By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Vlatko Cancar confirmed his move to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.
During an appearance on the DNVR Denver Nuggets Podcast on Thursday, the 28-year-old Slovenian power forward talked about his departure from the Denver Nuggets and the process leading to a deal with the EuroLeague club.
“After the season and before the free-agency, I was kind of talking with my agent, and then I was asking, ‘What’s going on with Denver?’. Unfortunately, they came out with the news, kind of like a remodeling, but not really a remodeling type of thing. They wanted to say thank you for everything that you did, but they’re trying to move on now and bring some new energy, some new players. And then I accepted it,” he said, “I’m glad I was part of the team for six years. For me, it was OK.”
Looking for a more important role, compared to his NBA run with the Nuggets, Olimpia Milan immediately drew his attention.
“Milano came straight away, and they were eager to bring me in. And then, obviously, I got that feeling of being wanted and being important,” he explained.
Joining forces with Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic at Denver, the Koper native was crowned champion in 2023 and logged 158 appearances in the NBA since being drafted by the Nuggets with the 49th overall pick of the 2017 draft.
“People say, ‘He doesn’t care,’ and stuff like that. I say he cares. He would not dress and go out there every night and play like he plays, if he didn’t care,” Cancar also talked about the approach of Jokic, “He cares about every little detail, and he cares about winning.”
Before moving his talents to North America, Cancar played in 14 Basketball Champions League games with Mega Leks and eight in the 7DAYS EuroCup with Union Olimpija Ljubljana, and also made his way to Spain’s Liga Endesa, the most competitive domestic league in Europe, with San Pablo Burgos. Inking a two-year contract with Milan and playing under Ettore Messina will mark his debut in the EuroLeague.
During his interview, he also confirmed intentions to suit up for Slovenia in the EuroBasket 2025 and extend his career with the senior national team of his country.