sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

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.[1] He is often referred to as the Father of Yugoslav Basketball.[1]

Aleksandar Nikolić

Personal information
Born	(1924-10-28)28 October 1924 Sarajevo, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Died	12 March 2000(2000-03-12) (aged 75) Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia
Nationality	Serbian
Listed height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Career information
Playing career	1945–1951
Position	Small forward
Number	4
Coaching career	1951–1985
Career history
As player:
1945	Crvena zvezda
1945	Yugoslav Army
1946	Partizan
1947–1949	Crvena zvezda
1950	Železničar Čačak
1951	BSK Beograd
As coach:
1951–1965	Yugoslavia
1959–1961	Partizan
1961–1963	OKK Beograd
1963–1965	Petrarca Padova
1965–1967	OKK Beograd
1969–1973	Varese
1973–1974	Crvena zvezda
1974–1976	Fortitudo Bologna
1977–1978	Yugoslavia
1978–1980	Borac Čačak
1981–1982	Virtus Bologna
1982–1983	Reyer Venezia
1983–1984	Victoria Libertas
1984–1985	Udinese
Career highlights and awards
As player: 4× Yugoslav League champion (1945, 1947–1949) As head coach: FIBA Order of Merit (1995) 2× FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion (1970, 1973) 3× EuroLeague champion (1970, 1972, 1973) 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) 2× European Coach of the Year (1966, 1976) FIBA European Selection (1979) FIBA Cup Winners' Cup champion (1974) 3× Italian League champion (1970, 1972, 1973) 3× Italian Cup winner (1970, 1971, 1973) Yugoslav League champion (1963) Yugoslav Cup winner (1962) Piva Ivković Award for Lifetime Achievement (1995)
Basketball Hall of Fame as coach
FIBA Hall of Fame as coach
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Yugoslavia Balkan and Central Europe Games 1947 Albania Team Head Coach for  Yugoslavia FIBA World Cup 1978 Philippines 1963 Brazil FIBA EuroBasket 1977 Belgium 1965 Soviet Union 1963 Poland 1961 Yugoslavia Mediterranean Games 1959 Lebanon

Nikolić was a mentor of many world-class 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.

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.[2] Young Aleksandar enjoyed a privileged upbringing courtesy of his wealthy father, Đorđe Nikolić, who had him at the age of 62.[3] 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.[2] 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.[4]

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.[4]

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.[5]

See also

• Aleksandar Nikolić Hall
• Radomir Šaper
• FIBA Basketball World Cup winning head coaches
• List of FIBA EuroBasket winning coaches
• List of EuroLeague-winning coaches

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)

На других языках

---

- [en] Aleksandar Nikolić

---

[es] Aleksandar Nikolić

Aleksandar Nikolić (en serbio, Александар Николић; 28 de octubre de 1924 - 12 de marzo de 2000) fue un jugador de baloncesto de nacionalidad serbia que tras colgar las botas se dedicó a la labor de entrenador llegando a ser seleccionador nacional de Yugoslavia y uno de los técnicos más respetados de Europa. Es considerado como uno de los precursores del baloncesto moderno en yugoslavia hasta tal punto que se le conoce como el padre del baloncesto yugoslavo.

---

[ru] Николич, Александр

Александр (Аца) Николич (серб. Александар Николић; 28 октября 1924, Сараево, Королевство сербов, хорватов и словенцев — 12 марта 2000) — югославский баскетболист и баскетбольный тренер, член Зала славы баскетбола (с 1998 года) и Зала славы ФИБА (с 2007 года), член списка 50 человек, внёсших наибольший вклад в развитие Евролиги. В качестве игрока — трёхкратный чемпион Югославии. Как тренер сборной СФРЮ — чемпион мира 1978 года и чемпион Европы 1977 года, призёр чемпионатов мира и Европы в 1961—1965 годах. На клубном уровне трёхкратный обладатель Кубка европейских чемпионов и двукратный обладатель Межконтинентального кубка с «Иньисом» (Варезе), обладатель Кубка обладателей кубков с «Црвеной звездой», чемпион и обладатель Кубков Югославии и Италии.

---

---