Hawks SG earns surprising honor over Nikola Jokic

Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic was recently voted as the best Serbian basketball player for 2023, beating out, most notably, Denver Nuggets two-time MVP center Nikola Jokic.

The announcement was made by the Basketball Federation of Serbia and according to EuroHoops, the vote was a "traditional poll involving 40 domestic journalists."

Atlanta's sharpshooter received 27 votes, while Denver's five-time All-Star finished in second with 10 tallies. 29-year-old guard Aleksa Avramovic (who plays in the EuroLeague) garnered two votes and 25-year-old power forward Borisa Simanic (of the Spanish Liga ACB) earned one vote.

Per the EuroHoops report, the main reason why Bogdanovic earned the honor instead of Jokic was due to his leadership as the top scorer and captain on the Serbian national team in 2023 when the club earned a silver medal at the World Cup. Jokic, meanwhile, elected to skip the tournament, as it took place just over two months after the big man led the Nuggets to their first NBA title.

"I am grateful to everyone, thanks to the Federation and the journalists who chose me," Bogdanovic said, according to the report. "It is a great honor for me. Greetings to all, and let's meet next summer."

The 31-year-old Bogdanovic is in his seventh NBA season and fourth with the Hawks since being selected 27th overall in the 2014 draft. He's averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game off Atlanta's bench over 33 games (two starts).

Jokic is in his ninth season since becoming an all-time draft steal (41st overall) by the Nuggets in 2014 and is headed toward his sixth consecutive All-Star campaign. He's also a leading contender for his third regular season MVP award in the last four seasons.