Nikola Bulatović (born June 14, 1971) is a Montenegrin professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach and former player, who is an current assistant coach for

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; lit. 'under the hill') is the capital and largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd (Cyrillic: Титоград, ) between 1946 and 1992—in the period that Montenegro form ...

of the

Prva A Liga The Prva A liga, for sponsorships reasons named the Erste Liga, is the top-tier professional basketball league in Montenegro. It is the highest basketball division organized by the Basketball Association of Montenegro (KSCG). It was established in ...

and the

ABA League Second Division The ABA League Second Division, also ABA League 2, is the 2nd-tier men's basketball division of the ABA League system. It is run by the ABA League JTD. It is a regional competition between men's professional clubs from six countries: Bosnia and He ...

Playing career

Bulatović started his career in his hometown team Budućnost Podgorica. He was part of

Partizan Belgrade 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 ...

squad that won national league and cup in 1994–95 season. He helped FMP Železnik to win their first national cup trophy in 1997 before returning to Budućnost, where he won two consecutive national titles. He returned to Partizan for the 2000–01 season before moving abroad, to Italian side

Montepaschi Siena Mens Sana 1871 Basket is an Italian professional basketball club based in Siena. It is a section of the sports club Polisportiva Mens Sana, founded in 1871. Under the name Montepaschi Siena, derived from sponsor Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, ...

. He was the part of the side that won the last ever Saporta Cup trophy. Next season he played for Israeli side Hapoel Tel Aviv. In 2003 he signed for Greek club

Apollon Patras :''The first version of this article has been based in the text of :el:Α.Σ. Απόλλων of the Greek Wikipedia published under the GFDL.'' A.S. Apollon Patras (Greek:''A.Σ. Απόλλων Πατρών'') is a multi-sports club that is ba ...

but was released in August, before the season even started. Next few months he spent in Ukraine, in

Azovmash Mariupol MBK Mariupol ( uk, МБК «Маріуполь»") (former name: BK Azovmash)is a Ukrainian professional basketball club. It was founded in 1990 in the city of Mariupol in South-Eastern Ukraine. Mariupol was one of the strongest teams in Ukraine ...

, before getting released in February 2004. Next month he rejoined his first club, Budućnost, but left soon without playing single game. He went to Romanian club CSU Asesoft Ploieşti where he was part of the squad that won

EuroCup Challenge The FIBA EuroCup Challenge was the 4th-tier level (it was the 3rd-tier level during the inaugural 2002–03 season), transnational professional continental club basketball competition in Europe. It was run and organized by FIBA Europe. The leag ...

in 2005. Next season he started in Cyprus playing for

AEL Limassol Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou ( el, Αθλητική Ένωση Λεμεσού, translation=Athletic Union of Limassol) commonly known as AEL, is a Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team. AEL also maintai ...

, in January 2006 he made a brief return to Asesoft Ploieşti, and month later he signed with Igokea from Bosnia. His last known club was Beovuk, a lower league club from Belgrade.

National team career

Bulatović won gold medals at both the 1997 European Championship and 1998 World championship with the Yugoslavian national team.

Coaching career

In August 2019, Bulatović joined Lovćen 1947 as an assistant coach. In 2020, Bulatović was added to the coaching staff of

as an assistant coach.

Personal life

Rape case

In 1998, Bulatović was charged with

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

, a criminal accusation he was subsequently found guilty of in two separate trials. The event in question took place on 27 May 1998 in his Belgrade apartment where, as determined in two Belgrade trials, the 27-year-old FMP Železnik center Bulatović raped the

underage In law, a minor is someone under a certain age, usually the age of majority, which demarcates an underage individual from legal adulthood. The age of majority depends upon jurisdiction and application, but it is commonly 18. ''Minor'' may also ...

15-year-old gymnasium student N.S. who showed up to his apartment with the intention of completing an earlier commenced interview for a school paper. She was of legal age of consent for sexual activity according to Serbian laws at the time. Bulatović pleaded not guilty, claiming the sexual intercourse with N.S. was

consensual Consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another. It is a term of common speech, with specific definitions as used in such fields as the law, medicine, research, and sexual relationships. Consent as und ...

. The investigation process at the Belgrade District Court was presided by the investigating judge Dobrivoje Gerasimović. At the very first discovery session, the entire FMP Železnik player roster led by the club's owner and president

Nebojša Čović Nebojša Čović ( sr-Cyrl, Небојша Човић; 2 July 1958) is a Serbian businessman, basketball executive, and politician. Since 2011, he has been serving as the president of Crvena zvezda mts Belgrade. Early years and education Čovi ...

showed up at the court session in support of Bulatović. Over the subsequent few months, Bulatović—who simultaneously made the FR Yugoslavia national team for the 1998 World Championship—transferred to

KK Budućnost KK Budućnost (, ), currently known as Budućnost VOLI () for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. The club competes in Montenegrin Basketball League, Adriatic League and Eurocup. It is a part o ...

during the summer transfer window, a move that entailed relocation from Belgrade to Podgorica and was seen by some as an attempt to evade responsibility. With Bulatović charged with rape, the first court date of the trial at the Belgrade District Court took place on 23 September 1998, with Bulatović absent due to professional obligations. He showed up at the next court date, held on 19 October 1998, providing testimony for two hours. In December 1998, the trial concluded with Bulatović sentenced to three years in prison. On appeal, the verdict was overturned and the new trial in June 2003 resulted in a 5-year sentence for Bulatović. Explaining the increased length of the second sentence, judge Dragoljub Albijanić—presiding over the Belgrade District Court judicial council that passed down the verdict—stated that the circumstances of the accused being a national team member when committing the crime as well as the victim suffering long term psychological effects were taken as aggravating factors. After another appeal, the case went before the Serbian Supreme Court where the lower court's verdict was confirmed in January 2006. With the dissolution of the Serbia and Montenegro state union later that year, the case was transferred to the newly independent

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

's judicial system in accordance with Bulatović's primary place of residence in

, Montenegro. Podgorica Lower Court thus became responsible for processing the stipulations in the verdict, but reportedly failed to do so in timely manner. In May 2009, at the Belgrade District Court's urging—with Bulatović still a free man more than three years after the final verdict—an

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

arrest warrant was issued for his capture. After two and half years on Interpol's wanted list, Bulatović was arrested in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

in December 2011. Within days, he was

extradited Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdi ...

to MontenegroNikola Bulatović izručen Crnoj Gori
''Blic'', 18 December 2011 where he began serving his 5-year sentence. He was released from

Spuž Spuž ( cnr, Спуж) is a small town seated near Zeta river, within the municipality of Danilovgrad in the central Montenegrin region. Overview It is located halfway between Podgorica and Danilovgrad, in the Bjelopavlići valley. It was part o ...

prison in November 2015 having served four years and fifteen days, an early release reportedly due to the expiry of statute of limitations.

References

External links

Eurobasket.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulatovic, Nikola 1971 births Living people Centers (basketball) AEL Limassol B.C. players BC Azovmash players KK Beovuk 72 players KK Budućnost players KK FMP (1991–2011) players KK Igokea players KK Partizan players KK Profikolor players Mens Sana Basket players Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players Montenegrin expatriate basketball people in Serbia Montenegrin men's basketball players Montenegrin prisoners and detainees Montenegrin people convicted of rape People extradited from the Dominican Republic People extradited to Montenegro Sportspeople from Podgorica FIBA World Championship-winning players 1998 FIBA World Championship players Serbia and Montenegro men's basketball players Yugoslav men's basketball players Sportspeople convicted of crimes Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Italy Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Israel Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Romania Montenegrin expatriate basketball people in Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Israel Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Montenegrin expatriate basketball people in Romania Montenegrin expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Montenegrin expatriate basketball people in Italy Expatriate basketball people in Ukraine Expatriate basketball people in Cyprus Expatriate basketball people in Israel