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Košarkaški klub Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Кошаркашки клуб Партизан, English: Partizan Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Partizan or simply Partizan, 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team based in
Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 millio ...
. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club
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 ...
. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the
Adriatic Basketball Association Adriatic Basketball Association – ABA League, G.P., commonly referred to as the ABA League JTD, is a Croatian company based in Zagreb. It is the general partnership for organizing sports competitions. The company has been running the Adriatic L ...
, and competes in the
ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
, the EuroLeague and in the
Basketball League of Serbia The Basketball League of Serbia ( sr, Кошаркашка лига Србије, Košarkaška liga Srbije; abbr. КЛС or KLS), is a top-tier men's professional basketball league in Serbia. Founded in 2006, it is run by the Basketball Federatio ...
. Since 1945, Partizan has won 48 trophies and is the holder of the 21 national champion titles. They have also won 16 national basketball cups, 6 Adriatic championships and 1
ABA League Supercup The ABA League Supercup, also credited as ABA Super Cup, is an annual men's professional basketball supercup competition between teams from the ABA League. It is run by the ABA League JTD. It is a regional competition, that is contested between te ...
, and most notably the European Champion trophy at the Final Four of the EuroLeague in Istanbul in 1992. The final game was notable for the buzzer-beater by
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević or Sale Đorđević (Anglicized: Sasha Djordjevic; sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves ...
which ranks among the most famous shots in basketball history. They also won 3
Korać Cup Korać is a surname. Notable persons with that name include: * Dušan Korać (disambiguation), multiple people * Milorad Korać (born 1969), Serbian football player and manager * Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), Serbian basketball player * Vitomir Kor ...
s in 1978, 1979 and 1989 and participated in four Euroleague Final Fours. In September 2009, Partizan became the first and to this day the only Serbian team to play an official game against an NBA team. __TOC__


History


1945–1971: Formation and early years

The club was established on 4 October 1945, as a basketball section of the Sports Association of the Central House of the Yugoslav Army. The first club championship of Yugoslavia was held in 1946, and Partizan participated with a team consisting mostly of players from Yugoslav Army basketball team, which in 1945 won the unofficial state championship against the teams of Yugoslav republics. KK Partizan officially split from the Army in 1953, since the entire sports society became independent and was renamed as Partizan Yugoslav Sports Association (
JSD Partizan Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...
). Although with a strong roster, including many players who played for the national team of Yugoslavia, Partizan waited for the first title of Yugoslav champion until 1976. In the first 30 years of its history, most well-known Partizan players have included
Mirko Marjanović Mirko Marjanović ( sr-cyrl, Мирко Марјановић, ; 27 July 1937 – 21 February 2006) was a Serbian politician who served as the prime minister of Serbia from 1994 to 2000. Biography Marjanović was born on 27 July 1937 in Knin in ...
,
Božidar Munćan Božidar "Boža" Munćan was a Serbian basketball player and coach. He represented the Yugoslavia national basketball team internationally. Playing career Munćan played for Belgrade-based teams Yugoslav Army and Partizan of the Yugoslav First ...
,
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 ...
, Vilmoš Loci,
Lajoš Engler Lajos "Lala" Engler ( sr-cyr, Лајош "Лала" Енглер; 20 June 1928 – 1 May 2020), also credited as Lajoš Engler, was an ethnic Hungarian teacher and basketball player, who represented the Yugoslavia national basketball team interna ...
, Čedomir Stojičević,
Borislav Stanković ),Boris (Борис) , image = Borislav Bora Stanković.jpg , imagesize = , caption = , order = 2nd , office = Secretary General of FIBA , term_start = 1 January 1976 , ter ...
,
Borislav Ćurčić Borislav Ćurčić ( sr-cyr, Борислав Ћурчић; January 27, 1932 – April 15, 2015) was a Serbian basketball player and coach. He represented the Yugoslavia national basketball team internationally. Early life Born in the village ...
, Branko Radović,
Radovan Radović Radovan "Bata" Radović ( sr-cyr, Рaдовaн Рaдовић; 19 January 1936 – 25 August 2022) was a Serbian basketball player and coach. He represented the Yugoslavia national basketball team internationally. Playing career Radović playe ...
,
Miloš Bojović Miloš Bojović (born December 2, 1981) is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is a 1.98 tall guard who currently plays for Limburg United of the Pro Basketball League The Pro Basketball League (PBL), was the highest tier level profes ...
,
Dragutin Čermak Dragutin "Miško" Čermak ( sr-cyr, Драгутин Мишко Чермак; 12 October 1944 – 12 October 2021) was a Serbian basketball player and coach. National team career Čermak represented SFR Yugoslavia at the 1968 Summer Olympics a ...
, Slobodan Jelić and others. During this period Partizan finished second-placed in the championship of Yugoslavia on five occasions. On two occasions (in 1950 and 1951) it even had the same number of points as the winner, but barely missed the title of national champion.


1971–1981: Creating a powerhouse

The rise of Partizan into a major basketball club that will eventually become one of the most successful in Europe, started in the early 70's, when former players took over the management and the coaching job was taken by
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exam ...
coach
Ranko Žeravica Ranko Žeravica ( sr-cyr, Ранко Жеравица; 17 November 1929 – 29 October 2015) was a Serbian professional basketball coach. With a career that spanned over 50 years, he is most noted for his work with the senior Yugoslav national t ...
. He selected a group of young players led by exceptionally talented
Dražen Dalipagić Dražen "Praja" Dalipagić (; born 27 November 1951) is a Serbian former professional basketball player and head coach. He was selected the best athlete of Yugoslavia in the year 1978, and is one of the most decorated athletes in Yugoslavian his ...
and
Dragan Kićanović Dragan Kićanović ( sr, Драган Кићановић; born 17 August 1953) is a Serbian and Yugoslav retired professional basketball player. A 1.92m (6 ft 3 in) tall shooting guard, Kićanović played in the 1970s and 1980s, and is cons ...
. Since Žeravica, as the national team coach (until 1965 as an assistant to
Aleksandar Nikolić Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Sp ...
and then as head coach), closely followed the trends of international basketball for more than ten years, including the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
, he aimed to combine the best features of American and Soviet concepts of the game, and adapt them to the specifics and the mentality of the players from Belgrade, Serbia and the rest of Yugoslavia. He gathered around him other young coaches, and in the late 1970s, when Žeravica went coaching abroad, his former associates
Borislav Ćorković Borislav "Reba" Ćorković ( sr-cyr, Борислав Ћорковић; 9 January 1933 – 26 January 2006) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. Playing career During the 1950s, Ćorković played basketball for Dinamo Pančevo ...
and
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 20 ...
successfully took over the team. This important period in the club's history was crowned with several trophies. The first of these was the title of Yugoslav champion in 1975–76 season. Partizan also started to make noise in the European competitions with two back-to-back titles in the European
Korać Cup Korać is a surname. Notable persons with that name include: * Dušan Korać (disambiguation), multiple people * Milorad Korać (born 1969), Serbian football player and manager * Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), Serbian basketball player * Vitomir Kor ...
(1978 in Banja Luka,
KK Bosna KK Bosna Meridianbet ( bs, Košarkaški klub Bosna Meridianbet) is a professional basketball team based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the most successful Bosnian club of all time, having been the EuroLeague champion by winning the ...
was defeated with 117–110, while in 1979 Partizan defeated Italian Arrigoni 108–98). The first
double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...
was won in 1978–79 and another national championship title came in 1980–81. In addition to coaches Žeravica, Ćorković and Ivković, notable players included, above all
Dražen Dalipagić Dražen "Praja" Dalipagić (; born 27 November 1951) is a Serbian former professional basketball player and head coach. He was selected the best athlete of Yugoslavia in the year 1978, and is one of the most decorated athletes in Yugoslavian his ...
and
Dragan Kićanović Dragan Kićanović ( sr, Драган Кићановић; born 17 August 1953) is a Serbian and Yugoslav retired professional basketball player. A 1.92m (6 ft 3 in) tall shooting guard, Kićanović played in the 1970s and 1980s, and is cons ...
, but also
Dragutin Čermak Dragutin "Miško" Čermak ( sr-cyr, Драгутин Мишко Чермак; 12 October 1944 – 12 October 2021) was a Serbian basketball player and coach. National team career Čermak represented SFR Yugoslavia at the 1968 Summer Olympics a ...
, Goran Latifić (captain of the first championship team in 1976), Josip Farčić,
Dragan Todorić Dragan Todorić ( sr, Драган Тодорић; born July 27, 1954), is a Serbian former professional basketball player and current adviser to the President of Partizan Belgrade. He is known for a rare achievement: taking part, as a player and l ...
,
Dušan Kerkez Dušan Kerkez (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Керкез; born 1 May 1976) is a Bosnian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the current professional football manager for Serbian SuperLiga club Čukarički. Club c ...
,
Miodrag Marić Miodrag "Miško" Marić ( sr-cyr, Миодраг Марић; born 17 February 1957), is a Serbian former basketball player. He played for Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includ ...
, Boban Petrović, Arsenije Pešić,
Boris Beravs Boris Beravs (Serbian Cyrillic: Борис Беравс; born 12 July 1953) is a retired Yugoslav professional basketball player. Playing career Club career During his professional career, Beravs played most notably for Partizan. National team ...
,
Milenko Savović Milenko Savović (18 July 1960 – 1 March 2021) was a Serbian professional basketball player. For most of his career, he was the captain of KK Partizan. Savović died from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia.Jadran Vujačić Jadranko "Jadran" Vujačić ( sr-Cyrl, Јадранко Вујачић; born 27 December 1959) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player. Playing career A center, Vujačić played for Partizan, Budućnost, Olimpija, S ...
, Nebojša Zorkić,
Žarko Zečević Žarko Zečević ( sr-cyr, Жарко Зечевић; born 19 January 1950) is a Serbian retired basketball player, former football administrator, and current businessman. Known by his widely used nickname Zeka, he is most notable as the contro ...
and others.


1985–1991: The new "Dream Team"

After a couple of quiet years and a generational shift, a new generation of top players developed towards the end of the 1980s, under the leadership of the new club director, Dragan Kićanović. The generation of
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 KK Partizan, Partizan of the ABA League, ...
,
Milenko Savović Milenko Savović (18 July 1960 – 1 March 2021) was a Serbian professional basketball player. For most of his career, he was the captain of KK Partizan. Savović died from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia.Goran Grbović Goran Grbović (born 9 February 1961) is a Serbian business manager and former professional basketball player. He is an executive director of the Štark Arena. Playing career Born in Kruševac, after finishing high school, he moved to Čačak. He ...
, followed by younger
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević or Sale Đorđević (Anglicized: Sasha Djordjevic; sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves ...
,
Vlade Divac Vlade Divac ( sr-Cyrl, Владе Дивац, ; born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings ...
,
Žarko Paspalj Žarko Paspalj (Serbian Cyrillic: Жарко Паспаљ; born March 27, 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and sports administrator. The EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 1994, his sixteen and a half seasons career was mostly sp ...
,
Ivo Nakić Ivo Nakić (born May 26, 1966) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, who is now a coach. Personal life He lives in Belgrade and works as an agent in Bill Duffy's BDA Sports Management agency. Ivo Nakić married Zorica Desnica ...
,
Miroslav Pecarski Miroslav Pecarski ( sr-cyr, Мирослав Пецарски; born 21 March 1967) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He played professionally for KK Partizan, Partizan, Aris B.C., Aris, Panathinaikos B.C., Panathinaikos, Panionio ...
and
Oliver Popović Oliver Popović ( sr-cyr, Оливер Поповић; born 18 March 1970) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. Playing career He was a Yugoslav champion (1987, 1989, and 1998) and Cup holder (1989), silver medalist of ...
and led by young coach
Duško Vujošević Duško Vujošević ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Вујошевић; born 3 March 1959) is a Montenegrin and Serbian professional basketball coach. Early life Duško Vujošević was born in Titograd (modern-day Podgorica), PR Montenegro, FPR Yugoslavi ...
, brought Partizan back to the top of Yugoslav and European basketball. That generation won the title of national champion in 1986–87, and in 1988, following a dominant performance in the quarterfinal round of the Champions Cup and victories over major European clubs including
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...
,
Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...
,
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
and
Tracer Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...
, qualified for the Final Four in the Belgian city of
Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
. After an unexpected loss in the semifinals to Maccabi Tel Aviv (82–87), Partizan defeated Aris (105–93) and finished in the third place in Europe. In 1989, enforced by young
Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-cyr, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one of ...
, Partizan won the
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 ...
for the third time, triumphing over Wiwa Vismara Cantù. After losing the first game in Italy (76–89), Partizan won the return leg in Belgrade with 101–82. That same season, Partizan won the Yugoslav Cup by defeating the crowned European champions Jugoplastika (87–74). Continental recognition of this second great generation of players attracted more talented basketball players to the club, but at the same time, interest from financially more powerful clubs in Europe and the United States for the best Yugoslav players significantly reduced their time spent in the home country. Partizan's
Vlade Divac Vlade Divac ( sr-Cyrl, Владе Дивац, ; born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings ...
and
Žarko Paspalj Žarko Paspalj (Serbian Cyrillic: Жарко Паспаљ; born March 27, 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and sports administrator. The EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 1994, his sixteen and a half seasons career was mostly sp ...
in late 1989, along with
Dražen Petrović Dražen Petrović (; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s, before joining the Natio ...
from
Cibona Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and competes ...
became the first players from Yugoslavia who pursued their careers in the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
league. First team coaches in the mid-1980s also included
Borislav Džaković Borislav "Bora" Džaković ( sr-cyr, Борислав Џаковић, 24 October 1947 – 28 June 2019) was a Serbian-Bosnian professional basketball coach and player. Coaching career The greatest success of Džaković was the double crown wit ...
,
Vladislav Lučić Vladislav "Lale" Lučić ( sr-cyr, Владислав Лучић; born August 7, 1941) is a Serbian former professional basketball coach and player. Biography He won 2 National Championships with Red Star Belgrade in 1992–93 and 1993–94 sea ...
and
Zoran Slavnić Zoran "Moka" Slavnić (Serbian Cyrillic: Зоран Мока Славнић; born 26 October 1949) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player and coach. He played with Crvena zvezda and with Partizan. One of the best European point guards ...
.


1991–1992: At the top of Europe

After the departure of Divac, Paspalj, Grbović, Savović and other main players from the 80's, Partizan started the 1991–92 season with a rejuvenated squad, led by an exceptionally talented backcourt pair of
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević or Sale Đorđević (Anglicized: Sasha Djordjevic; sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves ...
and
Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-cyr, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one of ...
. A previous team captain and former national team player with no coaching experience, Želimir Obradović, was chosen as a first team coach. Another former Partizan coach and player, an established European basketball expert, professor
Aleksandar Nikolić Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Sp ...
became his counselor. The season didn't start well at all - ethnic conflicts in the reagon had escalated towards the autumn of 1991 and
FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...
decided not to allow teams from the
former Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...
to play their home games at their home venues. Belgrade's "Black and Whites" have opted to be "hosts" in the
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
suburb of
Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,586, making it the region's fourth most populated municipality. Placename The etymology of ''Fuenlabrada'' comes from the contra ...
, in the
Polideportivo Fernando Martín Pabellón Polideportivo Municipal Fernando Martin is an arena in Fuenlabrada, Madrid Province, Spain. Opened in September 1991, and named for the Spanish basketball player Fernando Martín Espina, the arena has a seating capacity for 5,700 people. ...
arena. This proved to be a right move as the Spanish crowd was very supportive of their adopted team. Obradović's team began a long season of European and domestic matches, often traveling thousands of kilometers in just a few days, with performance gradually improving. Partizan finished the competition in the group stage in the Euroleague in fourth place with nine wins and five defeats. That meant that Partizan had to play crucial matches to qualify for the Final Four with Knorr Bologna. Bolognese had a strong team led by former Yugoslav national team player
Jurij Zdovc Jurij "Jure" Zdovc (born 13 December 1966) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player and coach Zdovc Returning to Helm of National Team.] As a player, he was a 1.98 m (6'6") tall point guard, who began his professional playing career ...
. However, Đorđević, Danilović,
Ivo Nakić Ivo Nakić (born May 26, 1966) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, who is now a coach. Personal life He lives in Belgrade and works as an agent in Bill Duffy's BDA Sports Management agency. Ivo Nakić married Zorica Desnica ...
, Zoran Stevanović (basketball), Zoran Stevanović,
Vladimir Dragutinović Vladimir Dragutinović ( sr-cyr, Владимир Драгутиновић; born 20 June 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball administrator and former basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five pl ...
,
Željko Rebrača Željko Rebrača ( sr-cyr, Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player. After playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pame ...
, Mlađan Šilobad,
Slaviša Koprivica Slaviša "Slavko" Koprivica ( sr-Cyrl, Славиша "Славко" Копривица, born 17 June 1968) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player. He played at both the power forward and center positions. Professional career While p ...
,
Nikola Lončar Nikola Lončar (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Лончар; born May 31, 1972) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He also holds Spanish citizenship. Professional career Lončar started his career at Partizan, making his professi ...
and
Dragiša Šarić Dragiša Šarić ( sr-cyr, Драгиша Шарић; 27 January 1961 – 19 July 2008) was a Serbian basketball player and coach. Career Club career Šarić played for several clubs in his country, most notably with the KK Partizan generation tha ...
came on top in three games and for the second time qualified for the Final Four. At the Final Four held in
Abdi İpekçi Arena Abdi İpekçi Arena, formerly known as Abdi İpekçi Sports Complex, was a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul, Turkey, situated just outside the Walls of Constantinople, ancient city walls, in Yedikule. Hi ...
in Istanbul in April 1992, Partizan won the title of European champion. In the Final Four, Partizan won both games – in the semifinals they defeated Italian Philips Milano and in the finals Spanish Montigalà Joventut (71–70), with an iconic three-pointer in the last second by
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević or Sale Đorđević (Anglicized: Sasha Djordjevic; sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves ...
. The average age of the team was only 21.7 years, and out of 17 games all but one (the quarter-final game against Knorr Bologna) were played on foreign grounds. The season finished triumphantly with victories in the national championship and the Cup.


1992–1995: Time of Isolation

After the Istanbul triumph, Đorđević and Danilović moved to Italy. They ended in two clubs that Partizan defeated a few months earlier, during its "conquest of Europe" – Danilović in Knorr and Đorđević in Phillips. The departure of the back-court pair proved to be an irreparable loss. Because of the UN sanctions against FR Yugoslavia, Partizan was not allowed to defend the European title in 1992–93 season. In 1993–94 season, led by coach
Željko Lukajić Željko "Struja" Lukajić ( sr-cyr, Жељко Лукајић, born December 14, 1958) is a Serbian professional basketball coach. Coaching career Lukajić began coaching in 1986 when he was the head coach of KK Famos Hrasnica for the 1986–1987 ...
Partizan won the national cup, and the next season was again successful. The team coached by
Borislav Džaković Borislav "Bora" Džaković ( sr-cyr, Борислав Џаковић, 24 October 1947 – 28 June 2019) was a Serbian-Bosnian professional basketball coach and player. Coaching career The greatest success of Džaković was the double crown wit ...
won both domestic league and cup. The new generation of players included
Nikola Lončar Nikola Lončar (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Лончар; born May 31, 1972) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He also holds Spanish citizenship. Professional career Lončar started his career at Partizan, making his professi ...
,
Miroslav Berić Miroslav "Mića" Berić ( sr-cyr, Мирослав "Мића" Берић; born January 20, 1973) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.00 m (6'6 ") tall, he played at the shooting guard position. Professional career Be ...
, Haris Brkić,
Željko Rebrača Željko Rebrača ( sr-cyr, Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player. After playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pame ...
,
Predrag Drobnjak Peja Drobnjak (born 27 October 1975) is a Montenegrin professional basketball scout and former player. At , he played at the power forward and center positions. Throughout his nineteen-year career, Drobnjak has spent three full seasons playing in ...
,
Aleksandar Čubrilo Aleksandar Čubrilo (born November 25, 1975) is a former Serbian professional basketball player. Biography Born in Zadar, in today's Croatia. He moved to Belgrade and spent the best years of his playing career in Serbian powerhouse KK Partizan. D ...
. In 1995 the UN sanctions were lifted and Serbian and Montenegrin clubs were again able to compete in European competitions. Inexperienced squad didn't achieve any significant results in their returning season in Europe, but, under the guidance of Ranko Žeravica they still defended the national title in 1995–96 and secured another season in Europe's top competition.


1996–1998: Again at the Top

In 1996–97 season Partizan, led by new coach
Miroslav Nikolić Miroslav "Muta" Nikolić ( sr, Мирослав Николић; born 8 January 1956) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. Playing career Nikolić played professional basketball for KK Goša from Smederevska Palanka, OK ...
, qualified for the Top 16 of Euroleague where it was eliminated by later European champion
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 ...
. Partizan defended the title in the domestic league led by players such as
Dejan Tomašević Dejan Tomašević ( sr, Дејан Томашевић; born 6 May 1973) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player. An All-EuroLeague Team selection on two occasions, he played with Borac Čačak, Crvena zvezda, Partizan, ...
, Dejan Koturović, and
Dragan Lukovski Dragan Lukovski (born March 21, 1975) is a retired Macedonian-born Serbian professional basketball player. He is tall, 85 kg and he was a point guard. Dragan and his father Janko Lukovski Janko Lukovski (born 7 April 1946) is a former Mac ...
. Next season, 1997–98, was a success in Euroleague. Two years after the 3-season long UN sanctions ended, Partizan qualified for the Final Four for the third time. After a series of defeats in the group stage, Miroslav Nikolić resigned and was replaced by Milovan Bogojević and the results improved. Partizan first eliminated the reigning champion
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 ...
, and then, in the quarterfinals, the Russian champions CSKA. After the departure of Berić and Koturović, enforced with new backcourt pair Miroslav Radošević and
Vladimir Đokić Vladimir Đokić ( sr-cyr, Владимир Ђокић; born April 25, 1971) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for Vršac of the Basketball League of Serbia. Playing career A point guard, Đoki ...
, Partizan went on to the Final Four in
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
where it took the fourth place, after playing eventual champions Kinder Bologna and Benetton Treviso. However, the season in domestic competition was unsuccessful, and some leading players like
Predrag Drobnjak Peja Drobnjak (born 27 October 1975) is a Montenegrin professional basketball scout and former player. At , he played at the power forward and center positions. Throughout his nineteen-year career, Drobnjak has spent three full seasons playing in ...
departed the club.


1998–2001: The new millennium and the return of the club legends

After a disappointing domestic league ending,
Vladislav Lučić Vladislav "Lale" Lučić ( sr-cyr, Владислав Лучић; born August 7, 1941) is a Serbian former professional basketball coach and player. Biography He won 2 National Championships with Red Star Belgrade in 1992–93 and 1993–94 sea ...
was appointed as a new head coach of the club. The domestic 1998–99 season was not completed due to the
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...
, but Partizan still won the Yugoslav Cup, defeating
KK FMP KK, K.K., kK, k.k., or other sequences of two k's with or without punctuation may refer to: Arts and media *KK, the production code for the 1967 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Faceless Ones'' * KK (song), "KK" (song), a 2014 song by Wiz Khalifa * K ...
in the finals, in a game that was played to the sound
civil defense siren A civil defense siren, also known as an air-raid siren or tornado siren, is a siren used to provide an emergency population warning to the general population of approaching danger. It is sometimes sounded again to indicate the danger has pas ...
s. Despite the ongoing air strikes, the game was completed. Partizan reached the quarterfinals of the 1999 Saporta Cup. At the end of the season, most of the players left the club, and another young squad was formed. Led by coach
Nenad Trajković Nenad Trajković ( sr-cyr, Ненад Трајковић; born Naser Trajković; 10 February 1961), is a Serbian basketball coach. Early life Naser Trajković ( sr-cyr, Насер Трајковић) was born in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugos ...
and players Radоšević, Đokić, Čubrilo,
Nenad Čanak Nenad Čanak ( sr-Cyrl, Ненад Чанак, ; born 2 November 1959) is a Serbian politician. He is the co-founder and former leader of the centre-left League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina. He was the President of the Assembly of Vojvodina f ...
,
Ratko Varda Ratko Varda ( sr-cyr, Ратко Варда; born May 6, 1979) is a Serbian-Bosnian former basketball player who played professionally for 22 years. Standing at , he played the center position. He first represented FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montene ...
,
Veselin Petrović Veselin Petrović (6 September 1929 – 8 November 1995) was a Serbian cyclist. Career Veselin Petrović-Vesa was born 6 September 1929 in Vlasenica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (today Bosnia and Herzegovina). He was a Yugoslavian ( Serbian) cham ...
, Dragan Marković Partizan defended the Yugoslav Cup trophy. 2000–01 season was marked by the comeback of experienced players Berić,
Nikola Bulatović Nikola Bulatović (born June 14, 1971) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player, who is an current assistant coach for Podgorica of the Prva A Liga and the ABA League Second Division. Playing career Bulatović started his ...
, Aleksandar Glintić,
Branko Milisavljević Branko Milisavljević ( sr, Бранко Милисављевић; born 21 July 1976) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for Podgorica of the Prva A Liga and the ABA League Second Division. Stan ...
while club legends
Vlade Divac Vlade Divac ( sr-Cyrl, Владе Дивац, ; born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings ...
,
Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-cyr, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one of ...
and
Žarko Paspalj Žarko Paspalj (Serbian Cyrillic: Жарко Паспаљ; born March 27, 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and sports administrator. The EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 1994, his sixteen and a half seasons career was mostly sp ...
returned as part of the club management.
Darko Ruso Darko Ruso ( sr-cyr, Дарко Русо; born 28 March 1962) is a Serbian professional basketball coach who is the current head coach for BC Avtodor of the VTB United League and the Kazakhstan Championship. Coaching career In June 2021, Astan ...
was appointed as a coach, and Partizan reached the Top 16 of Euroleague. In December 2000 a fan-favorite Haris Brkić, who returned to club just weeks earlier, was shot and killed outside of Pionir Hall.


2001–2014: The Vujošević and Danilović era

Duško Vujošević Duško Vujošević ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Вујошевић; born 3 March 1959) is a Montenegrin and Serbian professional basketball coach. Early life Duško Vujošević was born in Titograd (modern-day Podgorica), PR Montenegro, FPR Yugoslavi ...
's return to the position of a head coach in 2001 and
Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-cyr, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one of ...
's presidency marked the beginning of a rise in the fortunes of the club. Between 2001 and 2014, Partizan has been by far the most successful club in Serbia and the ex-Yugoslav region, winning thirteen consecutive national titles, six national cups (five consecutive from 2008 to 2012), and six
Adriatic league The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
titles (five consecutive from 2007 to 2011). From the turn of the century, Partizan also managed to remain fully competitive in the Euroleague, while still developing players, including some of the best big men in European basketball, such as
Nikola Peković Nikola Peković (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Пековић; born 3 January 1986) is a Montenegrin businessman, basketball executive and former professional player who is the current president of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro. He beg ...
,
Aleks Marić Aleksandar "Aleks" Marić (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар "Алекс“ Марић, born 22 October 1984) is an Australian-Serbian former professional basketball player. Marić gained a reputation as a winner over the course of his succ ...
,
Kosta Perović Kosta Perović ( sr-cyr, Коста Перовић; born February 19, 1985) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He represented the Serbian national basketball team internationally. In the 2006 NBA draft he was a second-round selec ...
,
Jan Veselý Jan Veselý (born 24 April 1990) is a Czech professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he can play both the power forward and center positions. He was selected sixth overall in the ...
,
Novica Veličković Novica Veličković ( sr-cyr, Новица Величковић; born 5 October 1986) is a Serbian former professional basketball player who is the team manager for Mega Basket of the Basketball League of Serbia and the ABA League. He also repr ...
,
Milan Mačvan Milan Mačvan ( sr, Милан Мачван, born 16 November 1989) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played at the power forward position. He also represented the Serbian national basketball team internationall ...
and, before them,
Nenad Krstić Nenad Krstić ( sr-cyr, Ненад Крстић, born July 25, 1983) is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player. He currently serves as the vice president of the Basketball Federation of Serbia, in charge of the men's basket ...
. The highlight of the era were the three consecutive Euroleague playoff appearances from 2008 to 2010, with the latter being the year in which the club once again reached the EuroLeague Final Four.


2001–2006: Beginning of the domination in Serbian league

In the period between 2001 and 2006 Partizan struggled with its results in Euroleague. However, on the domestic front, Partizan was highly successful and built up for European success in the following years. During these years, notable players from Partizan champion squads included
Miloš Vujanić Miloš Vujanić ( sr-cyr, Милош Вујанић; born November 13, 1980) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. A two-time All-EuroLeague selection, he won the EuroLeague championship with Panathinaikos, in 2007. Pro ...
,
Nenad Krstić Nenad Krstić ( sr-cyr, Ненад Крстић, born July 25, 1983) is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player. He currently serves as the vice president of the Basketball Federation of Serbia, in charge of the men's basket ...
,
Vule Avdalović Vule Avdalović ( sr-cyr, Вуле Авдаловић; born 24 November 1981) is 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 Ba ...
, young national team players
Uroš Tripković Uroš Tripković ( sr-cyr, Урош Трипковић; born September 11, 1986) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He represented the Serbian national basketball team internationally. Standing at , he played as a shooting guard a ...
,
Luka Bogdanović Luka Bogdanović ( sr, Лука Богдановић, born February 11, 1985) is a Serbian former professional basketball player who last played for Joventut Badalona of the Liga ACB. Standing at , he plays at the small forward position. Profess ...
,
Kosta Perović Kosta Perović ( sr-cyr, Коста Перовић; born February 19, 1985) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He represented the Serbian national basketball team internationally. In the 2006 NBA draft he was a second-round selec ...
,
Boris Bakić Boris Bakić ( sr-cyr, Борис Бакић; born 23 May 1986) is a Montenegrin retired professional basketball player. Professional career Bakić grew up with KK Budućnost Podgorica, KK Budućnost youth team. While at KK Partizan, he won Adri ...
,
Dejan Borovnjak Dejan Borovnjak (born April 1, 1986) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Antalya Güneşi of the Turkish Basketball First League. Professional career Borovnjak began his professional career in 2004 with Partizan Belgrade. In the summ ...
,
Novica Veličković Novica Veličković ( sr-cyr, Новица Величковић; born 5 October 1986) is a Serbian former professional basketball player who is the team manager for Mega Basket of the Basketball League of Serbia and the ABA League. He also repr ...
. They were supported by more experienced players such as
Vlado Šćepanović Vlado Šćepanović (born 13 November 1975) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player. At , he played the shooting guard position. Professional career Šćepanović began his professional career with Budućnost during the ...
,
Đuro Ostojić Đuro Ostojić (born 17 February 1976) is a Montenegrin retired professional basketball executive and former player who is a general manager for Studentski centar. At , he played the center position. Professional career In his professional caree ...
,
Dejan Milojević Dejan Milojević ( sr-cyrl, Дејан Милојевић; born 15 April 1977) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. Currently, since summer 2021, he is an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Baske ...
,
Predrag Šuput Predrag Šuput ( sr-cyr, Предраг Шупут; born June 1, 1977) is a former Serbian professional basketball player. He is a 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) tall small forward. Professional career On 8 August 2012, he signed with KK Cedevita which ...
, Petar Božić,
Fred House Frederick Deshune House (born January 4, 1978) is an American retired professional basketball player. High school House attended Ellison High School, in his native Killeen, Texas. College career House played college basketball at Dixie State C ...
and
Vonteego Cummings Vonteego Marfeek Cummings (born February 29, 1976) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Atenienses de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) in Puerto Rico. A combo guard, he played in the National Basketb ...
.


2006–2010: Euroleague and Adriatic League success

In the 2006–07 season, In addition to the sixth consecutive title in Serbia, Partizan won its first Adriatic league trophy, defeating another Serbian club FMP, in the finals.
Dušan Kecman Dušan Kecman (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Кецман; born November 6, 1977) is a Serbian professional basketball executive, coach and former player. During his playing career, he played both shooting guard and small forward positions. Club ca ...
,
Milenko Tepić Milenko Tepić ( sr, Миленко Тепић; born February 27, 1987) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player. He is 2.02 m (6 ft 7.5 in) tall, and a combo guard-point forward. Professional career Tepić began his ...
,
Nikola Peković Nikola Peković (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Пековић; born 3 January 1986) is a Montenegrin businessman, basketball executive and former professional player who is the current president of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro. He beg ...
, with Veličković, Cummings, Perović, Bakić, Bogdanović also reached the TOP 16 of Euroleague. On 17 August 2007, Partizan signed an agreement with
Bosnia 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 He ...
n club
KK Igokea Košarkaški klub Igokea ( sr-cyrl, Кошаркашки клуб Игокеа), commonly referred to as KK Igokea or as Igokea m:tel due to sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional basketball club based in Aleksandrovac near Laktaši, Republ ...
on technical cooperation, known as "Partizan Igokea". The season 2007–08 was a big come back to the top of European basketball. Partizan Igokea was successful in Euroleague, and strengthened with
Milt Palacio Milton Sigmund Palacio (born February 7, 1978) is a Belizean American professional basketball coach and former player. Early life Palacio, a Belizean citizen, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California by Belizean parents. College career P ...
,
Slavko Vraneš Slavko Vraneš ( cg, Славко Вранеш, ; born 30 January 1983) is a Montenegrin former professional basketball player. He also represented the Montenegrin national basketball team in the international competitions. Standing at , he was o ...
,
Čedomir Vitkovac Čedomir Vitkovac ( sr-cyr, Чедомир Витковац, born October 28, 1982) is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for Mornar Bar of the ABA League and the Montenegrin League. Vitkovac holds the record of total games ...
Partizan Igokea knocked out of the competition European champions
Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
, but was stopped in the quarterfinals by
TAU Cerámica Club Deportivo Saski-Baskonia, S.A.D., commonly known as Saski Baskonia (), also known as Cazoo Baskonia for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the ...
in a close fought encounter. In the national league, Partizan Igokea won the first of four consecutive triple crowns, uniting the titles in national league, national cup and regional league. In the 2008–09 season Partizan defended all three trophies. New players Aleksandar Rašić,
Stéphane Lasme Yann Ulrich Stéphane Lasme (born December 17, 1982) is a Gabonese former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts (UMass), with the UMass Minutemen, and he was selected by the Golden State Wa ...
,
Jan Veselý Jan Veselý (born 24 April 1990) is a Czech professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he can play both the power forward and center positions. He was selected sixth overall in the ...
played well alongside established stars Veličković, Tepić, Tripković, Vraneš, Božić and reached the quarterfinals of Euroleague again, where they were eliminated by CSKA. On 5 March 2009, Partizan and its fans became record holders, setting a record crowd of 22,567 in a game against Panathinaikos, the highest ever attendance for any basketball game held indoors in Europe. Coach Vujošević was given the highest coaching award in Europe, the
Euroleague Coach of the Year Award The Alexander Gomelsky EuroLeague Coach of the Year is an annual award of Europe's premier level basketball league, the EuroLeague, that is given to each season's best head coach. The award was first introduced in the 2004–05 season. The win ...
, and Partizan was chosen by Euroleague to go on tour against NBA teams, becoming one of the selected few clubs to represent European basketball in the United States. The 2009–10 season was one of the most successful seasons in the history of KK Partizan. Main players from the previous seasons
Uroš Tripković Uroš Tripković ( sr-cyr, Урош Трипковић; born September 11, 1986) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. He represented the Serbian national basketball team internationally. Standing at , he played as a shooting guard a ...
,
Novica Veličković Novica Veličković ( sr-cyr, Новица Величковић; born 5 October 1986) is a Serbian former professional basketball player who is the team manager for Mega Basket of the Basketball League of Serbia and the ABA League. He also repr ...
,
Milenko Tepić Milenko Tepić ( sr, Миленко Тепић; born February 27, 1987) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player. He is 2.02 m (6 ft 7.5 in) tall, and a combo guard-point forward. Professional career Tepić began his ...
,
Stéphane Lasme Yann Ulrich Stéphane Lasme (born December 17, 1982) is a Gabonese former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts (UMass), with the UMass Minutemen, and he was selected by the Golden State Wa ...
left the club. Experienced
Dušan Kecman Dušan Kecman (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Кецман; born November 6, 1977) is a Serbian professional basketball executive, coach and former player. During his playing career, he played both shooting guard and small forward positions. Club ca ...
returned and
Aleks Marić Aleksandar "Aleks" Marić (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар "Алекс“ Марић, born 22 October 1984) is an Australian-Serbian former professional basketball player. Marić gained a reputation as a winner over the course of his succ ...
,
Bo McCalebb Lester "Bo" McCalebb ( mk, Лестер „Бо“ МекКејлеб; born May 4, 1985) is an American-Macedonian former professional basketball player. He represented the senior Macedonian national team internationally. Standing at , he played ...
, Lawrence Roberts were brought in. Partizan played better from one game to another, and Pionir Hall remained impregnable fortress for many European greats like Efes Pilsen or
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...
. Partizan again went to quarterfinals and this time faced Israeli powerhouse
Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...
. Partizan went past their opponent in big style and secured the fourth Final Four of Euroleague. In the final tournament of Euroleague held in Paris, Partizan played even with their rivals but was lost in the final seconds of the semi-final to
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 ...
80–83 and in the 3rd place game to
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 Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...
88–90. Both games were decided in overtime. Partizan again defended national league and cup titles. The final game of the 2010 Adriatic league remains as one of the most memorable in the history. Played in front of the sold-out
Arena Zagreb The Arena Zagreb is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The site also includes a building complex, the Arena Complex (Arena Center), making it one of the largest shopping-entertainment centers in the city. The arena is used fo ...
against longtime rivals from Croatia
Cibona Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and competes ...
. Cibona trailed 68–72 with a few seconds left, but back-to-back triples by
Marko Tomas Marko Tomas (born 3 January 1985) is a retired Croatian professional basketball player. He represented the Croatia men's national basketball team, Croatian national basketball team internationally. Standing at , he played at the shooting guard and ...
and
Bojan Bogdanović Bojan Bogdanović (; born 18 April 1989) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Croatian national team internationally. Standing at , he plays t ...
gave their team a 74–72 lead with just 0.6 seconds left. Cibona players and the crowd already began to celebrate the title, but Partizan had the game's final possession and
Dušan Kecman Dušan Kecman (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Кецман; born November 6, 1977) is a Serbian professional basketball executive, coach and former player. During his playing career, he played both shooting guard and small forward positions. Club ca ...
banked in a game-winning triple from midcourt at the buzzer, to make Partizan win another Adriatic League title in front of the shocked crowd and opposition players.


2010–2012: Vujošević departs

Before the 2010–11 season,
Duško Vujošević Duško Vujošević ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Вујошевић; born 3 March 1959) is a Montenegrin and Serbian professional basketball coach. Early life Duško Vujošević was born in Titograd (modern-day Podgorica), PR Montenegro, FPR Yugoslavi ...
, the most successful Partizan coach in history left the club after nine seasons to sign with CSKA Moscow.
Vlada Jovanović Vladimir "Vlada" Jovanović ( sr-cyr, Владимир "Влада" Јовановић; born 4 July 1973) is a Serbian professional basketball coach who is the head coach for Budućnost of the ABA League and the Montenegrin League. Early car ...
, previously his assistant, became the new head coach. The change in coaching position was followed by changes in playing squad as Marić, McCalebb, Roberts, Vraneš, Rašić left the club. New players were brought in:
Nathan Jawai Nathan Leon Jawai (born 10 October 1986) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Darwin Salties of the NBL1 North. Standing at 209 cm, he plays at the Power forward (basketball), power forward and Center (basketball), centre ...
,
James Gist James Clough Gist III (born October 26, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for Bahçeşehir Koleji S.K., Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and Basketball Champions League. Standing at , he plays as a Power for ...
,
Curtis Jerrells Curtis Louis Jerrells Jr. (born February 5, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for Zamalek of the Egyptian Basketball Super League. Standing at , he plays at the point guard position. High school Jerrells was a four-year starter ...
,
Raško Katić Raško Katić ( sr, Рашко Катић, born 8 December 1980) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Sloga Batočina of the Second Regional Basketball League of Serbia. He represented the Serbian national basketball team internation ...
. Along with crowd favorite
Jan Veselý Jan Veselý (born 24 April 1990) is a Czech professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he can play both the power forward and center positions. He was selected sixth overall in the ...
these players made the first five, the first time that Partizan relied mainly on foreign players. The departure of Vujošević initially affected the results, but as the season went on Partizan's play improved and the team again won three trophies – national double and the regional league. In Euroleague, Partizan achieved its primary goal and qualified for the Top 16 phase. Again, most of the starters left the team before the 2011–12 season began. Serbian national team players
Milan Mačvan Milan Mačvan ( sr, Милан Мачван, born 16 November 1989) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played at the power forward position. He also represented the Serbian national basketball team internationall ...
and
Miroslav Raduljica Miroslav Raduljica ( sr-cyr, Мирослав Радуљица, born January 5, 1988) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda of the Adriatic League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Serbian national basketball team ...
were loaned in, and young players
Vladimir Lučić Vladimir Lučić ( sr, Владимир Лучић, born June 17, 1989) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Serbian national basketball team. ...
and
Dragan Milosavljević Dragan Milosavljević ( sr-cyr, Драган Милосављевић; born May 11, 1989) is a Serbian professional basketball player for KK Igokea, Igokea of the ABA League. He also represented the Serbia national basketball team, Serbian nationa ...
got more playing time. Partizan took advantage of the
NBA lockout The NBA lockout may refer to any of the four lockouts in the history of the National Basketball Association: *The 1995 NBA lockout, which lasted for three months before the 1995–96 season. *The 1996 NBA lockout, which lasted for a couple of hour ...
to bring in its former player,
center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
Nikola Peković Nikola Peković (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Пековић; born 3 January 1986) is a Montenegrin businessman, basketball executive and former professional player who is the current president of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro. He beg ...
. With most of the play revolving around him, Partizan got close to securing another Euroleague Top 16 spot, but due to an end of the lockout Peković returned to the NBA in early December. Without him, Partizan lost all three remaining fixtures and after five consecutive years, failed to qualify further. In the regional Adriatic League, Partizan was stopped in the semifinals, ending its five-year reign in the competition. On the domestic front, however, Partizan extended its success, winning another double.


2012–2014: Vujošević returns with the rejuvenated squad

The beginning of the 2012–13 season saw the return of
Duško Vujošević Duško Vujošević ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Вујошевић; born 3 March 1959) is a Montenegrin and Serbian professional basketball coach. Early life Duško Vujošević was born in Titograd (modern-day Podgorica), PR Montenegro, FPR Yugoslavi ...
to the club. Petar Božić, long-term captain, retired.
Vladimir Lučić Vladimir Lučić ( sr, Владимир Лучић, born June 17, 1989) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Serbian national basketball team. ...
was appointed as captain, and
Dragan Milosavljević Dragan Milosavljević ( sr-cyr, Драган Милосављевић; born May 11, 1989) is a Serbian professional basketball player for KK Igokea, Igokea of the ABA League. He also represented the Serbia national basketball team, Serbian nationa ...
became vice-captain.
Dušan Kecman Dušan Kecman (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Кецман; born November 6, 1977) is a Serbian professional basketball executive, coach and former player. During his playing career, he played both shooting guard and small forward positions. Club ca ...
and
Milan Mačvan Milan Mačvan ( sr, Милан Мачван, born 16 November 1989) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played at the power forward position. He also represented the Serbian national basketball team internationall ...
were also among the players who left. The squad was rejuvenated, with the oldest player Marko Čakarević being just 24 years old. Initially, the results in Euroleague suffered, with Partizan's supertalented but inexperienced squad being knocked-out of the group stage. After mixed performances in the
ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
regular season, Partizan performed well in the final four, winning its sixth regional title, and securing another season in Euroleague. In the Serbian championship, Partizan successfully defended the trophy and brought its record to twenty national titles, the last twelve being consecutive. The season was marked by the rise of young players such as
Dāvis Bertāns Dāvis Bertāns (born 12 November 1992) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed the "Latvian Laser", he also represents the Latvian national team. He was the 42 ...
, Bogdan Bogdanović,
Léo Westermann Léo Joseph Paul Westermann (born 24 July 1992) is a French professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Spanish Liga ACB. Standing at , he plays the point guard position. He also represents the senior French national basketball t ...
and
Nikola Milutinov Nikola Milutinov ( sr-cyr, Никола Милутинов; born 30 December 1994) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Serbian national team in i ...
. The 2013–14 season started with a success in Euroleage, where Partizan returned to the Top16 group, with youngsters such as
Joffrey Lauvergne Joffrey Lauvergne (born 30 September 1991) is a French professional basketball player for ASVEL of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague.. He was drafted 55th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2013 NBA draft, who then traded his rights ...
, Bogdanović, Bertāns, Westermann, Milutinov leading the team and enforced by a former NBA player
Aleksandar Pavlović Aleksandar "Saša" Pavlović (Anglicized: Sasha Pavlovic, sr-cyr, Александар "Саша" Павловић; born November 15, 1983) is a Serbian-Montenegrin basketball executive and former professional basketball player who spent ten seas ...
. However, Partizan suffered at the Final Four of the
Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
with a defeat at a buzzer by
Cedevita Cedevita d.o.o. is a Croatian company which produces a wide range of teas, instant drinks, and dietetic products. A notable owner of the company was the Croatian pharmaceutical company Pliva d.d. Since 2001 Cedevita has been part of the Atlantic ...
in the semifinals. Despite the shocking loss, the team bounced and finished the season by winning its thirteenth consecutive national title, again defeating their archrivals
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 football club based in B ...
by 3–1 in the final series.


2014–2017: Financial troubles

Having lost an ABA league title and therefore a place in Euroleague after almost a decade and a half, a talented generation from the previous two season's disbanded and Partizan entered the 2014–15 season with an almost brand new squad. Despite the efforts of experienced Pavlović, Mačvan, Tepić and younger
Edo Murić Edo Murić (born November 27, 1991) is a Slovenian professional basketball player who last played for Cedevita Olimpija of the Slovenian League and the ABA League. He also represents the Slovenian national team. Standing at 2.02 m (6 ft 8 i ...
Partizan struggled to finished fourth in the regular season of the
Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
, only to be eliminated in the playoff semifinals. In Eurocup, Partizan was eliminated in the first round. Partizan was also eliminated in the
Serbian Cup The Serbian Cup ( Serbian: Куп Србије, Kup Srbije) is the national football cup of Serbia. The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round. From 2006 to 2010, the competition was known as the Lav Cup ...
and failed to defend the
Serbian League The Serbian League () is the third level football league in Serbia. It consists of four groups, namely Belgrade, East, Vojvodina, and West. The winner of each group earns promotion to the Serbian First League. History 1992–1995 In the summer of ...
title, losing to Red Star Belgrade in the final series. Without any silverware won, the season was the worst in fourteen years and marked the beginning of a three year long dry spell. The summer of 2015 included many organizational and roster changes. The board of directors suggested
Nikola Peković Nikola Peković (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Пековић; born 3 January 1986) is a Montenegrin businessman, basketball executive and former professional player who is the current president of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro. He beg ...
, former Partizan player, for the next team president, after the resignation of
Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-cyr, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one of ...
. Soon after that, longtime head coach Vujošević departed and Petar Božić was offered a head coach position. Main players also left the club, with young
Vanja Marinković Vanja Marinković ( sr, Вања Маринковић, born 9 January 1997) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Baskonia of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he plays the shooting guard position. Early life Marinković ...
becoming the new team captain. At the beginning of 2016, Partizan severed the contract with Petar Božić after a worst half-season in recent Partizan history.
Aleksandar Džikić Aleksandar Džikić ( sr, Александар Џикић; born 23 March 1971) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and current head coach of Hapoel Jerusalem. Coaching career Early career KK Partizan youth system Džikić began his coac ...
was appointed as a new coach, and managed to finish
Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
season on the 5th position, and finish the
Serbian League The Serbian League () is the third level football league in Serbia. It consists of four groups, namely Belgrade, East, Vojvodina, and West. The winner of each group earns promotion to the Serbian First League. History 1992–1995 In the summer of ...
at the second place, losing to Crvena zvezda in the finals. In 2016–17 season Partizan played in
Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL) is an annual professional basketball competition for European clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the top-level competition organised by FIBA Europe, therefore the champion participates in the FIBA Intercontin ...
, having withdrawn from the Eurocup. The team captain was
Novica Veličković Novica Veličković ( sr-cyr, Новица Величковић; born 5 October 1986) is a Serbian former professional basketball player who is the team manager for Mega Basket of the Basketball League of Serbia and the ABA League. He also repr ...
who returned to the club. In the group stage, Partizan finished as 3rd and passed to the play-off where they were eliminated by PAOK. After being eliminated in the
Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
in the playoff semifinals and
Serbian League The Serbian League () is the third level football league in Serbia. It consists of four groups, namely Belgrade, East, Vojvodina, and West. The winner of each group earns promotion to the Serbian First League. History 1992–1995 In the summer of ...
also in semifinals Partizan ended up without a single trophy won for a third consecutive year.


2017–present: Rebuilding the image

In the summer of 2017, club's president Peković stepped down, and Ostoja Mijailović replaced him. Partizan started the 2017–18 season with
Miroslav Nikolić Miroslav "Muta" Nikolić ( sr, Мирослав Николић; born 8 January 1956) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. Playing career Nikolić played professional basketball for KK Goša from Smederevska Palanka, OK ...
as new head coach. However, due to poor results, he was sacked in December 2017. During the same month, president Ostoja Mijailović stated that Partizan owes around 7.19 million euros and that creditors are considering blocking its bank account. On 14 December 2017, former player
Nenad Čanak Nenad Čanak ( sr-Cyrl, Ненад Чанак, ; born 2 November 1959) is a Serbian politician. He is the co-founder and former leader of the centre-left League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina. He was the President of the Assembly of Vojvodina f ...
was named as the head coach of Partizan. There were many roster changes throughout the season. One of the best players Patrick Miller left Partizan and the club signed
Kwame Vaughn Kwame Donte Vaughn (born May 31, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for BC Astana of the Kazakhstan Basketball Championship and the VTB United League. He is a 1.91 m (6'3") tall point guard-shooting guard. He finished his college ...
and
Bandja Sy Bandja Sy (born July 30, 1990) is a Malian-French professional basketball player for Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A. Standing at 2.04  m (6'8"), he plays the small forward and power forward positions. After playing four years of college b ...
. After a good run in next two months, Partizan again finished on the 5th position in
Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
. In February 2018, Partizan won the first trophy after almost four years,
Radivoj Korać Cup The Radivoj Korać Cup ( sr, Куп Радивоја Кораћа / Kup Radivoja Koraća) is the men's national basketball cup of Serbia. It is run by the Basketball Federation of Serbia and is named after a Serbian basketball legend and FIBA Hal ...
, defeating their archrivals Crvena zvezda 81–75 in final. Partizan played in the Eurocup but finished with a 1–9 record and last place in their group. The Superleague campaign also finished unsuccessfully because Partizan lost to Crvena Zvezda in the Playoff semifinals thus failing to win the League title for a fourth consecutive season.
Nigel Williams-Goss Nigel Williams-Goss (born September 16, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He was selected by the Utah Jazz, with the 55th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He playe ...
marked this season as the top player and left for
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 ...
and later
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
. Partizan acquired
Jock Landale Jock Landale (born 25 October 1995) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Saint Mary's Gaels. Landale was part of the Australian ...
,
Rade Zagorac Rade Zagorac ( sr-cyr, Раде Загорац; born 12 August 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Avtodor Saratov of the VTB United League. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he mainly plays at the small forward position. Profess ...
,
Marcus Paige Marcus Taylor Paige ( sr-Cyrl, Маркус Тејлор Пејџ; born September 11, 1993) is an American-Serbian professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the University of North Caroli ...
and several other mostly younger players during summer 2018. After a difficult start to the 2018–2019 season, including losing five consecutive games both in the ABA League and the
2018–19 EuroCup Basketball The 2018–19 EuroCup Basketball season, also known as 7DAYS EuroCup for sponsorship reasons, is the 17th season of Euroleague Basketball's secondary level professional club basketball tournament. It is the 11th season since it was renamed from t ...
season, Čanak resigned and was replaced by
Andrea Trinchieri Andrea Trinchieri (born August 6, 1968) is an Italian professional basketball coach. He is the current head coach for FC Bayern Munich (basketball), Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). Coaching career Clubs Trinchieri was the Coach ...
as the new head coach. Under Trinchieri, the performance improved and Partizan finally captured some of the former European success, qualifying for the Top16 in the EuroCup. A home loss to Rytas prevented Partizan from qualifying for the playoffs, finishing with a 2–4 record in the Top16. In regional
ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
competition, Partizan finished in fourth place of the regular season and eventually lost the semifinal series to Crvena zvezda with 2–1. Partizan defended the trophy in the
Radivoj Korać Cup The Radivoj Korać Cup ( sr, Куп Радивоја Кораћа / Kup Radivoja Koraća) is the men's national basketball cup of Serbia. It is run by the Basketball Federation of Serbia and is named after a Serbian basketball legend and FIBA Hal ...
, again by defeating Crvena zvezda 76–74 in the final. For the 2019–20 season, Marinković, Sy and Landale departed and
Nemanja Gordić Nemanja Gordić (; born September 25, 1988) is a Bosnians, Bosnian professional basketball player for U-BT Cluj-Napoca of the Romanian Liga Națională (men's basketball), Liga Națională. He also represents the senior Bosnia and Herzegovina nati ...
,
Rashawn Thomas Rashawn Shaquille Thomas (born August 15, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus of the Korean Basketball League. He played college basketball for Texas A&M–Corpus Christi. High school career Thoma ...
,
Corey Walden Torrian Corey Walden ( sr-cyrl, Торијан Кори Волден; born August 5, 1992) is an American-born naturalized Serbian professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He p ...
,
William Mosley William Ralph Mosley, Jr. (born June 22, 1989) is an American basketball center who plays for Shinshu Brave Warriors of the Japanese B.League. He played for Northwestern State from 2008–09 through 2011–12. He is best known for leading NCA ...
and several others were brought in. Partizan started the season strong, but eventually the season was canceled due to
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. In 2020–21 season, Partizan failed to qualify to the ABA League Playofs, lost to
Mega Mega or MEGA may refer to: Science * mega-, a metric prefix denoting 106 * Mega (number), a certain very large integer in Steinhaus–Moser notation * "mega-" a prefix meaning "large" that is used in taxonomy * Gravity assist, for ''Moon-Eart ...
in the semifinals of the
Serbian League The Serbian League () is the third level football league in Serbia. It consists of four groups, namely Belgrade, East, Vojvodina, and West. The winner of each group earns promotion to the Serbian First League. History 1992–1995 In the summer of ...
and finished in Top 16 phase of EuroCup. In the summer of 2021,
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 KK Partizan, Partizan of the ABA League, ...
became the team's new head coach, and Partizan started complete roster rebuild. During the 2021–22 EuroCup season Partizan finished second in the group A, but was eliminated in the eightfinal by the 7th seed of group B Frutti Extra Bursaspor 95–103 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 ...
. Partizan also made it to the Playoffs Finals series of the 2021–22 ABA League, where they lost with 3–2 in closely contested series and marked with off-court incidents, to Crvena zvezda. Because of these incidents, Partizan withdrew from the semifinal series of the
2021–22 Basketball League of Serbia The 2021–22 Admiral Bet Basketball League of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Кошаркашка лига Србије 2021–22.) was the 16th season of the Basketball League of Serbia, the top-tier professional basketball league in Serbia. Also, it is the ...
. In the summer of 2022, Partizan received a wild card from the EuroLeague to compete in the competition for the 2022–23 season; it would be return to the competition after eight years. On 20 October 2022 Partizan won his first game in EuroLeague after 3.121 days by beating
Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...
90–62 in
Štark Arena The Štark Arena ( sr-cyrl, Штарк арена), also known as Belgrade Arena ( sr-cyrl, Београдска арена), is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is designed as a universal hall for sports, cultural ev ...
.


Sponsorship naming

Partizan has had several denominations through the years due to its sponsorship:


Supporters

Grobari (
Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, th ...
: Гробари, English: The Gravediggers) are supporters of the
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 ...
football club
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 ...
. They generally support all clubs within the Partizan multi-sport club, especially football and basketball club. According to the "Ultras World" organization, which gathers over 400,000 fans on social networks, they are ranked in the TOP 10 supporters in the world. In March 2009, in Kombank Arena in the Euroleague TOP 16 game between Partizan and
Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
, Grobari appointed the league's attendance record – 22,567. Partizan has been the most watched team for many years in a row in
Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
.


Seasons


Home arenas

Partizan until recently played most of their home games at
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, ...
, located in the
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 ...
municipality of Palilula. The arena, then named Pionir Hall, was built in 1973 in eleven months, by
Energoprojekt Energoprojekt holding (full legal name: ''Energoprojekt holding a.d. Beograd'') is a Serbian construction company with headquarters in Belgrade, Serbia. Founded in 1951, it enters into the composition of BELEX15 and BELEXline, the two main indi ...
. Basketball was popular in Yugoslavia at the time, and although Hall Aleksandar Nikolić hosted many different sport events (
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
,
handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
) it became known as a basketball arena. It has a seating capacity of 8,000. Aleksandar Nikolić Hall is also the home of Partizan's main rival
Red Star Belgrade 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 football club based in Bel ...
. In the first twenty-three years (1945–1968), the club played their home games at open basketball courts on
Belgrade Fortress The Belgrade Fortress ( sr-Cyrl, Београдска тврђава, Beogradska tvrđava), consists of the old citadel (Upper and Lower Town) and Kalemegdan Park (Large and Little Kalemegdan) on the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, in a ...
before moving to Ranko Žeravica Hall. For 24 seasons (1968–1992), Partizan played their home games at Ranko Žeravica Hall, located in Belgrade municipality of
New Belgrade New Belgrade ( sr, / , ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. It is a planned city, built since 1948 in a previously uninhabited area on the left bank of the Sava river, opposite old Belgrade. In recent years, it has become the central bu ...
. In the 2008–09 season, Partizan played their home games of the EuroLeague Top 16 in the Kombank Arena. On 5 March 2009 against Greek team Panathinaikos, a record crowd of 22,567 was set for the EuroLeague. Partizan also holds the record for highest single-game attendance in the
ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mace ...
history, with 16,531 fans attending the match against
KK Budućnost KK Budućnost (, ), currently known as Budućnost VOLI () for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball Sports club, club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. The club competes in Montenegrin Basketball League, Adriatic League and EuroCup Bas ...
on 9 February 2020. Partizan has been involved in the top 4 single-game attendances in the history of the regional competition (three of them as a host). In June 2019, Partizan signed a contract with Štark Arena to be its main home arena until the end of 2023–24 season.


Players

Numerous Partizan players have won medals competing for their national teams and several have been internationally recognized for their outstanding contribution to the game of basketball: *
Dražen Dalipagić Dražen "Praja" Dalipagić (; born 27 November 1951) is a Serbian former professional basketball player and head coach. He was selected the best athlete of Yugoslavia in the year 1978, and is one of the most decorated athletes in Yugoslavian his ...
: enshrined in 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 ...
in 2004, enshrined in 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, included in
50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
. *
Vlade Divac Vlade Divac ( sr-Cyrl, Владе Дивац, ; born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings ...
: enshrined in 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 ...
in 2019, enshrined in 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 2010, included in
50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
. *
Dragan Kićanović Dragan Kićanović ( sr, Драган Кићановић; born 17 August 1953) is a Serbian and Yugoslav retired professional basketball player. A 1.92m (6 ft 3 in) tall shooting guard, Kićanović played in the 1970s and 1980s, and is cons ...
: enshrined in 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 2010. *
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević or Sale Đorđević (Anglicized: Sasha Djordjevic; sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves ...
: included in
50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
. *
Predrag Danilović Predrag "Saša" Danilović ( sr-cyr, Предраг "Саша" Даниловић, ; born February 26, 1970), usually referred to in English as Sasha Danilović, is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player, considered one of ...
: included in
50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
. Partizan has provided a number of NBA players since 1989. In total, thirteen were drafted while at Partizan with five of them selected in the first round of the NBA draft, with the highest pick being the 6th place on the 2011 Draft for
Jan Veselý Jan Veselý (born 24 April 1990) is a Czech professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he can play both the power forward and center positions. He was selected sixth overall in the ...
. Most notable NBA players who came through the ranks of Partizan include the likes of Hall-of-Famer
Vlade Divac Vlade Divac ( sr-Cyrl, Владе Дивац, ; born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings ...
and rookie-all stars
Željko Rebrača Željko Rebrača ( sr-cyr, Жељко Ребрача; born April 9, 1972) is a Serbian retired professional basketball player. After playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he finished his career with the Spanish ACB League team Pame ...
,
Nenad Krstić Nenad Krstić ( sr-cyr, Ненад Крстић, born July 25, 1983) is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player. He currently serves as the vice president of the Basketball Federation of Serbia, in charge of the men's basket ...
and Bogdan Bogdanović.


Current roster


Depth chart


Head coaches

There have been thirty
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 ...
es for Partizan since the founding of the club in 1945. The first head coach was
Božo Grkinić Božo Grkinić ( sr-cyr, Божо Гркинић; November 17, 1913 – February 3, 1996) was Yugoslav water polo and basketball player and coach. He was a member of the Yugoslavia men's national water polo team, Yugoslavia national water polo t ...
who coached Partizan for two seasons. The first coach to bring Partizan an official trophy was
Borislav Ćorković Borislav "Reba" Ćorković ( sr-cyr, Борислав Ћорковић; 9 January 1933 – 26 January 2006) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. Playing career During the 1950s, Ćorković played basketball for Dinamo Pančevo ...
. He won
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, ...
with Partizan in 1976. Club won the first international trophy in 1978, while being coached by
Ranko Žeravica Ranko Žeravica ( sr-cyr, Ранко Жеравица; 17 November 1929 – 29 October 2015) was a Serbian professional basketball coach. With a career that spanned over 50 years, he is most noted for his work with the senior Yugoslav national t ...
.
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 KK Partizan, Partizan of the ABA League, ...
lead the club to the most significant trophy, Euroleague in 1992.
Duško Vujošević Duško Vujošević ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Вујошевић; born 3 March 1959) is a Montenegrin and Serbian professional basketball coach. Early life Duško Vujošević was born in Titograd (modern-day Podgorica), PR Montenegro, FPR Yugoslavi ...
is the most successful coach in the club's history. In his four stints with Partizan he won a total of twenty-three trophies. Several Partizan coaches have been recognized internationally for their contribution to the game of basketball: *
Aleksandar Nikolić Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Sp ...
: enshrined in 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 ...
,
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 ...
(class of 2007) and included in
50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
. *
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 20 ...
: enshrined in
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 ...
(class of 2017) and included in
50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
. *
Ranko Žeravica Ranko Žeravica ( sr-cyr, Ранко Жеравица; 17 November 1929 – 29 October 2015) was a Serbian professional basketball coach. With a career that spanned over 50 years, he is most noted for his work with the senior Yugoslav national t ...
: enshrined in
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 ...
(class of 2007). *
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 KK Partizan, Partizan of the ABA League, ...
: included in
50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...
. Another former Partizan coach,
Borislav Stanković ),Boris (Борис) , image = Borislav Bora Stanković.jpg , imagesize = , caption = , order = 2nd , office = Secretary General of FIBA , term_start = 1 January 1976 , ter ...
, was also enshrined in both 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 ...
and
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 ...
, although not as a coach but as a contributor.


Honours

Partizan has won thirty-seven domestic trophies, including twenty-one
championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
, of which thirteen were won consecutively, and sixteen cups, of which five were won consecutively. They have also won six Adriatic championships, first five of them consecutive. In European competitions in the late 1970s, they won two back-to-back
Korać Cup Korać is a surname. Notable persons with that name include: * Dušan Korać (disambiguation), multiple people * Milorad Korać (born 1969), Serbian football player and manager * Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), Serbian basketball player * Vitomir Kor ...
s in 1978 and 1979. They also won another
Korać Cup Korać is a surname. Notable persons with that name include: * Dušan Korać (disambiguation), multiple people * Milorad Korać (born 1969), Serbian football player and manager * Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), Serbian basketball player * Vitomir Kor ...
in 1989. In 1992, Partizan won the club's first – and to date only – EuroLeague title, downing
Joventut Badalona Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two teams ...
70–71 on a miraculous buzzer-beater by
Aleksandar Đorđević Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević or Sale Đorđević (Anglicized: Sasha Djordjevic; sr-Cyrl, Александар Саша Ђорђевић, ; born 26 August 1967) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves ...
, which ranks among the most amazing shots in European basketball history. Overall, Partizan has won forty-seven trophies, which makes it by far the most successful basketball club in
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 ...
. Shared record


Season by season


In European and worldwide competitions


Matches against NBA teams

Partizan is the first and so far only club from Serbia that played games against
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
teams. On the
2009 Euroleague American Tour The 2009 Euroleague American Tour inaugurated a yearly basketball exhibition Tour organized by the Euroleague in the United States. The aim of the Euroleague American Tour is to expose to American basketball fans a different basketball approach than ...
, Partizan played against
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
and
Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...
.


Players in the NBA draft


Management


Sponsorships


See also

*
List of basketball clubs in Serbia by major honours won The following are lists of the major honours won by basketball clubs in Serbia. It lists every Serbian professional basketball club, both men's and women's, to have won one of the two major Serbian national domestic trophies, the Adriatic trophies ...
*
KK Partizan in Europe KK Partizan, Košarkaški klub Partizan is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia that competes in the Basketball League of Serbia, Adriatic League and Euroleague. The club was founded on 4 October 1945, as a basketball section of ...
( EuroLeague) *
Crvena Zvezda–Partizan basketball rivalry The Crvena Zvezda–Partizan basketball rivalry, commonly referred as the Eternal derby ( sr-cyr, Вечити дерби), is an Adriatic League, Serbian League, and Belgrade-based rivalry between Crvena zvezda and Partizan. These two men's b ...


References


External links

*
KK Partizan
at euroleague.net
KK Partizan
at abaliga.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Partizan, Kk Basketball teams in Yugoslavia Basketball teams established in 1945 EuroLeague-winning clubs Basketball teams in Belgrade