LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men’s basketball program has received signed grant-in-aid agreements from incoming freshmen Gunārs Grīnvalds and Nikola Kusturica, as announced on Thursday by Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach.

Both student-athletes will join the Bruins’ program for the 2026-27 season, rounding out a four-man freshman class along with Javonte Floyd (Atlanta, Ga.) and Joe Philon III (Tampa, Fla).

“We are very excited to add both Nikola and Gunārs to our program,” Cronin said. “Nikola is an elite prospect with great size, skill and a competitive fire which is hard to find. As a 6-foot-9 guard, he can play all over the floor. He impacts the game as a scorer, playmaker and shot blocker. For a very young player, Nik has had a decorated career with the Serbian national team and his club team in Barcelona. UCLA appreciates the support of his international team and his club for their cooperation and development of Nikola.

“Gunārs can really shoot the ball at an elite level. We like that he has good size at his position, and we are excited that he has chosen to join us at UCLA. Gunārs is interested in his development and continued improvement as a player. We believe he is a great fit here at UCLA, as he’s an excellent student and a very hard worker. We look forward to having both these young men join our program this summer.”

Kusturica, a 6-foot-9 guard/forward from Novi Sad, Serbia, signed with FC Barcelona's youth team in 2023. He helped FC Barcelona win the U18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament championship in May 2026, averaging 16.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in six games. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in an 85-77 championship-game victory over Real Madrid.

Earlier this month, Kusturica averaged a team-leading 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in seven games for Serbia at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. He shot 46.8 percent from the field and 72.9 percent from the free-throw line, including a team-high 37 points in Serbia's loss to the United States in the gold-medal game on Sunday, July 5. He was named the tournament's Best Defensive Player and earned All-Star Five honors. Kusturica also led Serbia with 16 steals and 12 blocks during the tournament.

Competing in Spain's U22 league during the 2025-26 season, Kusturica averaged 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 19 games. He scored in double figures in 16 contests.

In 2025, Kusturica was named the Most Valuable Player of the FIBA U16 EuroBasket tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia, after averaging 20.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He helped Serbia win its first U16 EuroBasket title since 2007 and recorded 18 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and five steals in a 99-86 victory over Lithuania in the championship game.

Grīnvalds, a 6-foot-7 forward from Jūrmala, Latvia, has most recently competed for Real Madrid in Spain’s Liga ACB (also referred to as Liga Endesa). In May 2026 at the U18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Greece, Grīnvalds averaged 12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in six games with Real Madrid. He shot 51.1 percent overall and 37.5 percent from 3-point distance as one of two players on his team to average at least 25 minutes per contest. Playing for his native country of Latvia at the FIBA U16 Eurobasket tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia, Grīnvalds averaged 9.6 points, 4.6 rebound and 1.4 assists per game.

Grīnvalds and Kusturica will join Floyd and Philon III as incoming freshmen student-athletes in the 2026-27 school year. UCLA announced the signings of Floyd and Philon III in April (news release here).

Season tickets for the upcoming 2026-27 season are available by calling UCLA Athletics Sales and Service (310-206-5991) or visiting uclabruins.com/tickets to place a deposit. For questions about men’s basketball tickets, please call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu.