Željko Pavličević (born 26 March 1951) is a Croatian 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 (appro ...

coach and former player. He currently serves as the head coach for

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

in ASEAN Basketball League.

Early life

Pavličević began playing basketball in 1969 for the junior team of Lokomotiva in the city of

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. He was studying at the Faculty of Chemical Technology at the basketball school.

Coaching career

Cibona

Having passed all the categories in the club, (cadets, juniors etc.) in 1975, Pavličević became

Mirko Novosel Mirko Novosel (30 June 1938 – 20 July 2023) was a Croatian professional basketball coach and player. Playing career Novosel played club basketball, from 1952 to 1966, with Lokomotiva Zagreb (later changed to KK Cibona Zagreb). Coaching caree ...

's assistant coach in the senior team of

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 compete ...

(until then WIT). In 1984–85 he was promoted to head coach, but only in domestic competitions (in EuroLeague led Mirko Novosel). In his first season as head coach with Cibona, won the

Yugoslav Cup The Yugoslav Cup (; ; , ), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup (; , and between 1947 and 1991 as the Marshal Tito Cup (; ; ; ), was one of two major association football, football competitions in Socialist Federal Re ...

and the Yugoslav League (against

Jugoplastika Košarkaški klub Split (), commonly referred to as KK Split or simply Split, is a men's professional basketball club based in Split, Croatia. The club competes in the ABA League and the Croatian League. Under its former name of KK Jugoplastika ...

Crvena zvezda Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

). As assistant coach he took part in the winning of the first title of European Champions Cup (the predecessor of today's EuroLeague) with Cibona in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Peace and Friendship Stadium The Peace and Friendship Stadium (), commonly known by its acronym SEF (Greek: ΣΕΦ), is a multi-purpose indoor arena that is located in Piraeus, on the coastal zone of Attica, Greece. The arena is mostly known for being the home to EuroLeague ...

against

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

. The following season, (1985–86) as head coach of Cibona both in domestic and European competitions and with the roster weakened by the loss of

Andro Knego Andrija "Andro" Knego (born 21 October 1956) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. Professional career During his club career, Knego was the FIBA Saporta Cup Finals Top Scorer, in 1982. National team career Knego played with th ...

in Cajamadrid, but refreshed with newcomer

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 with Cibona and Real Madri ...

, won the Yugoslav Cup and became back to back European champion in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

against the Soviet champions Žalgiris. This match was marked by the participation of the two best European players, Petrović and the Lithuanian center

Arvydas Sabonis Arvydas Romas Sabonis (; born 19 December 1964) is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player and businessman. Sabonis won the Euroscar six times and the Mr. Europa Award twice. He played in a variety of leagues, including the Spanish ...

Spain

After the three seasons with Cibona, Pavličević accepted his first international bid and coached the Spanish club OAR Ferrol, later becoming the club's sports director. During the 1989–90 season, he was hired by the Spanish first league club of Taugrés Vitoria.

Pop 84

In the summer of 1990, Pavličević accepted the offer from back-to-back European champions of Pop 84 the former Jugoplastika to lead the team following the exodus of

Dino Rađa Dino Rađa (alternatively Radja, ; born 24 April 1967) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. He was a member of the Jugoplastika team of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which he helped to win two FIBA European Champions Cup champ ...

( il Messaggero Roma),

Duško Ivanović Duško Ivanović (; born September 1, 1957) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player who is currently the head coach for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Professional playing ca ...

(

Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...

) and Goran Sobin (

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 Konstantinidis, Greek architect * ...

). Despite the changes, Pop 84 dominated and won all three trophies. Yugoslav Cup (finals with Cibona), the Yugoslav League (final playoffs against the rising power of Partizan) and third European title for the club and other personal title against

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He was awarded coach of the year. Players included

Toni Kukoč Toni Kukoč (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of ...

Zoran Savić Zoran Savić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Савић; born November 18, 1966) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former professional player who is currently the sports director for Partizan Belgrade of the Serbian KLS, the Adriatic Le ...

Velimir Perasović Velimir Perasović (; born 9 February 1965) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player. He is serving as the head coach for the Russian team BC UNICS, UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League. Early life Perasović was born in Stob ...

, Zoran Sretenović,

Žan Tabak Žan Tabak (born 15 June 1970) is a Croatian professional basketball coach and former player who is now serving as the head coach for Trefl Sopot of the PLK. His basketball career, spanning twenty years, was marked by several notable achievemen ...

Petar Naumoski Petar "Pece" Naumoski (; born 27 August 1968) is a former Macedonian professional basketball player. At a height of 1.95 m (6'4 ") tall, and a weight of 95 kg (210 lbs.). He played mainly at the point guard position during his career, b ...

and

Luka Pavićević Luka Pavićević ( sr-cyr, Лука Павићевић; born 17 June 1968) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player. Most recently, he served as the head coach for Alvark Tokyo of the Japanese B.League. A point guard, P ...

Božidar Maljković Božidar "Boža" Maljković ( sr-Cyrl, Божидар "Божа" Маљковић; born 20 April 1952) is a Serbian former professional basketball coach and current president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia. He is one of the most successful b ...

led Barcelona, which is connected to Split by winning the previous two league titles in Europe.

Panathinaikos

For the 1991–92 season, Pavličević joined Panathinaikos and created the backbone of the club's future success. In 1992–93 with the arrival of

Nikos Galis Nikolaos Georgalis (; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis (), or Nick Galis, is a Greek-American former professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playing days was nicknamed, "Nick The Greek", "The Gangster", and ...

Stojan Vranković Stojan () is a masculine given name of Slavic origin. Notable people with the name include: *Stojan Gjuroski (born 1991), basketball player *Stojan Andov (born 1935), politician *Stojan Aralica (1883–1980), painter *Stojan Čupić (1765–1815), ...

Arijan Komazec Arijan Komazec (born January 23, 1970) is a former Croatian professional basketball player. Professional career Komazec started his professional career as a basketball player at the age of 16, in the historical club of Zadar, in the 1986–87 s ...

and

Tiit Sokk Tiit Sokk (born 15 November 1964) is a retired Estonian professional basketball player and current coach. Often cited as one of the very best European point guards of his generation, he is widely recognized as the greatest Estonian basketball p ...

the team won only the

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...

against

. The Championship final against arch-rival

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

was controversial, given the club's decision not to play a third decisive game. The next season (1993–94) despite the coming of Alexander Volkov and participation in the Final Four of Tel Aviv, he was fired in late 1993.

Decline

Pavličević was sports director of selection for the Basketball Association of Croatia from 1996 to 1998. At the invitation of

Croatia Osiguranje Croatia osiguranje d.d. (English: Croatia Insurance) is an insurance company based in Zagreb. Croatia osiguranje is the largest and oldest insurance firm in Croatia. As of 2018, its share in the Croatian insurance market is approximately 32%. ...

during the 1996–97 season he coached the team again. In early 2003 Japanese Basketball Federation offered him a position coaching the Japanese national basketball team. It was a cycle of four years as a preparation for the World Basketball Championship in Japan in 2006. The national team progressed significantly, and held the largest seminar for coaches in the history of Japan with over 900 participants. In 2007–08 he coached

, with which he won the

Krešimir Ćosić Cup The Krešimir Ćosić Cup, or Croatian Basketball Cup, is the national basketball cup of Croatia. It is named after the Croatian basketball player Krešimir Ćosić. The cup has been contested since 1992. Title holders * 1991–92: Split (Slobo ...

, the first trophy in the club's history. At the invitation of Shimane Susanoo Club Magica, member BJL (Japanese professional league) in summer 2010, he became head coach and remained for three seasons, reaching the playoffs each season. He coached

Wakayama Trians The Wakayama Trians are a basketball team based in Wakayama, Wakayama, formerly playing in the National Basketball League (Japan). Notable players * Cyril Awere * Paul Butorac (basketball) * Ace Custis * Takuya Kawamura * Zane Knowles * Yoshifum ...

NBL National basketball L. Japan in 2013–14.

Coaching record

, - , style="text-align:left;",

Shimane Susanoo Magic Shimane Susanoo Magic (島根スサノオマジック) is a Japanese professional basketball team in Japan's top-tier basketball competition, the B.League. The team is based in Shimane Prefecture with its home arena in Matsue, Matsue City, but wi ...

, style="text-align:left;", 2010–11 , 50, , 24, , 26, , , , style="text-align:center;", 6th in Western, , , 2, , 0, , 2, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in 1st round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , 52, , 28, , 24, , , , style="text-align:center;", 6th in Western, , , 3, , 1, , 2, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in 1st round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , 52, , 33, , 19, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Western, , , 4, , 2, , 2, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in 2nd round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , 54, , 41, , 13, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Western, , , 6, , 2, , 4, , , style="text-align:center;", Runners-up in NBL , - , - , style="text-align:left;",

Chiba Jets Chiba Jets Funabashi () is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Funabashi, Chiba. The team joined the JBL Super League in 2005 and currently competes in the B.League, which they have won in 2021. Owned by Mixi, they have also won fi ...

, style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , 34, , 13, , 21, , , , style="text-align:center;", Fired, , , -, , -, , -, , , style="text-align:center;", - , - , - , style="text-align:left;",

Bambitious Nara The are a Japanese professional basketball team based in Nara (city), Nara, Japan. They compete in the Western Conference of the Second Division of the B.League. The team's name is a combination of the phrase "be ambitious" and the name of the cha ...

, style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , 34, , 7, , 27, , , , style="text-align:center;", Fired, , , -, , -, , -, , , style="text-align:center;", - , - , - , -

Career achievements

Club competitions

FIBA European Champions Cup The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

: 2 (with

: 1985–86 and Pop 84: 1990–91) * Yugoslav League: 2 (with

: 1984–85 and Pop 84: 1990–91) *

: 3 (with

: 1984–85, 1985–86 and Pop 84: 1990–91) *

: 1 (with Panathinaikos: 1992–93) *

Croatian Cup Croatian Cup may refer to: *Croatian Football Cup *Croatian Football Super Cup *Croatian Women's Football Cup *Croatian Basketball Cup, also known as Krešimir Ćosić Cup *Croatian Handball Cup *Croatian Water Polo Cup The Croatian Water Polo C ...

: 1 (with

: 2007–08) * ABL: 1 (with

: 2023)

References

External links

FIBA profileZeljko Pavlicevic making an impact with new coaching role in Libya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavlicevic, Zeljko 1951 births Living people Bambitious Nara coaches Chiba Jets coaches Croatian basketball coaches Croatian men's basketball players EuroLeague–winning coaches Japan national basketball team coaches ASEAN Basketball League coaches KK Cibona coaches KK Split coaches Panathinaikos B.C. coaches Saski Baskonia coaches Eastern Sports Club basketball coaches Basketball players from Zagreb Wakayama Trians coaches Yugoslav basketball coaches Yugoslav men's basketball players Al-Muharraq SC basketball coaches