A Serbian international returns to Bayern Munich: « The decision was immediately clear »

Stefan Jovic (1.98m, 34) returns to Bayern Munich. After being eliminated from EuroBasket by Finland last Saturday, the veteran point guard numerically replaces Rokas Jokubaitis in Gordon Herbert and T.J. Parker’s roster. He will share point guard duties with Georgian international Kamar Baldwin (1.85m, 27).

A return motivated by both sporting and family reasons

« When I heard about Bayern’s interest this weekend, the decision was immediately clear for me. We had a very successful period together back then, the club has developed a lot, and we felt very, very comfortable there, » said Jovic from his hometown of Niš after the EuroBasket with Serbia.

The veteran’s choice isn’t purely about basketball. « Above all, my eldest son has great memories of Munich and was immediately enthusiastic. So it wasn’t just a sporting decision, but also a family one, » he explained.

Dragan Tarlac, Bayern’s sporting director, was delighted with this late signing: « It’s no secret that we had to react to Rokas Jokubaitis’s serious injury, and it was a very difficult task this late in the summer. We are therefore even happier to have recruited Stefan, an experienced and well-known point guard who, we believe, fits perfectly into our system. »

An experienced profile for EuroLeague

Stefan Jovic brings considerable experience to Munich. With 154 EuroLeague games under his belt, averaging 6.3 points (38% from three-point range) and 4.2 assists, the Serbian begins his eighth season in the European competition. He arrives in Bavaria after two seasons at Valencia, where he played in EuroLeague 2023-2024.

During his first stint at Bayern (2017-2019), Jovic was crucial to the club’s success, contributing to the league-cup double in 2018 and the title defense in 2019. « I’ll be ready, whether it’s for fewer minutes or more, it will develop. I know defense is very important to the coach, and I want to help in that area, » he stated after talking with Gordon Herbert.

From Jovic’s former Bayern team, only captain Vladimir Lucic remains. His Serbian compatriot humorously commented: « That’s enough! » The point guard will join the Bavarian training camp at the end of the week.