PARIS – Former University of Tennessee men’s basketball standout Uroš Plavšić is the winner of an Olympic bronze medal after Serbia defeated Germany, 93-83, Saturday morning.
Plavšić becomes the third Tennessee men’s basketball player to win an Olympic medal. The prior two are Ernie Grunfeld (United States, gold in 1976) and Allan Houston (United States, gold in 2000).
Serbia never trailed Saturday, en route to its bronze medal. It led the United States for over 35 minutes in the semifinal round Thursday.
The Serbians opened up a 30-21 lead at the end of the first quarter and the following three quarters were each decided by just one point.
Plavšić, who was competing in his first Olympiad, and his countrymen earned Serbia’s third Olympic medal, joining silvers in 2016 and 1996.
A native of Ivanjica, Serbia, Plavšić is a 7-foot-1, 265-pound center who played at Tennessee for four years, from 2019-23. He aided the Volunteers to an 87-42 mark during his tenure that included three NCAA Tournament trips, a Sweet 16 berth and an SEC Tournament crown.
Plavšić is one of a school-record 32 representatives from Tennessee at the Paris 2024 Olympics, including three in the sport of basketball. Cierra Burdick won a bronze medal with the United States in women’s 3X3 basketball.
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