Bogdanovic leads by instinct as Serbia reaches World Cup semis

MANILA, Philippines – Serbian guard Bogdan Bogdanovic doesn’t give too much thought to what he says to his teammates on the court. He rather he lets himself go with the flow now that Serbia reached the semifinals in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

One of the more veteran players in the team, Bogdanovic says his rapport with his teammates simply comes naturally with his chemistry.

“Sometimes, I don’t know how to behave in these moments,” Bogdanovic confessed after Serbia’s 87-68 win over Lithuania at the Mall of Asia Arena Tuesday night.

“It’s just coming out of me. A lot of emotions. A lot of great players were leaders for this country and I’m just happy to be in that position,” he added.

Bogdanovic not only seized the lead in terms of experience, but also in contributing for the team. Against Lithuania, he finished with 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Despite this, he isn’t counting everything else that his teammates do. 

Rather than separate himself, Bogdanovic believes that each player in the roster is able to lead in their own way.

“But as a player, we’re all the same in that locker room, so I don’t know. Maybe I said something to [Marko] Guduric that he liked.” he said.

“I’m happy that he took that as a high point for him and helped him, but honestly, I don’t remember what I said. But it’s good, it feels great.”

Bogdanovic will hope to continue inspiring his teammates and contributing in the scoring column when they play in the semifinals on Friday, against either Canada or Slovenia – depending on the result of the other quarterfinal matchup.

The Serbians are now assured of a better finish than they did in the 2019 edition where they finished fifth.