Before the NBA put back a direct path from high school to the draft, Nikola Jovic used a similar lane that took him to Miami.
Instead of taking the high school graduation exam in Serbia, the last step before a college education, he went to the United States and focused on preparing for the 2022 NBA Draft. Fortunately for him, the Miami Heat called him up with the 27th overall pick in June and he shared his story with ESPN.
\”I didn\’t have time, mostly because of the time difference.\” recalled his decision to skip the exam.
Jovic, 19, appeared in the NBA Summer League 2022 and continued to work toward his NBA rookie season. In the later stages of the offseason, the Heat prevented him from representing his country at EuroBasket 2022 and in the remaining international games. At the same time, he was preparing to graduate through Zoom, but failed to do so.
\”As soon as I have some time for me, I will do it. I have to put myself in touch with my teachers, because as I said, the time difference is really important….\”
The plan is for the NBA to allow high school players to declare for the NBA Draft, as was the case until 2005. Well, this is not necessarily a problem for international players placed in different educational systems. The Serbian counterpart of high school, labeled secondary school, lasts four years and leads to college.
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