Mathieu Grujicic: Not your average European basketball talent
From his intriguing background to missing the FIBA U17 World Cup for academic reasons to living almost a double life in Barcelona to preparing for The Ohio State. Here a tale about Mathieu Grujicic.
One of the joys of covering youth basketball is experiencing players early in their careers and envisioning them how they will develop over the years and if they can make the jump to the biggest stages down the road.
Interviewing these prospects also gives one a glimpse into the person behind the talent and a read on how they might deal with the pressures of expectations.
Some interviews are better than others and allow for better story-telling depending on how open the player is revealing his personality and details about his life. Every player in the game - and in fact every person on the globe - has a story about them. And it’s a journalist’s job to tell it.
Admittedly, every now and again you get a case like Mathieu Grujicic. An individual with so many different angles to write about and someone whom it is hard not to be impressed with - in terms of his life journey.
A mix of France, Germany and Serbia
Grujicic is a cultural mix of French, German and Serbian - three distinct and rich heritages all of which are engrained in him.
“This is a complicated one. Ideally, I would like to see myself as an heir of Serbian basketball poetics, of German long-term planning and of French constant questioning of everything and everyone - one’s self in the first place. But this sounds a bit fabricated.”
Such an answer is not something you usually get from an XXX-year-old in any walk of life. But that is also what makes Grujicic special.
Mathieu is the son of a Serbian father and French mother, born in Arles, in southern France along the Rhône River and about equidistant from Montpellier and Marseille. The family moved to Berlin in 2012 when Mathieu was about 5 years old with his mother taking on a job with the French embassy.
He did not start with basketball in Berlin. Instead Mathieu was practicing capoeira and aikido.
The Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira includes acrobatic and complex maneuvers, often involving inverted kicks with hands on the ground and emphasizing flowing movements over fixed stances. And capoeira helps practitioners maintain spirituality.
Aikido meanwhile is a Japanese martial art often translated as “the way of unifying with life energy” or “the way of harmonious spirit”. The primary goal of practicing aikido is to overcome oneself instead of cultivating violence or aggressiveness. Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba used the phrase: “masakatsu agatsu katsuhayabi” or “true victory, final victory over oneself, here and now”.
Eventually Grujicic’s father thought Mathieu and his brother needed something more competitive than capoeira and aikido at around age 8. That is when he started with basketball.
Like most young basketball players in the German capital, Grujicic ended up playing with ALBA Berlin. He rose through the club’s ranks and also helped them to the 2023 U16 JBBL title with a never-to-be-forgotten final game for ALBA.
Grujicic and Ivan Crnjac from Eintracht Frankfurt/FRAPORT SKYLINERS had a great shootout in the JBBL Final. Crnjac ended up scoring 41 points while Grujicic played 46 of 50 minutes and totaled 52 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 steals in a 93-85 double-OT victory.
Already then, Grujicic seemed mature well beyond his years - he was still 15 at that time - especially with his game on the court.
Just a couple of weeks later, Grujicic made his debut for Germany at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 - teaming up with Crnjac as well as Declan Duru, Marko Petric, Jervis Scheffs and Davi Remagen.
Grujicic and Remagen also had an epic battle at the JBBL Final Four. The ALBA star poured in 35 points with 10 rebounds in the Semi-Finals against RheinStars Köln in an 84-79 win in which Remagen totalled 41 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals and 11 fouls drawn.
The German team was loaded with talent and ended up taking fifth place at the U16 EuroBasket to book a ticket for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024 - the first time the Germans qualified for the event after hosting the premiere edition in 2010. Grujicic collected 14.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.4 steals in the tournament.
Barcelona came knocking
Those two performances were enough for bigger clubs in Europe to come around asking if he wanted to play for them. Among them was Barcelona. And not every talent can draw the attention of the Spanish powerhouse. In the end, it didn’t take him to decide on a move to Spain.
“When I found out I had the opportunity to go to Barca, I had 24 hours to think about it. And I remember exactly that after five minutes, I called and I said, 'No, for me, there's nothing to think about.' Because that's something that I've always wanted to do: play in Spain, play at one of the big clubs in Spain. And Barcelona is without a doubt the biggest club in Spain and probably in Europe. So for me, it wasn't a hard decision at all,” Grujicic recalled in an article for Adidas NextGen EuroLeague, written by TTC’s David Hein.
Being a big talent with Barcelona is not an easy situation. On the one hand there are the great facilities; high-level prospects around you to measure yourself up to; and great coaching. The club on the other side has high expectations with the pro team and it’s hard for the coaches to give youngsters playing time.
Grujicic’s first year was spent with the youth squad as well as the fourth division second team. The 2023-24 highlight was helping Barcelona win the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Belgrade tournament. He did not play in Barcelona’s run to the Spanish U18 title but Grujicic was back in his home city Berlin for the NextGen Finals.
Barcelona just could not stop Nolan Traore who had 45 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists for a performance index rating of 50 in PFBB INSEP Paris’ thrilling 103-96 win.
The NextGen EuroLeague is one of the biggest highlights for a young player. Another is playing for the national team on the youth continental or global stage. And Germany fans - as well as basketball lovers across the globe - were looking forward to seeing Grujicic play at the FIBA U17 World Cup 2024.
Missing FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024
Questions arose when Grujicic was not appearing on Germany’s preliminary rosters ahead of the tournament in Istanbul. There had been no mentions of an injury and as the tournament tip-off neared closer and closer the speculation kept rising.
Some on Twitter event ventured to say that Grujicic was considering switching allegiances and play for Serbia or France.
The reason for his absence, however, adds another level to Grujicic’s dynamism on a personal level and his respect for family and his world outside the game.
Grujicic initially had issues with academics in Barcelona since the classes were in Catalan. He instead signed up with a high school in Nebraska to take online courses in coordination with a school in Manresa.
His academic year only started in December 2023 and he needed to catch up with his classes as the late spring came which left in doubt if he could be ready in time to join the national team - something his father insisted upon. And that meant he would miss the U17 World Cup.
“School always goes first until I finish. So yeah it was a hard decision. I had to talk to my dad about it because my dad was the one in the end who made the decision because I was not 18 yet. It is what it is. Unfortunately, I couldn't participate,” Grujicic said.
Reaching the level of a national team player is one thing but being good enough to be a real leader of a generation like the current Germany level means an entire level of skill, maturity and understanding. And also attaining the status of a top prospect at an illustrious club like Barcelona takes a certain character.
Considering the alpha-like personality that is needed to dominate at the elite levels, it speaks to Grujicic’s humility and respect to miss out on a competition like the FIBA U17 World Cup to catch up on academic work.
Grujicic wouldn’t be Grujicic if he didn’t take advantage of the situation though.
“I was back in Berlin with exams to prepare but, at the same time, I was determined to practice harder than ever and to improve physically. I was walking up and down in search of an available gym in Berlin and, at the same time, I had a magnificent help of Eugen Bantschikow, one in a million strength coach, who became a friend in the meantime.Thanks to him, I gained some muscle mass and lowered some body fat in less than two months,” he said. “So the off-season was challenging regarding academics but thrilling in terms of physical and basketball preparation.”
Not your usual role models
Let’s take this opportunity to step back again. Knowing some more about him, we can look at some of the players he looked towards as role models.
“Everybody and everything in and around the great game is thrilling and inspiring for me,” he said.
That answer is not uncommon for youngsters. But while most players his age would list stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook or Steph Curry, Grujicic went a different direction with his idols in the game.
“I do indeed find role models in some players with a strong social engagement. I had and still have the utmost respect for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Gregg Popovich, Marc Gasol and Dejan Bodiroga.”
Abdul-Jabbar was obviously one of the greatest players in the game’s history but in 1971, two years into his NBA career, he changed his name from Lew Alcindor to his Muslim name to recognize his religion. He was also an actor, coach, author, martial artist and out-spoken social justice activist and in 2016 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
Abdul-Rauf also converted to Islam and changed his name from Chris Jackson in the height of his nine-year NBA career as one of the most thrilling scorers in the league. Abdul-Rauf was also well known for the controversy in 1996 when he refused to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” before games, saying the flag was a symbol of oppression and that the United States had a long history of tyranny. The NBA eventually suspended him for refusing to stand.
Popovich was the long-time head coach for the San Antonio Spurs, guiding the team to five NBA titles and always championing the international game with a number of his best players coming from abroad. Popovich was also well known for his humor but also for speaking out on behalf of social justice issues.
The 2019 NBA champion Gasol for his part is co-founder of the Gasol Foundation with his brother Pau with the mission to eradicate childhood obesity. In the summer of 2018 he volunteered on a ship with Open Arms Proactiva to help migrants at seas. And he is an ally for ACCIONA to promote climate action and sustainable solutions.
Bodiroga was one of the greatest guards in world basketball - considered as one of the best players to never play in the NBA - and a player who you could see Grujicic model his game after. The two-time world champion and three-time EuroLeague winner Bodiroga served as an Italian club general manager, the vice president of the Serbian Basketball Federation, a member of FIBA Europe’s competition commission and since 2022 the president of EuroLeague.
Returning to this season, Barcelona and the EuroLeague, Grujicic took over more responsibility in Barcelona’s youth team with the departure of Kasparas Jakučionis for NCAA basketball.
Grujicic was named Most Valuable Player as Barcelona won the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Ulm tournament and also helped Barcelona win the Spanish U18 national title with 20 points in a win over Real Madrid in the Final.
The latter highlight came after two weeks after Grujicic saw a major milestone, making his Spanish ACB debut on April 20, 2025 against Gran Canaria.
“I certainly wanted it to happen during this season. Everybody thrives to see his or her work recognized, but most of all, I wanted to practice with the pros, to feel their energy, speed and physicality and to see how the coach organizes the game, going deep in details,” said Grujicic, who played 3 minutes in the game.
Three days later it was his chance to debut in the EuroLeague - in the playoffs against AS Monaco.
“At that moment, it felt like a big magma but in retrospect, I do remember and treasure every second of it. Being there, feeling the tension in the audience and the team dynamic, was a great privilege and responsibility,” said the youngster who days later played in Game 2 of the playoffs as well and combined for 3 points and 1 rebound in 3 minutes.
That experience could not however help Grujicic end Barcelona’s drought at the NextGen Finals - the Spanish club’s only crown dating back to 2016. Barcelona lost to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 85-80 in the group stage to miss the Championship Game.
Almost a double life
When asked to reflect on his 2024-25 season as a whole, he described as “Drôle de guerre”. That refers to what translates as “Phoney War”, the period at the start of World War II from September 1939 to May 1940 which is characterized by a notable lack of significant fighting on the Western Front between France and Germany.
“It was up to me to adapt, of course, but I felt I was playing, more or less, two separate roles in my team. One for the international stage when I was enjoying relative liberty on the court; and the other for the local usage where my involvement in the team was somewhat restricted. I was often simply confused,” he admitted.
Another major subject tugging at Grujicic during the season was his future for next season - ie which college he would chose to attend next season with so many European talents heading to the United States to take advantage of the major windfall of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) money.
“At the beginning of the season, I was told to start looking for my possibilities in NCAA division,” he said. “It is a ‘gold rush’ for European prospects of all ages. NIL was erupting like a road roller crushing long-term strategies. And discontent was palpable.”
With Grujicic’s character and maturity, it was exciting to hear his opinion on the whole NIL situation and its consequences on development in European basketball.
“This is a fundamental question and many if not all of the highly-positioned people in Europe are trying - or should be trying - to find the right answers to NIL. Even in the US, the NCAA is looking to improve the legal framework and to establish some balance between universities, players/students, divisions and the rest of the participants - in all sports,” he said.
“I suppose we will soon have a new branch of sport’s psychology - the one dealing with young men and women who come in and out of NIL universe only to find themselves four or less years later stepping in a real world, not so welcoming. I think it is a chilling perspective.”
Questions about his future were answered on June 3, 2025 when Grujicic announced he would be attention Ohio State University in the fall. He said the decision was based on head coach Jake Diebler and his coaching staff as well as the Big Ten Conference, the KIN Partners sports management group and his NIL deal.
Coach Diebler comes from a coaching family as his father and brother are also coaches. He also trained guys like Aaron Craft, D’Angelo Russell, Mike Conley, Darius Garland and Saban Lee.
“I am grateful and ready to work and to learn and to execute. I already met D'Angelo and Mike, played with and against them and find that somewhat unreal,” Grujicic said.
It remains to be seen how college basketball will help in his development.
“I will know the answer after the first games, I suppose. Reaching your limits depends on you, but not exclusively. Your environment is crucial too,” he said. “It won't be a walk in the park. I feel like I will have to start from scratch and try to absorb as much as I can in the shortest time possible.”
And when asked what he needs to work on, he responded: “On everything the great game demands of me. On the mental part of the game: I still don't know what it means to play in front of 20,000 highly energizing students of Ohio State University.”
Luckily Grujicic has someone who can tell him a tale or two about the pressures of playing for a big name college program - and actually much much more.
Friends with Jabari Parker
Grujicic spent a good part of the 2024-25 season practicing with Barcelona and one of his teammates in the pro team was Jabari Parker, who was spending his second campaign with the club after playing eight years in the NBA.
The Chicago native Parker was one of the most accomplished high school players in American history, winning four consecutive Illinois state titles with Simeon Career Academy. He then spent the 2013-14 season at Duke University and starred as a freshman. The campaign came crashing to an end with a first round exit in the NCAA Tournament as the third-seeded Duke Blue Devils were upset by Mercer.
Parker was chosen second overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and played for the 321 NBA games for six teams - Milwaukee, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, Sacramento and Boston. After spending the 2022-23 away from the game he joined Barcelona.
Parker has a fascinating backstory.
Parker’s father Sonny Parker nails from Chicago and was selected in the 1976 NBA Draft and played six seasons in the NBA. Jabari’s mother is a native of Tonga in Polynesia and emigrated to Salt Lake City at age 3 and became a member of the Ladder Day Saints Church - more commonly known as Mormons.
Jabari grew up and remains an active LDS Church member and at the time of his 16th birthday he became a priest, which is customary in his faith. He performed baptisms and administered the weekly sacrament as well as traveled with his bishop to comfort the sick, poor and elderly.
After playing in EuroLeague, Parker made headlines for his comparisons of the NBA and EuroLeague. He praised Europe’s appreciation of basketball as well as the high-stakes, passionate environment.
“I play for tradition like the Yankees or Duke,” he told BasketNews.
“I just want to be a part of something legitimate. I want to be a part of [a league where] ‘every game matters.' Sadly, the NBA is a business and there are 10-12 teams that try to win every game and the other half try to get a draft pick," Parker told EuroHoops.
“We are seeing the league getting watered down, unfortunately. It’s a lot of things that are out of our control. EuroLeague and the fans are expecting a lot, and we as players expect a lot from ourselves and we want to compete.”
With an analytical mind and a diverse background and story, it should be no surprise that Grujicic befriended Parker.
“The friendship with Jabari was spontaneous. To be around him is really inspirational to me and he, as I believe, was pleased to see a young European player speaking ‘his' language,” Grujcic said.
“Ours is a strictly coded environment and Jabari is usually trying to take these codes with a grain of salt. A great lesson for me.”
Grujicic is still very early in his basketball career and his life journey as well. But it has been rewarding to accompany him in ways from multiple conversations over the years. He will certainly continue to be one of the most interesting basketball players from Europe.
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