Jaylen Hoard's Game-Winning Basket Against Serbia Stuns Jokic

The intriguing battle between Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic was decided this evening (Sunday) by a Maccabi Tel Aviv player. Jaylen Hoard scored the dramatic game-winning basket and gave the French national team a 91:90 buzzer-beater victory in a preparation game against Serbia.

The French were trailing in the final moments after Marko Guduric scored a basket that put Serbia in the lead with only 4.7 seconds remaining. In the final play, the French tried to create a situation for Sylvain Francisco, but the Serbian defense focused on the guard and left Hoard completely free under the basket. The ball reached him, and he did not hesitate: he scored the decisive basket and sent his team to celebrate while Jokic held his head in disbelief.

The Denver Nuggets star provided a monstrous game with 34 points and 13 rebounds, but even such a performance was not enough for Serbia. On the other side, Wembanyama led France with 18 points, but in the final seconds, he cleared the stage for the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball player.

For Hoard, this is another significant moment in a career that actually began in the NBA. The 27-year-old forward previously played for the Portland Trail Blazers and the Oklahoma City Thunder before moving to Europe, and in 2024 he arrived at Hapoel Tel Aviv. In the summer of 2024, he crossed the lines and joined Maccabi Tel Aviv, and since then has become one of the central anchors for the yellow team.

His ability even earned him a new three-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv last April, so he is expected to remain with the yellow team until 2029. The club defined him as one of the significant pillars of the team, and he himself said after the signing that he wants to continue to improve and help Maccabi win titles in Israel and in the EuroLeague.