Minnesota Timberwolves' Nikola Pekovic guards Houston Rockets' Dwight Howard during their matchup last Jan. 13, 2016. (Photo : Getty Images/Scott Halleran)
Nikola Pekovic is one of the most decorated exports to have ever made their way to the NBA. Standing at 6'11," the Montenegrin center was crowned a Euroleague champion with Greek side Panathinaikos as well as a bronze and gold medalist at the U20 European basketball championship in 2005 and 2006 respectively with the Serbia and Montenegro national side.
The Twice a Greek league champion made his way to the NBA in 2010 when he entered he was finally eligible to play in the United States. Although he was technically drafted during the 2008 NBA draft, he was not able to play in the NBA until 2010 due to him being under contract with Panathinaikos. Many experts considered him as a top 10 prospect, but due to his contract situation, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected him late in the second round.
Despite these impressive achievements, when the Timberwolves won the 2015 draft lottery, they selected center Karl Anthony-Towns with their first pick, as a long-term replacement for Pekovic. However, the newly drafted youngster pushed Pekovic down the pecking order after his injuries worsened. Now, only considered as the team's backup center and being set to miss the rest of the season due to injury, the big man is now considering retiring at the age of only 30, according to ESPN.
Pekovic was a stalwart in the Minnesota Timberwolves line-up when the team picked him up back in 2010, albeit spending a short period with his old team Partizan during the infamous 2011 NBA lockout. Pekovic rose to prominence as one of the league's best centers after he returned to Minnesota and continued his fine form before injuries caught up to him in the 2014 to 2015 season.
In an interview with Twin Cities, Pekovic claims that he can no longer run without experiencing pain in his injured foot. He has been playing in noticeably less games these past few seasons, taking part in only 31 contests in the 2014-15 season and just 12 in the following season.
Fans will be hoping that Pekovic will recover, but they have to wait until the next season to see if he will make a return to the NBA. Watch some of his best moments below:
