UCLA coach Mick Cronin won a spirited recruiting battle for one of the top European prospects, landing small forward Nikola Kusturica on Thursday.
Kentucky, Michigan and Gonzaga had courted Kusturica, a 6-foot-9 Serbian athlete who is among the top 17-year-old players in Europe. Recruiting websites listed Kusturica as a five-star prospect and college basketball analysts at Field of 64 and other outlets project Kusturica could be a top-five 2028 NBA draft pick.
UCLA announced it received a signed grant-in-aid agreement from Kusturica, who will join the Bruins for the 2026-27 season.
He adds to a freshman class that already included three-star center Javonte Floyd from Cedar Grove High in Atlanta and four-star forward Joe Philon III from Montverde Academy in Tampa, — both of whom signed with UCLA in April and enrolled in summer classes — and Gunars Grinvalds of Latvia, a former Real Madrid forward who committed to the Bruins on June 5.
“We are very excited to add Nikola to our program,” Cronin said. “Nikola is an elite prospect with great size, skill and a competitive fire which is hard to find. As a 6-foot-9 guard, he can play all over the floor. He impacts the game as a scorer, playmaker and shot blocker. For a very young player, Nik has had a decorated career with the Serbian national team and his club team in Barcelona. UCLA appreciates the support of his international team and his club for their cooperation and development of Nikola.”
Kusturica is expected to arrive in Westwood early next month and join team basketball workouts that began on Thursday and continue for eight weeks.
Kusturica signed with FC Barcelona’s youth team in 2023 and became the youngest athlete to ever play in Barcelona’s program. He helped FC Barcelona win the U18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament championship in May, averaging 16.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in six games and collecting 20 points and 10 rebounds in the finals against Real Madrid.
Earlier this month, Kusturica averaged a team-leading 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in seven games for Serbia at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey, shooting 46.8% from the field and 72.9% from the free-throw line, including a team-high 37 points in Serbia’s loss to the U.S. in Sunday’s gold-medal game. He was named the tournament’s best defensive player and earned all-star five honors after leading his team with 16 steals and 12 blocks.
Competing in Spain’s U22 league during the 2025-26 season, Kusturica averaged 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 19 games and scored in double digits 16 times.
In 2025, Kusturica was named the most valuable player of the FIBA U16 EuroBasket tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia, after averaging 20.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He led Serbia to its first U16 EuroBasket title since 2007, contributing 18 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and five steals in a 99-86 finals victory over Lithuania.
One person clearly influential in UCLA’s recruitment was Yogi Jovanovic, UCLA’s director of international recruiting and an assistant coach. Like Kusturica, Jovanovic is Serbian and has been head coach of the Serbian U20 national team and is on path to be assistant coach for Serbia’s Olympic team during the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Grinvalds also signed a grant-in-aid agreement. The 6-foot-7 forward competed for Real Madrid in Spain’s Liga ACB. Two months ago at the U18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Greece, the 18-year-old averaged 12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in six games with Real Madrid.
“Gunars can really shoot the ball at an elite level,” Cronin said. “We like that he has good size at his position. Gunars is interested in his development and continued improvement as a player. We believe he is a great fit here at UCLA as he’s an excellent student and a very hard worker.”
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