Magic's Vucevic is enjoying his trip to South Africa
Nik Vucevic averaged 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game for the Orlando Magic during the 2014-15 regular season
No matter where you play basketball, whether it's in Orlando or in Johannesburg, South Africa, sinking a game-winning layup in double overtime evokes the same reaction: smiles and high-fives.
Nik Vucevic learned that lesson firsthand on Thursday.
Vucevic watched the play unfold from the sidelines, as he served as an assistant coach for a group of teenagers in a tiny Johannesburg gym.
When the layup went through the hoop, cheers reverberated off the walls. The Denver Nuggets' Kenneth Faried, an assistant coach alongside Vucevic, ran onto the court and did a celebratory chest-bump with a player. The Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul and Vucevic walked onto the court and high-fived the players, and Vucevic also clapped his hands and smiled from ear to ear.
"That was fun," Vucevic said afterward.
Vucevic, the Orlando Magic's 24-year-old starting center, is part of a delegation of players, coaches and executives who are in South Africa this week for NBA Africa Game 2015, the first NBA exhibition ever held on the continent. The game will be played Saturday in a sold-out, 4,000-seat arena and will pit a team of NBA players who were born in Africa or whose parents hail from Africa against a team of players from the rest of the world.
Vucevic's "Team World" teammates will include Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Bradley Beal, Jeff Green, Evan Turner, Faried and Paul.
In a conference call with reporters Thursday, Vucevic made it clear how much he's enjoying his role as a goodwill ambassador of sorts.
Just about everyone here on the comments was complaining during the Howard trade that Hennigan didnt get Bynum and instead got us Vooch. At the time in Philly he averaged 52% free throws (last year 75%), 5 rebounds a game (last year 10.9),5.5 points per game (last year 19.3). So i guess...
gottabethehumidity
"The people here have been great to us," Vucevic said. "You can see that everything the NBA is doing here really means a lot to them. When they have speeches when we go to different places, you can see that there's a lot of emotion. So it's going to be great, and the kids have been great. They're happy to see us."
In late September, Vucevic and his Magic teammates will assemble at Amway Center in Orlando for their first practice of the 2015-16 season.
It will be a crucial year for Vucevic, for his teammates and for the franchise, which endured a 20-win season in 2012-13, slogged through a 23-win season in 2013-14 and won just 25 games last season.
Since Vucevic has spent his offseason in Europe, he hasn't met new coach Scott Skiles face-to-face, but they have spoken once over the phone.
"After a couple of tough seasons where we haven't been very successful as a team, I think it's time for us to turn it around and have a better year," Vucevic said. "I think the guys have a lot more experience from the past couple of years. I think they're hungry and they really want to show that we're a better team that will improve. And I think we can do that. We have the necessary players to do that. I think we have the talent. I think we have the will.
"Now with the new coach, I think guys will want to show themselves even more and prove themselves to him. So I think that will help us as well. I'm expecting a better season from us. I think it's time for us to turn it around. We can't keep having 20-win seasons."
For Vucevic, the trip to South Africa is a welcome opportunity to see a bit more of the world before the grind of the upcoming season.
Before he leaves South Africa, he hopes to work out a bit with former Houston Rockets All-Star Hakeem Olajuwon and learn a few of Olajuwon's signature moves.
A one-on-one session with Olajuwon would be a bonus.
Vucevic already has taken some satisfaction from seeing the impact the NBA's visit to South Africa has made.
"It really means a lot to me," Vucevic said. "I've been looking forward to this experience for a long time. I've never been here. I wasn't really sure how big of a deal it was going to be until I got here."
jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com.
Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.
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