Stojan "Stojko" Vranković (born 22 January 1964) 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 ...
executive and former player. He served as the president of the
Croatian Basketball Federation from 2016 to 2022.
A 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
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 eccentrici ...
, he played five seasons (1990–1992; 1996–1999) in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA), as a member of the
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...
,
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...
, and
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
. He was popular in Europe while playing for the
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 ...
-based club
Panathinaikos, with whom he won the club's first
EuroLeague
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 ...
championship.
Club career
A renowned
shot blocker, Vranković made little impact in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
, managing small minutes and a low scoring average even though he started 73 out of 170 games played. He did however have a major impact in Europe playing for the
Greek League team
Panathinaikos. For a short spell in the winter of 1994–95, Vrankovic thrilled fans of the Greek team by adding 3-point shots to his usual repertoire of slam dunks, hook shots, and blocked shots. One game, against Benfica in the EuroLeague in February 1995, exemplified this, as Vrankovic top-scored with 23 points and finished the game with a 3-point shot followed by a coast-to-coast dunk. Vrankovic had first taken a 3-point shot in the Greek League All-Star Game held at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus in December 1994, and seemed as surprised as everyone in the stadium when it went in. In 1996, he combined with
Dominique Wilkins
Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is a French-born American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins is a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seve ...
to lead Panathinaikos to a
EuroLeague
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 ...
championship - a first for the club. Vranković's defensive contribution was vital, namely his block of
Željko Rebrača
Željko Rebrača ( sr-Cyrl, Жељко Ребрача; born 9 April 1972) is a Serbian former professional basketball player and currently the president of KK Vojvodina, Vojvodina basketball club. After playing in Europe and the National Basketba ...
at the buzzer, in the third game of the quarter-finals against
Benetton Treviso, sending Panathinaikos through. In the
EuroLeague Finals
The EuroLeague Finals are the championship finals of the EuroLeague competition. The EuroLeague is European professional club basketball pyramid, the highest level tier, and most important professional sports, professional sports club, club bask ...
, his block to deny
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...
the lead in the last second gave the game a dramatic end, but he fell to the ground in the ensuing commotion and clutched his knee in pain at the buzzer. In an interview at the official
EuroLeague Final Four
The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, fo ...
website, Panathinaikos
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
Panagiotis Giannakis
Panagiotis "Notis" Giannakis (, ; born January 1, 1959), alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a former Greek professional basketball player and coach. He is considered to be one of the greatest sportspeople of Greece. He st ...
described the incident as follows:
:''"All that happened at the end of the game is unbelievable, a few seconds that lasted one century! I remember Stojko
rankovićrunning like...
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. Lewis was a dominant sprinter and lo ...
from one side to the other, to stop (
José Antonio) Montero. He blocked the layup, almost at the buzzer, and he sealed the victory."''
National team career
Yugoslavia
Vranković earned a silver medal at the
1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games with the senior
Yugoslav national team.
Croatia
At the following
1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games, he got the silver medal after Croatia lost to the
USA
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
in the men's final against "
The Dream Team", while playing for the senior
Croatian national team.
Administrative career
Croatian Basketball Federation president (2016–2022)
On November 19, 2016, Vranković became the president of the
Croatian Basketball Federation (HKS). On June 15, 2019, he was re-elected as the HKS president until 2023. On September 12, 2022, after a poor performance of the
Croatia men's national basketball team
The Croatia men's national basketball team () represents Croatia in international basketball matches. The team is controlled by the Croatian Basketball Federation (HKS).
The biggest success Croatia has achieved was at the 1992 Barcelona Olymp ...
at the
EuroBasket 2022
The EuroBasket 2022 was the 41st edition of the EuroBasket championship organized by FIBA Europe. It was the first since it was agreed it would take place every four years, with a similar system of qualification as for the FIBA Basketball World C ...
, Vranković resigned form his position.
Personal life
Vranković was a close friend of the fellow Croatian basketball player
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 ...
. He was a coffin bearer at Petrović's funeral in 1993, and has been active in commemorating his memory. In an article at the
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
website concerning the opening of a museum in Dražen's honour, Vranković was quoted as saying: "I would like to thank all those involved in creating this place, so children would be able to learn more about ''basketball's Amadeus''". Vranković and his wife Lovorka have two daughters, Andrea and Matea, and one son, Antonio, who plays for Croatian club
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, enter ...
.
References
External links
Euroleague.net Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vrankovic, Stojko
1964 births
Living people
1986 FIBA World Championship players
Aris B.C. players
Basketball executives
Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Boston Celtics players
Centers (basketball)
Croatian expatriate basketball people in Greece
Croatian expatriate basketball people in Italy
Croatian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Croatian sports executives and administrators
Croatian men's basketball players
FIBA EuroBasket–winning players
Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna players
KK Zadar players
Lega Basket Serie A players
Los Angeles Clippers players
Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade
Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Minnesota Timberwolves players
NBA players from Croatia
Olympic basketball players for Yugoslavia
Olympic silver medalists for Croatia in basketball
Olympic silver medalists for Yugoslavia
Panathinaikos B.C. players
Sportspeople from Drniš
Undrafted NBA players
FISU World University Games gold medalists for Yugoslavia
Summer World University Games medalists in basketball
Yugoslav men's basketball players
Yugoslav expatriate basketball people
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Goodwill Games medalists in basketball