‘They told me they want to keep me until the end of my career’: Bogdan Bogdanovic before signing four-year extension with Hawks

As many NBA players are migrating to Europe this summer, the press couldn’t help but consider if veteran Bogdan Bogdanovic might want to return to play in his home back in Serbia before he ends his career. However, the 30-year-old just signed a four-year extension in Atlanta and revealed that the team eventually hopes to sign him until he retires.

“They told me they want to keep me until the end of my career. So, I’m working there. I like the atmosphere and what we’re creating year by year. It’s been up and down, but I feel like we’ll get better,” he said this week.

With Bogi being a constant three-point threat in the league, why wouldn’t they want to keep him in Georgia for as long as they can? Check out his last season’s best highlights with the Hawks jersey:

About the trend of big names from the NBA moving to Europe, and Jabari Parker being the latest example, he believes this is a great challenge for these athletes.

“It’s a trend right now. I’ll say I know a lot of guys in the States who think it’s a failure to come to Europe. But I don’t think so. It’s a new challenge and the EuroLeague is a tough league.

Players know both leagues are hard. You still need to score, defend, and prove yourself. Especially when you change the league, nobody knows your name. So, you need to improve all the time,” the Serbian assured.

After four years, the sharpshooter recently helped his squad at crucial moments in his return to the national team. The last time the veteran played with Serbia in an international tournament was for the 2019 World Cup.

“We played one friendly game. We and Greece know each other well. Everybody was trying their game and getting used to each other. Chemistry is the most important thing right now,” he said about his return. “It’s always a different game. So, I still need some games to adjust.”

As Serbia beat hosts Greece 71-64 this week, Bogdan contributed with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. This Wednesday, Italy beat the Eagles 89 to 88 in the second match of the Acrópolis Tournament, which is serving as a preseason tune up for the upcoming FIBA World Cup in Asia this month.

Bodganovic believes that Serbia has very good players, despite the fact that Nikola Jokic is absent

As the Serbians prepare for the World Cup at the end of the month without their superstar Nikola Jokic, Bogdan is convinced that they have a strong roster that will compete for the gold.

“We don’t think about that right now. We thought about it before. We have good players, like [Nikola] Milutinov. We’re not sorry about their absence nor do we fear that we will be eliminated.

We still have to compete and think positively. Some guys wouldn’t play a lot of minutes if Jokic and Vasa were here. When somebody’s missing, it’s a good chance for someone else to prove themselves,” he said.

Bogdan Bogdanovic's take on naturalized players 🗣️

Do you agree with Bogi? ⬇️#FIBAWC #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/q8hnW5eVhi

— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) August 9, 2023

About another trend which sees national teams depend on naturalized players in their international competitions, Bogi believes the initiative is mostly positive, but needs to be regulated better.

The Hawks guard simply believes that the process should be more geniune, not just a business transaction were the federations convince athletes to play for them in exchange for money.