Zeljko Obradovic: why the greatest European coach never worked in NBA? / News - Basketnews.com

The best basketball players in the world eventually find their way to the best league in the world – the NBA. When it comes to the sidelines – the situation is quite the opposite.

Only a few European coaches (Mike D'Antoni, David Blatt, Igor Kokoskov) had a chance to be head coaches in the NBA, but neither of them had as much success in EuroLeague as Zeljko Obradovic.

BasketNews presents the story, where we will look at the best of the best, the one who is widely considered to be the most successful coach in European basketball history – Zelimir 'Zeljko' Obradovic.

The 62-year-old has earned the status of an icon throughout his 30 years of coaching in Europe. Now, Zeljko is the winningest coach in EuroLeague history.

Credit K. Kavolėlis

Before all that, Obradovic was a player himself, competing professionally as a point guard for 13 years.

In 1991, he received an offer that changed everything. Zeljko Obradovic had just begun a training camp with Yugoslavia's national basketball team back in 1991 when he got a surprising suggestion to become a head coach.

"We were in Belgrade preparing for Eurobasket 1991 in Rome, and Dragan Kicanovic, the former best player in Yugoslavia (and then vice-president of Partizan), came to the practice and gave Zeljko the offer to become Partizan's head coach," Jure Zdovc told in the interview for BasketNews.

Obradovic was convinced to take over the team, missing the opportunity to be the captain for the victorious Yugoslavian squad in EuroBasket 1991. However, Obradovic saw the EuroLeague gold in his very first season with Partizan Belgrade (1992).

The United Nations' embargo (1992-1995) on Serbian teams due to the outgoing war forced Zeljko to move to Spain, Joventut Badalona. Zeljko managed to take Spanish underdogs to their first-ever EuroLeague championship in his only year in Catalonia (1994).

The incredible career start for Obradovic got him a seat as the head coach of the Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, where he collected the second EuroLeague title in a row (1995), making three total in just 4 years of coaching.

After a stint in the Royal club, Zeljko joined Benetton Treviso, replacing Mike D'Antoni. He was close to winning his fourth EuroLeague trophy there.

Two solid seasons in Treviso (1997-99) and eight years of successful coaching set up Obradovic for a period that EuroLeague fans will remember forever. Obradovic's 13 years with Panathinaikos is now seen as the most successful stretch in the club's history.

Credit Reuters-Scanpix

In Athens, Zeljko did not hesitate and started winning right away. His debut season with the Greens began with an astonishing combined record of 20-1, between both Greek Basketball League and EuroLeague, while ended with titles on both fronts.

Obradovic managed to win at least one of the three main competitions - domestic League, domestic Cup, and EuroLeague - in each season up until his departure in 2012.

Undoubtedly, his greatest achievement with PAO came in 2007 and 2009 as the Greek powerhouse brought all three titles, also known as the Triple Crown, to Athens.

Probably Mike Batiste is the best example, which explains how Zeljko has been so successful. Obradovic's innovative ideas overtook time. For instance, playing Batiste at 5, gave rise to the now well-known small-ball philosophy.

Credit Greek Basketball Federation

13 years, 27 finals, and 23 titles – that is how Zeljko's era is being described in Athens.

In other words, Obradovic collected 11 Greek League championships, winning it nine times in a row, adding 7 Greek Cups and 5 EuroLeague titles.

"What I have experienced in Athens is far beyond the typical professional partnership between a coach and a club," Zeljko told regarding his experience in Greece.

Unfortunately, all great things must come to an end. The summer of 2012 saw sweeping changes in Panathinaikos, starting with the club's front office, then core players, and finally, Obradovic, who decided to move on as well.

Credit AP-Scanpix

The next stop for Obradovic's greatness was Istanbul. Until the arrival of Zeljko in 2013, Fenerbahce was known as a mediocre basketball team at best.

Though, Obradovic changed the mentality of the organization. After improving the roster with players like Bogdan Bogdanovic or Nemanja Bjelica, he began his quest to conquer the European basketball world.

Zeljko's first seasons with Fener in the strongest continental league were not as prosperous as during his previous career stops.

Though, it did not take too long to win the EuroLeague competition for the all-time great. The first place was captured in 2017 with the help of players like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Jan Vesely, Ekpe Udoh, and Kostas Sloukas.

Credit AP – Scanpix

After the revival of the Turkish club and a successful seven-year stretch, winning the EuroLeague trophy, four Turkish League, and three Turkish Cup titles, Obradovic decided to take a break from coaching for one year.

So why, despite his insane success in Europe, Zeljko never coached in the NBA? The answer is a little bit complicated.

Obradovic's fame was caused not only by his incredible achievements but his crazy emotions on the court, too. Could you imagine this in the NBA?

Another thing is Zeljko's willingness to publicly criticize his players.

We could presume that NBA athletes would not be too happy with their coach being highly open with the media.

Zeljko revealed that he has never had serious offers from the NBA. He is a good friend with the former GM of Detroit Pistons, Joe Dumars, but even with him, they never talked about the possibility of going to the NBA.

Obradovic argued that the NBA does not like coaches from Europe. In one interview, he even went further and called the league a mafia that does not allow its coaches to work.

As of now, Zeljko Obradovic has returned where it all started and is coaching Partizan. He aims to bring the young squad to EuroCup finals and claim a spot in the 2022-23 EuroLeague season.

Full story:

Like what we are doing? Support us by becoming BN+ member.