Nikola Vucevic is returning to the Orlando Magic after nearly five seasons away, and the veteran center said the opportunity carries particular significance because of what he built during his first stint with the franchise.
“Feels great,” Vucevic told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “Very excited to be back. Obviously, a place that means a lot to me—a place where I built a lot of great relationships. And, you know, very excited to be back on this team that has a chance to win.”
Vucevic spent nine seasons with Orlando from 2012 through 2021, appearing in 591 games and averaging 17.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He earned two All-Star selections with the Magic, including in 2019 and 2021.
The 35-year-old center returns after four-plus seasons with the Chicago Bulls and a brief stint with the Boston Celtics. He averaged 15.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 64 games between Chicago and Boston during the 2025-26 season, including 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 16 games with Boston.
Vucevic said his short Celtics tenure provided a valuable experience despite ending earlier than he wanted.
“Overall, it was good,” Vucevic said. “I wish it ended better. I wish we went deeper into the playoffs. But it was a good experience to be part of such a historical franchise.”
Vucevic played alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White in Boston and worked under head coach Joe Mazzulla. He said the opportunity to learn from Mazzulla was particularly important.
“Learned a lot from his approach, the way he sees the game, the way he wants things done,” Vucevic said. “Defensively, he’s a great mind, obviously.”
The veteran center also highlighted Mazzulla’s communication during his short time with the Celtics.
“He was really good in his communication overall, but with me especially, he really did try hard to make me feel as comfortable as possible from the beginning,” Vucevic said. “So right from day one, I felt it was good for me. I felt like I could help the team—it’s just, with the injury and everything, it didn’t really work out.”
Vucevic missed about a month because of a finger injury before returning for Boston’s playoff run. The Celtics ultimately lost their Eastern Conference first-round series to Philadelphia in seven games.
He also singled out White, whom he considers one of his favorite players, when discussing Boston’s future.
“I think it’ll be good for him,” Vucevic said. “He’s one of my favorite players overall, even before I went there, but especially when I was there.”
Vucevic returns to an Orlando team that went 45-37 last season before losing a seven-game first-round series to Detroit after holding a 3-1 lead. The Magic changed coaches in the offseason, replacing Jamahl Mosley with Sean Sweeney while retaining the core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs.
Vucevic signed a one-year, $3.9 million minimum contract with Orlando, bringing his career averages of 17.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists across 1,036 regular-season games back to the franchise where his NBA rise began.
