The great Serbian playmaker spoke about his career in an interview for the Euroleague website
Serbian ace Vasilije Micić, MVP of the Euroleague and MVP of the Final Four of the Euroleague, he made a great career a long time ago, and in an interview for the official website of the strongest competition, he also admitted a fact that many do not know or have forgotten – that his basketball path was already in question at the age of 17.
Then, as a former skier and very promising playmaker, he suffered a serious knee injury and it was a big school for him – in every way.
“These situations never set me back, they always push me forward and make me stronger. Nothing happens by chance in life, to be honest. Along with the talent that I obviously have, there was also a lot of work that no one followed and no one saw, but I know how much I worked. And that’s why I think that every player who has reached this level has the opportunity to believe in these things that I’m talking about.”Micić said.
When asked what he gave up the hardest to become a professional player, Vasa admitted completely honestly:
“The hardest thing is to pass the ball. The hardest thing for me was to give up my ego. Like every player, we all have some internal battles with ourselves. We have to put our ego aside, and I believe that I am that person as well as my teammates in Ephesus that we did it. You have to constantly win the ego within yourself”said Vasilije.
However, Micić started his senior career in a difficult way, because Bayern did not use him in 2014, and Red Star did not decide to keep him in the summer of 2016. Then he went to Tofaš, followed by a transfer to Žalgiris, his first appearance in the Final Four of the Euroleague and the rest is history. Likewise, his arrival in Ephesus, which years before was a symbol of a team that has great ambitions, but realizes them very poorly.
“Everyone has the right to say what they want. And from the moment I decided to go to Tofaš, I was 22 years old, that may have been crucial for my career. I can’t say that I don’t respect the opinions of others, I just stopped listening to them. None of them can be aware of the things I face in my career and how hard it is to fight in every game. Since Tofaš, I have started to trust my decisions more and I am very glad that I have not yet made a mistake in my decisions. Like I said, every day is a good opportunity for me to prove that every decision I made was the right one.”
When asked why he went to Efes, Micić said that this decision was his greatest satisfaction in his career.
“And that decision was somewhat illogical for most people who follow basketball. I can understand that, but at that moment I felt that my experience with Žalgiris and coach Šaras was over. I felt that I wanted to prove myself somewhere and show my knowledge on field. I saw that opportunity in Ephesus and it was the right time. Even though everyone was shocked, I felt it was good. Because I wanted to create something from scratch. I don’t think Ephesus has no history, but at that moment they really struggled, they changed the team, and I was one of the players who needed to do the job.”
“I think I realized after that first season that it was time to stay there and prove it once again. I didn’t know we were going to win the Euroleague, but I had the opportunity to improve my skills and gain great experience,” Micić concluded.