[2] In February 2012, he was briefly loaned to Union Olimpija in order to play the Nike International Junior Tournament, which was held in Belgrade.

[6][7] In his first season with Cedevita, Nurkić had a small role in the team under head coach Aleksandar Petrović, mostly playing in garbage time.

[8] In his second season, under new head coach Jasmin Repeša, Nurkić had breakthroughs in the regional Adriatic League, averaging 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, for only 16.3 minutes spent on the court.

[13] He was named a participant in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge as a replacement for Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but declined to play in the event for personal reasons.

[24] In the Nuggets' 2016–17 season opener on 26 October 2016, Nurkić set a new career high with 23 points in a 107–102 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

[27] The demotion to the bench did not sit well with Nurkić, and he was not afraid to voice his displeasure with the situation, requesting to be traded twice, first in April 2016 and then again in December 2016.

[30] Nurkić made his debut for the Trail Blazers on 15 February 2017, recording 13 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench in a 111–88 loss to the Utah Jazz.

[31] Nurkić made his first start for the Trail Blazers in the next game on 23 February 2017 following the NBA All-Star break, recording 12 points and 12 rebounds in a 112–103 victory over the Orlando Magic.

[47] On 1 January 2019, Nurkić logged a career-high 23 rebounds in a 113–108 overtime win against the Sacramento Kings, while also putting up an impressive stat line of 24 points, seven assists, five blocks, and five steals in that game.

[49][50] On 11 January 2019, Nurkić had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and tied career highs with eight assists and six blocks in a 127–96 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the third player in NBA history to record such a stat line in fewer than 30 minutes.

[52] On 25 March 2019, Nurkić suffered a compound fracture of his left tibia and fibula in the second overtime of the Trail Blazers' 148–144 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

[55] However, with the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nurkić did not make his return until 31 July 2020, in a 140–135 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, in which he recorded 18 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks.

[61] On 22 January 2022, Nurkic scored 29 points, including a go-ahead basket with 13 seconds left, and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 109–105 victory over the Boston Celtics.

[67] Nurkić made his Suns debut on 24 October, recording a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds, including a game-securing driving lay-up, in a 108–104 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

[68] On 8 November, Nurkić recorded 20 points, 17 rebounds, and eight assists alongside a game-winning floater in a 116–115 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls.

[73] On 6 February 2025, Nurkić was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micić, and a 2026 second round pick.

[74] Playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nurkić was named MVP of the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B held in 2012, where he averaged 19.4 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.

[76] Nurkić played a minor role in the senior team of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 qualification,[77] but did not make the squad for the final tournament due to the conflict with the board of Bosnian National Basketball Association.

[81] Nurkić's father, Hariz, is a police officer in Bosnia and Herzegovina and as first noted by some of the Denver Nuggets' broadcasters, he stands at a similar height to Jusuf at 7 feet (2.13 m) tall, but weighs over 400 pounds (181 kg).

[1] In an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Nurkić confirmed his father's enormous physical stature and noted that his younger brother, at the age of 13, is already engaged in basketball, donning size 16 shoes, and is looking to play collegiately in the United States once he reaches that education level.