Farewell! 34-year-old Vucevic announces retirement from Montenegro national team after final game with 31+11+7 in loss to Great Britain

On September 3rd, during the EuroBasket group stage, Montenegro lost 83-89 to Great Britain. Both teams were knocked out, and Sweden moved on to the last 16. Montenegro's star and Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic scored 31 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists. After the loss to Great Britain, he announced his retirement from the national team.

"It’s unfortunate to finish (my international career) like this. I had hoped to play more games in Riga, but that’s how it turned out," Vucevic said after the match.

The 34-year-old also expressed, "I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and most importantly, the fans for everything during my national team career. Playing here has been an honor, but that’s sports. I cherished my time here, but now it’s time for the new generation to make their mark."

At the 2025 EuroBasket, Vucevic appeared in 5 games, averaging 20.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game.

Vucevic made his senior national team debut at the 2011 EuroBasket. He represented his country in six major tournaments — four EuroBaskets and two FIBA Basketball World Cups.

Under Vucevic’s leadership, Montenegro’s best finishes at EuroBasket were 13th place in both 2017 and 2022. At the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Montenegro achieved 11th place.

In official FIBA competitions, Vucevic played 39 games for Montenegro, averaging 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.