Jusuf Nurkic reveals a thing that he doesn't understand about United States / News - Basketnews.com

Jusuf Nurkic speaks out against widespread gun ownership in America: "I still don't know why everybody has so many guns. I still don't understand it to this day because I feel the kids should be safer in our schools."

Credit: Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix Credit Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix

Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic participated in his first Media Day as a member of the Phoenix Suns franchise on Monday.

Jusuf Nurkic

Position:PF, CAge:29Height:212 cmWeight:127 kgBirth place:Tuzla, Bosnia and HerzegovinaProfileNewsStatistics

While the majority of the questions centered around his recent trade to the Suns and basketball-related topics, it was his response to a different question that caught headlines.

Nurkic, instead of offering a standard response, took the opportunity to express his opinion about a prevalent aspect of American culture -- the widespread ownership of guns.

"I still don't know why everybody has so many guns," he underlined. "I still don't understand it to this day because I feel the kids should be safer in our schools. Even if you see fake guns, whatever comes up with social media and kids having them at schools, I think it's a bad thing. Sometimes, you can't control certain things with all the social media platforms we have."

Looking forward, Nurkic conveyed his vision of a better world without guns, highlighting the damaging impact of global conflicts.

"A better world going forward will definitely be one without guns because all these wars around the world are not good for anyone, especially the people who are going through that and losing their lives for no reason," he continued. "War doesn't bring anything, just sadness and heartbreaking things. I feel like for the kids going forward in America or on the whole earth, it has got to be a better place to live, you know, with more positive things."

The Chicago Bulls selected Nurkic with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft on June 26. He was traded that night along with Gary Harris and a 2015 second-round pick to the Denver Nuggets for Doug McDermott and Anthony Randolph.

The 29-year-old has averaged 12.3 points and 8.6 rebounds in 463 career games (382 starts) with the Nuggets (2014-17) and Portland Trail Blazers (2017-23).

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