Nikola Milutinov

Nikola Milutinov's Biography

Nikola Milutinov, a professional basketball player hailing from Serbia, was born on December 30, 1994. The center, standing at 2.13 meters (7ft), has established himself as a stalwart in both international and domestic games, playing for Greece’s Olympiacos and the Serbian national team.

Commencing his professional career with the 2011-12 season for Serbian club Hemofarm, Milutinov secured a four-year contract in June 2012 with Partizan of the Adriatic League. His first season culminated in a championship win for both his team, the Partizan, and the Adriatic League 2012-13 season. The Serbian League 2012-13 season championship also went to him. He wrapped up his second season with another championship win, following Partizan’s impressive 3-1 victory against Crvena zvezda in the league’s finals.

In the subsequent 2014-15 season, the absence of key players Dejan Musli and Joffrey Lauvergne from Partizan led Milutinov’s role to become more prominent. A high-scoring match against Levski Sofia saw him scoring a robust 21 points, alongside 10 rebounds. Following this success, Milutinov was selected for the Adriatic League 2014-15 season’s ideal five of Round 8 of the competition. Despite a temporary setback from an injury to the cornea in his right eye during the semi-final series of the Adriatic League and against Crvena zvezda, Milutinov played the subsequent match, in spite of the lack of endorsement from the team’s medical staff. For that season, he averaged 9.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in his 28 appearances in the Adriatic League.

The next chapter in Milutinov’s career began on July 25, 2015, when he penned a three-year deal with Olympiacos, a Greek League club. His performance garnered him the accolade of the Most Improved Player in 2017. Milutinov also participated in the Euroleague final during the same period. His stay with Olympiacos further extended for three seasons in October 2017. Despite a playoff series defeat to Žalgiris Kaunas with 3–1, Milutinov delivered his best season since joining the club, with 8.8 points and 5.7 rebounds averaging over 29 EuroLeague games.

In the 2018–19 season, Milutinov appeared in 28 games of the EuroLeague and averaged career-highs of 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds, which was marked as the league’s second-highest. He also performed impressively in the Greek League, with 10.9 points and 7 rebounds averaged over 24 games. Following this, he signed a three-year contract with Russian club CSKA Moscow, setting the EuroLeague record for most offensive rebounds in a game. He had 16 offensive rebounds in a winning match against Olimpia Milano.

Towards the end of June 2023, Milutinov made a return to Olympiacos, signing a lucrative two-year contract worth 3.6 million euros, after spending three seasons with CSKA Moscow. Milutinov notably declared himself eligible for the 2015 NBA draft in April 2015. His prowess led to him being the 26th overall pick of the first round of the draft by the San Antonio Spurs. As of August 2021, Milutinov’s draft rights belong to the Brooklyn Nets.

The successful sportsman also represented Serbia in the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, alongside several teammates, winning a silver medal for his performance. He further represented the senior mens’ Serbian national basketball team for the first time at the EuroBasket 2015, under coach Aleksandar Đorđević, where they emerged as champions in Group B with a 5-0 score. The team, however, was eventually defeated in the semifinals. Milutinov represented Serbia in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, winning the silver medal in 2023 and a bronze in the 2024 Summer Olympics. His average through this was 12.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game over 66.1% shooting from the field, earning him a spot in the All-FIBA World Cup Second Team.