The Atlanta Hawks have had somewhat of a disappointing season following up their appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago. However, their core for future development remains as strong as any teams’ building blocks, and Atlanta may end up making a similarly surprising run in the playoffs this season.
Trae Young is among the best scoring guards in the NBA today and is also an excellent distributor when defensive attention is locked in on him. Opposing teams usually do not want Young to beat them, so they will collapse on the Hawks’ point guard, allowing wide-open shooting opportunities for his teammates.
One of the biggest additions to Atlanta’s roster in the last two seasons has been Bogdan Bogdanovic. He did not get much of a chance to showcase his talents with the Sacramento Kings, considering their struggles for many years. However, Bogdanovic is a well-rounded player, who is an ideal complement to the skills that Young brings to the table. The NBA as a whole is starting to see what he can do on larger stages, including his performance playing through knee soreness in the postseason last year.
Dominique Wilkins – Childhood
Bogdan Bogdanovic came into the world on August 18, 1992, in Belgrade, Serbia to parents Dragan and Koviljka Bogdanovic. He was born during a tumultuous time in world history involving his country and the former Yugoslavia. However, he was also fortunate to be born when he was, because basketball was starting to take off in Serbia in the early 1990’s.
Although he did not come from a sports-dominated family, Bogdanovic fell in love with the game as a young kid, playing it every chance he could. There was a highly esteemed basketball camp run in the country by NBA player Vlade Divac in the 1990s, but it was not easy to get into. Bogdanovic did not really have any connections or know anyone who would guarantee him a spot.
The boy would end up writing a letter to the camp. To this day, he is unsure what type of effect, if any, his writing had, but he did end up being picked in a lottery to attend the camp. The experience turned out to be critical for Bogdan Bogdanovic’s basketball story, as he would end up meeting other established Serbian players, and have a network for cultivating his passion. Bogdanovic came a long way in this regard because at the beginning of his childhood, he would play basketball with a soccer ball.
Dominique Wilkins – Overseas Professional Career
Not too much is known about Bogdan Bogdanovic’s middle school and high school years, but he was certainly on the radar as one of the country’s hottest basketball prospects during that time. He played for a couple of youth teams in Serbia during his teenage years, namely Zitko Basket. With Zitko, Bogdanovic was a force, leading them to an Under 18 Tournament victory held in France. Despite being somewhat undersized as a team, Bogdanovic’s play was the driving catalyst of their success. He averaged 21.8 points and 7.6 rebounds during that stretch.
Bogdanovic would start his professional basketball career in his home country for Partizan Belgrade when he signed a contract in the fall of 2010. He did not see a lot of action during his first couple of years with the squad but received more of a chance to develop in 2012-2013 after a head coaching change. He got into six games that year, averaging 17 minutes per contest, with a modest five points per game average.
However, in 2013-2014, Bodgan Bogdanovic really broke out. As an integral part of the rotation, he put up nearly 15 points per game, while contributing nearly four rebounds per game and four assists per game. His role as a playmaker and scorer changed during the season as injuries would dictate, but proved to be equally valuable with either set of responsibilities. For his rapid ascent, in such a short time, he was named the Euroleague Rising Star during that campaign.
After a successful summer with the Serbian national team, Bogdanovic joined Fenerbache Beko out of Turkey. While there, he was surrounded by past, present, and future NBA talent such as Jan Vesely, Nemanja Bjelica, Ekpe Udoh, and Pero Antic. As if showing improvement one year wasn’t enough, the 22-year-old Serbian took home the Euroleague Rising Star award again in his first season with Fenerbache. In Euroleague history, only Nikola Mirotic, Luka Doncic, and Bogdanovic have captured that honor in consecutive years.
Bogdanovic would spend two more years with Fenerbache, raising his profile as one of the premier players in Europe. His final year with the team would prove to be his most successful, and led them to a place they had never been before. They defeated Real Madrid in the Euroleague semifinals, which featured Doncic, and Spanish national team fixtures Sergio Llull and Rudy Fernandez.
In the Euroleague finals, Bogdanovic scored a game-high 17 points en route to a Fenerbache victory over Olympiacos, to secure the team’s first-ever championship. Since the 24-year-old had reached the pinnacle of his professional career overseas, it was time to start thinking about challenging himself at the game’s highest level; the NBA.
Dominique Wilkins – National Team Career
In between Bogdan Bogdanovic’s professional career in Europe and in the NBA, he has represented his native Serbia most impressively in international competitions. Bogdanovic has said in the past that he got goosebumps the first time he was asked to play for his home country. He takes the responsibility very seriously and acknowledges that children are looking up to him now, just as he looked up to others while he was growing up in Belgrade.
His first action with the senior men’s national team came in 2014 when the country brought home the silver medal in the FIBA World Cup. Bogdanovic played very well during the tournament, averaging 12 points per game. However, in the gold medal game against the United States, he only shot 5 of 17 from the field. Even in defeat, his willingness and lack of fear on a large stage were apparent, and his performance there helped set the stage for his Fenerbache career.
Teaming up with Nikola Jokic in the 2016 Olympics, Serbia had another great showing in the 2016 Olympics. Bogdan Bogdanovic had great scoring games against Venezuela, China, and Croatia to help the team advance to the gold medal round. Unfortunately, it was the United States standing in their way once again, and Serbia came in second place once more.
Individually, there has not been a better performance from Bogdanovic on the major international scene than his 2019 FIBA World Cup accomplishments. He averaged nearly 23 points per game and averaged over four three-pointers made in each contest. Although he was locked offensively, Serbia fell in the first round of the knockout stage to Argentina, 97-87.
As Bogdan Bogdanovic is still just 29 years old, he will have a few more chances to help Serbia claim national glory in the future.
Dominique Wilkins – Sacramento Kings
It seemed like only a matter of time before Bogdanovic would take his talents to the NBA. As other teammates of his noticed back in Europe, the level of his work ethic was a cut above many of the other players. He would often arrive to get shots up before anyone else, and remained on the court well after practice had concluded.
While he was playing with Fenerbache, Bogdan Bogdanovic was actually selected in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. His rights were then traded to the Sacramento Kings two years later in a deal for Marquese Chriss.
It was an interesting move, because the general manager of the Kings during that time was none other than Serbian basketball legend Vlade Divac. He had known about Bogdanovic’s game for a long time and was confident he would fit with the direction of the franchise. Sacramento Kings legend Peja Stojakovic was also around the team quite a bit and would provide Bogdanovic with another countryman to speak within his transition across the globe.
The shooting guard would eventually make his way to Sacramento for the 2017-2018 season, where he made his NBA debut in a game against the Suns, ironically. He was not shy in his first game, taking 15 shots in 25 minutes of action. At the age of 25, with several seasons of professional experience, Bogdanovic was not a traditional rookie. He wasn’t fazed at all in the 2018 Rising Stars game during All-Star Weekend, scoring 26 points and taking home MVP honors in a contest chock full of young talent. Bogdanovic dazzled that evening with some beautiful long-range three-point shots.
Unfortunately for the Serbian, that would end up being the largest stage he would play on during his three-year career in Sacramento. The Kings struggled to compete in a difficult Western Conference and did not qualify for the postseason during Bogdanovic’s time with the team.
Dominique Wilkins – Atlanta Hawks
After the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season, it seemed clear that Bogdanovic’s presence with the Kings did not make too much sense. He was headed for restricted free agency, and as an older prospect, it made more sense for him to spend his late 20’s contributing to a team that had a chance to win.
Bogdan Bogdanovic was very nearly a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. They attempted to acquire him in a sign and trade with Sacramento, but the deal ended up being voided. Milwaukee had violated tampering rules, and were allegedly in contact with Bogdanovic’s representation before free agency started, according to Sports Illustrated. It would have been fascinating to see Bogdanovic play on a team that would end up winning the 2021 NBA title, but it was not meant to be.
Instead, the Atlanta Hawks signed him to an offer sheet as a restricted free agent, and the Kings decided not to match. It turned out to be a massive addition to the Hawks roster, as the Serbian proved a suitable complement to an improving young squad.
Bogdanovic’s first season in Atlanta got off to a slow start due to injury. He missed nearly two months of the regular season, forcing players like John Collins and Danilo Gallinari to play extra minutes to compensate. Coupled with the elevation of Nate McMillan to head coach, Bogdanovic’s return to the lineup in early March propelled Atlanta up the Eastern Conference standings. They finished the regular season winning 10 out of their last 13 games.
In his first appearance in the NBA postseason, the shooting guard played extremely well. He was not afraid to shoot when given the chance and had some well-rounded games in the team’s first-round series against the New York Knicks. Bogdanovic also was effective in the early part of Atlanta’s second-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers.
He was slowed by knee soreness but stepped up when Atlanta needed him most after Trae Young missed Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The sharpshooter scored 28 points and pitched in five rebounds and four assists. Even though the Hawks fell to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in that series, Atlanta’s surprise run left a lot of room for future optimism.
Dominique Wilkins – NBA Future
If there is one thing that can be said about Bogdanovic so far in his professional career in Europe and in the NBA, it’s that he’s remarkably consistent. In the last four seasons with Sacramento and Atlanta, he’s averaged right between 14 and 16 points per game, and between 3.0 and 3.8 assists per game. Especially on a young team, which Bogdanovic finds himself on, that reliability is something that is extremely valuable from night to night.
His contract runs for another two seasons at $18 million each, although the second year is a player option. He could try to bet on himself to obtain a larger payday in two years, but at this juncture, it would seem likely for him to accept that salary. A lot of it will depend on how the Hawks fare in the postseason as well. If he’s an integral part of a team that gets over the hump and makes an NBA Finals run, Atlanta might be inclined to keep him by any means necessary.
Are Bogdan and Bojan brothers?
Even though they have the same last name, they are not related.
What did the Kings get for Bogdan Bogdanović?
For the trade, the Kings received D.J. Wilson, Donte DiVicenzo, and Ersan Ilyasova.
