By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Bogdan Bogdanovic discussed how playing under Zeljko Obradovic on Fenerbahce Beko transformed the way he looked at the game of basketball and the things he learned from the Serbian coach.
Here’s what Bogdanovic told Kyle Hines in an interview for ELPA’s (EuroLeague Players Association) “The Players Podcast”:
“With Dusko Vujosevic, I was working more on my game. He was teaching me more individual things. Zeljko is the guy who wants to win. For him it doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter how old are you, how young are you. If you can play, you play. You can help the team win games? You play. You cannot hide. He’s expecting the players to win the game. He doesn’t care about contracts, how old are you, how young are you. He’s playing you to win the game.
I learned a lot of stuff from him. Especially game stuff, how to read the game, how to see the game differently. I’m not going to say I was selfish with Partizan but… I just didn’t see it. I didn’t see that there’s another option. When you’re working on your game, you think ‘If I don’t score, I’m not good.’ With Zeljko I learned that different part… the trust between players. That makes basketball simple, simple for you. You and me together. He taught me that.”
“Whoever wanted to play his way, he didn’t play. And when I tried to play my way, he let me know. Not just me, everyone. That’s what I liked about him. In the beginning I didn’t like it of course. No one likes it at the beginning. But then you feel good, everyone feels good. You see what is all about.”
Bogdanovic also talked about his basketball beginnings, his EuroLeague journey towards winning the championship with Fener in 2017, how he signed with the Atlanta Hawks and what work ethic means for him.