Joe Arlauckas tells a crazy Zeljko Obradovic story from the 90s / News - Basketnews.com

Obradovic told Real Madrid's president not to disrespect his team by showing up late and not to disrupt his coaching by calling a meeting. Arlauckas said that was the moment he knew he wanted to play for Zeljko.

Credit: Partizan Mozzart Bet/Dragana Stjepanovic Credit Partizan Mozzart Bet/Dragana Stjepanovic

Zeljko Obradovic is arguably the greatest European coach in the history of basketball. He's known for his creative offensive mind and demanding coaching style. As such, multiple stories arise from his former players about Zoc, as he's sometimes called in Serbia.

2-pointers this season

59%22,1Points made:22,1Accuracy:59,0%Place in standings:1Record max:30Record min:15Most made 2FGs:Kevin PunterTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Joe Arlauckas was a star player in the 90s, a scoring machine who averaged 26.4 points per game during the 1995-96 EuroLeague season en route to a scoring title. Arlauckas won the EuroLeague in 1995, playing for Real Madrid with Obradovic under the helm.

Before Zeljko arrived in 1994, Real Madrid was coached by Clifford Luyk, who was much different than Obradovic, Arlauckas says.

"I hated Zeljko at first. We had a players' coach, so to speak, before Zeljko. He was one of those guys you could talk to, you could negotiate with him, 'Maybe I'm tired, maybe I'm out of practice'. Sometimes he'd listen to you, sometimes he wouldn't. He didn't have that push," he said during The Crossover podcast. "Then Zeljko comes, and we're all like, 'Yeah, Zeljko Obradovic' because he'd just beat us the year before in the EuroLeague. When he won with Joventut, he knocked us out. We were the favorites. We got Zeljko. He showed up, and after three days, I was like, 'Get this guy out of here'."

With Zeljko as the head coach, Real Madrid's start to the season wasn't excellent. Despite wins in the EuroLeague, the club lost four of the first ten and eight of the first seventeen games in the Spanish ACB League.

Real Madrid called a meeting to address the team's performance. That's when Obradovic made a lasting impression on Arlauckas.

"We started the league poorly. We had a team meeting with the president, and the president walks in 20 minutes late," he said. "The president starts to talk, and Zeljko steps up, and he says, 'Mr. President, before you start, I have two things. Number one, you never ever get rid of my practices without letting me know ahead of time because I have a schedule that I'm on. Number two, if you meet with my players, you be here 10 minutes before my players show up, and don't ever disrespect my team again by showing up late.' I looked over at him and like, 'That's the dude I want to play for.'"

Full The Crossover episode with James Nunnally:

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