The second international medal for Bogi in the last 12 month.
The Serbian national team competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer, and while they fell short against Team USA earlier in the semifinal round, they were able to bounce back to secure bronze in the third-place match today.
Last summer, without Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic led the team all the way to the finals in the 2023 FIBA World Cup where they lost to the German national team. This time, however, they were able to avenge their loss to Germany from a year ago and capture a podium place on the largest world stage.
Seasoned Hawk Bogdan Bogdanovic was a big part of the effort this time as well, although it doesn’t hurt to welcome the return of two-time MVP Nikola Jokic to the national team. Serbia finished 2-1 in the group stage and qualified for the eight-team knockout portion of the competition. There, they faced Dyson Daniels and the Australian national team.
Daniels, the significant offseason acquisition as a result of the Dejounte Murray trade, also had a strong tournament where he displayed tough perimeter defense and bursts of scoring at times.
In the quarterfinal game, ‘Bogi’ logged 17 points, six assists and five rebounds as part of a 90-85 overtime win over Australia — which then set the matchup with Team USA for a berth in the gold medal match.
After building a big lead early on, Serbia faded down the stretch and the US was able to escape with a 95-91 victory, setting the USA up a championship match with the French national team later today. In that game, Bogdanovic led the team in scoring with 20 points along with four rebounds and three assists.
Serbia rebounded earlier today, however, in the third-place game against team Germany. In a 93-83 win for Serbia, ‘Bogi’ dropped 16 points in the winning effort.
Congratulations to Bogdanovic for the achievement. And now, he’ll surely enjoy a well-earned couple months of rest before the upcoming Hawks season.