Aleksandar Nikolić

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Serbian basketball player and coachFor the Olympic fencer, see Aleksandar Nikolić (fencer).

Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. He is often referred to as the Father of Yugoslav Basketball.

Nikolić was a mentor of many world-cl* basketball coaches, such Božidar Maljković, Dušan Ivković, Bogdan Tanjević, Željko Obradović, etc. Nikolić was nicknamed the Professor, the Iron Sergeant. Nikolić was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1998, and into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors.

1 Early life
2 Playing career
3 National team playing career
4 Coaching career
- 4.1 Club coaching career
- 4.2 Yugoslavia national team
5 Death
6 In popular culture
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Early life

Though his parents lived in Brčko, Nikolić was born in Sarajevo, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, due to his pregnant mother, Krista, suddenly going into labour while visiting her sister in Sarajevo. Young Aleksandar enjoyed a privileged upbringing courtesy of his wealthy father, Đorđe Nikolić, who had him at the age of 62. After spending the first few years of his life in Brčko, Nikolić moved with his family to the capital Belgrade, where he would grow up.

Nikolić attended the Kralj Aleksandar Gymnasium at the Belgrade neighbourhood of Banovo Brdo. He then studied medicine and law at the University of Belgrade, graduating in 1946.

Playing career

A small forward, Nikolić played 7 seasons in the Yugoslavia Federal League, from 1945 to 1951. During his playing days, he played for the Yugoslav Army (1945), Partizan (1946), Crvena zvezda (1945, 1947–1949), Železničar Čačak and BSK Beograd (1951). He won the Yugoslav Championships in 1945 with the Yugoslav Army and in 1947, 1948, and 1949, with Crvena Zvezda. He retired as a player with BSK Beograd in 1951.

National team playing career

Nikolić was a member of the Yugoslavia national basketball team during the late 1940s, making in 10 appearances.

Coaching career

Club coaching career

After his playing career was over, Nikolić became involved with coaching, both with Serbia-based clubs, and those in Italy, notably Ignis Varese.

Yugoslavia national team

Nikolić was also the head coach of the senior Yugoslav national squad, between 1951 and 1965, and later between 1977 and 1978. During this time, he coached two future members of the FIBA Hall of Fame, in Borislav Stanković and Krešimir Ćosić. Under his leadership, Yugoslavia won the gold medals at the 1978 FIBA World Championship and the 1977 EuroBasket; silver medals at the 1963 FIBA World Championship, 1961 EuroBasket, and 1965 EuroBasket, and a bronze medal at the 1963 EuroBasket.

Death

Nikolić died on 12 March 2000, in Belgrade. He is buried in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens at Belgrade's New Cemetery. After his death, Aleksandar Nikolić Hall was named after him, in his honor.

In popular culture

In the 2015 Serbian sports drama, We Will Be the World Champions, Nikolić is portrayed by Marko Janketić.

References

External links

Aleksandar Nikolić at fiba.basketball
Aleksandar Nikolić at hoophall.com
Aleksandar Nikolić at leagabasket.it (in Italian)
Sećanje na slavnog Profesora at mondo.rs (in Serbian)

Coaches

Adelman
Alexeeva
P. Allen
Anderson
Auerbach
Auriemma
Barmore
Barry
Blood
Boeheim
L. Brown
Calhoun
Calipari
Cann
Carlson
Carnesecca
Carnevale
Carril
Case
Chancellor
Chaney
Conradt
Crum
Daly
Dean
Díaz-Miguel
Diddle
Drake
Driesell
Ferrándiz
Fitch
Fitzsimmons
Gaines
Gamba
Gardner
Gaze
Gill
Gomelsky
Gunter
Hannum
Harshman
Haskins
Hatchell
Heinsohn
Hickey
Hobson
Holzman
Hughes
Hurley
Iba
Izzo
P. Jackson
Julian
Keaney
Keogan
Knight
Krzyzewski
Kundla
Lambert
Leonard
Lewis
Litwack
Loeffler
Lonborg
Magee
McCutchan
McGraw
A. McGuire
F. McGuire
McLendon
Meanwell
Meyer
Miller
Moore
Mulkey
Nelson
Nikolić
Novosel
Olson
Pitino
Ramsay
Richardson
Riley
Rubini
Rupp
Rush
B. Russell
Sachs
Self
Sharman
Shelton
Sloan
D. Smith
Stevens
Stringer
Summitt
Sutton
Tarkanian
Taylor
Teague
J. Thompson
Tomjanovich
VanDerveer
Wade
Watts
Wilkens
G. Williams
R. Williams
Wooden
Woolpert
Wootten
Wright
Yow

Contributors

Abbott
Ackerman
Attles
Barksdale
Baumann
Bee
Biasone
H. Brown
W. Brown
Bunn
Buss
Clifton
Colangelo
T. Cooper
Davidson
Douglas
Duer
Embry
*an
Fisher
Fleisher
Garfinkel
Gavitt
Gottlieb
Granik
Gulick
Harrison
Hearn
Henderson
Hepp
Hickox
Hinkle
Irish
M. Jackson
Jernstedt
R. Jones
Kennedy
Knight
J. Krause
Lemon
Liston
Lloyd
Lobo
McLendon
Mokray
Morgan
Morgenweck
Naismith
Newell
Newton
J. O'Brien
L. O'Brien
Olsen
Podoloff
Porter
Raveling
Reid
Reinsdorf
Ripley
Sanders
Saperstein
Schabinger
St. John
Stagg
Stanković
Steitz
Stern
Taylor
Thorn
Tower
Trester
Vitale
Wells
Welts
Wilke
Winter
Zollner

Referees

Bavetta
Enright
Garretson
Hepbron
Hoyt
Kennedy
Leith
Mihalik
Nichols
Nucatola
Quigley
Rudolph
Shirley
Strom
Tobey
Walsh

Teams

1956–57 Tennessee A&I State Team
1957–58 Tennessee A&I State Team
1958–59 Tennessee A&I State Team
1960 United States Olympic Team
1992 United States Olympic Team
All-American Red Heads
Buffalo Germans
The First Team
Harlem Globetrotters
Immaculata College
New York Renaissance
Original Celtics
Texas Western
Wayland Baptist Women's Teams (1948–1982)

Technical officials

Arabadjian
Bain
Belošević
Blanchard
Dimou
Hopenhaym
K*ai
Kostin
Lazarov
Pfeuti
Rae
Reverberi
Rigas
Righetto

Teams

1992 USA Men's "Dream Team"