Nikola Popović (basketball)


Nikola Popović, also known as Nik Popovic, is a Serbian professional basketball player for FMP of the Adriatic League and the Basketball League of Serbia, on loan from Crvena zvezda. He played college basketball for the Boston College Eagles.

Early career

Popović was born in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was a member of the Crvena zvezda under-18 team that lost to Real Madrid in the 2014–15 Euroleague Next Generation Tournament Final. Over four games in the final tournament, he averaged 5.8 points and five rebounds per game.

High school career

Popović began playing high school basketball in 2015 with the Sagemont School in Weston, Florida. In his senior year, he averaged 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game, earning him All-County First Team honors.

College career

Popović posted 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a freshman. As a sophomore, Popović averaged 9.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, starting 33 games. He had 20 points against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament. Popović averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a junior at Boston College. As a senior, Popović averaged 10.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. His season was marred by a back injury that forced him to miss a substantial number of games. Popović had a season-high 23 points in a 100–85 loss to Belmont.

Professional career

On 7 June 2020, Popović signed a four-year professional contract with Crvena zvezda. On the same day, he was loaned out to FMP for the 2020–21 season.

National team career

Popović was a member of the Serbian under-17 team that won the bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Over six tournament games, he averaged 7.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Also, he was a member of the Serbian under-18 team that finished 5th at the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in Volos, Greece. Over nine tournament games, he averaged 5.6 points, four rebounds, and one assist per game.