Serbia – a two-time silver medalist in men’s basketball – will take its shot at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with a roster that features Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
That continues with a matchup against the United States in the semifinals on Thursday.
Team USA beat Serbia 110-84 in group play of the tournament. Does Serbia offer a real challenge in the knockout round? Will it make a run at another medal? Those are real questions heading into the rematch.
A look inside Serbia's men's basketball team.
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Serbia men's basketball roster at 2024 Olympics
The Serbian roster features four players who currently play in the NBA. That includes Jokic, a six-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA MVP award winner who led Denver to the NBA championship in the 2022-23 season. Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists last season.
Bogdanovic averaged 16.9 points per game for Atlanta last season. A 2014 first-round pick, Bogdanovic is a 38.4 percent career shooter from 3-point range.
Nikola Jovic averaged 7.7 points in 46 games for Miami last season, and Vasilije Micic averaged 7.0 points in 60 games for the Hornets. Marko Guduric, who played for Memphis in 2019-20, rounds out the starting five for Serbia.
| NO. | POS | NAME | HT | TEAM | LEAGUE |
| 0 | C | Uros Plavsic | 7-1 | KK Crvena zvezda | Serbian League |
| 3 | F/C | Filip Petrusev | 6-11 | Olympiacos | Greece |
| 5 | PF | Nikola Jovic | 6-10 | Miami Heat | NBA |
| 7 | SG | Bogdan Bogdanovic | 6-5 | Atlanta Hawks | NBA |
| 9 | SG | Vanja Marinkovic | 6-6 | KK Partizan | Euro League |
| 13 | SF | Ognjen Dobric | 6-7 | KK Crvena zvezda | Serbian League |
| 15 | C | Nikola Jokic | 6-11 | Denver Nuggets | NBA |
| 22 | PG | Vasilije Micic | 6-3 | Charlotte Hornets | NBA |
| 23 | G/F | Marko Guduric | 6-6 | Fenerbahce | Euro League |
| 27 | F | Dejan Davidovac | 6-8 | KK Crvena zvezda | Serbian League |
| 30 | PG | Aleska Avramovic | 6-4 | KK Partizan | Euro League |
| 33 | C | Nikola Milutinov | 7-0 | Olympiacos | Greece |
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Serbia basketball coaches
Svetislav Pesic – a renowned international coach – has been the coach for the Serbian national team since 2021. He was the coach for FR Yugoslavia when that team won the World Cup in 2002.
How Serbia reached the Olympics
Serbia qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics with an impressive showing in the 2023 World Cup. Serbia finished 6-2, won the silver medal and was the second-highest qualifying team from Europe.
Germany beat Serbia 83-77 in the championship game. Serbia defeated Lithuania 87-68 and Canada 95-86 to advance to the gold-medal game.
That strong showing created optimism despite a tough pool play schedule in Paris.
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Serbia Olympic basketball schedule
Serbia was in Pool C in the men's basketball tournament. The other teams in Pool C were South Sudan, Puerto Rico and the United States.
Serbia defeated Australia in overtime to advance to the semifinals.
| Round | Result |
| Group play | United States 110, Serbia 84 |
| Group play | Serbia 107, Puerto Rico 66 |
| Group play | Serbia 96, South Sudan 85 |
| Quarterfinals | Serbia 95, Australia 90 |
| Semifinals | United States vs. Serbia |
History of Serbia basketball teams in the Olympics
Serbia was part of Yugoslavia through the 1988 Summer Olympics, and the country was suspended from the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
This marks the fifth time Serbia has participated in men’s basketball in the Summer Olympics. Under the name FR Yugoslavia, the team reached the gold-medal game in 1996 before losing to the United States 95-69.
Serbia reached the quarterfinals in 2000 and failed to advance past the group stage in 2004. In 2016, Serbia again made the gold-medal game and lost 96-66 to the United States. Jokic, who was 21 that year, scored six points in the loss.
| YEAR | RECORD | PLACE |
| 1996 | 7-1 | Silver |
| 2000 | 4-3 | 6th |
| 2004 | 2-4 | 11th |
| 2016 | 4-4 | Silver |