Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
. He was also a
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
at the
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-b ...
's Faculty of Sport and Physical Education.
He is often referred to as the Father of Yugoslav Basketball.
Nikolić was a mentor of many world-class basketball coaches, such
Božidar Maljković
Božidar "Boža" Maljković ( sr-cyr, Божидар Божа Маљковић; born 20 April 1952) is a Serbian former professional basketball coach and current president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia.
He is one of the most successful bask ...
,
Dušan Ivković
Dušan "Duda" Ivković ( sr-cyrl, Душан "Дуда" Ивковић; 29 October 1943 – 16 September 2021) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He served as head coach of the senior Serbian national basketball team from ...
,
Bogdan Tanjević
Bogdan Tanjević ( sr-cyr, Богдан Тањевић; born 13 February 1947), nicknamed "Boša" ( it, Boscia) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player.
He is best known for being KK Bosna's head coach when the club beca ...
,
Željko Obradović
Želimir "Željko" Obradović ( sr-cyr, Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић, ; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Partizan of the ABA League, the Basketba ...
, etc. Nikolić was nicknamed the Professor, the Iron Sergeant. Nikolić was inducted into the
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
as a coach in 1998, and into the
FIBA Hall of Fame
The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA, in 1991. It includes the " Samar ...
in 2007. In 2008, he was named one of the
50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors.
Early life
Though his parents lived in
Brčko
Brčko ( sr-cyrl, Брчко, ) is a city and the administrative seat of Brčko District, in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies on the banks of Sava river across from Croatia. As of 2013, it has a population of 39,893 inhabitants.
De jure, ...
, Nikolić was born in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
,
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
, due to his pregnant mother, Krista, suddenly going into labour while visiting her sister in Sarajevo.
Young Aleksandar enjoyed a privileged upbringing courtesy of his wealthy father, Đorđe Nikolić, who had him at the age of 62. After spending the first few years of his life in Brčko, Nikolić moved with his family to the capital
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
, where he would grow up.
Nikolić attended the Kralj Aleksandar Gymnasium at the Belgrade neighbourhood of
Banovo Brdo
Banovo Brdo ( sr-cyrl, Баново брдо, ) is a neighbourhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Čukarica.
Location
Banovo Brdo is bounded by the neighborhoods of Čukarica and Čukarička Padina in the we ...
.
He then studied medicine and law at the
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-b ...
, graduating in 1946.
Playing career
A
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...
, Nikolić played 7 seasons in the
Yugoslavia Federal League, from 1945 to 1951. During his playing days, he played for the
Yugoslav Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...
(
1945
1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
Januar ...
),
Partizan Partizan may refer to:
Sport
* JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs:
**AK Partizan, athletics
** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling
** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo
**FK Partizan, association fo ...
(
1946
Events January
* January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
* January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...
),
Crvena zvezda
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional Association football, foot ...
(1945,
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
–
1949),
Železničar Čačak and
BSK Beograd
OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club'') is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, more precisely in Karaburma ...
(
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the United ...
). He won the Yugoslav Championships in 1945 with the Yugoslav Army and in 1947, 1948, and 1949, with Crvena Zvezda. He retired as a player with BSK Beograd in 1951.
National team playing career
Nikolić was a member of the
Yugoslavia national basketball team
The Yugoslavia men's national basketball team ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Košarkaška reprezentacija Jugoslavije, Кошаркашка репрезентација Југославије; sl, Jugoslovanska košarkarska reprezentanca; mk, ...
during the late 1940s, making in 10 appearances.
Coaching career
Club coaching career
After his playing career was over, Nikolić became involved with
coaching
Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...
, both with
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
-based
clubs
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises ...
, and those in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, notably
Ignis Varese
Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian first division LBA.
For past club sp ...
.
Yugoslavia national team
Nikolić was also the
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
of the senior
Yugoslav national squad, between 1951 and 1965, and later between 1977 and 1978. During this time, he coached two future
members
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
of the
FIBA Hall of Fame
The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA, in 1991. It includes the " Samar ...
, in
Borislav Stanković
),Boris (Борис)
, image = Borislav Bora Stanković.jpg
, imagesize =
, caption =
, order = 2nd
, office = Secretary General of FIBA
, term_start = 1 January 1976
, ter ...
and
Krešimir Ćosić
Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian-Yugoslavian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and w ...
. Under his leadership, Yugoslavia won the gold medals at the
1978 FIBA World Championship and the
1977 EuroBasket; silver medals at the
1963 FIBA World Championship,
1961 EuroBasket, and
1965 EuroBasket, and a bronze medal at the
1963 EuroBasket
The 1963 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1963, was the thirteenth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Sixteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation ...
.
Death
Nikolić died on 12 March 2000, in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
. He is buried in the ''
Alley of Distinguished Citizens
The New Cemetery ( sr, Ново гробље, ''Novo groblje'') is a cemetery complex in Belgrade, Serbia, with a distinct history. It is located in Ruzveltova street in Zvezdara municipality. The cemetery was built in 1886 as the third Christia ...
'' at Belgrade's
New Cemetery. After his death,
Aleksandar Nikolić Hall
The Aleksandar Nikolić Hall ( sr, Хала Александар Николић, Hala Aleksandar Nikolić), formerly known as Pionir Hall ( sr, link=no, Хала Пионир, Hala Pionir), is an indoor sports arena located in Palilula, Belgrade ...
was named after him, in his honor.
In popular culture
* In the 2015 Serbian sports drama, ''
We Will Be the World Champions
''We Will Be the World Champions'' ( sr, Бићемо прваци света, Bićemo prvaci sveta) is a 2015 Serbian sports drama film directed by Darko Bajić. It was one of six films shortlisted by Serbia to be their submission for the Acade ...
'', Nikolić is portrayed by Marko Janketić.
Full Cast & Crew of We Will Be the World Champions.
/ref>
See also
* Aleksandar Nikolić Hall
The Aleksandar Nikolić Hall ( sr, Хала Александар Николић, Hala Aleksandar Nikolić), formerly known as Pionir Hall ( sr, link=no, Хала Пионир, Hala Pionir), is an indoor sports arena located in Palilula, Belgrade ...
* Radomir Šaper
Radomir “Raša” Šaper ( sr-cyr, Радомир Шапер; 9 December 1925 – 6 December 1998), was a Serbian professor and Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy of the University of Belgrade, a member of the Yugoslav nation ...
* FIBA Basketball World Cup winning head coaches
The list of FIBA Basketball World Cup winning head coaches shows all of the head coaches that have won the FIBA Basketball World Cup, which is the main international competition for senior men's basketball national teams, and that is governed by t ...
* List of FIBA EuroBasket winning coaches
* List of EuroLeague-winning coaches
The list of EuroLeague-winning head coaches shows all of the head coaches that have won the EuroLeague championship. The EuroLeague is the European-wide top-tier level professional basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams ...
References
External links
Aleksandar Nikolić
at fiba.basketball
Aleksandar Nikolić
at hoophall.com
Aleksandar Nikolić
at leagabasket.it
at mondo.rs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolic, Aleksandar
1924 births
2000 deaths
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Serbia
EuroLeague-winning coaches
FIBA EuroBasket-winning coaches
FIBA Hall of Fame inductees
Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna coaches
KK Borac Čačak coaches
KK Crvena zvezda head coaches
KK Crvena zvezda players
KK Partizan coaches
KK Partizan players
OKK Beograd coaches
OKK Beograd players
KK Železničar Čačak players
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
Pallacanestro Petrarca Padova coaches
Pallacanestro Varese coaches
Reyer Venezia coaches
Serbian men's basketball coaches
Serbian men's basketball players
Serbian expatriate basketball people in Italy
Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Small forwards
Basketball players from Sarajevo
University of Belgrade faculty
University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine alumni
Victoria Libertas Pesaro coaches
Virtus Bologna coaches
Yugoslav basketball coaches
Yugoslav men's basketball players
Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery
1942 Belgrade Basketball Championship players