Less than two years ago Draymond Green and Jusuf Nurkic started to develop a heated rivalry, with the Golden State Warriors star suspended for a hit on the veteran center which was followed by a fiery back-and-forth during and after their next matchup a couple of months later.
Nurkic briefly became public enemy number one for Warrior fans who believe he was simply a sore loser after a game in February last year, having suggested to the media that it was 'just a matter of time until Green hit somebody again.'
Fast-forward to now and Nurkic is still picking battles with rival players, except now he might be doing it to compensate for what's becoming an uncertain NBA career after being traded twice since February's mid-season deadline.
Jusuf Nurkic is still using the media to fuel battles with opposing players
Nurkic has now turned his attention to one of the best players in the world, with the 31-year-old making some...let's say interesting comments on Giannis Antetokounmpo before and after Bosnia and Herzegovina's recent matchup against Greece at EuroBasket.
“But at the end of the day, just stop him in transition and live with his shots. Generally, he’s sucked at those defenses the last few years he’s played in EuroBasket," Nurkic said of Antetokounmpo before the game. "But it’s not only him, so we will be ready."
In fairness, Nurkic still labelled Antetokounmpo as a dominant player in both NBA and international competition, yet that didn't stop his comments from raising eyebrows among fans. It turns out it didn't matter anyway, with the 2x MVP missing the matchup due to knee soreness.
Bosnia and Herzegovina took the win as a result, claiming a 80-77 victory that saw Nurkic let his on-court actions do the talking with a solid 18-point, 10-rebound, three-assist double-double in just over 27 minutes.
He couldn't help himself from making another controversial statement after the game, saying that the game plan "didn't change a lot" despite Antetokounmpo's absence. While this may relate to Nurkic being focused on his own team first and foremost, it again sounds a little strange given Antetokounmpo's dominance and important to whichever team he's playing for.
Nurkic may been able to back up his talk this time around, but his ability to do so in the NBA is starting to dwindle. The former first-round pick was traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Charlotte Hornets in February, and has since found himself moved to the Utah Jazz this offseason as he enters the season on an expiring $19.4 million contract.
It would be interesting to hear what Green makes of Nurkic's recent comments on Antetokounmpo, having exchanged multiple fiery responses on social media that even extended to earlier this year.