Ex-Wildcat Dusan Ristic on Nikola Jokic's historic playoff run and 'toughest loss of my career'

It’s been a productive year for Serbian basketball players.

Former Arizona center Dusan Ristic, who is the winningest Wildcat in program history, recently wrapped up his fifth professional season. The 7-footer’s basketball-playing journey has taken Ristic through his home country of Serbia, Kazakhstan, Spain and most recently Turkey.

With Fuenlabrada in Spain, Ristic averaged a career-high 15.7 points and 6.2 rebounds before finishing the season with Galatasaray Nef in Turkey.

“I’ve been able to gain a lot of experience playing in a lot of great leagues, playing for a lot of great teams, so I’m grateful,” Ristic said. “It’s a blessing to play this game and still represent not only my country and my family, but the University of Arizona as well.”

Back home in Serbia, Ristic joined ESPN Tucson’s “Spears and Ali” to reflect on his time at Arizona, playing overseas, and supporting fellow Serbian and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in the NBA Finals. Here’s what Ristic had to say:

How much pride do you take in representing Serbia?

A: “Last season, for the first time in my career, I had the chance to play for the national team. For us here in Serbia, it’s the greatest thing a basketball player can do. Of course, we watch the NBA and EuroLeague here in Europe, but playing for the national team is the highest reward for a player. I’m super blessed and grateful for the opportunity.

“I had a chance to play with great players; Nikola Jokic was one of them. Playing with him last summer was an amazing experience for me. That helped me for my club season. This is probably, after leaving Arizona, my best season individually. I’m really happy and satisfied with how my career is going so far. Being able to accomplish so many things is a blessing for me.”

Do you still celebrate every made 3-pointer by putting your hands together above your head?

A: “Actually I don’t. ... I stopped doing that sign, because I felt like it was a part of my Arizona legacy and I didn’t want to bring it anywhere else. I want to keep that as one of my great memories in Arizona, so I stopped doing it. I keep it that way.”

How do you look back on your time at Arizona?

A: “I look at it as a great career. I had the opportunity to play at the highest level of college basketball for four years. To win a lot of games, to play with a lot of great players, to be coached by great coaches — not only by Sean Miller but the assistant coaches — I’m grateful and blessed for that opportunity. That period will always be there in my memory as the best four years of my life.

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“My favorite memory is Senior Day. A couple days before that game, I was thinking about what I could do to show my appreciation to the fans. I’ve had great support from everybody in four years there. I came from a different country and continent, and in the beginning, it wasn’t easy adjusting to a different culture and a different game, but the people in Tucson did a great job of making me feel like one of their own. The entire time I felt like I was a part of something bigger than me.

“In those four years, I never felt like a foreigner. I felt like I was born in Tucson and a part of a family. I wanted to think of something nice and show my appreciation for the fans. We all remember T.J. McConnell kissing the floor. I wanted to do something different. That (Dusan Loves Tucson) shirt was one of the ideas, and that’s what I did. It turned out to be great.”

This year is the five-year anniversary of third-seeded Arizona losing to 14th-seeded Buffalo in the first round of the NCAA Tournament; why do you think the Wildcats fell apart then?

A: “Trust me, it’s the toughest loss of my career. It still hurts. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain what happened in the game, because we were clear favorites, we had a better team, we had great momentum going into the tournament. But that specific night, they just played better. There’s no excuse. They played better and had more desire to win that game. Despite all of the qualities and talent, they beat us and had more energy.”

What was it like being teammates with Jokic, and what would it mean for Serbia to see one of your countrymen win an NBA championship?

A: “I played with him before college in Serbia. He was always talented and a great basketball player. At that point, no one thought he would come this far.

“Just playing with him last season, when he was a back-to-back MVP, he got better, which is crazy to think about. That’s what makes him different than other players. He’s always trying to improve, whether it’s his body or his game. The way he’s playing at this moment, it’s unheard-of — unbelievable. I don’t have any words to say.

“He’s one of those guys who doesn’t really care about stats — and he really means it. ... He cares about winning games and making his teammates better. We have a great example of players in the Nuggets playing great basketball. Aaron Gordon, obviously he was a great player before, but when he came to the Nuggets this season, he became one of the best power forwards in the league.

“All of those players are playing some of the best basketball of their careers, and it’s due to Nikola’s unselfishness and his willingness to make teammates around him better. I’m biased, but I hope he wins this championship and proves to everyone that team basketball wins in the end“

What’s the mood in Serbia with Jokic on the cusp of winning an NBA championship?

A: “A lot of people — and when I say a lot of people, I mean thousands of people — are waking up at 2:30 a.m. to watch his games, so that pretty much says everything about it. Everyone is cheering for him, we’re proud of him, and he’s representing our country in the best way possible.

“About 20 years ago, we had a similar situation with (Vlade) Divac and Peja (Stojakovic), when they played in the (Western Conference Finals) and had a chance to win it all. ... Everyone here is proud of (Jokic) and cheering for him. We’re hopeful he’s going to win this championship.”