Serbia rules out Bogdanovic for the rest of EuroBasket

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

What a tough blow for the Serbian national basketball team.

In a surprising turn of events, the favorites to win this year’s FIBA EuroBasket will officially miss the services of team captain and star shooter Bogdan Bogdanovic due to a hamstring injury he suffered in their win over Portugal.

On Sept. 1, 2025, the Serbian Basketball Federation confirmed the news, adding that the national team veteran sustained a hamstring rupture.

Bogdanovic injured his hamstring late in the first half after driving against the Portugal interior. A breaking update then worried the Serbian fans present in Riga, Latvia, when he failed to enter the hardwood in the second half.

Before exiting the game, the sweet-shooting stalwart already tallied seven points and five rebounds. Although Serbia bagged the dominant 80-69 win, the team will now be lacking firepower with the absence of Bogdanovic as early as the elimination phase.

Bogdanovic provided steady offense in their opening victory against Estonia, 98-64, dropping 11 efficient points from 4/5 shooting from the field.

Serbia already won back-to-back games without Bogdanovic against Latvia and Czechia, but a tough challenge from NBA talent Alperen Sengun and Turkey awaits them in their fifth scheduled match.

The Nikola Jokic-led squad is yet to drop a single game in the FIBA EuroBasket tourney and will nab a direct ticket to the playoffs if they can take care of Turkey.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers, Bogdanovic’s mother team in the NBA, called back their shooting guard to return to the US for his rehabilitation process.

According to the Serbian Basketball Federation, both the national team management and the Clippers agreed to have his treatment done under the medical care of the NBA.

Bogdanovic was acquired by the Clippers last season after the All-Star break, where he immediately earned his role in the second unit together with Kris Dunn, Nicolas Batum, and Derrick Jones Jr.