A recent distressing news coming out from Belgrade has attracted the attention of basketball fans around the globe. The horrifying report includes a notable face, former NBA star Nemanja Bjelica.
The former Timberwolves forward known for his occasional crazy brawls now found himself on the receiving end of a perilous situation. More details emerge about the incident that occurred in a children’s playroom, but the matter was far from child’s play.
Nemanja Bjelica suffers life-threatening attack
Former Warriors forward Nemanja Bjelica was attacked recently in public. This incident took place when he was at a kids’ playground in Belgrade.
The attacker carrying scissors threatened the forward saying, “I will take your family, your children, your wife, and you. I will take your money” and instructed Bjelica to meet him at the parking lot where he would be waiting. Thankfully the cops arrived at the scene and arrested the culprit who was a former Serbian soccer player, Nikola Petkovic.
Nemanja Bjelica played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat and the Warriors in his NBA career spanning 7 years. He won the NBA Championship with the Warriors in 2022, making him the fourth Serbian player to do so. It is worth noting that Nikola Jokic became the fifth Serbian to repeat the feat last season.
After concluding his NBA career, Bjelica moved to Turkey and then to his native Serbia before eventually hanging up his boots last year in October. Well, this is not the only time that the NBA champion got himself involved in a controversial situation.
Bjelica himself once threatened to kill fellow NBA star’s family
Back when Nemanja Bjelica played for the Timberwolves, he allegedly made threats towards a fellow NBA player’s family. Jeff Teague, his former teammate from the Timberwolves, revealed an incident on his podcast where he witnessed a troubling side of the Serbian player, whom he considered his “closest” friend.
During a match with the Hawks, Teague admitted to intentionally slapping Bjelica in the face to vent his frustration over a mistake. However, the incident went unnoticed by the referees, potentially sparing Teague and his team from repercussions.
In the locker room afterward, Bjelica allegedly threatened Teague, saying, “Hey, I was going to mess you up, brother. I was going to harm your whole family. Don’t do that again.” The incident surely left a lasting impression on both the former players.
Another incident also involving the big Serb caused a lot of stir a few years ago. In a game between the Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic in 2018, Bjelica put a wrestling-style headlock on Aaron Afflalo after he was hit by the Magic guard. Both were subsequently ejected from the match.
During a post-match interview in the locker room, Bjelica said “He took a swing at me, and I was just trying to protect myself first of all and to help him, to calm him down because he was wild.”
The 6’10” forward’s knack of getting into trouble seems to be a regular habit but we can only hope it doesn’t come down to a life-threatening showdown.
