Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic says his NBA career is testament that ‘everything is possible’

Growing up on a small farm outside of the city of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tuzla, the idea of becoming a famous athlete and playing someday in the NBA was a very distant dream for Jusuf Nurkic. According to the Phoenix star, he wasn’t even particularly concentrated on sports when he was younger, and played more soccer than anything, really. 

When reminiscing on those days, he mostly remembered enjoying the physicality of the game. “I was a little bigger than everybody else, so I always enjoyed striking the ball as hard as possible, making the goalkeeper afraid to be in goal,” the big man shared with a laugh.

However, it wasn’t until the year 2009 when a teenage Nurkic decided to give it a go in sports and pursue a life as a professional. Due to his incredible height, basketball just seemed like the obvious choice. And only five years later, he had already been drafted to Chicago.

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In a recent interview he explained what he endured to become a Bulls player. “It’s a funny story. I didn’t practise basketball or any sport until 2009. One day, a man from my village showed up at home and basically said that I could be a really good basketball player. But at that time, I didn’t know anything about basketball.

“But I decided to give it a shot. I went to basketball practice and started learning the rules, how to run, jump and make certain moves. Five years after I first picked up a basketball, I was in the NBA,” said the seven-foot center. “It was like a crazy fast story. To go from no sports to the NBA is uncommon. But that’s basically the way it happened.”

When asked about his first years adapting to the sport and culture around it in the NBA, which plays a great part in the entertainment industry of the United States. “I felt a cultural difference in how fast people lived. I was not used to playing today and tomorrow, 82 games in one season. So that was the biggest change.

“There was a little struggle because of the language barrier as well. But you know, they never make fun of you. So it helps you gain confidence,” he recalled about his first years struggling with learning proper English.

The Bosnian veteran confessed that he looked up to Kobe Bryant when he was younger and even recalls his idol trash talking him when they played against each other

Even though a young Jusuf wasn’t too interested in playing basketball, and even competed more in soccer when he was a teenager, he still was star struck by a certain NBA player. When the European thought about who was his idol when he was growing up, he was certain it was a purple and gold icon.

“Kobe Bryant,” he said right away during the interview. “His story, mentality, and how hard he worked have influenced my life and how I play basketball. My first NBA game was against Kobe. So the way everything rolled out, it was perfect. You know, to meet him, talk to him, play against him, have a signed jersey.”

According to the 30-year-old veteran, Kobe was such a special competitor that he went all the way to learn some Bosnian just to try to take him out mentally during the game. “So in a game, he learned [a few words of my language] so he could talk trash to me and I thought that was cool,” Nurkic confessed.

The European big man is about to enter his 12th campaign in the NBA, and only his second in Phoenix. Jusuf has averaged 12.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest over 539 games as a professional.