Bulls' Nikola Vucevic reveals when he'll retire from national team

Two-time All-Star Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic seems to be circling the end of his international basketball career.

Vucevic, 34, has been playing for his native Montenegro since he was a teenager. He initially suited up for the Montenegro Under-20 team during the 2009 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. He has played for the senior national team at FIBA EuroBasket competitions in 2011, 2013, and 2017 — and intends to take the floor again at this year's EuroBasket, slated to tip off next month. He has also played for Montenegro at multiple FIBA World Cups and Olympics.

During a new interview with Savo Njunjić of Vijesti, the 6-foot-10 big man indicated when he'd hang up his sneakers for good on the international competition stage.

"I think that after the European Championship [this year], that will be it," Vucevic indicated. "I will try my best to do my best, to enjoy myself, to make the best possible result."

After EuroBasket, Vucevic will enter the 2025-26 season in a fog of uncertainty. While he's a solid three-point shooting big man who's also an above-average passer for his position and remarkably durable, he's a defensive liability who plays at a deliberate pace that appears to clash with Bulls head coach Billy Donovan's new downhill mandate.

He's on a very movable expiring $21.5 million contract, and could help contenders in a reduced role with fewer touches than he's been getting for the often lottery-bound Bulls.

"I am entering the last period of my career," Vucevic acknowledged. "The focus will be on other things - to rest during the summer, to dedicate myself to my family. It is not one hundred percent, but at the moment I think so, probably the last appearances for the national team at the European Championship." 

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