CHARLOTTE – There are few stages in the NBA that have lights that shine as bright as the All-Star Game.
All of the biggest names in the league take the court in celebration of the game, its fans and its players.
For Nikola Vucevic, who grew up watching the contest from his home country of Montenegro, it was a dream come true. Gazing into the stands, he saw some of his closest family and friends supporting him. Among the group was his father, Borislav, who played professionally for 24 years in Europe, his mother, Ljiljana, who once played for the Yugoslavian National Team, his sister, Viljana, who flew in from Belgrade, Serbia, to Charlotte for the game, his wife Nikoleta, and the couple’s first child, their two-month-old son, Filip, who experienced his first basketball game.
“I’m happy they were able to come here and share this moment with me,” Vucevic said. “It’s something I’ll remember forever.”
Vucevic soaked in every moment from hearing his name announced to a packed house at the Spectrum Center to taking the court with the best talent the league has to offer.
“All weekend, it was a phenomenal experience to be part of this huge event,” Vucevic explained. “Alongside all these great players, it was a lot of fun.”
Heading into the contest, Vucevic hoped to take the floor with fellow Team Giannis player, and future Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki. The Magic’s center grew up watching Nowitzki and marveled at his talent. Now, years later he checked into the All-Star Game for the first time, while Nowitzki simultaneously took the stage for perhaps his final farewell.
“It was great,” Vucevic said. “It was really awesome to get to spend time with him off the court and really get to meet him, he’s a very funny guy, great guy, tells a lot of jokes.”
In an All-Star reserve role, Vucevic finished the contest with four points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 11 minutes of action as Team LeBron topped Team Giannis, 178-164. Kevin Durant led the way for Team LeBron, earning MVP honors behind a 31-point performance.
Team Giannis also included starters Antentokounmpo, Steph Curry, Joel Embiid, Paul George and Kemba Walker. Blake Griffin, Nikola Jokic, Kyle Lowry, Khris Middleton, Victor Oladipo (injured), D’Angelo Russell, Russell Westbrook and Nowitzki filled out the roster.
Team LeBron featured starters James, Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. The reserves included LaMarcus Aldridge, Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Ben Simmons, Klay Thompson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Dwyane Wade.
Vucevic, who’s averaging career highs in scoring (20.5), rebounding (12.1), assists (3.8), blocked shots (1.14) and 3-point shooting (38 percent), has earned the respect of his peers.
“He’s one of the most skilled bigs we have in this league,” said Harden, who’s amidst one of the best scoring streaks the league has ever seen.
And his growth over the years has not gone unnoticed.
“Me and Nikola came out together in the 2011 draft, so to see him become an All-Star is great,” said Thompson. “He’s very skilled, one of the most skilled big men in this league.”
Vucevic has been an integral piece to the Magic’s five-game winning streak, which has propelled them to 0.5 games back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“He’s very good – we play them four times a year, so I don’t like it because he does really well against us,” Beal said with a laugh. “He’s a great player, I’m happy he’s an All-Star, he deserves it.”
As Vucevic prepares to return to Orlando, his sights are now set on helping the Magic make a push for the playoffs. Their quest for that goal resumes on Friday, when Orlando hosts the Chicago Bulls at Amway Center.
Now, with an All-Star Game under his belt, he hopes that the next big stage he experiences is that of the NBA Playoffs.
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