Gonzaga’s Filip Petrusev named to Serbia’s final roster for 2024 Paris Olympics

Petrusev will make his Olympic debut later this month alongside three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic with the Serbian national team

Jul 10, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Filip Petrusev (33) reacts during an NBA Summer League game against the Brooklyn Nets at T&M. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Former Gonzaga men’s basketball standout Filip Petrusev will make his Olympic debut later this month when he and Team Serbia head to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Petrusev, fresh off a EuroLeague Final Four appearance with Olympiacos (Greece), was named to the Serbian national team’s final 15-man roster on Friday. Headlined by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, the Serbs brought back 10 players from a team that won silver at the FIBA World Cup last summer, including its leading scorer and current Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. Former Oklahoma City forward Aleksej Pokusevski is a solid addition for national team head coach Svetislav Pesic.

An experienced group with pro-level talent, Serbia figures to make a strong push for the gold as the No. 4 ranked country in the FIBA World Rankings.

Petrusev will likely play a key role off the bench behind Jokic, who’s also making his Olympic debut after Team Serbia failed to qualify for the 2020 Games. Jokic’s absence from the FIBA World Cup in Manila last year opened up more opportunities for Petrsuev, as the 6-foot-11 post scored double-figures in three of the six games he played in, including a 17-point, 6-rebound performance against Lithuania (sans Domantas Sabonis) in the quarterfinals. Petrusev also had 10 points and shot 4-of-6 from the field in the final against Germany.

Petrusev’s first taste of Olympic basketball will come against his former college coach Mark Few, an assistant coach with Team USA this summer. The Serbs take on the Americans to start Group C action on July 28 at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villenueve-d’Ascq, about three hours north of Paris. They’ll match up against Puerto Rico (July 31) and South Sudan (Aug. 4) before the quarterfinal round begins on Aug. 6. The top two teams from each group and the two best third-place teams will qualify for the quarterfinals.

Gonzaga’s international footprint will be well represented in the 5x5 basketball portion of the Games. Kelly Olynyk and Andrew Nembhard are set to suit up with Team Canada in its first appearance in Olympic basketball since 2000. The Canadians have the second-best odds to win the gold medal, according to major sportsbooks, behind All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a slew of NBA talent.

Olynyk, coming off his 11th NBA season, was voted the team’s co-captain.

Rui Hachimura will guide Team Japan on a historic venture to Paris as well. The Japanese national team hadn’t qualified in men’s basketball since the 1976 Games (Japan hosted the 2020 Games and thus automatically qualified) until last summer’s performance at the FIBA World Cup punched the country’s ticket to the 2024 Games. Though he wasn’t on the World Cup team, Hachimura will represent his country this time around in what will be his second appearance in the Olympics.

With four former Zags set to play 5x5 basketball, only Kentucky (six) has more alumni on Olympic basketball rosters. Saint Mary’s has three players on the Australian national team (Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Jock Landale).

Coming off a EuroLeague Final Four appearance with Olympiacos, Petrsuev was reportedly close to rejoining Crvena Zvezda, a Serbian club team in the ABA League first division with whom Petrusev played for in 2022 following a short stint in the NBA Summer League with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 6-foot-10 post made his NBA debut with the Sixers this past October before being traded (and released) by the Sacramento Kings weeks later, in which he signed with Olympiacos.