By Giorgios Bakolas
Zelimir Obradovic, the most successful coach of European basketball. His name is synonym with titles and records and had his 55th birthday. So here are 10 rare items from life and career of the great Serbian coach.
1. February 24th 1997, Spanish national road Albathete – Madrid (301 km) . He was very lucky. He lost control of his car, which pinned into a phone booth. “For a couple of seconds, I thought I died and suddenly I resurrected from the deads. That moment I understood how important life is”, Obradovic said that day, and for that reason he celebrates his birthday with much more pleasure and happiness.
2. He was in prison not only once, as everybody think, but twice. The first one was of a washtub from the army. At the second time, because he dragged and fatally wounded with his car an elderly woman in the late 80s. “I learnt a lot after that incident”. He never tried to hide facts. He believes that: «Man takes lessons of the good and bad incidents”.
3. His biggest mistake of his life was when he became head coach of Serbian national team during Eurobasket 2005. The day after host’s “disaster” was very difficult. For six hours (12 pm until 6 in the morning!) into a TV studio “interrogated” by Serb viewers. It is characteristic that the Serbian television showed the whole interview over 50 times in three days!
4. He reads lots of literary books. His favorite author is Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He also loves music, Bob Dylan’s lays, Spanish flamengo and Antonis Remos. And of course don’t forget his lovely fishing.
5. At the beginning of 2000 (during the first season as head coach of Panathinaikos) promised that if renewed his collaboration with the “greens” he would learn Greek. Some years after, he said that he didn’t’ want to learn Greek anymore. The reason? He didn’t want to understand what greek newspapers write. It was something which irritated him. It’ s a common secret that Obradovic understood greek language very well. But Itoudis and his translator sealed the deal.
6. At his first steps in Greece, according to some rumors, his purpose was to bring to Panathinaikos players from Yugoslavia for obvious reasons. He avoided that kind of movements, interrupting any cooperation he had with Serbian managers.
7. Obradovic was acquiring familiar purple colour in his face every time when there were rumors about Serbian lobby. Ioannidis had said that Obradovic’s triumph at 1994 Euroleague Final Four in Tel Aviv was a result of luck. Obradovic answerer with the proper way. “I know that Ioannidis believes that God gave to me the cup. I know how does he feel. If I lost the final, I was searching for excuses too¨.
8. His weakness was obviously his father. He would change everything with one hope, to have his father with him. He was the most important person in his life. His mother has a very special place in his life. When he has free time makes a lot of trips to Belgrade to see her.
9. Another special person to Obradovic ‘s life is his best man, Dusan Ivkovic. There are lots of statements about their fights for …wine are unbelievable. Ivkovic awaited him for Yugoslavia’s first meeting before Eurobasket 1991. Obradovic had other plans. During one night he became Partizan’s head coach and at the end of the season won the triple crown.
10. Two things are not negotiable: to call him “Gastone” (that he is very lucky as coach) and to “bury” to his players. Always is the person who tries to protect them. “I’m Zeliko Obradovic and I can speak, when I decide to do it”, Obradovic said, after Vaggelis Alexandris’ note, that he may not have the word for the second time, speaking about Solomon’s and Kalaitzis’ incident at Palais de Sports.