Zeljko Obradovic reflects on his career, return to Partizan, dreams, and advice to younger self / News - Basketnews.com

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Zeljko Obradovic sat down with Gazzetta and gave an interview about the start of his coaching career, return to Partizan, his dreams, and aspirations.

When remembering his seemingly overnight transition from player to coach, Obradovic said that back in 1991 he did not feel worried at all.

"Fear is not the right word. Fear is not the feeling I felt at that moment. What bothered me more than anything else that first year was to have the answer to every question any of my players could ask," admitted nine-time EuroLeague champion.

"Like now, after 30 years things are very easy for me. I wanted to have the answer to every question. If I did not have the right answer, it would be very difficult for me to be respected. I try to prepare myself to have the right answer at every moment."

61-year-old is now a mentor to many basketball coaches, but back then Obradovic had to look for advice from elders.

"Of course, the help from professor Nikolic was huge at that time. I spent two years by his side and I have no doubt that I made the right decision after my first year at Partizan where we won everything when I decided to stay for another year while I had proposals," the importance of working as an assistant emphasized Obradovic.

"Because I would have the opportunity to work with Aca Nikolic again. It was one of the best decisions of my life. I continued to improve. I believe that every day is an opportunity to improve. I'm getting better even now, at 61. I talk to my assistants, to people who love basketball, to people who have been in the club for many years. Every piece of information I receive is useful."

The legendary coach also touched on the potential risks of coming back to coach Partizan: "Some people say that my decision to come back was not the correct one. My question is what do I have to lose? I only know one thing. That I will try everything, that I will give what I have inside and I will ask my players to do the same to succeed. If that's not enough, what can I do?

I will get along well with myself because I will know that I tried to do everything. You have good and bad moments in life. So far, talking about my professional life, I have lived many beautiful moments. But there were also obstacles. It is a part of life. What happens today is just a thing of the past. You have to think about what you have in front of you. That's the only way I think."

Zeljko Obradovic has always been the coach of teams with large budgets. And for that, there has been some criticism towards the Serbian specialist.

"I was the coach of Partizan and in my first year, we won all three titles. We won the championship, the cup in Yugoslavia and the Champions Cup. At some point, the team found a way to give us some bonuses. I insisted that my players and associates have to be paid first. I told them, "When you have more money, you will give it to me." When the second year came, the financial situation was a disaster. I worked for zero! Zero! I got zero euros all year! Zero dinars! And I never got any bonuses!" reminded Obradovic.

"This was exactly the situation in my second year at Partizan. And now I have to get into the process of answering those who say I work for money, that what matters to me are budgets and contracts? Do I have to answer anything to them? The next year I went to Badalona. If you look at the budget of Badalona in relation to other teams, you will understand. Then I went to Treviso. Real Madrid, Panathinaikos, and Fenerbahce," Obradovic continued his point that money wasn't the driving factor behind his motivation and success.

"People will always be by your side or try to blame you for something. I know what the truth is and most importantly, how I feel. On the other hand, after 30 years of doing this job and all that I have achieved, I think now I have the right to decide on my life and where I am going to work. I expressed my reason for returning to Partizan on the first day here. It's because I love this team. It all starts with that."

Obradovic also provided his vision into the future and talked about his biggest dream for next season: "All of us who are in the organization of Partizan, understand that something very important is happening. There is a very positive atmosphere. With so many good teams, the Adriatic League this year will probably be the best in recent years.

My dream for Partizan is to see our fans in the stands again. This will mean that we will get rid of the coronavirus. This is my first wish. If that is achieved, all my other wishes will be easier to complete. I want to bring Partizan to the position it deserves to be. To play in the EuroLeague. This is my vision. To have a good year, to work hard, to have the support of the fans, to respect whoever we have as our opponent. Most of all, let's enjoy basketball."

The nine-time EuroLeague champion was asked about the advice he would give to the young Zeljko Obradovic: "This is a philosophy. First of all, I'm not the same person I was, 30-40 years ago. Every day we change, every day we try to become better people. This is the most important thing. Maybe one thing I would change is not to react so much to some situations. Do not react so quickly. To be calmer sometimes. You know, in these cases, experience helps. Now I am calmer. Maybe that would be the advice."

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