Watch Nikola Mirotic swish a deep three-pointer or position his 6-foot-10 frame to deftly box out an opposing player for a rebound, and you might think Mirotic was a basketball prodigy, someone who excelled at the game at an extremely early age. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Mirotic had no interest in hoops as a youngster growing up in the European nation of Montenegro – soccer was his game – and didn’t even begin playing until he was 13 years old. He was urged to try basketball because he was already over 6 foot as a tween.