Jusuf NurkiÃÂ ( ; born 23 August 1994) nicknamed the "Bosnian Beast", is a Bosnian professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the senior Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. NurkiÃÂ was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, before being traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft night. He has also played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns and the Charlotte Hornets.
Nurkiàwas born on 23 August 1994 in à ½ivinice, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He began playing basketball at age 14 after Bosnian sports agent Enes TrnovÃÂeviàtook Nurkiàto Slovenia and gave him an opportunity to play. Nurkiàplayed in the youth categories for Slovenian team Zlatorog Laà ¡ko. In February 2012, he was briefly loaned to Union Olimpija in order to play the Nike International Junior Tournament, which was held in Belgrade. Nurkiàattracted attention internationally by averaging 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds in five games. Shortly after the tournament, he parted ways with Zlatorog Laà ¡ko. Just days after, it was revealed that Nurkiàwas training with Croatian team Cedevita.
In October 2012, after a few months of training with Croatian team Cedevita, Nurkiàsigned a contract with Cedevita Zagreb. In his first season with Cedevita, Nurkiàhad a small role in the team under head coach Aleksandar PetroviÃÂ, mostly playing in garbage time. In the Euroleague, Nurkiàplayed in only six games, averaging 1.8 points per game. In January 2013, he was loaned to Zadar until the end of the season on his initiative, hoping to play more minutes. In NurkiÃÂ's second season under new head coach Jasmin Repeà ¡a, he had breakthroughs in the regional Adriatic League, averaging 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, for only 16.3 minutes spent on the court. This was attributed mainly to foul troubles and conditioning issues.
In 2014, NurkiÃÂ was nominated for the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year Award.
On 26 June 2014, NurkiÃÂ was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He was later traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft night. On 31 July, NurkiÃÂ signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets.
On 29 October 2014, Nurkiàmade his NBA debut, recording five points and seven rebounds in an 89âÂÂ79 victory over the Detroit Pistons. On 1 January 2015, Nurkiàhad his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 106âÂÂ101 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Two days later, Nurkiàrecorded his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five blocks in a 114âÂÂ85 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Nurkiàwent on to record two more double-doubles in February. He was named a participant in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge as a replacement for Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but declined to play in the event for personal reasons. In the regular-season finale against the Golden State Warriors, Nurkiàscored a season-high 17 points in a 133âÂÂ126 loss. On 20 May, he underwent successful surgery to repair a partially torn left patellar tendon.
On 11 October 2015, the Nuggets exercised their third-year team option on NurkiÃÂ's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016âÂÂ17 season. After being inactive for the first two months of the season due to recovering from his torn left patellar tendon, Nurkiàmade his 2015âÂÂ16 season debut on 2 January against the Warriors and finished the 111âÂÂ108 overtime loss with three points and two rebounds. Four days later, Nurkiàhad 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in a 78âÂÂ74 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On 12 March, he scored a season-high 17 points in a 116âÂÂ100 victory over the Washington Wizards. Nurkiàtopped that mark twice in late March, scoring 18 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on 25 March, and 19 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on 27 March. On 8 April, he scored a career-high 21 points in a 102âÂÂ98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
In the Nuggets' 2016âÂÂ17 season opener on 26 October 2016, Nurkiàset a new career high with 23 points in a 107âÂÂ102 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Five days later, he had 13 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in a 105âÂÂ102 loss to the Toronto Raptors. After Nikola Jokiàemerged as Denver's starting center, Nurkiàwas demoted to the bench. The demotion to the bench did not sit well with NurkiÃÂ, and he was not afraid to voice his displeasure with the situation, requesting to be traded twice, first in April 2016 and then again in December 2016. The Nuggets eventually granted Nurkiàhis wish 10 days before the 2017 trade deadline.
On 13 February 2017, NurkiÃÂ was traded, along with the rights to the Memphis Grizzlies' 2017 first round draft pick, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Mason Plumlee, a 2018 second round pick and cash considerations.
Nurkiàmade his debut for the Trail Blazers on 15 February, recording 13 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench in a 111âÂÂ88 loss to the Utah Jazz. Nurkiàmade his first start for the Trail Blazers in the next game eight days later following the NBA All-Star break, recording 12 points and 12 rebounds in a 112âÂÂ103 victory over the Orlando Magic. On 2 March, he had 18 points, 12 rebounds, a career-high six assists, and five blocks in a 114âÂÂ109 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Exactly a week later, Nurkiàhad a career-high 28 points and 20 rebounds in a 114âÂÂ108 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. He also had eight assists and six blocks, becoming the first NBA player to post at least 28 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists, and six blocks in a game since Charles Barkley pulled the feat in November 1986. On 28 March, Nurkiàset a new career high with 33 points to go along with 15 rebounds in a 122âÂÂ113 victory over his former team, the Nuggets. Three days later, Nurkiàwas ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a non-displaced fracture in his right leg.
On 22 April 2017, Nurkiàreturned to action in Game 3 of the Trail Blazers' first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, after having missed the final seven games of the regular season and the first two playoff games at Golden State. He finished the 119âÂÂ113 loss with two points and 11 rebounds as the Trail Blazers went down 3âÂÂ0 in the series. Nurkiàwent on to miss Game 4 of the series, as the Trail Blazers bowed out of the playoffs with a 4âÂÂ0 series loss to the Warriors.
On 24 November 2017, Nurkiàrecorded 29 points and 15 rebounds in a 127âÂÂ125 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. On 18 January 2018, he had 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds in a 100âÂÂ86 victory over the Indiana Pacers. On 9 April, Nurkiàrecorded 20 points and 19 rebounds in an 88âÂÂ82 loss to the Nuggets. In Game 4 of the Trail Blazers' first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans, Nurkiàhad 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 131âÂÂ123 loss. The loss eliminated Portland from the playoffs, as they lost the series in a four-game sweep.
On 6 July 2018, Nurkiàre-signed with the Trail Blazers. On 22 October, he recorded 22 points and 18 rebounds in a narrow 125âÂÂ124 overtime loss to the Washington Wizards. On 18 November, Nurkiàhad 13 points, 14 rebounds, and matched his career high with eight assists in a 119âÂÂ109 victory over the Wizards. Two days later, Nurkiàrecorded 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 118âÂÂ114 victory over the New York Knicks, thus recording his career-best fifth straight double-double. On 27 December, Nurkiàhad 27 points and 12 rebounds in a narrow 110âÂÂ109 overtime victory over the Warriors.
On 1 January 2019, Nurkiàlogged a career-high 23 rebounds in a 113âÂÂ108 overtime win against the Sacramento Kings, while also putting up an impressive stat line of 24 points, seven assists, five blocks, and five steals in that game. This performance marked a historic milestone, as it was the first ever game since the official recording of steals and blocks in 1973, where a player achieved 20+ points, 20+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 5+ blocks, and 5+ steals for an official 5x5. Ten days later, Nurkiàhad 11 points, 11 rebounds, and tied career highs with eight assists and six blocks in a 127âÂÂ96 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the third player in NBA history to record such a stat line in fewer than 30 minutes. On 16 January, he recorded his first career triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 129âÂÂ112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On 25 March 2019, Nurkiàsuffered a compound fracture of his left tibia and fibula in the second overtime of the Portland Trail Blazers 148âÂÂ144 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Nurkiàhad a season-high 32 points and 16 rebounds before the injury. The Trail Blazers confirmed that it was a season-ending injury the same night.
Nurkic was expected to return from his injury on 15 March 2020. However, with the suspension of the 2019âÂÂ20 NBA season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nurkiàdid not make his return until 31 July, in a 140âÂÂ135 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, where he recorded 18 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks.
On 14 January 2021, Nurkiàfractured his right wrist in a 111âÂÂ87 blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers. Nurkiàreturned on 26 March, recording eight points and eight rebounds in a 112âÂÂ105 victory over the Orlando Magic. On 23 April, he logged a season-high 26 points in a 130âÂÂ128 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
On 6 January 2022, during the fourth quarter of a 115âÂÂ109 loss to the Miami Heat, Nurkiàwas ejected from the game after an altercation with Heat guard Tyler Herro. The next day, the NBA fined both Nurkiàand Herro $25,000 each for the incident. On 22 January, Nurkic scored 29 points, including a go-ahead basket with 13 seconds left, and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 109âÂÂ105 victory over the Boston Celtics. On 22 March, he was fined $40,000 by the NBA for a confrontation with a fan two days earlier after a 129âÂÂ98 blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers, during which Nurkiàthrew the fan's phone into the stands. Six days later, Nurkiàwas ruled out for the remainder of the season with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
On 6 July 2022, NurkiÃÂ re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a four-year, $70 million contract.
On 27 September 2023, NurkiÃÂ, alongside Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns as part of a three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Trail Blazers.
Nurkiàmade his Suns debut on 24 October, recording a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds, including a game-securing driving lay-up, in a 108âÂÂ104 victory over the Golden State Warriors. On 8 November, Nurkiàrecorded 20 points, 17 rebounds, and eight assists alongside a game-winning floater in a narrow 116âÂÂ115 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls.
On 3 March 2024, Nurkiàrecorded a career-high 31 rebounds alongside 14 points in a 118âÂÂ110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, marking the most rebounds in a game by a player since 2010. He also broke the Suns franchise record for most rebounds by a player in a game, which was previously held by Tyson Chandler.
On 28 December 2024, Nurkiàwas suspended for three games without pay for an altercation involving both Naji Marshall and P. J. Washington during a game against the Dallas Mavericks. With the Suns sitting at 15âÂÂ18 to begin the 2025 part of their 2024âÂÂ25 campaign, the Suns elected to move Nurkiàto the bench in favor of Mason Plumlee, beginning with their 6 January 2025 game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He would later miss out on playing time altogether starting on their 9 January game against the Atlanta Hawks as well.
On 6 February 2025, NurkiÃÂ was traded to the Charlotte Hornets alongside a 2026 first-round pick in exchange for Cody Martin, Vasilije MiciÃÂ, and a 2026 second-round pick.
On 29 June 2025, NurkiÃÂ was traded to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Collin Sexton and a 2030 second-round pick. On 25 January 2026, NurkiÃÂ became the first player in franchise history to record three triple doubles in a row. He made 41 total appearances (including 36 starts) for the Jazz, averaging 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. On 23 February, it was announced that NurkiÃÂ would be undergoing a season-ending nose surgery.
Playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina, NurkiÃÂ was named MVP of the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B held in 2012, where he averaged 19.4 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. NurkiÃÂ was also the MVP of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship Division B, held in 2014, where he averaged 21.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. NurkiÃÂ played a minor role in the senior team of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 qualification, but did not make the squad for the final tournament due to the conflict with the board of Bosnian National Basketball Association. NurkiÃÂ represented the senior Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team during Eurobasket 2017 qualification. He averaged 19.2 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game.
Nurkiàrepresented Bosnia and Herzegovina at EuroBasket 2022, where the team was eliminated in the group stage. He helped his country get a "shock win", 97âÂÂ93, against the defending champions Slovenia. Nurkiàaveraged 16.2 points and 7.0 rebounds over the tournament.
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 62 || 27 || 17.8 || .446 || .000 || .636 || 6.2 || .8 || .8 || 1.1 || 6.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 32 || 3 || 17.1 || .417 || .000 || .616 || 5.5 || 1.3 || .8 || 1.4 || 8.2 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 45 || 29 || 17.9 || .507 || .000 || .496 || 5.8 || 1.3 || .6 || .8 || 8.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 20 || 19 || 29.2 || .508 || .000 || .660 || 10.4 || 3.2 || 1.3 || 1.9 || 15.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 79 || 79 || 26.4 || .505 || .000 || .630 || 9.0 || 1.8 || .8 || 1.4 || 14.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 72 || 72 || 27.4 || .508 || .103 || .773 || 10.4 || 3.2 || 1.0 || 1.4 || 15.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 8 || 8 || 31.6 || .495 || .200 || .886 || 10.3 || 4.0 || 1.4 || 2.0 || 17.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 37 || 37 || 23.8 || .514 || .400 || .619 || 9.0 || 3.4 || 1.0 || 1.1 || 11.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 56 || 56 || 28.2 || .535 || .268 || .690 || 11.1 || 2.8 || 1.1 || .6 || 15.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 52 || 52 || 26.8 || .519 || .361 || .661 || 9.1 || 2.9 || .8 || .8 || 13.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 76 || 76 || 27.3 || .510 || .244 || .640 || 11.0 || 4.0 || 1.1 || 1.1 || 10.9 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 25 || 23 || 23.7 || .454 || .322 || .696 || 9.2 || 1.9 || .9 || .6 || 8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 26 || 9 || 18.1 || .497 || .283 || .627 || 6.5 || 2.6 || .7 || .7 || 9.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 41 || 36 || 26.4 || .503 || .352 || .549 || 10.4 || 4.8 || 1.3 || .5 || 10.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2| Career | 631 || 526 || 24.5 || .502 || .294 || .661 || 8.9 || 2.6 || .9 || 1.1 || 11.8
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2017 | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 1 || 1 || 16.7 || .333 || .000 || .000 || 11.0 || 4.0 || .0 || 1.0 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2018 | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 4 || 4 || 23.4 || .487 || || .818 || 8.0 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 1.3 || 11.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2020 | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 5 || 5 || 32.3 || .439 || .273 || .783 || 10.4 || 3.6 || 1.4 || .2 || 14.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2021 | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 6 || 6 || 28.9 || .545 || .200 || .720 || 10.3 || 2.7 || .5 || 1.2 || 13.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2024 | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 4 || 4 || 25.9 || .500 || .000 || .455 || 8.3 || 2.8 || 1.5 || 1.5 || 7.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 20 || 20 || 27.4 || .489 || .211 || .714 || 9.5 || 2.7 || 1.1 || 1.0 || 11.5
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012âÂÂ13 | style="text-align:left;"| Cedevita | 6 || 0 || 3.7 || .625 || 1.000 || .000 || .7 || .0 || .2 || .5 || 1.8 || 2.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 6 || 0 || 3.7 || .625 || 1.000 || .000 || .7 || .0 || .2 || .5 || 1.8 || 2.0
NurkiÃÂ's father, Hariz, is a police officer in Bosnia and Herzegovina and as first noted by some of the Denver Nuggets' broadcasters, he stands at a similar height to Jusuf at 7 feet (2.13 m) tall, but weighs over 400 pounds (181 kg). In an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, NurkiÃÂ confirmed his father's enormous physical stature and noted that his younger brother, at the age of 13, is already engaged in basketball, donning size 16 shoes, and is looking to play collegiately in the United States once he reaches that education level.
Nurkiàis a practicing Muslim. On 12 April 2021, he sparked controversy in former Yugoslavia after marking the beginning of Ramadan by tweeting an image of the Meà ¡troviàPavilion in 1944, when it was converted into a mosque by the Ustaà ¡e regime in the Independent State of Croatia, a Nazi puppet state established in the occupied Yugoslavia. During that time, the Pavilion bore the name of Croatian fascist dictator and genocide perpetrator, Poglavnik Ante Pavelià(, ).