The UCLA Bruins may have landed a special talent this offseason by bringing in Nikola Kusturica. The Serbian teenager looks like a potential star, with the Bruins potentially getting to keep Kusturica for two seasons before he becomes eligible for the NBA Draft.
Kusturica just turned 17-years old earlier this year but he doesn’t let his young age make him look small while lined up next to NBA superstars. Kusturica was spotted earlier this week alongside former league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the UCLA commit doesn’t look out of place next to the 6’11” Greek Freak.
Learning from the best - Nikola Kusturica and Giannis sharing the court this summer 🙏🐐 pic.twitter.com/A1swbutO7t
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) July 30, 2026
The two players have taken different tracks to America. Antetokounmpo
played overseas before the Milwaukee Bucks took a flier on his talent in the 2013 NBA Draft. By 2019 Antetokounmpo was an MVP and two years later he delivered the Bucks an NBA championship. Kusturica is taking the college route, being set to play two seasons in the NCAA before potentially heading to the NBA.
NIL makes the college route make more sense for Kusturica than it did for Giannis, with the Serbian teenager set to make millions for his time in Westwood. Kusturica projects to be a much different player than Antetokounmpo. Kusturica is smaller, standing at 6’8” but at just 17, there’s still time for Kusturica to grow a bit more.
Antetokounmpo has been involved in some UCLA news this offseason, demanding a trade from Milwaukee and eventually was traded to the Miami Heat in a deal that sent former UCLA Bruin Jaime Jaquez Jr. back to the Bucks.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA commit hangs out with NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo
