All Hornets

Ex-Charlotte Hornet Aleksej Pokuševski Leaves NBA for Opportunity Overseas

The former first-round pick finds himself out of the league after just four years.

Schuyler Callihan

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Former Charlotte Hornet forward Aleksej Pokuševski is officially leaving the NBA...for now. According to Sportklub, Pokuševski is signing a deal with Partizan Mozzart Bet, a professional team in Belgrade, Serbia.

Pokuševski was one of the several pieces the Hornets received in the Gordon Hayward trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The former first-round pick showed flashes early in his career of being a quality bench piece, but fell out of the rotation as Oklahoma City's bench got deeper and found himself vying for playing time in Charlotte.

In 18 games with the Hornets, Pokuševski averaged 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 42% from the field and 36% from thre- point range. He put together a good stretch of games, eventually taking minutes away from JT Thor in a reserved role, but he never felt like someone the Hornets would move forward with beyond the 2023-24 season. He, along with Bryce McGowens, and Davis Bertans were waived in early July.

MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI

Hornets Athletic Trainer Wins Gold Medal with Team USA

When Will the Charlotte Hornets Go All-In?

Who is the Best Kept Secret on the Charlotte Hornets' Roster?

Grant Williams Praises the Charlotte Hornets' Culture Shift

Published
Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

schuylercallihan(at)gmail.com  Twitter:@Callihan_ Schuyler Callihan is the lead publisher of Mountaineers Now, All Panthers, and All Hornets on FanNation/Sports Illustrated. He took over publishing duties of All Panthers in 2020 and wanted to expand his professional coverage in the Queen City by running the operations at All Hornets. Schuyler attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia before finishing up his schooling at Alamance Community College in Graham, North Carolina. The Wheeling, West Virginia native made the move to North Carolina in 2015 and has been in Charlotte since 2021.

Home/News