. Or maybe Olympiacos.
“Real Madrid is the royal club, after all. I love football too. I don’t support them, but I have a lot of respect for their history, their culture and what they represent.
“I like Olympiacos as well. In recent years, they’ve been a very good club, they’ve won trophies and they’ve built real teams, not just collections of players. I like the way they play. They have great fans too, as well as that brotherly relationship with Zvezda.”
Since we’re already talking about Zvezda, what do you think of their roster?
“I think they’ve brought in some good players. I also like the fact that quite a few players from last season stayed, so there’s some continuity.
“It’s important to have a core that’s been together for a while. When you make major changes every summer, it’s difficult because you’re starting from scratch every time.
“I really like Butler and Nwora – they’re excellent players I’ve played against over here. Motley is a good center too, strong, and that’s something Zvezda needs. Ojeleye is an exceptional team player.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Nikola Kalinić on a great career and all the success he’s had. As a fan, I’d love to see him keep playing. I’m sure he’ll help the team as an assistant coach as well.
“All in all, it’s a good team. Now we’ll see what it looks like with a new coach. I think there’s potential to do something special, although it won’t be easy because a lot of money has come into the EuroLeague and the competition is strong.”
Life After the Hardwood
You mentioned Kalinić. When your own career eventually comes to an end, can you see yourself on the sideline as a head coach?
“As a head coach? Probably not. That’s not something I’d like to do.
“I do think I’d like to work with young players, though. “That’s something that’s started to appeal to me lately. I’d enjoy working with young players, not just when it comes to what happens on the court, but also with life away from it.
“I’d like to show them how to live like an athlete, how to fully commit themselves to basketball, how to deal with all the different things that come your way, the sacrifices and everything else that’s required if you want to be a professional athlete.
“For now, though, I need to focus only on playing and hope I can keep doing it for as long as possible.
“When the time comes, then I’ll think about it. What I know for sure is that once my career is over, I’ll take a year or two away from sports for myself and figure out what I want to do next.”
Boston and the End of an Era
You were in Boston last season. Were there any signs that what happened this summer might be coming – the major change in direction and Jaylen Brown’s departure?
“I think there were some signs, mostly because the big contracts and the NBA’s new rules made it difficult for them to build the team.”
“With Tatum and Brown both on such big contracts, it wasn’t easy for them to fit the rest of the team around those two.
“But while I was there, did I sense anything between the players or any kind of problems? No, I honestly didn’t. I was as surprised as everyone else when the trade happened, “even though there had been plenty written about it in the media. But plenty of things get reported and don’t end up happening.”
“Maybe the time had simply come. They’d been together for ten years and achieved great results. Maybe they’d reached the end of that road and some things needed to change. Maybe the team needed to be refreshed so they could start over and move in a different direction.”
What Is It Like to Play Against Wembanyama?
Can you give us a sense of what it’s like to play against Victor Wembanyama? We’ve never seen that combination of speed, height and athleticism before.
“He’s unique. And he’s improved so much over the last year or two. When he first came into the league, he was still figuring things out physically, so as an opponent, I could attack that weakness.
“But now he’s gotten stronger and figured out how players try to attack him. His positioning is better, he reads situations better, he understands where the attack is coming from and how he needs to adjust defensively.
“He’s so difficult to play against because he’s unique. Nobody is used to facing a player like that. When you attack him, for example, you’re not used to someone that tall being able to move so well and cover so much ground. He changes the way you attack, the angles you have to find just to get to the basket.
You always feel like he’s somewhere around. Somewhere close. With the Spurs, he’s allowed to roam quite a bit and they funnel a lot of things toward him. So he’s always somewhere in the back of your mind – you know he’s there and that he can take the ball away from you.
It takes some time to adjust once the game starts because you have to change the way you play. He literally changes the game just by being on the court – with his height, his wingspan…
“It’s the same on the other end. You’re basically guarding a 7-foot-4 wing. He can handle the ball, shoot off the dribble, drive and score in all kinds of ways. Especially lately, he’s learned to deal with contact much better and to play a little slower, without allowing you to rush him.
“That’s why he’s so difficult both to guard and to attack. He’s incredibly talented, he has that height, he’s mobile, and he has great players around him too, which makes him even better.”
LeBron Can Still Make the Difference
LeBron is in Philadelphia now. How much can he still impact a team with championship ambitions?
“A lot, because of his experience and his knowledge of the game. That means so much.
Maybe his role won’t be the same as it used to be, when he dominated and controlled the entire game, but he can still contribute a lot.
“His basketball IQ is one of the highest in the history of the game. The way he reads what other teams are doing, what his own team needs to do, how they’re going to defend somebody… That’s going to mean a lot to Philadelphia.
“Now we’ll see how it all fits together. They have a lot of really good players, but they’ll need some time to gel. Then we’ll see whether they can become what people expect them to be.
Who was your favorite teammate over the course of your career?
“I wouldn’t single out just one because I’ve had a lot of great teammates throughout my career.
“Every season, on every team I’ve played for, I’ve had pretty close relationships with my teammates. I’ve always tried to build those relationships and be close with guys away from basketball too.
“In Orlando, I was very close with Evan Fournier – everybody knows that. I speak French, so that helped.”
“Earlier, when I was in Philadelphia, I was very close with Jrue Holiday. He was a great teammate. Andre Iguodala too. He was older, but he helped me a lot.
“Then in Orlando, there was Jameer Nelson. Turkoglu too, when he was there during my first year. Then D.J. Augustin… In Chicago, I was close with DeRozan, LaVine and Caruso.
“And one important thing is that I never really had a difficult teammate, someone I could say I just couldn’t get along with.”
Coming Home
Finally, let’s talk about the Magic. This is something of a homecoming for you. What are the ambitions?
“I really like the team, and that’s why I decided to come back. It’s a pretty young team, but you have Banchero and Wagner, two really great players. Desmond Bane too, and there are plenty of other young guys who can help.
“We have big ambitions. Obviously, we want to make the playoffs and go as far as we can.
“Now we’ll see what everything looks like with the new coach, Sean Sweeney. He has a lot of experience as an assistant, he’s worked with a number of teams, and now he’s coming off a run to the Finals with the Spurs.
“That experience will mean a lot to us“.