Bogoljub Markovic Shines at the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit

The first rule of the Nike Hoop Summit is it matters when the prospects you like play well, and it doesn’t matter when they don’t. That’s mostly a joke, but it is important to remember this is one organized game that should primarily contribute to a prospect's season and career of work, and not be conclusive in any way. For Serbian forward Bogoljub Markovic, this game may have solidified his status as a potential first-round pick.

Markovic spent this season with KK Mega Basket. The primarily agent-run and development-focused club has churned out NBA players over the years, primarily Nikola Jokic but also Nikola Jovic, Ivica Zubac, Karlo Matkovic, and others. Some players have flopped at the NBA level too, like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Marko Simonovic. While there have been more hits than misses, a careful eye is required when evaluating players from Mega Basket. With the amount of opportunity given to youngsters, their stats tend to be higher than fellow draft participants.

Markovic has thrived with Mega this season, averaging 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block per game on 54/41/76 shooting spits. At 6-foot-11 he’s got the size of an NBA big but seems just as comfortable in transition and on the perimeter as he does screening and in the post. He has the do-it-all game for his position that NBA teams desire, and the Hoop Summit allowed him to flex that against top American prospects, and that’s exactly what he did.

He finished the game with a 16-point and 10-rebound double-double for Team World. He was their third-leading scorer, and also knocked down three threes, and added two assists where he showed his decision-making out of the short roll and comfort by putting the ball on the floor and making passes on the move.

High-level feel and processing upside with Bogoljub Markovic @ 6’11.

24th on my big board. https://t.co/yBe6t2qVTT pic.twitter.com/tbj6J1rljR
— Mohamed (@mcfdraft) April 13, 2025

We had Markovic fourth on our last international prospect rankings for 2025 and while it’s hard to move him up from there - Hansen Yang has continued to dominate in China, Noa Essengue and Joan Beringer continue to play solidly for Ratiopharm Ulm and KK Cedevita respectively - he is certainly moving up 2025 NBA Draft boards generally. Markovic was outside of most mock drafts to start the season, but had solidified himself as a second-rounder in most mocks prior to the Summit and now, might be making a case for a late first-round selection.

This class is strong, but 6-foot-11 forwards with range, touch, and decent court visionn as well as two-way versatility, don’t come along every draft class. NBA teams could certainly do a lot worse than taking a gamble on a player like Markovic with a late first-round pick this summer, and the Nike Hoop Summit may have been the final proof point he needed to make front offices consider taking him that high.

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