Dusan Ivkovic will be missed. His career is full of accolades and trophies. A coach since 1977, his rise to one of the icons of European basketball passed first and foremost from the bench of the Yugoslavian national team.

Before winning the EuroLeague twice, Duda was synonymous with the excellence of the Yugoslavian national team, which won the Eurobasket of 1989 and of 1991 and the FIBA World Cup 1990.

The triumph of Yugoslavia in 1990 marked the end of the “amateur rule” in international basketball. It was the last big FIBA tournament in which NBA players were not allowed to compete. The roster included among others Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Vlade Divac, Zarko Paspalj, and at point guard Ivkovic’s heir as the most dominant basketball coach in Europe, Zeljko Obradovic.

However, one year later, that team was a victim of the breakup of Yugoslavia. Slovenian point guard Jure Zdovc was notoriously forced to leave the team without notice during Eurobasket 1991, announcing to Ivkovic with tears in his eyes that the Slovenian government, which had claimed the country to be independent from Yugoslavia on July 25, had ordered him to do so.

Still, even without players from Slovenia and Croatia, which included Hall of Famers Drazen Petrovic, Dino Radja, and Toni Kukoc, Dusan Ivkovic has marked the possible matchup against the Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics. It was a game with obvious significance for Yugoslavia and not only for political reasons.

That could have been the pinnacle of Dusan Ivkovic’s career. “If not for the war, I believe that we would have beaten the Dream Team”, he said recently in one of his interviews with the Greek national television. “While other players were taking photos with the Americans, Jordan, and the rest, we were working for that game, because I believe that we could have beat them”.

That match-up almost happened in 1992, but once more politics interfered. While Dusan Ivkovic and the Yugoslavian national team were already on training camp, on July 22nd of 1992, the United Nations decided that its resolution prohibiting sports contacts with Yugoslavia allows individual athletes from that country, but not teams, to compete in the Barcelona Olympics.

That was the end of an era and remains one of the biggest “what ifs” in European basketball.

The Yugoslavian national team returned to the European top, winning Eurobasket 1995 again under Ivkovic. The national team ultimately changed its name in 2003 to Serbia and Montenegro and to Serbia in 2006.

Still, the dominance of the Yugoslavian national team of the early 90s couldn’t be replicated and nothing was the same.

Dusan Ivkovic was the keeper and the embodiment of this legacy. And since his last days, he defined himself not only as a Serb but also as Yugoslavian.

The post The last coach of Yugoslavia appeared first on Eurohoops.

2017 EuroLeague champion with Fenerbahce Beko and Final Four MVP Ekpe Udoh revealed to Eurohoops that his goal is to return to the competition before hanging his shoes for good.

“I almost had an opportunity to join a EuroLeague team but I had a commitment to the China team so I wasn’t able to make that move. The door for EuroLeague isn’t closed. I would like to play in EuroLeague for the next two years and finish out my career,” Udoh told Antonis Stroggylakis and Bugra Uzar on the Eurohoops Live Show.

“It will be interesting to see if I do play in EuroLeague and I’m not on Fenerbahce what the reception will be when I play a game there,” he later mentioned while talking about the chants of Fenerbahce fans had for him.

Udoh looked back to his two-year stint with Fenerbahce and the two Final Fours: His memories from the heartbreaking loss to CSKA Moscow in the championship game of 2016 and the Final Four of 2017 when he pushed Fener to the title while becoming the first center to win MVP since Zeljko Rebraca in 2000.

“When the game was over and went back to my hotel room I could hear the chants in my head,” he said on the 2017 semifinal vs. Real Madrid. “Pulsing and pulsing. I couldn’t sleep for two hours because of the adrenaline”

Udoh also shared this thoughts on the “Zeljko Obradovic in the NBA” debate. “Can he coach in the NBA? Of course he can, there’s no question about it,” he said. “Do I see him in the NBA? I don’t know. Especially if it’s not with a team that has its sights on winning. Not a team that’s trying to tank. That’s not in him. If he wanted to coach in the NBA, he could adjust. It would be a tough adjustment but once they got out there on the court, and he pushed them through the drills and his schemes, that’s where he’d build the trust.”

Throughout his EuroLeague run, Udoh faced current Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic during many and big battles of Fener against Real Madrid. Did he see him becoming the player he is today?

“Yes,” Udoh answered. “Because he was playing against grown men since he was 15 and a half. I think people in American didn’t understand how big he was. He’s 6 7, big kid but can move and get wherever he wants on the court. And now he’s showing it at the highest level. The help defense isn’t the same. The day in and day out grind isn’t the same as it is in Europe.”

“He’ll be Top 5 in the league for a long time”

The post Ekpe Udoh: I’d like to play in EuroLeague for the next two years and finish out my career appeared first on Eurohoops.

One thing that became abundantly clear from the very first moments of my interview with EuroLeague legend Trajan Langdon was that narrating comes as natural to him as his famous shooting that he used to burn defenses to the ground.

Honestly, if I didn’t actually have to ask the questions, I would just sit back, relax and just enjoy him talking. Because this felt like I was listening to an audiobook. That’s how beautifully and eloquently Langdon painted pictures of various stories and anecdote tales from his playing days while reflecting on a career that led to EuroLeague stardom, All-EuroLeague Team selections, several championship titles and a Final Four MVP that was a dream come true.

In a chronicle of important European basketball history, Langdon, now the general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans, looked back at the first taste he got of international competition, joining Ettore Messina at Benetton Treviso, his first Final Four, the glory days and upsets with CSKA Moscow.

He also discussed the lessons that he now uses in his current role as an executive, the opponents that he admired and could’ve been in the NBA and how one of his most prominent teammates “hurt” Team USA and his college coach back in 2006.

Eurohoops: Is there anything that you miss about playing basketball?

Trajan Langdon: It’s funny that you ask. My wife asked me that about three days ago. And my first response was “Not really”. Because first of all, I know my body can’t take it (laughs). I know my body would hurt now.

The thing I miss about is the competition. Testing yourself, challenging yourself game to game. Looking at your opponent. If you think that the opponent is weaker you have to get yourself mentally ready, especially with CSKA. You knew that you’re going to get your opponents’ best game, best focus of the season. If you played against a team that was better than you, you always had CSKA on the jersey so it didn’t really matter that they were more talented.

It was always a target on the back. It was always getting up for the competition of winning on a high level. The challenges. But there was a camaraderie in the locker room with your teammates from day to day. Getting to know people from all around the world from different countries, ethnicities. Those are the things that I miss the most about the game.

The daily work and preparation was enjoyable when I was younger. But the older I got the more difficult ti was so that is definitely something I don’t miss. The work, The treadmill, the weigh room. The court work was easy, it was fun. But the other stuff. The stretching, the yoga.

The post An MVP’s tale: Trajan Langdon reflects on career and dreams that came true appeared first on Eurohoops.

Picture a 22-year-old U.S. player. He’s fresh out of school and goes undrafted despite a productive run with his college team. He looks at his options and decides that what he should do right now is head overseas, to Europe so that he begins playing professional basketball.

It’s literally a trip into the complete unknown for this young baller. A dive into some uncharted and potentially not-so-friendly waters that he must successfully navigate himself through during the first steps of his career if he wants to make it as a pro.

Before he established himself as an elite guard in Europe and began winning all sorts of titles and collecting big MVP awards in every single major continental championship, Tyrese Rice was exactly in that position. And this is what his own experience taught him.

“The first thing that I’m telling younger guys now about going to Europe is to learn about the culture,” Rice told Eurohoops in a live video interview. “Learn about where you are first. If you learn about the person and the people it’s easier for you to do the things that you want to do. When go to these countries, you have to learn about the people. I was in Greece first and I didn’t understand anything. Now, I look back at it and I realize that I learned about the Greek culture and know about the Greek guys and understand how they think about things, it makes it easier for me to play basketball.”

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FIBA added the 2000 European League final to the list of classic games available to watch on-demand. The top four 1999-2000 teams met at Thessaloniki and Panathinaikos defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv, 73-67, in the championship game.

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The Greek side eliminated Efes Pilsen and the Israeli moved past FC Barcelona in the Final Four semifinals. Final Four MVP Zeljko Rebraca punched in a team-high 20 points and former Maccabi player Oded Kattash added 17 for the team coached by Zeljko Obradovic.

The post Rewind to the Panathinaikos vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv 2000 final appeared first on Eurohoops.

One of the last basketball chapters of the 20th century featured Zalgiris Kaunas capturing its lone top-tier European title with the 82-74 win against Kinder Bologna in the 1999 FIBA European League final held in Munich, Germany. The game replay became available on FIBA’s official YouTube portal.

Final Four MVP Tyus Edney loaded the championship contest with 14 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and Anthony Bowie poured a team-high 17 points. Antoine Rigaudeau had a game-high 27 points in losing effort.

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In 1998, Virtus Bologna won its first European Championship title by beating AEK Athens in the Final.

The Ettore Messina-coached Bologna, led by Zoran Savic (the Final Four MVP) and featuring such players as Sasha Danilovic and Antoine Rigaudeau prevailed over AEK in a tough, defensive battle.

The post Virtus Bologna vs. AEK Athens: 1998 Champions’ Cup Final appeared first on Eurohoops.

Back in 1997, Olympiacos and Barcelona were the final contenders for the top European title. Former Laker David Rivers on one side against today’s Chicago Bulls vice-president Arturas Karnisovas and Serbian legend Sasha Djordjevic in one of the best games of the competition ever.

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FIBA added the 1996 European League final between Panathinaikos and Barcelona to the list of championship games posted in their entirety on its YouTube portal. The game held at Paris led the Greens to their first title thanks to a narrow 67-66 victory. Fragiskos Alvertis with 17 points and Dominique Wilkins with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double edged the Spanish outlet.

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FIBA reminiscing the 90’s European League finals extends to the 1995 meeting between Real Madrid and Olympiacos at Zaragoza. Spain. The Whites claimed their eighth title thanks to a 73-61 win. Final Four MVP Arvydas Sabonis poured 23 points leading the way for the Spanish powerhouse a few months prior to moving to the NBA and the Portland Trail Blazers.

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FIBA recounts the 1994 European League final pitting Badalona and Olympiacos against each other by replaying the game played on April 21 at Tel Aviv. The Spanish club coached by Zeljko Obradovic captured the title behind its dramatic win, 59-57.

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Full list of past FIBA international and club games available on-demand.

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FIBA extends its look back on the FIBA European League finals with the 1993 meeting between Limoges CSP and Benetton Treviso in Greece. The French side coached by Bozidar Maljkovic grabbed the win, 59-55, for its only title at the top level of European club competition. Toni Kukoc was on the losing side but earned Final Four MVP honors for the third time in four years.

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Steph Curry, Patrick Beverly, DeAndre Jordan, Stefan Markovic, Milan Macvan, Boban Marjanovic and the list goes on. Well-known names in the NBA and European basketball but it wasn’t always like that and they had to start somewhere.

Take a look at the younger versions of the basketball stars as they clashed in 2007 for the U19 FIBA Wolrd Cup trophy with Serbia prevailing over the US squad in the end.

The post Re-watch: Serbia overcomes USA to win the U19 World Cup in 2007 appeared first on Eurohoops.

Theo Papaloukas talked to FIBA.basketball as they went back 15 years, all the way to the 2005 EuroBasket to reminisce, analyze and tell the story of Greece rising up to the podium.

Per FIBA.basketball:

Back in 2005, Greece scored less than 70 points in all but one game. Back in 2005, Greece barely made it to the Play-Offs. Back in 2005, Greece won the FIBA EuroBasket with so much style.

Looking at it simply from the numbers’ standpoint 15 years later, it seems crazy that a team scored 64, 56, 67, 67, 66, 67 and 78 points in their seven games in Belgrade and still managed to survive all the challenges en route to their second ever triumph in the continental championship.

But this one has nothing to do with the numbers. It has everything to do with finding a way.

“It felt like somebody or something wanted to help us win that event with the way things were going,” Theo Papaloukas told FIBA.basketball thinking back to that warm September in Serbia and Montenegro.

“This is what makes you a champion. Just finding a way to win on a bad day. It’s easy to defeat somebody when you are on a good day, but if you can do it on a bad day, that’s how you create a championship winning team. We had that. We spent so much time together as a team in Belgrade, and we talked all the time how everything was going our way with the results, with us making it out of the group stage in the last game, and how the favorites were eliminated in the other part of the draw. We had big faith. That was the thing for us.”

The part about winning on a bad day? It seems that Greece had six bad days and the good one came at a perfect time, right in the Final.

The part about making it out of the group? Greece opened the tournament with a 64-50 win over France, but then lost 68-56 to Slovenia a day later. With Slovenia sweeping the field, Greece were in danger of dropping to the bottom of the standings in case they lost their last Group C game, against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It wasn’t a likely outcome, but holding a slim 43-41 lead going into the fourth quarter, doubt was probably starting to lurk somewhere in the back of the Greek locker room. However, doubt was always going to be used as an ignition factor with this generation. Bosnia and Herzegovina were blown out 24-9 over the last 10 minutes to book a date with Israel in the Play-Offs.

The part about the results going their way? Slovenia were out in the Quarter-Finals after a 3-0 start. Serbia and Montenegro, the hosts, were out in the Play-Offs for the Quarter-Finals. Lithuania were out in the Quarter-Finals. Spain were out in the Semi-Finals.

With the path clearing up, the biggest remaining hurdle was in the their Group Phase rivals, France. The epic Semi-Finals clash in the packed Belgrade Arena saw France claim a seven-point lead with just over 40 seconds left to play.

“I was in foul trouble, so I came back into the game with two minutes remaining, and I had four fouls. Of course, I wanted to be on the court for the last shot, but that’s the part I mentioned about the faith we had in this team. I knew I had to commit my fifth foul to stop the clock and send France to the free throw line. That’s what we all understood, the team effort was the most important thing, not our personal goals,” Papaloukas explained.

You can clearly see what he was talking about if you re-watch the game. Committing that fifth foul to stop the clock was heartbreaking for the Greek point guard, but as soon as he looked over to the bench, he had his hands ready to cheer on the next guy off the bench.

“With all the faith that all the people around the team had, we made winning games like that one normal,” he said.

Even when Papaloukas fouled out, Greece still had a pair of elite point guards to finish off the comeback against France on the last possession.

“All of us on the team, we were just watching the target and waiting to see how we’ll make it. Nikos (Zisis) created the space with his drive and made the right play with a pass back out to Dimitris (Diamantidis). And Dimitris made one of the biggest shots in Greek basketball history,” Papaloukas described the game-winning shot with pride felt in every single word he said.

Favorite @HellenicBF ?? #EuroBasket game winner?

1️⃣ Diamantidis, 2005
2️⃣ Spanoulis, 2007
3️⃣ Alvertis, 2001
4️⃣ Fasoulas, 1993 pic.twitter.com/Bmvo5aRxAj

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) May 27, 2020

Talking to him like this makes you feel like the game just ended and you are taking the quotes right there on the court, immediately after the buzzer, right there amidst the celebrations. That’s how excited Papaloukas sounds remembering the title run, even 15 years later.

“When I think about 2005, these three things come to mind. The moment when I held the trophy in my hands; Dimitris’ three-pointer; and the Final,” he lists.

The Final. Having seen Greece win single digit games against Israel in the Play-Offs, against Russia in the Quarter-Finals, against France in the Semi-Finals, fans were expecting another thrilling encounter against Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in the Final. But it never happened.

“Nobody can handle too much drama,” Papaloukas laughed.

Greece won the Final 78-62, making it a one-way street from the start to the finish line, doing everything the way they planned it to climb the top step of the podium for the first time since 1987.

“The Final was the best thing. Germany were a great team with a superstar in Dirk Nowitzki, but it felt easier for us to play against them. It felt like they had already achieved their goal by reaching the Final, which was way above expectations. On the other hand, we had a meeting appointed with history. And we made it,” he described.

Holding the trophy brings out various feelings in players. Boris Diaw claimed it was a relief, Predrag Stojakovic saw it as a sign of superiority and domination. Meanwhile, for Theo Papaloukas it was a dream come true.

“It really was a dream come true for us. Especially because the tournament was played in Belgrade, one of the biggest basketball cities around, and because so many of our fans made the trip to Serbia. It was a very big thing for us, and winning that trophy helped us grow as players, but also as people, as men,” the guard explained.

Papaloukas finished the Final with a team-high 22 points and 6 assists, earning himself a place on the All-Star Five, alongside teammate Diamantidis, France’s Diaw, Spain’s Juan Carlos Navarro and the MVP Nowitzki.

Teo Papaloukas goes for 22 PTS and leads @HellenicBF ?? to their 2nd #EuroBasket ?

? 12:00 GMT on Facebook Premiere & https://t.co/Gz8KmZPuen pic.twitter.com/FCYXJQlWfP

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) May 26, 2020

A year later Papaloukas would pick up the first of his two EuroLeague titles, and earn the FIBA Europe Men’s Player of the Year award. He was also selected to the All-Decade Team of EuroLeague, he was the MVP of the Final Four in 2006 and the Regular Season in 2007, picking up a number of domestic titles and awards and another medal with Greece, finishing second in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2006 along the way.

So where does winning the FIBA EuroBasket 2005 rank in his silverware collection?

“Winning something with your national team makes it even bigger. Like I said, I saw how much we grew as persons and players because of that title in 2005, but once you finish your career you realize how people respect you even more for stuff you did for the country,” he acknowledged.

“Most of the people don’t understand how difficult it is to get to that level, and they sometimes they take success for granted, but when they come by and just say ‘hey, thank you very much for what you did for our country’ – that’s a great feeling. That’s a great feeling. Just the other day, you guys posted (the 2005 Final) on FIBA’s social media. I can’t even tell you how many messages I got about it, because some people watched it again, and the others who were too young in 2005 got to watch it for the first time.”

Back then, Greece were all about outsmarting their opponents. With Papaloukas, Diamantidis, Zisis, Vassilis Spanoulis in the backcourt and coach Panagiotis Giannakis on the bench – good luck trying to read what Greece were trying to do and keeping your own game plan a secret. Finishing the games with less than 70 points scored was not a problem for Greece in their chess matches on the basketball floor. These days it’s a bit different, with a certain Giannis Antetokounmpo on board.

“It’s a luxury to have a player like Giannis on your team,” Papaloukas said.

“But really, it is all about playing to your skill set. We had a specific set of skills in 2005, and we took advantage of it. Championship teams find a way. So when you have Giannis, but also (Kostas) Sloukas and (Nick) Calathes, their way does not have to be similar to what we did 15 years ago. I believe we will be back on the podium very soon, but it’s not just about the podium. It’s about building a new generation of kids, about developing our schools of basketball, and teaching the children how to think on the court, how to outsmart the opponent and how to find their best self. This generation right now, the talent is great, they are hungry for success, so it’s just a matter of time when we’ll be back on the podium.”

The post Appointment with history: When Theo Papaloukas and Greece ruled the continent appeared first on Eurohoops.

FIBA’s list of international games available on-demand is extended to the 2002 FIBA World Cup semifinal between Yugoslavia and New Zealand. At Indianapolis, the Yugoslavians prevailed, 89-78, to progress to the gold medal game. A day later, they captured first place with an 84-77 overtime win against Argentina.

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Check out all past broadcasts.

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Back to Germany’s double-overtime win, 82-81, over Serbia in the 2010 FIBA World Cup Group A meeting of the national teams through the latest addition in FIBA’s list of classic games available on-demand.

The winning side did not advance to the final round in Istanbul. The Serbians recovered and topped the group, and went on ranking fourth overall.

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The post Rewind to Germany stunning Serbia early in 2010 World Cup appeared first on Eurohoops.

On November 6, 2003, Lithuanian basketball great Arvydas Sabonis played his first EuroLeague game in eight years following his NBA stint with the Portland Trail Blazers.

At nearly 39 years of age, Sabonis stepped on the court in the season opener of Zalgiris Kaunas against Panathinaikos at home. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes to help his team get the win.

The post Re-watch: Arvydas Sabonis’ return to EuroLeague appeared first on Eurohoops.

Late August 1990, Michael Jordan made the trip to Spain and participated in the unforgettable 1990-91 ACB presentation game that took place in Barcelona. With 9,000 fans in attendance, MJ played for both sides scoring 21 points for the blue team and 16 for the red team. The Spanish league shares the complete contest via its official YouTube channel.

The post Back to 1990, Michael Jordan playing in Spain appeared first on Eurohoops.

The latest classic Turkish Airlines EuroLeague contest available to re-watch on-demand is the 2005 Final Four semifinal between hosting CSKA Moscow and Tau Ceramica (Baskonia). Through EuroLeague’s official YouTube portal, recall the Spanish side prevailing, 85-78, to advance to the championship game.

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Photo Credit: EuroLeague

The post Rewind to 2005 EuroLeague Final Four, CSKA vs. Tau Ceramica appeared first on Eurohoops.

FIBA takes us back to the Toronto World Cup of 1994, through the classic semifinal between Russia and Croatia. The two European powerhouses took on each other, as Russia advanced to the big final against the USA, eventually winning the silver medal.

Re-watch the game in full:

Photo: FIBA

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