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

Stefan Jovic (1.98m, 34) is returning 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 the point guard position 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 grown a lot, and we felt very, very comfortable there, » Jovic shared from his hometown of Niš after EuroBasket with Serbia.

The veteran’s choice wasn’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.

Bayern’s sporting director Dragan Tarlac 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 more pleased to have been able to sign 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 is starting his eighth season in the European competition. He arrives in Bavaria after two seasons in 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 or more minutes, it will develop. I know defense is very important to the coach, and I want to help in that area, » he stated after speaking with Gordon Herbert.

From Jovic’s old 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.