NBA Players from Bosnia and Herzegovina: Full List (2026)
7 NBA players have come from Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Wikipedia’s count (including 3 foreign-born Bosnians). Our table below names 17: players born outside the United States with a tie to Bosnia and Herzegovina, plus current players listed with its nationality. As of October 2026, 5 are on an NBA roster: Jusuf Nurkić (Utah Jazz), Ivica Zubac (Indiana Pacers), Luka Garza (Boston Celtics), Karlo Matković (New Orleans Pelicans) and Tarik Biberovic (Dallas Mavericks).
NBA players from Bosnia and Herzegovina at a glance
| NBA players, all time | 7 (Wikipedia count); 17 named in our table |
|---|---|
| On NBA rosters, October 2026 | 5: Jusuf Nurkić, Ivica Zubac, Luka Garza, Karlo Matković, Tarik Biberovic |
| First to play in the NBA | Sasha Danilović (1995) |
| Longest NBA career | Vladimir Radmanović (12 seasons) |
| Centers | 10: Ratko Varda, Aleksandar Radojević, Damir Markota, Mile Ilić, Ognjen Kuzmić, Jusuf Nurkić, Dragan Bender, Ivica Zubac, Luka Garza, Karlo Matković |
| 7-foot prospects in our database | 1 (see them) |
| Last checked | 9 October 2026 |
Every NBA player from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sorted by NBA debut, earliest first. Status is as of October 2026, before the 2026-27 regular season, so it includes players on training camp deals.
| Player | Position | NBA seasons | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sasha Danilović | Guard | 1995-1997 | Former player | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Serbia |
| Ratko Varda | Center | 2001-02 | Former player | Born in Yugoslavia |
| Vladimir Radmanović | Forward | 2001-2013 | Former player | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Serbia |
| Zoran Planinić | Guard | 2003-2006 | Former player | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Croatia |
| Aleksandar Radojević | Center | 2004-05 | Former player | Born in Yugoslavia |
| Damir Markota | Center | 2006-07 | Former player | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Croatia |
| Mile Ilić | Center | 2006-07 | Former player | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Serbia |
| Mirza Teletović | Forward | 2012-2018 | Former player | Born in Yugoslavia |
| Ognjen Kuzmić | Center | 2013-2015 | Former player | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Serbia |
| Bojan Bogdanović | Forward | 2014-2025 | Former player | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Croatia |
| Jusuf Nurkić | Center | 2014 to present | Utah Jazz | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Dragan Bender | Forward/center | 2016-2020 | Former player | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Croatia |
| Ivica Zubac | Center | 2016 to present | Indiana Pacers | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Croatia |
| Džanan Musa | Forward | 2018-2020 | Former player | |
| Luka Garza | Center | 2021 to present | Boston Celtics | Also listed with the United States nationality |
| Karlo Matković | Forward/center | 2024 to present | New Orleans Pelicans | Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Croatia |
| Tarik Biberovic | Guard | Rookie in 2026-27 | Dallas Mavericks | Also listed with Turkey nationality |
Players from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the NBA in 2026-27
- Jusuf Nurkić: center, 6’11”, age 32, Utah Jazz. Entering NBA season 13; drafted in 2014, round 1, pick 16.
- Ivica Zubac: center, 7’0″, age 29, Indiana Pacers. Entering NBA season 11; drafted in 2016, round 2, pick 2.
- Luka Garza: center, 6’10”, age 27, Boston Celtics. Entering NBA season 6; drafted in 2021, round 2, pick 22.
- Karlo Matković: forward/center, 6’10”, age 25, New Orleans Pelicans. Entering NBA season 3; drafted in 2022, round 2, pick 22.
- Tarik Biberovic: guard, 6’7″, age 25, Dallas Mavericks. Rookie; drafted in 2023, round 2, pick 26.
NBA centers from Bosnia and Herzegovina
10 of the 17 players in the table played center or forward/center: Ratko Varda (2001-02), Aleksandar Radojević (2004-05), Damir Markota (2006-07), Mile Ilić (2006-07), Ognjen Kuzmić (2013-2015), Jusuf Nurkić (2014 to present), Dragan Bender (2016-2020), Ivica Zubac (2016 to present), Luka Garza (2021 to present) and Karlo Matković (2024 to present). Our database also lists 1 young player from Bosnia and Herzegovina at 7 feet or taller.
7-Foot Prospects from Bosnia and Herzegovina
One active player from Bosnia and Herzegovina is listed at 7 feet or taller and born in 2001 or later in our 7-Foot Prospect Database, last checked on 9 October 2026:
- Elmir Dzafic: 7’0″ (213 cm), born in 2005, UConn (NCAA D1)
See every player, with filters by country, in the 7-Foot Prospect Database.
Player profiles from our archive
This section was first published in 2018. Teams and career details in it are as of that time; the tables above show where things stand in October 2026.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is becoming a bigger and bigger NBA talent origin, with the muscular phenom Jusuf Nurkic leading the way. And of course, Nurkic won’t be the last productive player from Bosnia – there are 10 up and coming players who you can check out on this list. Read below to learn more about other former and active NBA players that originated from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
NBA Players from Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018
Jusuf Nurkić is a Bosnian professional basketball player born on August 23rd 1994, and he is 7’0” feet tall and weights 280 pounds. In February 2012 he performed remarkably well during the Nike International Junior Tournament in Belgrade, scoring an average of 18.8 points and 11 rebounds during 5 games. He participated there as a loan from his team Cedevita to Union Olimpija. Also in 2012 he represented Bosnia and Herzegovina during the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B, and in this tournament he was awarded Most Valuable Player.
The Chicago Bulls picked him up on the NBA Draft in June 26th 2014, himself being the 16th on the list. The Denver Nuggets enlisted him from a trade and he was part of the team until February 2017, when he was traded again in exchange for Mason Plumlee to the Portland Trail Blazers. During 2017 Nurkić also played with the Bosnian and Herzegovina national team on the Eurobasket 2017 meeting, where he tallied a total of 19.2 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.
Ernest Lenell “J. R.” Bremer is a 6’2” feet tall professional basketball player born in the USA on September 19th 1980, and a naturalized Bosnian citizen. A point guard player and a 3-point shooter, in 2002 he began his NBA career with the Boston Celtics as an undrafted player, a season that saw him entering the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Bremer stayed with the Celtics during the 2002-03 season, then moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers and also the Golden State Warriors for the 2003-04 season, and during that time in America he averaged 6.5 points and 2.2 assists per game. The Charlotte Bobcats briefly selected him at the end of the 2003-04 season, but he was waived and became part of Unicaja Málaga in Spain. During his career in Europe he has also reinforced the Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball selection and his latest engagement has been with the Limoges CSP of the Ligue Nationale de Basket in France.
Mirza Teletović is a professional basketball player from Bosnia, born on September 17th 1985 and measuring 6’9” feet tall, he is specialized as a power forward player. Teletović is a survivor from the Bosnian War in the 1990s, and he went through 18 months of siege on Mostar, his hometown. He began his professional basketball career in Bosnia, as part of the Sloboda Tuzla club during the 2002-03 Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Basketball Championship. Then in 2004 the Telindus Oostende from Belgium signed him and he played there for the next two years. Spain was his next destination, where he became part of the Saski Baskonia club in 2006, where he earned the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto’s Rising Star Award in 2008, and in 2009 he was awarded Most Valuable Player during the Copa del Rey de Baloncesto tournament held in Madrid.
During all his professional career he has also represented Bosnia and Herzegovina on international competitions, particularly during the EuroBasket tournament in 2003, 2005, 2011 and 2013. His team finished number 17 out of 24 competitors in EuroBasket 2011, but he got 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on his personal stats that year.
His NBA career began on July 16th 2012, when the Brooklyn Nets extended him a contract for three years. Then in 2015 the Phoenix Suns offered him $5.5 millions for a one-year contract. On July 8th 2016 the Milwaukee Bucks signed him and he currently remains in their roster.
Aleksandar Radojević is a retired professional basketball player and one of the tallest ever in the NBA, towering 7’3” feet, specialized in playing the center position. He was born on August 8th 1976.
His first season in the NBA was 1999-2000 playing for the Toronto Raptors, and he suffered an injury at his third game in the season and could not play for the rest of it. Over those three games he averaged 2.3 points and 2.7 rebounds. The Raptors traded him to the Denver Nuggets on January 12th 2001, but he could not play there due to his injuries. On October 22nd 2001 the Nuggets again traded him along with Kevin Willis to the Milwaukee Bucks, but unfortunately he sat down for two months without seeing any playing time, and was finally waived.
Then he played from 2002 to 2004 in several European teams, before having a brief return to the NBA on the 2004-05 season, playing twelve games with the Utah Jazz.
Returning to Europe, Radojević was part of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team on the 2005 Eurobasket tournament and then he signed with Poland’s Prokom Trefl Sopot, then Greece’s Olympia Larissa on the season of 2005-06, and later Cyprus’s APOEL Nicosia, and Keravnos Keo Nicosia teams.
Ratko Varda is a professional basketball player born in the former Yugoslavia on May 6th 1979, who measures 7’0” in height and plays center position. He began his career playing as part of the Yugoslavian national team and also the Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team. On the season of 2001-02 He became part of NBA’s Detroit Pistons and also the Washington Wizards, participating only in one game for six minute, during which he scored five points for the Pistons.
Varda went to play in Europe from January 2003 on, where he joined the Slovenian team Union Olimpija for the 2002-03 season. Then in Greece he joined the Apollon Patras during the 2003-04 season. For the 2004-05 season he became part of the Turkish team Beşiktaş. As of 2017 he is one of the players in the Second Division of the Adriatic Basketball League’s Dynamic team in Serbia.
Frequently asked questions
How many NBA players are from Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Wikipedia counts 7 (including 3 foreign-born Bosnians). Our table names 17 players with a tie to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Which players from Bosnia and Herzegovina are in the NBA in 2026-27?
As of October 2026: Jusuf Nurkić (Utah Jazz), Ivica Zubac (Indiana Pacers), Luka Garza (Boston Celtics), Karlo Matković (New Orleans Pelicans) and Tarik Biberovic (Dallas Mavericks).
Who was the first NBA player from Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Sasha Danilović, who debuted in 1995 (born in Bosnia and Herzegovina; listed under Serbia).
Which centers from Bosnia and Herzegovina have played in the NBA?
Ratko Varda, Aleksandar Radojević, Damir Markota, Mile Ilić, Ognjen Kuzmić, Jusuf Nurkić, Dragan Bender, Ivica Zubac, Luka Garza and Karlo Matković.
Are there 7-foot prospects from Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Yes. Our 7-Foot Prospect Database lists 1: Elmir Dzafic.
More guides: NBA players by country. Scouting reports: NBA center prospects.
Sources: Wikipedia, List of NBA players born outside the United States (revision of 3 October 2026); RealGM NBA player list (9 October 2026); Low Key NBA 7-Foot Prospect Database. U.S.-born players with family ties to Bosnia and Herzegovina may be missing from the table. Last checked 9 October 2026.
