featured-image

Vucevic Proud to Represent the Magic at All-Star Weekend

Josh Cohen
Digital News Manager

ORLANDO – For a couple of weeks now, Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic has tried to prepare himself for the emotions that are sure to surge through his body when he’s among the greatest players in basketball at the NBA All-Star Game, but he knows full well those simulations will likely fall short when compared to the real thing.

Once inside the All-Star locker room this weekend in Charlotte and seeing the nameplates such as NOWITZKI, CURRY, EMBIID, ANTETOKOUNMPO and WESTBROOK, Vucevic knows that he will likely be buried under an avalanche of emotions, pride and personal satisfaction.

For seven years, Vucevic has played in relative obscurity, racking up scores of gaudy statistics as his Magic have been stuck in rebuilding mode. However, things have finally started to turn Vucevic’s way, as the Magic have crafted a stirring midseason run and their best player for years is leading the way. At long last, Vucevic will be able to take his place among the game’s greats at Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game and the surrounding events, and his emotions are so strong that he has trouble attaching words to describe them.

``It’s huge and it’s hard to put into words how this feels for me to be selected to play there and to go and represent the Orlando Magic,’’ Vucevic said after his Magic closed out the stretch before the break for the All-Star Game with a fifth consecutive victory. ``It means so much to me, especially with what we’ve been through since I’ve been here. To finally get that recognition with all of the work that I’ve put in, it really, really means a lot to me.

``I won’t be 100 percent aware of it until I step on the floor with everybody else and spend some time with those guys,’’ he added. ``But I do know that it will mean so much to me, having my name among all those other great NBA players.’’

In addition to being surrounded by megastars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dwyane Wade and Nowitzki – Vucevic’s boyhood idol – the 7-footer will also have a personal cheering section in the seats of Spectrum Center. His, father, Borislav, who played professionally for 24 years in Europe, will be on hand, as will his mother, Ljiljana, who once played for the Yugoslavian National Team. His sister, Viljana, is flying from Belgrade, Serbia, to Charlotte for the game. And accompanying wife Nikoleta will be the couple’s first child, two-month-old Filip.

Joked Nikola: ``His first plane ride will be on a private plane and his first game will be the NBA All-Star Game. Not bad, huh?’’

The 7-foot Vucevic, the longest-tenured player on the Magic, is certainly deserving of the All-Star honor what with him averaging career highs in scoring (20.5), rebounding (12.1), assists (3.8), blocked shots (1.14) and 3-point shooting (38 percent) this season. He’s fourth in the NBA in double-doubles (41), trailing only fellow NBA centers Joel Embiid (48), Rudy Gobert (46) and Andre Drummond (45) and he’s led the Magic in scoring 26 times, in rebounding 47 times and in assists 12 times.

What makes this season different is that Vucevic is piling up plenty of gaudy numbers as the Magic are having success. In years past, he set the franchise record for rebounds in a game (29) in a loss; he scored a career-best 41 points in a loss; his two triple-double performances also came in losses. Finally, fortunes seemed to have changed for both Vucevic and the Magic.

Orlando hit the break with a five-game winning spree – the franchise’s longest since December of 2015 and the second-longest active streak in the NBA (Toronto has won six games in a row). And the Magic have done it in jaw-droppingly impressive fashion. When they whipped Milwaukee by 20 points, Atlanta by 16 points and New Orleans by 30 points, it was the first time in franchise history that the Magic had won three straight road games by at least 16 points. And when they backed that up on Thursday with a 127-89 demolition of the Charlotte Hornets, it gave Orlando consecutive wins by 30-or-more points for the first time in the 30-year history of the Magic.

During the five-game win streak that has gotten them to within a half-game of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Magic have scored 118.8 points a game while holding foes to just 96. They have also racked up huge advantages in shooting from the floor (48.8 percent to 39.6 percent) and shooting from the 3-point line (39.8 percent to 28.1 percent). A case could even be made that even though the Magic are one of eight teams to have played a league-most 59 games that the break for the All-Star Game is coming at a bad time for them.

``I would say, kinda,’’ snickered forward Jonathan Isaac, who has dramatically stepped up his play of late and hits the break having averaged 14.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.44 blocks and 1.22 steals while shooting 47.4 percent from the floor over the last nine games. ``You know, we definitely need to get some rest and to get our minds off of basketball for a couple of days, but with the way we’ve been playing I absolutely want to keep playing and finish out the season and then have a longer break after it. But it is what it is, and we have to be mature and man enough to come back with the same focus.’’

Vucevic’s focus this season has allowed him to take his game to another level and teammates marvel at not only his tremendous skill, but the mind-numbing consistency with which he plays nightly. Vucevic’s versatility will first be on display on Saturday night when he competes in the Skills Challenge – an event he asked to participate in so as to be able to soak in the entirety of the All-Star Weekend.

Magic players say that the Skills Challenge will show the basketball world just how talented their standout big man really is.

``I’ve been a teammate of Vooch’s for three years and I’ve been telling everybody that he should have been an all-star three years ago,’’ Magic point guard D.J. Augustin said.

Added Aaron Gordon, Vucevic’s teammate of the past five seasons: ``I’m so happy for him. He’s worked so damn hard. His skill level is so high, and he deserves this. I really believe he’ll be a (All-Star Game) starter one day. I told him to go and try to win the MVP.’’

While Vucevic knows that he will likely be overcome with emotions at the NBA All-Star Game, it will pale in comparison to the unadulterated joy he felt when his Magic teammates helped him celebrate his All-Star announcement two weeks ago. That night, after Vucevic poured in 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out five assists in a stirring rally past Indiana, Magic players stormed Vucevic in their Amway Center locker room and showered him with water and ice to celebrate.

After years of losing in Orlando and seeing many of his efforts go unnoticed nationally, Vucevic finally felt the love and respect of his peers. When he takes the floor at the All-Star Game and when he shares a locker room with the game’s greatest players, Vucevic said he will be doing it representing teammates and a Magic organization that have supported him for years.

``I know it’s just me there, but on my jersey, I’ll have the Magic logo and I’ll be representing the whole organization, my teammates and everybody here,’’ he said. ``It’s a proud moment for me. I always say I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, and I mean it. I appreciate their support and the way they have supported me all year long. And then after I got selected, the way they were happy for me, it meant so much for me. So, I’ll be proud to represent the Orlando Magic and the City of Orlando there.’’

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.