Nikola Jović
Nikola Jović, born on June 9, 2003, in Leicester, England, is a Serbian professional basketball player. He holds Serbian nationality. Jović is 2.08 m tall (6 ft 10 in) and weighs 93 kg (205 lb). He plays as a power forward or shooting guard for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Jović did not attend university for his basketball career. Instead, he played professionally for Mega Basket before declaring for the NBA draft. In April 2022, Jović declared for the 2022 NBA draft. He was selected by the Miami Heat as the 27th overall pick in the first round of the draft on June 23, 2022. He officially signed a multi-year rookie scale contract with the Heat on July 2, 2022, and made his NBA debut on October 26, 2022. He has 3 years of NBA experience.
Throughout his young career, Jović has shown consistent development. During the 2021-22 season with Mega Basket, he averaged 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. In the NBA, his statistics have progressed throughout his initial seasons. For the 2022-23 season, at 19 years old, he averaged 5.5 points and 0.7 rebounds. In the 2023-24 season, at 20 years old, his averages increased to 7.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. In the 2024-25 season, at 21 years old, he is averaging 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds. His field goal percentage improved from .250 in his first NBA season to .456 in the 2024-25 season, with his three-point percentage also rising to .371 in 2024-25.
In addition to his club career, Jović has also represented his national team. In August 2023, he played for the Serbian national team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, averaging 10.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in eight games, contributing to Serbia winning the silver medal. He continued his international success by winning the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics with Serbia. Jović’s career highlights include being named ABA League Top Prospect in 2022, two-time Junior ABA League champion (2021, 2022), Junior ABA League MVP in 2021, and a two-time member of the Junior ABA League Ideal Starting 5 (2021, 2022).
