- Nikola Peković
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Nikola Peković Peković with the Timberwolves No. 41 KK Partizan Center Personal information Date of birth January 3, 1986 Place of birth Bijelo Polje, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia Nationality Montenegrin Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Listed weight 243 lb (110 kg) Career information NBA Draft 2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 31st overall Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves Pro career 2003–present League Serbian League
Adriatic League
EuroleagueCareer history - Atlas (2003–2005)
- Partizan (2005–2008)
- Panathinaikos (2008–2010)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–present)
- Partizan (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards Nikola Peković (Cyrillic: Никола Пековић; pronounced [nǐkɔ̝la pê̞ːkɔ̝vitɕ]; born January 3, 1986) is a Montenegrin professional basketball player. He is currently playing for the Serbian club Partizan Belgrade. Peković is 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in)[1] tall and he plays the center position.
Contents
Professional career
Europe
Peković began playing basketball with KK Junior from Podgorica. From there, he went to Belgrade to play for KK Atlas in 2003, and he played for them until 2005, when he moved to KK Partizan. With Partizan, he won three Serbian League championships (2006, 2007, 2008), two Adriatic League championships (2007, 2008), and the Serbian Cup in 2008. He was named the MVP of the Adriatic League Final Four in 2008.
In the summer of 2008, Peković joined the Greek League club Panathinaikos. He signed a 3 year contract worth €4.6 million euros net income. He averaged 13 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, in just over 18 minutes per contest, helping Panathinaikos win the 2008–09 Euroleague title.
NBA
Peković was selected 31st overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.[2] Many draft experts considered him a top 10 pick, but due to his contract situation with his team in Europe he was selected much lower. He was considered a lock to be drafted with the first pick of the second round because players selected in the second round are not subject to the rookie scale contracts of the first round. This meant that the team that drafted him would be able to pay him more than those players selected later in the first round. Due to the amount of money Peković was making in Europe already, he likely would not have made the jump to the NBA for the amount of money that could be paid to a late first round player. It was reported on June 30, 2010, that Peković had agreed with the Wolves to a 3 year, $13 million gross income deal.[3]
Return to Europe
On August 16, 2011 he signed a contract to play for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia until the 2011 NBA lockout ends.[4]
Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG 2010–11 Minnesota 65 11 13.6 .517 .000 .763 3.0 .4 .3 .5 5.5 Career 65 11 13.6 .517 .000 .763 3.0 .4 .3 .5 5.5 International career
Serbia and Montenegro national team
In 2005, while playing with the Under-21 Serbia and Montenegro national basketball team, he received the bronze medal in Russia at the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. At the 2006 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship held in İzmir, he won the gold medal with his national team.
Montenegro national team
Peković is a member of the Montenegrin men's senior national team.
Awards and accomplishments
Pro career
- Won 3 Serbian Championships: (2006, 2007, 2008)
- Won 2 Adriatic Championships: (2007, 2008)
- Won the Serbian Cup: (2008)
- Adriatic League Final Four MVP: (2008)
- All-Euroleague Second Team: (2008)
- Won the Greek Cup: (2009)
- Won 2 Greek Championships: (2009, 2010)
- All-Euroleague First Team: (2009)
- Won the Euroleague Championship: (2009)
- Won the Triple Crown: (2009)
National team
- 2005 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship - Bronze Medal
- 2006 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship - Gold Medal
Notes
- ^ NBA.com - Nikola Pekovic.
- ^ NBA DraftCast 2008.
- ^ ESPN.com - Sources: Pekovic's deal worth $13M.
- ^ PARTIZAN brings former champ Pekovic home
External links
- NBA.com Profile
- Euroleague.net Profile
- Draftexpress.com Profile
- Adriatic League Profile
- Nikola Pekovic Interbasket Profile
- Ja izbliza: Nikola Peković, košarkaš Partizana, Blic, March 9, 2008
KK Partizan current roster 2008 NBA Draft First round Derrick Rose · Michael Beasley · O. J. Mayo · Russell Westbrook · Kevin Love · Danilo Gallinari · Eric Gordon · Joe Alexander · D. J. Augustin · Brook Lopez · Jerryd Bayless · Jason Thompson · Brandon Rush · Anthony Randolph · Robin Lopez · Marreese Speights · Roy Hibbert · JaVale McGee · J. J. Hickson · Alexis Ajinça · Ryan Anderson · Courtney Lee · Kosta Koufos · Serge Ibaka · Nicolas Batum · George Hill · Darrell Arthur · Donté Greene · D. J. White · J. R. Giddens
Second round Nikola Peković · Walter Sharpe · Joey Dorsey · Mario Chalmers · DeAndre Jordan · Ömer Aşık · Luc Mbah a Moute · Kyle Weaver · Sonny Weems · Chris Douglas-Roberts · Nathan Jawai · Sean Singletary · Patrick Ewing, Jr. · Ante Tomić · Goran Dragić · Trent Plaisted · Bill Walker · Malik Hairston · Richard Hendrix · DeVon Hardin · Shan Foster · Darnell Jackson · Tadija Dragićević · Maarty Leunen · Mike Taylor · Sasha Kaun · James Gist · Joe Crawford · Deron Washington · Semih Erden
Panathinaikos BC 2008–09 Euroleague Champions 4 Alvertis | 5 Kecman | 6 Spanoulis (Final4 MVP) | 7 Perperoglou | 8 Batiste | 9 Fotsis | 10 Hatzivrettas | 11 Nicholas | 12 Tsartsaris | 13 Diamantidis | 14 Peković | 15 Šakota | 16 Shermadini | 17 Verginis | 19 Jasikevičius | Coach Obradović
Minnesota Timberwolves current roster East Atlantic: BOS · NY · NJ · PHI · TOR Southeast: ATL · CHA · MIA · ORL · WAS Central: CHI · CLE · DET · IND · MIL
West Northwest: POR · MIN · OKC · DEN · UT Southwest: DAL · HOU · MEM · NO · SA Pacific: GS · LAC · LAL · PHX · SACMontenegro squad – EuroBasket 2011 – 21st place Categories:- 1986 births
- Living people
- People from Bijelo Polje
- Montenegrin basketball players
- Centers (basketball)
- KK Partizan players
- Panathinaikos BC players
- Montenegrin expatriates in Greece
- Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks
- Minnesota Timberwolves players
- Montenegrin expatriate basketball people in the United States
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