KK Bosna Meridianbet ( bs, Košarkaški klub Bosna Meridianbet) is a professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
team
A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal.
As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...
based in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
. It is the most successful Bosnian club of all time, having been the
EuroLeague champion
The rosters of each season's champions and finalists of the top-tier level European-wide professional basketball competition in Europe, the EuroLeague. From 1958, through the present.
1958
FIBA European Champions Cup
Winner: Rīgas ASK (USS ...
by winning the
1978–79 FIBA European Champions Cup
The 1978–79 FIBA European Champions Cup was the 22nd season of the European top-tier level professional basketball club competition FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague). The Final was held at the Palais des Sports, in Grenoble, ...
. The club competes in the
Basketball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Basketball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the top–tier men's professional basketball league in Bosnia and Herzegovina for men and women, respectively. The league is operated by the Basketball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ...
. It is part of the University Sport Society
USD Bosna
Univerzitetsko sportsko društvo Bosna, (), commonly abbreviated as USD Bosna, is a multi-sport club based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herz ...
( bs, Univerzitetsko sportsko društvo Bosna).
History
1951–1955: Formation and early years
The club was founded in 1951 as a member of the University Sports Society Bosna ( bs, Univerzitetsko sportsko društvo Bosna). The club's first chairman and coach was doctor Nedžad Brkić, with the roster composed mostly of students enrolled in the
University of Sarajevo
The University of Sarajevo ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a public university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest ...
. The first four years of the club's existence were spent in the lower-tier Sarajevo city league, which the team went on to win in 1955, earning a promotion to the
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
league. The team roster in these early years included the likes of Brkić, Marušić, Takač, Bise, Bjelica, Cindrić, Bilić, Đurasković, Fetahagić, Uzelac, Džapa, Pilav, Hofbauer, Lovrenović, Beganović and Dimitrijević.
1955–1972: Attempting to reach top-tier Yugoslav First League
For the next 17 years the club competed in the regional
SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
league, steadily building a team with which it could enter the
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
.
On 28 April 1972 a decisive win against cross-town rivals
KK Željezničar Sarajevo
KK Željezničar Sarajevo (Košarkaški klub Željezničar Sarajevo in English language, English: Željezničar Sarajevo Basketball Club), also known as Željezničar Sarajevo is the basketball section of the multi-sport society SD Željezničar, ...
would promote the club to the top-tier of Yugoslav basketball where it would compete for the next 20 years. The architect of the club's historic triumf and later European glory was charismatic young coach
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 ...
. The players that managed to achieve the promotion to the top national league were Jovo Terzić, Mirsad Milavić, Zdravko Čečur, Milan Pavlić, Aleksandar Nadaždin, Dumić, Bruno Soče,
Žarko Varajić
Žarko Varajić ( sr-cyr, Жарко Варајић; 26 December 1951 – 23 June 2019) was a Serbian professional basketball player and executive. He represented the Yugoslavia national team internationally.
Early career
Growing up in Nikšić, ...
, Slobodan Pejović,
Svetislav Pešić
Svetislav "Kari" Pešić ( sr-cyrl, Светислав "Кари" Пешић; born August 28, 1949) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Serbia men's national team.
Playing career
During his ...
, Rođeni Krvavac, and
Anto Đogić
Anto Đogić (born 18 April 1952) is a retired Bosnian professional basketball player.
Playing career
During his professional career, Đogić played most notably for Bosna.
National team career
Đogić won the gold medal with the Yugoslav natio ...
.
1972–1984: The glory years
The future European championship winning roster was completed with the arrival of legendary
Mirza Delibašić
Mirza Delibašić (9 January 1954 – 8 December 2001) was a Bosnian professional basketball player and coach.
Delibašić was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. He was enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, he w ...
in 1972. The first 6 seasons in the Yugoslav First League represented a coming of age process, with the team eventually going on to win its first title in 1978, led by star players
Ratko Radovanović
Ratko "Raša" Radovanović (; born 16 October 1956) is a Serbian former professional basketball player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia, at the 1980 Summer Olympics, and at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Born in the town of Nevesinje within ...
,
Žarko Varajić
Žarko Varajić ( sr-cyr, Жарко Варајић; 26 December 1951 – 23 June 2019) was a Serbian professional basketball player and executive. He represented the Yugoslavia national team internationally.
Early career
Growing up in Nikšić, ...
and
Mirza Delibašić
Mirza Delibašić (9 January 1954 – 8 December 2001) was a Bosnian professional basketball player and coach.
Delibašić was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. He was enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, he w ...
. A year later KK Bosna became the first team, aside from
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...
, to win the European championship without a single foreign player on its roster. Namely, on April 5, 1979 the team, led by the late Delibašić and game MVP Varajić, defeated
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
Powerhouse
Emerson 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 basketball league system, Italian first ...
96:93. The club started its EuroLeague season in the Quarterfinal group stage, finishing first in its group. Once in the Semifinals, the side sent a message to contenders by edging the defending champions Real Madrid 114:109 in overtime, in Sarajevo. KK Bosna would eventually win all of its home games and would advance to the title game by edging
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
side
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
83–88, in Piraeus. Bosna's opponent in the final would either be Emerson Varese or Real Madrid, who faced each other off in the final game of the round. The Italian side beat Madrid 82:83. The aforementioned game will be remembered for Prada's misses: Namely, Luis Maria Prada famously missed 3 consecutive free throws with no time on the clock, forever changing European basketball history. Once in the title game, KK Bosna downed mighty Emerson Varese 96:93 in front of 15,000 fans in the Palais des Sports,
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. Varajić led the team in scoring with 45 points, while Delibašić followed with 30. The former is still the record holder for most points in a Euroleague final. Radovanović added 10 more points, while Americans Bob Morse and Charlie Yelverton scored 30 and 27 points respectively for Varese. In the next four seasons KK Bosna would go on to win two more Yugoslav championships (''1979-80''; ''1982-83''), as well as a silver medal in the 1980 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, which it hosted. A second
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup ( hr, Pokal Jugoslavije; sr, Куп Југославије; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Kup kralja Aleksandra, ...
triumf followed a year later.
1984–1992: Pre-war years
After nearly a decade of continuous success, most of the star players transferred abroad in the mid-1980s. Namely, Delibašić, Varajić, Radovanović, Đogić along with coach Bogdan Tanjević who took over Juventus Caserta moved to foreign clubs. As a result, the club management decided to transfer members of its talented youth department to the senior team, along with bringing in a handful of new players from other Yugoslav clubs. Nenad Marković, Gordan Firić, Samir Avdić and others all came in through the youth ranks but their time in the club was cut short by the start of the Bosnian War.
1992–1997: Hardest of times
With the start of the Bosnian War in 1992 competitive basketball was halted in the newly independent country for nearly four years. A talented generation on the verge of success was forced to transfer to foreign sides, and in doing so the club was forced to fight for bare survival. The side's star prospect, Nenad Marković, joined Italian side
Stefanel Trieste
Pallacanestro Trieste 2004 is an Italian professional basketball club based in Trieste. They play in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) since the 2018–19 LBA season, 2018–19 season. The PalaTrieste, Allianz Dome serves as the club's home arena.
Hi ...
, while the likes of Avdić, Firić and others left to Spain, Italy and Turkey. At the end of the 1997–98 season, a play-off for the national title was organized. KK Bosna lost 2–1 to HKK Široki in the final series. A year later the maroon-whites, brandishing a roster that included Mirković, Terzić, Subašić, Konaković, Kurtagić, Halimić, Lerić, Isaković, Bukva, Džuho and Radović, coached by former European championship-winning team member,
Sabit Hadžić
Sabit Hadžić (7 August 1957 – 3 March 2018) was a Bosnian basketball player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) ...
won the national title after a play-off victory.
Famous members
The club remembrance has gathered all players, coach Tanjević, assistant coaches Prodanović, Krehić, first club's coach Halilović and all the club members who helped Bosna achieve a great success, such as the winning of the
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
title. Unfortunately, two key members of Bosna championship team are not alive anymore. Mirza Delibašić and Sabahudin Bilalović have died, but they will be remembered by the club and fans forever. Many great players and coaches from the region joined the remembrance in memory to one great generation of Bosna players and their accomplishments.
2014–present: Change of name
In October 2014, the club decided to continue under the new name, Bosna Royal.
Title sponsor
On October 27, the president of KK Bosna and representatives of the Meridianbet company signed a multi-year title sponsorship contract. "Students" will compete under the new name KK Bosna Meridianbet from the 2022/23 season.
Supporters
KK Bosna traditionally garnered a majority of its fan base from supporters of FK Sarajevo, and more specifically the latter's
ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
firm,
Horde zla
Horde Zla (English: Hordes of Evil) is the organized Ultras group that supports Bosnian football club FK Sarajevo. The group's logo consists of a stylized depiction of the Grim Reaper, borrowed from a Zagor comic book at the time of the group's ...
, given the fact that both clubs share unique maroon and white team colours.
Through time the two sides became colloquially interchangeable, as Horde zla equally followed both, with the two clubs forming an unofficial, so-called ''Maroon Family''. On 29 August 2013 FK Sarajevo and KK Bosna's handball sister club, RK Bosna, signed a cooperation agreement based on the principle of strengthening ties between the aforementioned ''family'' members. On 6 November 2013 the same was done between FK Sarajevo and KK Bosna Royal, by which the forty-year-old relationship was officialized.
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...
. It was constructed in 1969 as a cultural and sport center, but was later revitalized and expanded for the 1984 Winter Olympic Games. Below the structure is a shopping mall. It sustained minor damage during the war, but is decaying due to lack of upkeep, it is revitalized since 2007. On 12 February 2012, after a record snowfall in Sarajevo, the roof of one of the halls fell in making that building unusable. The damage after this is said to be 'huge' and is yet unknown if that building will be rebuilt.
In 1977, when Sarajevo was voted to host the
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...
, they discovered that they needed more than only the brand-new building
Zetra
The Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic Hall ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Olimpijska dvorana Juan Antonio Samaranch'' / Олимпијска дворана Хуан Антонио Самаран; formerly Zetra Olympic Hall) is an indoor multi- ...
to host every
figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are m ...
and
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
event. So they started to reconstruct and expand the Skenderija into a real state-of-the-art ice-sports centre. It was also chosen as the centre for the representatives and press-reporters.1984 Winter Olympics official report. pp. 105-8.
KK Bosna Royal occasionally hosts games in the
Olympic Hall Juan Antonio Samaranch
The Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic Hall ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Olimpijska dvorana Juan Antonio Samaranch'' / Олимпијска дворана Хуан Антонио Самаран; formerly Zetra Olympic Hall) is an indoor multi-p ...
, previously known as Zetra Olympic Hall. The arena was constructed specifically for the 1984 Winter Olympics, hosted in Sarajevo, and was completed in 1983. Its first major event was the 1983
World Junior Speed Skating Championships
In 1971, the ISU congress decided to hold a World Junior Speed Skating Championships. After two test-championships (1972 and 1973), where only a boys' competition was held in the 1972 edition, the first official championship was introduced in Co ...
. It was described as an "ultramodern, angular edifice""Now Bring On The Torch" Bob Ottum, ''Sports Illustrated,'' March 14, 1983 with a
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
roof.
Players
Current roster
Notable players
*
Žarko Varajić
Žarko Varajić ( sr-cyr, Жарко Варајић; 26 December 1951 – 23 June 2019) was a Serbian professional basketball player and executive. He represented the Yugoslavia national team internationally.
Early career
Growing up in Nikšić, ...
*
Mirza Delibašić
Mirza Delibašić (9 January 1954 – 8 December 2001) was a Bosnian professional basketball player and coach.
Delibašić was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. He was enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, he w ...
*
Anto Đogić
Anto Đogić (born 18 April 1952) is a retired Bosnian professional basketball player.
Playing career
During his professional career, Đogić played most notably for Bosna.
National team career
Đogić won the gold medal with the Yugoslav natio ...
*
Ratko Radovanović
Ratko "Raša" Radovanović (; born 16 October 1956) is a Serbian former professional basketball player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia, at the 1980 Summer Olympics, and at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Born in the town of Nevesinje within ...
*
Predrag Benaček
Predrag Benaček (born 29 March 1959) is a Bosnian professional basketball coach and former player who is the current head coach for Olomoucko of the Czech National League.
Playing career
A power forward, Benaček played 20 seasons in Yugosla ...
Emir Mutapčić
Emir Mutapčić (born 27 May 1960) is a Bosnian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently works as the head coach for Zalaegerszeg of the Hungarian league. Mutapčić competed for Yugoslavia in the 1984 Summer Olympics
The 1 ...
*
Zdravko Radulović
Zdravko Radulović (born December 12, 1966) is a former professional basketball player, who is now a coach.
Radulović was born in Nikšić, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia. At a height of 1.91 m (6'3") tall, he played at the shooting guard pos ...
*
Mario Primorac
Mario Primorac (born 3 November 1961, Zavidovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a former Bosnian-Herzegovinian basketball player, who works as a Basketball coach, coach.
Club career
He was born in Zavidovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His family ...
*
Sabahudin Bilalović
Sabahudin "Dino" Bilalović (7 May 1960 – 29 July 2003) was a Bosnian professional basketball player.
About
He was born in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 1979, as a player of KK Bosna Sarajevo, in his early career years, he won the ...
Edin Bavčić
Edin Bavčić (born May 6, 1984) is a retired Bosnian professional basketball player.
Professional career Europe
Edin played for KK Bosna, which was the champion of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Basketball League in 2006.
At the beginning of the ...
*
J.R. Bremer
Ernest Lenell "J. R." Bremer (born September 19, 1980) is a retired American-Bosnian former professional basketball player who last played for Limoges CSP of the LNB Pro A. Bremer has also played in the NBA and was an NBA All-Rookie second tea ...
*
Nihad Đedović
Nihad Đedović (born January 12, 1990) is a Bosnian professional basketball player for Unicaja of the Liga ACB. He also represented the Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team internationally.
Professional career
Đedović started his c ...
Yugoslav League
The Yugoslav First Federal Football League (Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup ( hr, Pokal Jugoslavije; sr, Куп Југославије; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Kup kralja Aleksandra, ...
FIBA Korać Cup
The FIBA Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971–72 and 2001–02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the FIBA European Champions' Cup (later renamed th ...
FIBA Intercontinental Cup
The FIBA Intercontinental Cup, also commonly referred to as the FIBA World Cup for Champion Clubs, or the FIBA Club World Cup, is a professional basketball clubs competition that is endorsed by FIBA and the NBA. Historically, its purpose has b ...
* ''Runners-up (1)'':
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...