Aleksandar Nikolic
Encyclopedia
Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić was a renowned Bosnian Serb basketball
player and coach from Yugoslavia
. He is considered to be so instrumental and important to the game's development in the country that he is often referred to as the Father of Yugoslav basketball. He was nicknamed "The Professor", "Iron Sergeant" and "The father of Yugoslav basketball".
Nikolić was a Professor of the University of Belgrade
's Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. The future coaches taught by Nikolić include Božidar Maljković
, Dušan Ivković
, Bogdan Tanjević
, Želimir Obradović etc.
Nikolić was born in Sarajevo
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
what was at the time part of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, but moved to the capital Belgrade
at a young age. He studied medicine and law at the University of Belgrade
, graduating in 1946.
However, Nikolić always had a real passion for basketball
. As a player, he competed for KK Partizan
(1945-1947) Red Star Belgrade
(1947–1949), Železničar Čačak (1949–1950) and BSK Belgrade (1950–1951). He won the Yugoslav league in 1947, 1948 and 1949 with Red Star Belgrade
. Nikolić was a member of the Yugoslav national basketball team
during the late 1940s, playing 10 games.
After his playing career was over, he became involved with coaching, both with Serbia
-based clubs and those in Italy
, notably Pallacanestro Varese
. Nikolić was head coach of the Yugoslav national squad
between 1951 and 1965, and later between 1977 and 1978. During this time, he coached two future Hall of Famers in Borislav Stanković
and Krešimir Ćosić
. Under his leadership, Yugoslavia won the 1978 World Championship
and 1977 European Championship
; silver medals in the 1963 World Championship
, 1961 European Championship
and 1965 European Championship
and bronze medals in the 1963 European Championship
.
Aleksandar Nikolić died on 12 March 2000 in Belgrade
, he is buried in the Alley of the Greats, in Belgrade
Novo Groblje
("New Cemetery").
Nikolić was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1998 and FIBA Hall of Fame
in 2007.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and coach from Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. He is considered to be so instrumental and important to the game's development in the country that he is often referred to as the Father of Yugoslav basketball. He was nicknamed "The Professor", "Iron Sergeant" and "The father of Yugoslav basketball".
Nikolić was a Professor of the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
's Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. The future coaches taught by Nikolić include Božidar Maljković
Božidar Maljkovic
Božidar "Boža" Maljković is a Serbian basketball coach, one of the most successful in Europe, having won a title with practically all clubs he trained, including four Euroleague titles with three different clubs...
, Dušan Ivković
Dušan Ivkovic
Dušan "Duda" Ivković is a Serbian former professional basketball player and current coach. In 2008, he was named one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in Euroleague history....
, Bogdan Tanjević
Bogdan Tanjevic
Bogdan Tanjević is an ex-Yugoslav, naturalized Italian, Bosnian, and Turkish basketball coach last managed Turkish national basketball team between 2004-10 and Fenerbahçe Ülker between 2007-10...
, Želimir Obradović etc.
Nikolić was born in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
what was at the time part of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, but moved to the capital Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
at a young age. He studied medicine and law at the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
, graduating in 1946.
However, Nikolić always had a real passion for basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. As a player, he competed for KK Partizan
KK Partizan
Košarkaški klub Partizan is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club Partizan. The club competes in the Serbian League, Adriatic League and the Euroleague....
(1945-1947) Red Star Belgrade
KK Crvena zvezda
Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name Crvena zvezda means Red Star and it's part of the Red Star Belgrade sports society ....
(1947–1949), Železničar Čačak (1949–1950) and BSK Belgrade (1950–1951). He won the Yugoslav league in 1947, 1948 and 1949 with Red Star Belgrade
KK Crvena zvezda
Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name Crvena zvezda means Red Star and it's part of the Red Star Belgrade sports society ....
. Nikolić was a member of the Yugoslav national basketball team
Yugoslavia national basketball team
The Yugoslavian national basketball team represented the Kingdom and socialist Yugoslavia. Its of governing body was the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia, whose seat was in Belgrade....
during the late 1940s, playing 10 games.
After his playing career was over, he became involved with coaching, both with Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
-based clubs and those in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, notably Pallacanestro Varese
Pallacanestro Varese
-Notable players:-Notable coaches: Aleksandar Nikolić Nico Messina Sandro Gamba Edoardo Rusconi Joe Isaac Carlo Recalcati Valerio Bianchini Ruben Magnano-Sponsorship names:Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:...
. Nikolić was head coach of the Yugoslav national squad
Yugoslavia national basketball team
The Yugoslavian national basketball team represented the Kingdom and socialist Yugoslavia. Its of governing body was the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia, whose seat was in Belgrade....
between 1951 and 1965, and later between 1977 and 1978. During this time, he coached two future Hall of Famers in Borislav Stanković
Borislav Stankovic
Borislav "Bora" Stanković is a Serbian former basketball player and coach, as well as a longtime administrator in the sport's various governing bodies. For his contributions to the game of basketball he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.Stanković was born in Bihać, Bosnia and...
and Krešimir Ćosić
Krešimir Cosic
Krešimir Ćosić was a Croatian professional basketball player who represented Yugoslavia internationally, a member of FIBA Hall of Fame and Basketball Hall of Fame...
. Under his leadership, Yugoslavia won the 1978 World Championship
1978 FIBA World Championship
The 1978 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Philippines from October 1 to 14, 1978.Rizal Memorial Coliseum at Manila and Araneta Coliseum at Quezon City, Metro Manila were the venues for the event.-Venues:...
and 1977 European Championship
EuroBasket 1977
-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # -Group A - Liège:-Group B - Ostend:-Places 9 - 12 in Liège:-Places 5 - 8 in Liège:-Places 1 - 4 in Liège:-Finals:-Team rosters:...
; silver medals in the 1963 World Championship
1963 FIBA World Championship
The 1963 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from May 11 to 23 , 1963.- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:...
, 1961 European Championship
EuroBasket 1961
The 1961 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1961, was the 12th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Eighteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition. The competition was hosted by Yugoslavia...
and 1965 European Championship
EuroBasket 1965
-Venues:-Final rankings:# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # First roundGroup A - MoscowGroup B - Tbilisi-Places 13 - 16:-Places 9 - 12:-Places 5 - 8:-Places 1 - 4:-Finals:-Team rosters:...
and bronze medals in the 1963 European Championship
EuroBasket 1963
The 1963 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1963, was the 13th regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Seventeen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition...
.
Aleksandar Nikolić died on 12 March 2000 in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, he is buried in the Alley of the Greats, in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
Novo Groblje
Novo groblje
Novo groblje is a cemetery complex in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Ruzveltova street in Zvezdara municipality. The cemetery was built in 1886 as the third Christian cemetery in Belgrade. The newly developed cemetery in that period had no chapel or church...
("New Cemetery").
Nikolić was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
in 1998 and FIBA Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame honors basketball players, coaches and administrators who have contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA in 1991. It includes the "Samaranch Library", the biggest basketball library in the world that, as of 2007, has over 10,000 basketball...
in 2007.
Clubs Coached
- 1959-1961 KK PartizanKK PartizanKošarkaški klub Partizan is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club Partizan. The club competes in the Serbian League, Adriatic League and the Euroleague....
- 1961-1963 OKK BelgradeOKK BeogradOKK Beograd is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based sport club OSD Beograd.-History:The club was founded in 1945 under the name KK Metalac...
- 1965-1967 Petrarca Padova
- 1967-1968 OKK BelgradeOKK BeogradOKK Beograd is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based sport club OSD Beograd.-History:The club was founded in 1945 under the name KK Metalac...
- 1969-1973 Ignis VaresePallacanestro Varese-Notable players:-Notable coaches: Aleksandar Nikolić Nico Messina Sandro Gamba Edoardo Rusconi Joe Isaac Carlo Recalcati Valerio Bianchini Ruben Magnano-Sponsorship names:Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:...
- 1973-1974 Red Star BelgradeKK Crvena zvezdaKošarkaški klub Crvena zvezda is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name Crvena zvezda means Red Star and it's part of the Red Star Belgrade sports society ....
- 1974-1976 Fortitudo BolognaFortitudo BolognaFortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna is an Legadue Basket professional basketball club that is based in Bologna. It's currently sponsored by Conad.-History:...
- 1978-1980 KK Borac ČačakKK Borac ČačakKošarkaški klub Borac Čačak is a professional basketball club from Čačak, Serbia. The club currently plays in the Serbian League.-History:Basketball club Borac Čačak is a member of the First Federal League since 1952...
- 1981-1982 Virtus BolognaVirtus Bologna-Notable players: Marco Bonamico 9 seasons: '75-'76, '77-'78, '80-'86, '88-'89 Carlo Caglieris 6 seasons: '75-'81 Pietro Generali 6 seasons: '75-'76, '78-'83 Gianni Bertolotti 5 seasons: '75-'80 Terry Driscoll 3 seasons: '75-'78 Eric Luc Leclerc 1 season: '75-'76 Luigi Serafini 2 seasons: '75-'77...
- 1982-1983 Carrera Venezia
- 1983-1984 Scavolini PesaroVictoria Libertas PesaroVictoria Libertas , full name Unione Sportiva Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro, is a professional basketball team that is based in Pesaro, Italy. The club competes in the top level Italian professional basketball league, the Lega Basket Serie A...
- 1984-1985 Australian UdinePallalcesto Amatori UdineSnaidero Basketball is a prominent Italian basketball club based in Udine. It is also known as Snaidero Cucine Udine.-History:Its best finish so far is a 5th place in the Italian tournament in the 2005/06 season. The gold years for basketball in Udine were from 1965 to 1980, when the president and...
Titles
- 1963 Yugoslav league, (OKK BelgradeOKK BeogradOKK Beograd is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based sport club OSD Beograd.-History:The club was founded in 1945 under the name KK Metalac...
) - 1962 Yugoslav Cup, (OKK Beograd)
- 1970 European Champions' CupEuroleagueEuroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
, (Ignis VaresePallacanestro Varese-Notable players:-Notable coaches: Aleksandar Nikolić Nico Messina Sandro Gamba Edoardo Rusconi Joe Isaac Carlo Recalcati Valerio Bianchini Ruben Magnano-Sponsorship names:Through the years, due to sponsorship deals, it has been also known as:...
) - 1972 European Champions' CupEuroleagueEuroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
, (Ignis Varese) - 1973 European Champions' CupEuroleagueEuroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
, (Ignis Varese) - 1970 Italian leagueSerie A (basketball)Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
, (Ignis Varese) - 1972 Italian leagueSerie A (basketball)Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
, (Ignis Varese) - 1973 Italian leagueSerie A (basketball)Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
, (Ignis Varese) - 1970 Italian Cup, (Ignis Varese)
- 1971 Italian Cup, (Ignis Varese)
- 1973 Italian Cup, (Ignis Varese)
- 1970 Intercontinental Cup, (Ignis Varese)
- 1973 Intercontinental Cup, (Ignis Varese)
- 1974 Cup Winners' CupSaporta CupSaporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, where the National Cup winners from all over Europe played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA Europe...
(Red Star BelgradeKK Crvena zvezdaKošarkaški klub Crvena zvezda is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name Crvena zvezda means Red Star and it's part of the Red Star Belgrade sports society ....
)