diff --git "a/subtitle/EeTmrsVW8qE.srt" "b/subtitle/EeTmrsVW8qE.srt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/subtitle/EeTmrsVW8qE.srt" @@ -0,0 +1,4180 @@ +1 +00:00:08,980 --> 00:00:14,260 +Basketball arrived in Serbia in October, 1923 +when an American Red Cross worker named William + +2 +00:00:14,260 --> 00:00:19,200 +Willand brought with him to Belgrade a basketball, +a hoop, and the rules of the game of basketball + +3 +00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,800 +as Dr. Naismith had scribbled them out some +32 years before. + +4 +00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,460 +To his surprise, the Serbs were eager learners +and gifted players. + +5 +00:00:26,460 --> 00:00:30,890 +Serbia and the surrounding countries are home +to some of the tallest people in the world, + +6 +00:00:30,890 --> 00:00:33,230 +many of whom hail from the Balkan Mountains. + +7 +00:00:33,230 --> 00:00:38,770 +So in his memoirs, Willand would later note +that the region was ripe with talent. + +8 +00:00:38,770 --> 00:00:41,620 +The 1940s saw the rapid growth of infrastructure +for basketball in Serbia. + +9 +00:00:41,620 --> 00:00:46,110 +Within a year, 23 clubs joined the Serbian +basketball association, including Red Star + +10 +00:00:46,110 --> 00:00:51,010 +and Partizan, to this day the two most important +professional teams in all of Serbia. + +11 +00:00:51,010 --> 00:00:56,079 +New courts were built outside at Kalemegdan +fortress for both teams, complete with bleachers + +12 +00:00:56,079 --> 00:00:57,930 +for spectators to watch. + +13 +00:00:57,930 --> 00:01:02,190 +Those courts, inside the walls of an old fortress, +brought together a group of young men that + +14 +00:01:02,190 --> 00:01:06,090 +would later become known as the founding fathers +of Yugoslavian basketball. + +15 +00:01:06,090 --> 00:01:10,760 +There was Nebojsa Popovic, a co-founder of +Red Star who served as both a player and the + +16 +00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:12,200 +team’s coach in their inaugural season. + +17 +00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:16,930 +He would go on to become the president of +the Yugoslav Basketball Federation and later, + +18 +00:01:16,930 --> 00:01:19,760 +president of the FIBA Commission for International +Competition. + +19 +00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:24,200 +There was Radomir Saper, a chemistry professor +and academic who later became the president + +20 +00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:26,030 +of the technical commission for FIBA. + +21 +00:01:26,030 --> 00:01:29,770 +In that role, he helped shape many of the +rules that helped expand the sport across + +22 +00:01:29,770 --> 00:01:32,240 +Yugoslavia and the European continent. + +23 +00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:36,158 +Then there was Borislav Stankovic, who was +fluent in 6 languages, became one of the most + +24 +00:01:36,158 --> 00:01:39,360 +important ambassadors of the game of basketball +in the 20th century. + +25 +00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,890 +He held many important titles throughout his +administrative career, including secretary + +26 +00:01:42,890 --> 00:01:43,890 +general of FIBA. + +27 +00:01:43,890 --> 00:01:48,658 +And most important of all was Aleksandar Nikolic, +the father of Yugoslavian basketball. + +28 +00:01:48,658 --> 00:01:52,590 +Respectfully referred to as “professor,” +Nikolic was a revolutionary coach and teacher + +29 +00:01:52,590 --> 00:01:53,590 +of the game. + +30 +00:01:53,590 --> 00:01:57,460 +His coaching tree is perhaps the most immense +and distinguished in all of Europe. + +31 +00:01:57,460 --> 00:02:01,850 +In addition to leading the Yugoslavian national +team, he also coached several teams across + +32 +00:02:01,850 --> 00:02:06,430 +Europe, including Petrarca Padova in the Italian +league, where, in 1965, he coached who he + +33 +00:02:06,430 --> 00:02:10,228 +would later claim was his favorite player, +Doug Moe. + +34 +00:02:10,228 --> 00:02:11,680 +Imagine that. + +35 +00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:16,170 +The winningest coach in Denver Nuggets history +playing for The Godfather of Serbian basketball. + +36 +00:02:16,170 --> 00:02:18,959 +All 4 of these young men were accomplished +academics and professionals. + +37 +00:02:18,959 --> 00:02:23,560 +And yet, each of them saw something special +in the relationship to Yugoslavia and basketball + +38 +00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:27,800 +that led them to leave promising careers in +order to help shape and guide the future of + +39 +00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:28,800 +basketball in the country. + +40 +00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,970 +It is because of these 4 men and their passion +and vision, that Yugoslavia would go on to + +41 +00:02:32,970 --> 00:02:37,310 +become a basketball nation, extending their +influence on the sport throughout the region, + +42 +00:02:37,310 --> 00:02:39,170 +throughout Europe, and around the world. + +43 +00:02:39,170 --> 00:02:43,010 +70 years later, a tall and unassuming, young +prodigy arrived in Denver, Colorado. + +44 +00:02:43,010 --> 00:02:46,030 +A city halfway around the globe from Serbia. + +45 +00:02:46,030 --> 00:02:50,159 +This is a story about one man, a basketball +player, and an MVP. + +46 +00:02:50,159 --> 00:02:53,490 +But it’s also a story about Serbia, and +about a lot of other basketball players. + +47 +00:02:53,490 --> 00:02:57,090 +It’s about a culture and tradition that +has helped shape many of the world’s great + +48 +00:02:57,090 --> 00:03:00,180 +basketball players and changed the way that +the world sees the game. + +49 +00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:03,890 +It’s about a family tree that extends all +the way around the globe, and a branch of + +50 +00:03:03,890 --> 00:03:06,890 +that tree that brought people together in +the most interesting way. + +51 +00:03:06,890 --> 00:03:10,489 +And most of all, it’s about a group of friends +who make up the DNVR Nuggets. + +52 +00:03:10,489 --> 00:03:11,890 +went on a journey to discover more about the +country that delivered them an MVP. + +53 +00:03:11,890 --> 00:03:15,840 +For years, the 7 of us have been watching, +analyzing and sharing perspectives on Jokic + +54 +00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,260 +and the Nuggets with fans from all around +the globe. + +55 +00:03:18,260 --> 00:03:20,910 +But connecting especially with fans in Serbia. + +56 +00:03:20,910 --> 00:03:23,739 +There’s RG and Kalle, our producers. + +57 +00:03:23,739 --> 00:03:26,250 +Vogt, the charismatic party animal. + +58 +00:03:26,250 --> 00:03:27,940 +Wind the pragmatic reporter. + +59 +00:03:27,940 --> 00:03:29,760 +Dev the cool and popular one. + +60 +00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:31,260 +Eric the artist and comedian. + +61 +00:03:31,260 --> 00:03:34,849 +And of course, myself, the host and leader +of the pack. + +62 +00:03:34,849 --> 00:03:39,260 +This is the story of our journey to discover +more about the country that delivered us our + +63 +00:03:39,260 --> 00:03:40,260 +MVP. +0:03:52.240,1193:02:47.295 +Belgrade. + +64 +00:03:53,881 --> 00:03:56,227 +The capital city of Serbia. + +65 +00:03:56,227 --> 00:03:59,067 +Greeting us at the airport are two friends +that we’d made through our work at DNVR. + +66 +00:03:59,067 --> 00:04:01,510 +Luka and Miroslav. + +67 +00:04:01,510 --> 00:04:04,213 +Our first stop upon arrival is to get a tour +from Goran, a fan of DNVR, and a professional + +68 +00:04:04,213 --> 00:04:06,140 +tour guide who offered to show us around the +city. + +69 +00:04:06,140 --> 00:04:07,980 +Goran: Nice to meet you. + +70 +00:04:07,980 --> 00:04:10,099 +Kalle: Nice to meet you. + +71 +00:04:10,099 --> 00:04:11,099 +Goran: Adam. + +72 +00:04:11,099 --> 00:04:13,500 +Adam: Nice to meet you, man. + +73 +00:04:13,500 --> 00:04:17,470 +This street was used by the Romans 2000 year +ago. + +74 +00:04:17,470 --> 00:04:20,846 +In that time it was considered to be like +highway. + +75 +00:04:20,846 --> 00:04:23,426 +Get him. + +76 +00:04:23,426 --> 00:04:25,386 +Get him. + +77 +00:04:25,386 --> 00:04:28,903 +Cross him. + +78 +00:04:28,903 --> 00:04:30,334 +Cross him. + +79 +00:04:30,334 --> 00:04:33,284 +Oh, let’s get him. + +80 +00:04:33,284 --> 00:04:35,549 +Let’s get him. + +81 +00:04:35,549 --> 00:04:36,549 +Oooh. + +82 +00:04:38,139 --> 00:04:39,750 +Let’s go. + +83 +00:04:39,750 --> 00:04:45,356 +Then we’ll turn left, go to the oldest restaurant +in Belgrade named, question mark pub, it’s + +84 +00:04:45,356 --> 00:04:46,974 +from 1823. + +85 +00:04:46,974 --> 00:04:48,504 +Question mark pub. + +86 +00:04:48,504 --> 00:04:50,740 +The oldest pub in the country. + +87 +00:04:50,740 --> 00:04:53,779 +A ceiling painted by two hundred years of +tobacco smoke. + +88 +00:04:53,779 --> 00:04:56,949 +A bar top that sinks slowly towards it’s +demise. + +89 +00:04:56,949 --> 00:05:00,500 +This is the type of ornamentation the people +of old Belgrade prefer. + +90 +00:05:00,500 --> 00:05:03,780 +Walk the streets of Old Belgrade on a hot +summer day and you’re sure to overhear a + +91 +00:05:03,780 --> 00:05:08,259 +local vent about air conditioning, which make +the room more comfortable but whose large + +92 +00:05:08,259 --> 00:05:11,800 +bulky units can turn any ornate window into +an eyesore. + +93 +00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,759 +But whether it is a closed air-condition-less +window on a hot day, a broken chandelier, + +94 +00:05:15,759 --> 00:05:20,810 +or the ruins of a building bombed 20 years +ago, Belgrade is a city that seems to prefer + +95 +00:05:20,810 --> 00:05:22,540 +tradition over comfort. + +96 +00:05:22,540 --> 00:05:25,750 +A city that prefers when their scars tell +you their stories. + +97 +00:05:25,750 --> 00:05:29,310 +Perhaps no place in Serbia is more scarred +than Kalemegdan fortress. + +98 +00:05:29,310 --> 00:05:33,659 +And no place on Earth lends itself more perfectly +to metaphor. + +99 +00:05:33,659 --> 00:05:37,550 +Sitting on a hill where the Sava meets the +Danube, the fortress forms a crossroad between + +100 +00:05:37,550 --> 00:05:38,900 +the east and the west. + +101 +00:05:38,900 --> 00:05:43,400 +For centuries, the two rivers have provided +a central meeting ground for different cultures + +102 +00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:44,980 +and civilizations. + +103 +00:05:44,980 --> 00:05:48,710 +And a strategic passageway for war parties +traveling from Europe to the middle east, + +104 +00:05:48,710 --> 00:05:49,960 +and vice versa. + +105 +00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:54,260 +It is because of that fact it is said that +Belgrade has been torn down and rebuilt some + +106 +00:05:54,260 --> 00:05:56,470 +44 times over the last 1800 years. + +107 +00:05:56,470 --> 00:06:00,000 +It’s fitting that two of the most important +basketball courts in the country sit inside + +108 +00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,539 +the walls of this fortress. + +109 +00:06:01,539 --> 00:06:05,130 +The Red and White court of Red Star nearly +touching the Black and White court of their + +110 +00:06:05,130 --> 00:06:06,660 +rivals, Partizan. + +111 +00:06:06,660 --> 00:06:10,330 +It was here that the founding fathers first +assembled as players, peers, and rivals some + +112 +00:06:10,330 --> 00:06:27,850 +80 years ago. + +113 +00:06:27,850 --> 00:06:31,330 +There is nowhere that Serbs are more delighted +to share their culture with you than around + +114 +00:06:31,330 --> 00:06:32,330 +the dinner table. + +115 +00:06:32,330 --> 00:06:35,190 +And in Serbia, dinner often lasts for hours. + +116 +00:06:35,190 --> 00:06:38,310 +Ambar restaurant, on the waterfront in downtown +Belgrade. + +117 +00:06:38,310 --> 00:06:39,970 +Our host for the evening was Marko. + +118 +00:06:39,970 --> 00:06:45,690 +And you will try right now, the best Rakija +we have right now is Iskrena. + +119 +00:06:45,690 --> 00:06:47,130 +The national drink is Rakija. + +120 +00:06:47,130 --> 00:06:52,340 +And you won’t go a meal among friends without +being poured a drink or two, or three. + +121 +00:06:52,340 --> 00:06:53,590 +Who’s really counting. + +122 +00:06:53,590 --> 00:06:59,199 +Rakija is a Balkan brandy that is most commonly +made from plums, pears, apricots… + +123 +00:06:59,199 --> 00:07:04,289 +The good Rakija for me is, if you put in your +hand a little bit of Rakija and you can feel + +124 +00:07:04,289 --> 00:07:06,930 +first if you have a lot of sugar or not. + +125 +00:07:06,930 --> 00:07:15,430 +So good sugar, like good sugar from fruits, +it’s not sticky. + +126 +00:07:15,430 --> 00:07:20,440 +Stefan Kokanovic traveled 100 km to deliver +each of us a bottle of his family’s label, + +127 +00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:22,360 +Iskrena, meaning honesty. + +128 +00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,530 +For Stefan, rakija is more than just a drink. + +129 +00:07:25,530 --> 00:07:30,680 +I was studying in Switzerland and we had a +class that was called spirits and other alcoholic + +130 +00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:31,729 +beverages. + +131 +00:07:31,729 --> 00:07:36,960 +And I was taught in Switzerland that Rakija +is the drink that you should most definitely + +132 +00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:38,409 +not drink, you know? + +133 +00:07:38,409 --> 00:07:42,870 +That it is, I will not say garbage product +but yeah. + +134 +00:07:42,870 --> 00:07:43,870 +Something like that. + +135 +00:07:43,870 --> 00:07:49,240 +Our mission when producing Rakija is to present +rakija to the world of spirits. + +136 +00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:55,330 +Let’s say that it is a drink that should +stand head to head with some of the most popular + +137 +00:07:55,330 --> 00:07:56,780 +spirit brands in the world. + +138 +00:07:56,780 --> 00:07:57,889 +Like Cognac, like whiskey. + +139 +00:07:57,889 --> 00:08:03,590 +I think that rakija is something that Serbians +are proud of. + +140 +00:08:03,590 --> 00:08:10,240 +That I will accomplish my mission and that +is to show the world that rakija is not just + +141 +00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:14,860 +some drink that you are, you know, ashamed +of. + +142 +00:08:14,860 --> 00:08:18,560 +Stefan’s story reveals something important +about the relationship Serbians feel toward + +143 +00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:20,659 +the rest of Europe and the world. + +144 +00:08:20,659 --> 00:08:25,080 +Rakija is not just the national drink of Serbia, +it is entwined with who they are. + +145 +00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:28,060 +To diminish Rakija is to diminish Serbian +culture. + +146 +00:08:28,060 --> 00:08:32,669 +To view their spirits as a lower spirit must +in some way unveil a prejudice towards Serbia + +147 +00:08:32,669 --> 00:08:33,669 +itself. + +148 +00:08:33,669 --> 00:08:38,030 +Stefan’s mission to elevate the perception +of Rakija seems, in many ways, a mission to + +149 +00:08:38,030 --> 00:08:39,979 +share the way Serbians view themselves. + +150 +00:08:39,979 --> 00:08:44,830 +For that same reason, Marko and our gracious +hosts at Ambar were eager to show us every + +151 +00:08:44,830 --> 00:08:49,320 +dish Serbia has to over, all over the course +of a meal that last several hours long. + +152 +00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:53,990 +And don’t be surprised when a Serbian hosts +proclaims with every dish “you can’t get + +153 +00:08:53,990 --> 00:08:55,940 +this anywhere else!” + +154 +00:08:55,940 --> 00:09:00,510 +But while Stefan and his family aim to produce +rakija commercially, many Serbians will tell + +155 +00:09:00,510 --> 00:09:04,769 +you that to find the best rakija, you simply +need to know a guy. + +156 +00:09:04,769 --> 00:09:05,769 +My man! + +157 +00:09:05,769 --> 00:09:06,769 +Hi guys. + +158 +00:09:06,769 --> 00:09:07,769 +What up? + +159 +00:09:07,769 --> 00:09:12,279 +Luckily for us, following dinner at Ambar +was our first chance to meet our fans and + +160 +00:09:12,279 --> 00:09:15,180 +followers back at a Kafana outside of Kalemegdan +fortress. + +161 +00:09:29,221 --> 00:09:30,486 +Your grandma made this? + +162 +00:09:30,486 --> 00:09:31,442 +Yeah. + +163 +00:09:31,603 --> 00:09:33,149 +But don’t sip too much. + +164 +00:09:33,193 --> 00:09:34,193 +Small sip. + +165 +00:09:34,193 --> 00:09:35,103 +Alright. + +166 +00:09:35,103 --> 00:09:37,119 +Here’s for grandma. + +167 +00:09:42,066 --> 00:09:43,772 +Dev likes! + +168 +00:09:43,772 --> 00:09:46,273 +Let’s gooooo!!! + +169 +00:09:51,660 --> 00:09:52,660 +Oh that’s so cool. + +170 +00:09:52,704 --> 00:09:54,013 +It’s like desert! + +171 +00:09:54,013 --> 00:09:55,675 +This is a special rakija for Vogt. + +172 +00:09:55,675 --> 00:09:56,940 +I went outside of Belgrade to get it for him. + +173 +00:09:56,940 --> 00:10:03,195 +Im told it’s the best…he went to a monastery +for this! + +174 +00:10:03,195 --> 00:10:07,460 +Right when I came out here, honestly, I asked +“are we going to have one person show up?” + +175 +00:10:07,460 --> 00:10:08,460 +Silly! + +176 +00:10:08,460 --> 00:10:10,330 +No matter what we do. + +177 +00:10:10,330 --> 00:10:13,583 +This was the best thing we did. + +178 +00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:32,380 +After getting familiar with the food, drinks, +and layout of Belgrade, we were invited to + +179 +00:10:32,380 --> 00:10:36,900 +the Serbian Basketball Federation to meet +with Strahinja Vasilejevic, who would provide + +180 +00:10:36,900 --> 00:10:45,940 +an introduction and overview to the rich history +of basketball in Serbia. + +181 +00:10:45,940 --> 00:10:51,390 +So this is the office of the association of +basketball coaches of Serbia. + +182 +00:10:51,390 --> 00:10:58,880 +And these guys are the Hall of Fame coaches +that built basketball through Yugoslavia and + +183 +00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:00,570 +later on Serbia. + +184 +00:11:00,570 --> 00:11:10,050 +This is Aleksandar Nikolic, who is probably +the best coach in history of European basketball. + +185 +00:11:14,333 --> 00:11:22,839 +He actually made a lot of these guys around +him as their tudor. + +186 +00:11:22,839 --> 00:11:27,300 +In the 1950s, the founding fathers retired +as players but moved on to become coaches + +187 +00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:29,000 +and administrators. + +188 +00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:33,600 +Also in the 1950s, a new generation of players +was beginning to burst onto the scene, including + +189 +00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:37,510 +a 6’5 scorer from Sombor, Serbia named Radivoj +Korac. + +190 +00:11:37,510 --> 00:11:41,730 +Korac is a legend of Wilt Chamberlain proportions +in Yugoslavian basketball history, holding + +191 +00:11:41,730 --> 00:11:46,440 +many unbreakable records including a still +unbroken EuroLeague record; 99 points scored + +192 +00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:47,820 +in a single game. + +193 +00:11:47,820 --> 00:11:52,800 +In the 60s, coach Nikolic led Korac and Yugoslavia +to 4 medals in international competition. + +194 +00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:57,510 +In 1967, Ranko Zeravica, an assistant under +Professor Nikolic, took the baton from his + +195 +00:11:57,510 --> 00:12:00,540 +mentor and was named the head coach of the +national team. + +196 +00:12:00,540 --> 00:12:02,920 +Also joining the national team in 1967 was +Kresimir Cosic. + +197 +00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:07,220 +Cosic was a talented 6’11 croatian who had +the body of a center but the skill set of + +198 +00:12:07,220 --> 00:12:12,240 +a guard, possessing a unique touch around +the basket and outside of the paint, incredible + +199 +00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:15,240 +passing, and the ability to read the court +as quickly as a point guard. + +200 +00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:16,390 +Sounds familiar. + +201 +00:12:16,390 --> 00:12:22,190 +In 1968, the Yugoslavian team bested the Soviets +and advanced to the nation’s first Olympic + +202 +00:12:22,190 --> 00:12:25,360 +final where they won their first ever Olympic +Silver medal. + +203 +00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:29,430 +Then another silver medal in the 1968 European +Championship. + +204 +00:12:29,430 --> 00:12:34,510 +However, as the Yugoslavian team was ascending +on the international stage, the decade ended + +205 +00:12:34,510 --> 00:12:38,639 +in tragedy as Korac was killed in a car accident +while driving home from an exhibition game + +206 +00:12:38,639 --> 00:12:40,850 +with the national team in 1969. + +207 +00:12:40,850 --> 00:12:42,170 +He was just 30 years old. + +208 +00:12:42,170 --> 00:12:46,640 +It was in the wake of Korac’s death that +Yugoslavia first reached the pinnacle of basketball. + +209 +00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:51,430 +The 1970 World Championship marked the beginning +of the first golden generation of basketball + +210 +00:12:51,430 --> 00:12:52,529 +in Yugoslavia. + +211 +00:12:52,529 --> 00:12:55,079 +And the sport exploded in popularity. + +212 +00:12:55,079 --> 00:12:58,019 +The team picked up a silver at EuroBasket +in 1971. + +213 +00:12:58,019 --> 00:13:00,639 +A gold in EuroBasket 1973. + +214 +00:13:00,639 --> 00:13:03,949 +A silver in the World Championship in 1974. + +215 +00:13:03,949 --> 00:13:06,649 +Another gold in EuroBasket 1975. + +216 +00:13:06,649 --> 00:13:10,020 +A silver in the 1976 Olympics. + +217 +00:13:10,020 --> 00:13:12,839 +Another gold in EuroBasket 1977. + +218 +00:13:12,839 --> 00:13:15,779 +Another gold in Fiba World Cup 1978. + +219 +00:13:15,779 --> 00:13:18,710 +A Bronze in in EuroBasket 1979. + +220 +00:13:18,710 --> 00:13:23,550 +And most important of all, with the US boycotting +the 1980 Olympics, team Yugoslavia went on + +221 +00:13:23,550 --> 00:13:27,870 +to win their first ever Olympic gold medal +in basketball in 1980. + +222 +00:13:27,870 --> 00:13:31,940 +Over a 10-year period, the golden generation +had won 6 gold medals, 3 silver medals, 1 + +223 +00:13:31,940 --> 00:13:39,180 +bronze, and firmly established Yugoslavia +as a basketball nation. + +224 +00:13:39,180 --> 00:13:43,250 +After a few days exploring Belgrade, me and +the team traveled up to Sombor, the hometown + +225 +00:13:43,250 --> 00:13:45,199 +of Nikola Jokic. + +226 +00:13:45,199 --> 00:13:49,310 +Along with Miroslav, our other host and guide +for the trip was Milan, another friend we + +227 +00:13:49,310 --> 00:13:50,900 +had met through our work at DNVR. + +228 +00:13:50,900 --> 00:13:56,529 +We were also welcomed by Srdjan V, a Sombor +native and our unofficial guide in Sombor. + +229 +00:13:56,529 --> 00:14:00,740 +He explains, that people of Sombor have a +defining trait: + +230 +00:14:00,740 --> 00:14:02,279 +Relaxed, of course. + +231 +00:14:02,279 --> 00:14:03,279 +And slowly. + +232 +00:14:03,279 --> 00:14:07,230 +It’s mixed of different kind of personalities. + +233 +00:14:07,230 --> 00:14:08,840 +Different kind of ethnicities. + +234 +00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:15,130 +Different people from different areas of ex +Yugoslavia who came here to live. + +235 +00:14:15,130 --> 00:14:18,570 +It’s mix of cultures, mix of everything. + +236 +00:14:18,570 --> 00:14:19,720 +Inter cultural city. + +237 +00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,500 +While it’s not quite the small town that +we were led to believe, the pace of life in + +238 +00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:25,070 +Sombor remains slow. + +239 +00:14:25,070 --> 00:14:29,510 +It is a 2-hour drive from the capital city +of Belgrade and in a direction that doesn’t + +240 +00:14:29,510 --> 00:14:32,030 +really lend itself towards any place in particular. + +241 +00:14:32,030 --> 00:14:35,490 +You’ve got to go to Sombor to get to Sombor. + +242 +00:14:35,490 --> 00:14:38,990 +The City Hall building sits at the center +of town and is the location of one of the + +243 +00:14:38,990 --> 00:14:42,810 +most memorable moments of Jokic’s early +professional basketball career. + +244 +00:14:42,810 --> 00:14:47,630 +It was here that a 21-year old Nikola was +greeted by his hometown upon earning a silver + +245 +00:14:47,630 --> 00:14:50,339 +medal in the 2016 Olympics. + +246 +00:14:50,339 --> 00:14:54,975 +Surprised by the turnout, Nikola became overwhelmed +with emotion. + +247 +00:15:03,870 --> 00:15:11,279 +I think he is a representative of Sombor in +every case. + +248 +00:15:11,279 --> 00:15:22,890 +He is smart, playing with brain more than +body. + +249 +00:15:22,890 --> 00:15:27,000 +I think he is typical man from Sombor. + +250 +00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,460 +And speaks like every original Somborian. + +251 +00:15:30,460 --> 00:15:35,060 +The City Hall building itself is known for +housing the largest painting in all of ex-yugoslavia: + +252 +00:15:35,060 --> 00:15:36,260 +the Battle of Zenta. + +253 +00:15:36,260 --> 00:15:41,890 +A 23 foot by 13 foot painting depicting an +important and bloody battle that was fought + +254 +00:15:41,890 --> 00:15:46,920 +by the outmanned Austro-Hungarian army to +ward off advances from the Ottomans and shift + +255 +00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,870 +the balance of power between the two armies, +driving the Ottomans out of the region and + +256 +00:15:50,870 --> 00:15:54,330 +redirecting the course of history in what +is now Serbia. + +257 +00:15:54,330 --> 00:15:57,120 +It entered this hall through this window. + +258 +00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,000 +So it couldn’t enter. + +259 +00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:04,259 +So they had to knock down this wall to the +ceiling so they could like, put it in. + +260 +00:16:04,259 --> 00:16:06,300 +So they fixed it after. + +261 +00:16:07,581 --> 00:16:13,070 +A quick drive across town lands us at KK Joker, +the home of Nikola Jokic’s club team. + +262 +00:16:13,070 --> 00:16:15,649 +Of course it wasn’t always known as KK Joker. + +263 +00:16:15,649 --> 00:16:21,019 +Back when Nikola was just a young MVP in training, +the club was known as KK SO Kos. + +264 +00:16:21,019 --> 00:16:29,759 +To show us the building, we are met by Srdjan +Stojkov, a coach for KK Joker and one of Nikola’s + +265 +00:16:29,759 --> 00:16:30,759 +childhood trainers. + +266 +00:16:30,759 --> 00:16:34,829 +Srdjan grew up playing with Nikola’s older +brother, Strahinja, and remembers the early + +267 +00:16:34,829 --> 00:16:41,060 +days when Nikola was just the kid brother +tagging along at practices and games. + +268 +00:16:41,060 --> 00:16:47,360 +The ball was basically his only toy when he +was a little boy. + +269 +00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:49,960 +He grew up with a ball. + +270 +00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:56,940 +He was playing on the 4th level of basketball +competition as a 15 year old, dominating against + +271 +00:16:56,940 --> 00:16:59,310 +the seniors, against grown up guys. + +272 +00:16:59,310 --> 00:17:02,569 +Is there any part of Jokic’s success that +surprised you? + +273 +00:17:02,569 --> 00:17:03,680 +Even early on? + +274 +00:17:05,535 --> 00:17:06,535 +“Yes! + +275 +00:17:07,196 --> 00:17:08,747 +Hahaha” MVP. + +276 +00:17:08,968 --> 00:17:10,666 +Two times. + +277 +00:17:11,329 --> 00:17:19,869 +Was it possible for Jokic to get a better +situation than Denver? + +278 +00:17:22,122 --> 00:17:26,141 +Denver is just a perfect situation for him. + +279 +00:17:26,141 --> 00:17:30,000 +And it is no accident that he became so great +there. + +280 +00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:35,763 +Best solution for his career. 2 time MVP and the best player in the world. + +281 +00:17:37,530 --> 00:17:40,030 +Everything is amazing. + +282 +00:17:40,030 --> 00:17:43,619 +Of course, we couldn’t leave without a friendly +three-point competition. + +283 +00:17:43,619 --> 00:17:45,255 +Let’s see who’s better. + +284 +00:17:45,255 --> 00:17:46,844 +Come on! + +285 +00:17:50,641 --> 00:17:51,635 +Ohhhh. + +286 +00:17:51,635 --> 00:17:53,335 +Sorry! + +287 +00:17:58,280 --> 00:17:59,980 +Pressure. + +288 +00:17:59,980 --> 00:18:01,679 +Pressure. + +289 +00:18:01,679 --> 00:18:03,380 +Pressure. + +290 +00:18:03,380 --> 00:18:06,780 +Thank you! + +291 +00:18:06,780 --> 00:18:08,578 +No thank you. + +292 +00:18:11,890 --> 00:18:17,990 +Another short drive and, hidden behind a few +unmarked dirt roads lies the famed stables. + +293 +00:18:17,990 --> 00:18:22,490 +The weiner dogs who interrupted Nikola’s +MVP speech are still there, still barking + +294 +00:18:22,490 --> 00:18:26,870 +with the confidence of a dog three times their +size. + +295 +00:18:26,870 --> 00:18:32,640 +The tractors and trailers that rest underneath +the old wooden barns are neither new nor shiny. + +296 +00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,260 +The sign that greets you at the head of the +stables is ordinary and simple. + +297 +00:18:36,260 --> 00:18:41,200 +Like the ceiling of question mark bar, the +stables proudly display their scars. + +298 +00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:45,659 +Visiting the stables makes me realize how +perfect a setting this was to award the trophy + +299 +00:18:45,659 --> 00:18:48,890 +to the league’s most unassuming MVP. + +300 +00:18:48,890 --> 00:18:50,750 +The hippodrome is just a short walk away. + +301 +00:18:50,750 --> 00:18:54,799 +Srdjan assures us that we are not breaking +and entering by hopping the waist high fence + +302 +00:18:54,799 --> 00:18:58,600 +that encloses the entrance. + +303 +00:19:07,109 --> 00:19:09,157 +It’s special. + +304 +00:19:09,214 --> 00:19:11,217 +It’s special being here. + +305 +00:19:11,217 --> 00:19:12,640 +It um…it’s crazy. + +306 +00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:16,620 +It’s crazy to be honest. + +307 +00:19:16,620 --> 00:19:20,120 +After saying goodbye to Srdjan Stojkov, we +made our way over to Nikola’s elementary + +308 +00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:25,150 +school, the site of the 2-story tall mural +that, for the last several years, has served + +309 +00:19:25,150 --> 00:19:29,830 +as an official symbol of the city of Sombor +to us back in Denver. + +310 +00:19:29,830 --> 00:19:35,490 +It was one of the joys of our lives for our +group of friends to play basketball together + +311 +00:19:35,490 --> 00:19:38,564 +on these sacred courts. + +312 +00:19:38,564 --> 00:19:45,350 +How many people can say that they have made +a Sombor Shuffle in Sombor? + +313 +00:19:45,350 --> 00:19:48,300 +For us, it was a journey to the mecca of basketball +for us. + +314 +00:19:48,300 --> 00:19:50,900 +A little slice of some esoteric history. + +315 +00:19:50,900 --> 00:19:54,899 +And a joy to share it with friends from both +near and far. + +316 +00:19:57,813 --> 00:20:01,610 +A full day in Sombor shooting baskets will +build up an appetite. + +317 +00:20:01,610 --> 00:20:05,270 +Luckily, Sombor is known for a few delicious +dishes. + +318 +00:20:05,270 --> 00:20:06,790 +In particular. + +319 +00:20:06,790 --> 00:20:10,500 +Paprikash, a fish stew that the locals claim +is the best in the region. + +320 +00:20:10,500 --> 00:20:15,610 +To try this famed dish, we are guided by Srdjan +V to Slon, a restaurant hidden on the outskirts + +321 +00:20:15,610 --> 00:20:20,190 +of town along the Veliki Bačka canal where +fish are pulled from the water. + +322 +00:20:20,190 --> 00:20:22,950 +The stew is made in a kettle over an open +fire. + +323 +00:20:22,950 --> 00:20:28,370 +Carp are thrown into a pot with onions, peppers, +and paprika, hence the name Paprikash. + +324 +00:20:28,370 --> 00:20:31,120 +The stew is cooked slowly over the course +of about an hour. + +325 +00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:35,370 +But like all meals in Serbia, time is never +a concern. + +326 +00:20:35,370 --> 00:20:38,750 +While waiting we start with a fresh chopska +and some beer. + +327 +00:20:38,750 --> 00:20:40,680 +Next comes the stew. + +328 +00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:42,290 +Oh wow. + +329 +00:20:42,290 --> 00:20:43,290 +Wow. + +330 +00:20:43,290 --> 00:20:45,870 +For most, that would be a meal unto itself. + +331 +00:20:45,870 --> 00:20:46,870 +But this is Serbia. + +332 +00:20:46,870 --> 00:20:48,950 +So of course we are headed for another, even +more filling course. + +333 +00:20:52,041 --> 00:20:56,330 +We end the night with some rakija that Srdjan +had brought us from his go-to Rakija guy. + +334 +00:20:56,330 --> 00:21:00,214 +We enjoy the warm Sombor night while we polish +off another bottle of Rakija. + +335 +00:21:00,214 --> 00:21:01,191 +Or two. + +336 +00:21:01,191 --> 00:21:01,936 +Or three. + +337 +00:21:08,559 --> 00:21:12,510 +Following the first golden generation of Yugoslavian +basketball, the nation began searching for + +338 +00:21:12,510 --> 00:21:13,750 +a new generation of talent. + +339 +00:21:13,750 --> 00:21:17,960 +To help mold that talent, the country called +on Svetislav Pesic to coach a group of promising + +340 +00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:22,419 +up-and-coming players who would compete at +the junior national championship in 1987. + +341 +00:21:22,419 --> 00:21:27,650 +Milos Jovanovic, a Serbian basketball journalist, +podcast host, and Serbian basketball historian + +342 +00:21:27,650 --> 00:21:30,159 +on coach Pesic’s legacy in Serbia. + +343 +00:21:30,159 --> 00:21:32,130 +His legacy is immense. + +344 +00:21:32,130 --> 00:21:35,990 +He is one of the greatest coaches in the history +of the game. + +345 +00:21:35,990 --> 00:21:40,900 +That man has shepherded the greatest generations +of non-American basketball players in history. + +346 +00:21:40,900 --> 00:21:47,320 +The gold medal winning national team from +Bormio from 1987. + +347 +00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:52,380 +Among the group of talented players was, Vlade +Divac and Dino Radja. + +348 +00:21:52,380 --> 00:21:56,500 +There was also Sasa Djordjevic, a fiery point +guard with a great three-point shot. + +349 +00:21:56,500 --> 00:22:00,590 +And Toni Kukoc, the versatile 6’10 forward +who could do a little bit of everything. + +350 +00:22:00,590 --> 00:22:04,500 +To prepare for the tournament, Pesic took +the team to Stara Planina, a remote town in + +351 +00:22:04,500 --> 00:22:07,110 +the Balkan Mountains where they would train +in isolation. + +352 +00:22:07,110 --> 00:22:10,190 +Milivoje Karalejic was the team’s gregarious +trainer. + +353 +00:22:10,190 --> 00:22:13,740 +He had a colorful personality that might remind +you of some of the trainers and characters + +354 +00:22:13,740 --> 00:22:17,740 +of Denver Nuggets history, like Chopper Travaligni +or Steve Hess. + +355 +00:22:17,740 --> 00:22:21,429 +The two-a-day workouts in an isolated mountain +village was as much about training the team + +356 +00:22:21,429 --> 00:22:22,960 +mentally as it was physically. + +357 +00:22:24,154 --> 00:22:28,504 +After winning the gold in Bormio, Divac, Radja, +Djeordsevic, and Kukoc graduated to join a + +358 +00:22:28,504 --> 00:22:33,154 +Yugoslavian national team that featured one +of the brightest stars in Yugoslavian history: + +359 +00:22:33,154 --> 00:22:34,943 +Drazen Petrovic. + +360 +00:22:34,943 --> 00:22:37,793 +The Croatian born Drazen was a star among +stars in Yugoslavia. + +361 +00:22:37,793 --> 00:22:43,974 +By 1989, Drazen had already won 2 Euroleague +championships, multiple scoring titles, Yugoslavian + +362 +00:22:43,974 --> 00:22:48,754 +sportsmen of the year, and the 1986 World +Cup MVP while leading the national team to + +363 +00:22:48,754 --> 00:22:55,855 +Bronze medals in the 1984 Olympics, 1986 World +Cup, and 1987 EuroBasket, as well as a Silver + +364 +00:22:55,855 --> 00:22:58,154 +medal in the 1988 Olympics. + +365 +00:22:58,154 --> 00:23:01,714 +The fall of 1989 was also the year that Drazen +would make the leap to the NBA. + +366 +00:23:01,714 --> 00:23:04,034 +But first, there was Eurobasket. + +367 +00:23:04,034 --> 00:23:08,183 +Also joining the 1989 national team was Sasa +Danilovic, a 19 year old shooting guard and + +368 +00:23:08,183 --> 00:23:09,724 +fierce competitor. + +369 +00:23:09,724 --> 00:23:14,553 +The national team had also found a new legendary +head coach in Dusan Ivkovic, another product + +370 +00:23:14,553 --> 00:23:19,394 +of the Yugoslavian coaching school who had +climbed the ranks over a decades-long career. + +371 +00:23:19,394 --> 00:23:23,154 +1989 was his 2nd year at the helm and the +team’s best chance in nearly a decade to + +372 +00:23:23,154 --> 00:23:24,984 +bring home another gold medal. + +373 +00:23:24,984 --> 00:23:28,994 +And with Drazen Petrovic, Vlade Divac, and +a host of supremely talented young players, + +374 +00:23:28,994 --> 00:23:33,424 +a chance to kickstart a new golden era of +basketball in Yugoslavia. + +375 +00:23:33,424 --> 00:23:36,644 +But there were other things going on in the +country during that time. + +376 +00:23:36,644 --> 00:23:40,104 +Nearly a decade had passed since Tito’s +death and the country was starting to experience + +377 +00:23:40,104 --> 00:23:42,484 +fractures among the many republics. + +378 +00:23:42,484 --> 00:23:46,844 +Tensions were beginning to grow among the +different ethnic groups that made up Yugoslavia. + +379 +00:23:46,844 --> 00:23:50,594 +Rumors about a looming dissolution of the +republics were beginning to pick up steam. + +380 +00:23:50,594 --> 00:23:53,443 +But the national team remained united. + +381 +00:23:53,443 --> 00:23:58,494 +Yugoslavia won Eurobasket 89 in dominant fashion, +winning by an average of 20 points throughout + +382 +00:23:58,494 --> 00:23:59,654 +the tournament. + +383 +00:23:59,654 --> 00:24:03,704 +The team made it two golds in a row up by +winning the 1990 FIBA Wolrd Cup, defeating + +384 +00:24:03,704 --> 00:24:08,183 +both the Soviets and an American team that +featured Kenny Anderson and Alonzo Mourning. + +385 +00:24:08,183 --> 00:24:12,673 +1990 was also the year that Drazen and Vlade +had their falling out, when Divac took away + +386 +00:24:12,673 --> 00:24:15,894 +a Croatian flag from a fan who had run out +onto the court. + +387 +00:24:15,894 --> 00:24:20,043 +From Vlade’s perspective, although the team +featured several Croats, the team that won + +388 +00:24:20,043 --> 00:24:23,484 +the gold was Yugoslavia, not one of the independent +republics. + +389 +00:24:23,484 --> 00:24:26,293 +Drazen saw the gesture as a sign of disrespect +for Croatia. + +390 +00:24:26,293 --> 00:24:30,284 +It was the last time that Vlade and Drazen +would play together for the national team. + +391 +00:24:30,284 --> 00:24:34,494 +While Drazen did not participate in the 1991 +EuroBasket, the remaining members were all + +392 +00:24:34,494 --> 00:24:35,494 +there. + +393 +00:24:35,494 --> 00:24:36,943 +And once again, Yugoslavia dominated. + +394 +00:24:36,943 --> 00:24:39,014 +But this time, the win was bittersweet. + +395 +00:24:39,014 --> 00:24:44,413 +In 1991 we finished the last EuroBasket as +Yugoslavia. + +396 +00:24:44,413 --> 00:24:50,084 +The war broke out literally during the semifinals. + +397 +00:24:50,084 --> 00:24:55,294 +The Slovenian player, Jurij Zdovc, a very +good Slovenian player, had to withdraw under + +398 +00:24:55,294 --> 00:24:58,433 +threats from the national team mid tournament. + +399 +00:24:58,433 --> 00:25:02,043 +He couldn’t play the quarters, semis, and +the finals. + +400 +00:25:02,043 --> 00:25:03,043 +He was ravaged. + +401 +00:25:03,043 --> 00:25:04,364 +He wanted to play. + +402 +00:25:04,364 --> 00:25:05,714 +He didn’t want to play. + +403 +00:25:05,714 --> 00:25:06,714 +He couldn’t play. + +404 +00:25:06,714 --> 00:25:08,384 +He was getting phone calls. + +405 +00:25:08,384 --> 00:25:09,714 +They were talking family. + +406 +00:25:09,714 --> 00:25:10,714 +Whatever. + +407 +00:25:10,714 --> 00:25:11,714 +I don’t know what happened. + +408 +00:25:11,714 --> 00:25:17,094 +But he basically had to pull out because the +war had started the moment Slovenia had succeeded. + +409 +00:25:17,094 --> 00:25:21,574 +Just as Yugoslavia was on the cusp of their +first ever gold medal 3-peat in international + +410 +00:25:21,574 --> 00:25:27,057 +competitions, Slovenia had succeeded from +Yugoslavia, and the country was at war. + +411 +00:25:32,886 --> 00:25:37,509 +My first senior game was here on this court. + +412 +00:25:37,509 --> 00:25:38,954 +Partizan and Red Star. + +413 +00:25:38,954 --> 00:25:41,524 +And it was, I don't know, 7,000 people. + +414 +00:25:41,524 --> 00:25:42,524 +Crazy fans. + +415 +00:25:42,524 --> 00:25:47,728 +At that time, half of them Partizan, half +of them Red Star. + +416 +00:25:49,494 --> 00:25:53,884 +Sports rivalries in Serbia are a little bit +different than here in the United States. + +417 +00:25:53,884 --> 00:25:57,084 +They’re a little bit more…intense. + +418 +00:25:57,084 --> 00:26:05,394 +For proof of that, look no further than that +of Red Star and Partizan. + +419 +00:26:05,394 --> 00:26:07,584 +Two teams, one city. + +420 +00:26:07,584 --> 00:26:11,014 +Every year the teams matchup for what is known +as the eternal derby. + +421 +00:26:11,014 --> 00:26:15,094 +What do you think was the loudest or the craziest +crowd you ever played in. + +422 +00:26:15,094 --> 00:26:16,094 +Here for sure. + +423 +00:26:16,094 --> 00:26:17,094 +Partizan Red Star. + +424 +00:26:17,094 --> 00:26:18,094 +The Derby. + +425 +00:26:18,094 --> 00:26:23,193 +But I think that even now Red Star is holding +the Euroleague record for loudness in the + +426 +00:26:23,193 --> 00:26:24,193 +arena. + +427 +00:26:24,193 --> 00:26:29,474 +That relationship with the fans and with the +crowd. + +428 +00:26:29,474 --> 00:26:33,443 +There is a reason why we play basketball here +because everybody is watching, one day I want + +429 +00:26:33,443 --> 00:26:38,994 +to be on that jersey to be on that court not +to play basketball but to play for those fans. + +430 +00:26:38,994 --> 00:26:42,814 +It’s not uncommon for an unruly crowd to +start throwing things onto the court. + +431 +00:26:42,814 --> 00:26:43,814 +Batteries. + +432 +00:26:43,814 --> 00:26:44,814 +Coins. + +433 +00:26:44,814 --> 00:26:45,814 +Bottles. + +434 +00:26:45,814 --> 00:26:49,774 +While it isn’t preferred behavior, for Serbian +players, it’s all part of the game. + +435 +00:26:49,774 --> 00:26:52,844 +Even if it’s bad for both teams, for everybody. + +436 +00:26:52,844 --> 00:26:58,514 +They can stop the game, they can empty the +whole arena like they did last season for + +437 +00:26:58,514 --> 00:27:03,574 +the finals games but it’s the most important +thing for them. + +438 +00:27:03,574 --> 00:27:07,414 +Hidden in that statement is an important but +foreign concept for fans of the modern NBA. + +439 +00:27:07,414 --> 00:27:13,614 +The chaos of an unruly crowd is part of what +binds players to their team and their fans. + +440 +00:27:13,614 --> 00:27:19,244 +And like a family with a drunk uncle or an +unruly nephew, that connection remains sacred + +441 +00:27:19,244 --> 00:27:21,364 +even if it is not always appreciated. + +442 +00:27:21,364 --> 00:27:27,683 +Nikola was once asked if he was intimidated +by the crowd in a particularly loud NBA arena, + +443 +00:27:27,683 --> 00:27:31,943 +to which he smirked and just said, “Brother, +I played in Serbia.” + +444 +00:27:31,943 --> 00:27:34,312 +You cannot prepare anybody for that. + +445 +00:27:34,312 --> 00:27:36,504 +He has to feel by himself. + +446 +00:27:36,504 --> 00:27:40,000 +Everybody can play in practice. + +447 +00:27:40,084 --> 00:27:42,384 +Everybody can play great in scrimmage. + +448 +00:27:42,384 --> 00:27:47,434 +But with full arena with the crowd, with the +referees, with some important games, there + +449 +00:27:47,434 --> 00:27:52,894 +is the difference between real players and +the difference with players for practice only. + +450 +00:27:52,894 --> 00:27:57,704 +We got a taste of this atmosphere at Marakana +stadium, home of Red Star soccer club. + +451 +00:27:57,704 --> 00:28:02,704 +As luck would have it, our visit coincided +with a pivotal game in the club’s cycle, + +452 +00:28:02,704 --> 00:28:04,984 +a matchup with Maccabi Haifa. + +453 +00:28:04,984 --> 00:28:06,924 +At stake was a spot in the premiere league. + +454 +00:28:06,924 --> 00:28:13,409 +For Red Star, it wasn’t enough to win the +match, they needed to win by at least 2. + +455 +00:28:21,313 --> 00:28:24,114 +Red Star fans were placed on probation during +this game. + +456 +00:28:24,114 --> 00:28:27,894 +Any sign of flares, fires, or riots would +trigger a stoppage of play and fans would + +457 +00:28:27,894 --> 00:28:32,244 +be forced to exit the stands, the game continuing +in an empty stadium. + +458 +00:28:32,244 --> 00:28:35,724 +Visiting team fans are placed inside of a +cage at the far end of the field, away from + +459 +00:28:35,724 --> 00:28:39,403 +the rowdiest section of Red Star supporters +who would sing and jump from an hour before + +460 +00:28:39,403 --> 00:28:41,403 +the start of the game until the final buzzer. + +461 +00:28:41,403 --> 00:28:43,783 +The game began beautifully for Red Star. + +462 +00:28:43,783 --> 00:28:47,614 +A goal in the 27th minute to give the team +a 1-0 lead. + +463 +00:28:47,614 --> 00:28:51,144 +A 2nd goal at 43 minutes to give Red Star +the needed 2-goal cushion. + +464 +00:28:51,144 --> 00:28:57,294 +With a 1-goal lead, Red Star was set to push +the game into overtime. + +465 +00:28:57,294 --> 00:29:03,494 +Until an own goal in stoppage time sealed +their fate. + +466 +00:29:03,494 --> 00:29:07,774 +By now you can see that sports mean something +more to Serbians than they do for most of + +467 +00:29:07,774 --> 00:29:08,774 +the world. + +468 +00:29:08,774 --> 00:29:12,644 +And while soccer is still the most popular +sport, basketball is perhaps the nation’s + +469 +00:29:12,644 --> 00:29:14,454 +most important sport. + +470 +00:29:14,454 --> 00:29:17,964 +And an 8-hour time difference isn’t enough +to keep Serbs from watching their favorite + +471 +00:29:17,964 --> 00:29:20,219 +players in the NBA. + +472 +00:29:20,219 --> 00:29:27,514 +Back in 90s during war time and shortages +and everything, the national news would start + +473 +00:29:27,514 --> 00:29:33,754 +by saying, good morning, this is the national +news, Lakers won 92-85, Divac had 15 points + +474 +00:29:33,754 --> 00:29:35,084 +and 8 rebounds. + +475 +00:29:35,084 --> 00:29:37,754 +That’s how the news would start. + +476 +00:29:37,754 --> 00:29:42,494 +I knew the whole shoddy Lakers from that roster +and everybody was wearing those yellow and + +477 +00:29:42,494 --> 00:29:45,894 +gold 12s because Vlade used to play there. + +478 +00:29:45,894 --> 00:29:50,874 +When Danilovic went to Miami we absolutely +followed all their fortunes. + +479 +00:29:50,874 --> 00:29:56,933 +We cursed out the name of Voshan Leonard because +he shoved him out of the starting lineup. + +480 +00:29:56,933 --> 00:30:01,104 +We hated Tim Hardaway because he wouldn’t +pass. + +481 +00:30:01,104 --> 00:30:04,244 +Why wouldn’t they pass to him? + +482 +00:30:04,244 --> 00:30:06,454 +Because he’s a Serbian guy! + +483 +00:30:06,454 --> 00:30:07,604 +It was the 90s. + +484 +00:30:07,604 --> 00:30:08,604 +Obviously. + +485 +00:30:08,604 --> 00:30:09,604 +There was a grudge. + +486 +00:30:09,604 --> 00:30:13,994 +But while Serbs followed Danilovic and Divac +as individuals, there was eventually one NBA + +487 +00:30:13,994 --> 00:30:16,364 +team as a whole that captured their heart. + +488 +00:30:16,364 --> 00:30:18,414 +Before Denver we had Sacramento. + +489 +00:30:18,414 --> 00:30:20,874 +It was ridiculous in a way. + +490 +00:30:20,874 --> 00:30:24,443 +Divac at the point in time, in 2002, he could +do no wrong. + +491 +00:30:24,443 --> 00:30:28,214 +He was the supreme ambassador of all things +Serbian. + +492 +00:30:28,214 --> 00:30:30,683 +Wherever Divac would go, we would follow. + +493 +00:30:30,683 --> 00:30:34,344 +If he was a Laker, we would watch Lakers, +if he was a Hornet we would watch Hornets. + +494 +00:30:34,344 --> 00:30:35,344 +So we start watching Sacramento. + +495 +00:30:35,344 --> 00:30:37,946 +And there is this kid Stojakovic who we didn’t +know anything about him. + +496 +00:30:37,946 --> 00:30:40,227 +They start lighting it up. + +497 +00:30:40,227 --> 00:30:45,764 +So all of a sudden we are smitten with this +small team in California. + +498 +00:30:45,764 --> 00:30:48,204 +Because it resonated a lot to us. + +499 +00:30:48,204 --> 00:30:49,443 +The Serbs vs the world. + +500 +00:30:49,443 --> 00:30:51,514 +The Kings vs the Lakers. + +501 +00:30:51,514 --> 00:30:56,313 +People would wake up at 4am, watch the game, +and go straight to work. + +502 +00:30:56,313 --> 00:31:03,384 +You would enter a public transport bus at +7:30 in the morning in Belgrade and people + +503 +00:31:03,384 --> 00:31:08,554 +would be bleary eyed talking about Mike Bibby +screens and stuff like that. + +504 +00:31:08,554 --> 00:31:11,014 +It was a proper mania which went on. + +505 +00:31:11,014 --> 00:31:15,673 +But even with the whole of Serbia catching +Kings fever, nothing will ever compare to + +506 +00:31:15,673 --> 00:31:17,244 +rooting for the national team. + +507 +00:31:17,244 --> 00:31:23,744 +Milos Teodosic, in an interview with me, if +I am being so brazen to quote myself, he said + +508 +00:31:23,744 --> 00:31:31,094 +something to the extent like, “you don’t +make it in a club shirt here. + +509 +00:31:31,094 --> 00:31:33,624 +You make it in a Serbian shirt. + +510 +00:31:33,624 --> 00:31:37,274 +That is the single truth about this. + +511 +00:31:37,274 --> 00:31:43,704 +Right now there is not a single doubt in my +organism which is going to tell you Jokic + +512 +00:31:43,704 --> 00:31:46,234 +is not the greatest serbian basketball player +to grace the court. + +513 +00:31:46,234 --> 00:31:47,413 +That is undisputed. + +514 +00:31:47,413 --> 00:31:55,224 +But the real myth of Serbian basketball is +what we win here in Eurobasket and World Cup + +515 +00:31:55,224 --> 00:31:56,704 +and in the Olympic games. + +516 +00:31:56,704 --> 00:31:58,474 +That’s what we basically live for. + +517 +00:31:58,474 --> 00:32:04,254 +There is so much more to hoops here other +than just people who make it to the NBA. + +518 +00:32:04,254 --> 00:32:05,714 +People who make it to the NBA are a great +story. + +519 +00:32:05,714 --> 00:32:06,714 +We love it. + +520 +00:32:06,714 --> 00:32:11,303 +If you want to go to the essence and the psyche +of the Serbian people, they want to see you + +521 +00:32:11,303 --> 00:32:12,324 +hoist the trophy. + +522 +00:32:12,324 --> 00:32:18,584 +And they want to see you do it in a Serbian +shirt. + +523 +00:32:21,542 --> 00:32:25,433 +By 1992, the Yugoslavian civil war was in +full swing. + +524 +00:32:25,433 --> 00:32:27,913 +Fighting in Croatia, and Bosnia, and Serbia. + +525 +00:32:27,913 --> 00:32:32,454 +Massive inflation and international sanctions +had crippled the economy and left most Serbians + +526 +00:32:32,454 --> 00:32:34,930 +struggling to provide for their families. + +527 +00:32:34,930 --> 00:32:36,903 +Sanctions also disrupted basketball. + +528 +00:32:36,903 --> 00:32:40,254 +The national team, which was coming off of +three straight gold medals in the previous + +529 +00:32:40,254 --> 00:32:45,063 +international competitions, was banned from +participating in the 1992 Olympics. + +530 +00:32:45,063 --> 00:32:49,183 +This was especially heartbreaking for basketball +enthusiasts in Yugoslavia, a nation that had + +531 +00:32:49,183 --> 00:32:53,704 +won 9 gold medals in the 20 years leading +up to the 92 Olympics. + +532 +00:32:53,704 --> 00:32:58,724 +What’s worse, Barcelona was a sort of symbolic +moment for international competition. + +533 +00:32:58,724 --> 00:33:03,464 +Borislav Stankovic, one of the founding fathers +of Yugoslavian basketball, had risen to be + +534 +00:33:03,464 --> 00:33:08,033 +Secretary General of FIBA, and successfully +lobbied to allow NBA players to compete at + +535 +00:33:08,033 --> 00:33:09,084 +the Olympics. + +536 +00:33:09,084 --> 00:33:12,153 +For the Americans, that meant the formation +of the Dream Team. + +537 +00:33:12,153 --> 00:33:18,204 +But sitting at home was Divac, Djordjevic, +Danilovic, and the rest of the Serbian players. + +538 +00:33:18,204 --> 00:33:19,644 +The war and sanctions were harsh enough. + +539 +00:33:19,644 --> 00:33:23,293 +For the people of Yugoslavia, the missed opportunity +to compete against Michael Jordan and the + +540 +00:33:23,293 --> 00:33:25,543 +dream team was an added insult. + +541 +00:33:25,543 --> 00:33:31,864 +Everybody from Serbia, from Croatia, from +all of the the republics of the ex Yugoslavia, + +542 +00:33:31,864 --> 00:33:37,884 +we are all thinking what would happen if the +real dream team with Michael Jordan, Larry + +543 +00:33:37,884 --> 00:33:41,494 +Bird, and Magic Johnson would meet with that +team. + +544 +00:33:41,494 --> 00:33:43,914 +What do you think would happen? + +545 +00:33:43,914 --> 00:33:46,533 +It would be a really tight game. + +546 +00:33:46,533 --> 00:33:54,144 +And I dont know, they are way better athletes +but not better team than we had at that time. + +547 +00:33:54,144 --> 00:33:57,663 +Speak to anyone who grew up in Serbia during +that time and you will hear that sentiment. + +548 +00:33:57,663 --> 00:34:02,754 +Not a declaration of supremacy, but a sadness +for an opportunity lost. + +549 +00:34:02,754 --> 00:34:06,904 +Even if I personally feel confident saying +that the Dream Team was several cuts above + +550 +00:34:06,904 --> 00:34:09,803 +any other team of that time, we’ll never +truly know. + +551 +00:34:09,803 --> 00:34:14,194 +More importantly, the Dream Team took on an +interesting symbolic relationship to the soul + +552 +00:34:14,194 --> 00:34:19,083 +of basketball over the next several decades, +in part because of how unchallenged they raced + +553 +00:34:19,083 --> 00:34:20,204 +to the gold medal. + +554 +00:34:20,204 --> 00:34:24,214 +The contrast of a Yugoslavian team that had +played together since childhood and who had + +555 +00:34:24,214 --> 00:34:28,884 +developed a chemistry that has rarely been +seen before or since just might’ve provided + +556 +00:34:28,884 --> 00:34:34,194 +an interesting and important contrast to the +Dream Team in 1992, even if that team would’ve + +557 +00:34:34,194 --> 00:34:36,263 +come up hopelessly short of a gold medal. + +558 +00:34:36,263 --> 00:34:39,984 +For Yugoslavia, the war continued into 93 +and 94. + +559 +00:34:39,984 --> 00:34:44,764 +In 93 Germany wins the EuroBasket with Svetislav +Pesic which is the guy who is coaching Serbia + +560 +00:34:44,764 --> 00:34:45,764 +now. + +561 +00:34:45,764 --> 00:34:52,523 +In 94 we were supposed to host the World Cup +in the arena which you are going to see. + +562 +00:34:52,523 --> 00:34:58,714 +The arena, they started construction works +in 1990 because of the war, we got stripped + +563 +00:34:58,714 --> 00:35:02,714 +away from the hosts and it went to Toronto. + +564 +00:35:02,714 --> 00:35:05,384 +So in 1994, that was supposed to be our world +cup. + +565 +00:35:05,384 --> 00:35:06,384 +It never happened. + +566 +00:35:06,384 --> 00:35:09,484 +So in 95, the war is coming to a close. + +567 +00:35:09,484 --> 00:35:12,853 +Technically we are still in a state of war, +I believe. + +568 +00:35:12,853 --> 00:35:22,074 +But a certain provision is given to the Serbian, +well, Yugoslav team, that we are allowed to + +569 +00:35:22,074 --> 00:35:25,874 +qualify in an extra round of qualifiers in +order to play for the 95. + +570 +00:35:25,874 --> 00:35:28,354 +The provision was granted by Borislav Stankovic. + +571 +00:35:28,354 --> 00:35:32,554 +Once again, one of the founding fathers of +basketball in Yugoslavia had found a way to + +572 +00:35:32,554 --> 00:35:34,504 +come to his country’s aid. + +573 +00:35:34,504 --> 00:35:39,654 +Serbia qualified, and after 4 years of exile, +the national team was finally set to return + +574 +00:35:39,654 --> 00:35:43,124 +to the international stage. + +575 +00:35:48,334 --> 00:35:52,344 +Of all the people who have impacted basketball +in Serbia over the last 20 years, few, if + +576 +00:35:52,344 --> 00:35:55,164 +any, have carried as much influence as Misko +Raznatovic. + +577 +00:35:55,164 --> 00:36:00,713 +Super agent, team owner, and innovator, Misko +has been re-shaping basketball in Serbia since + +578 +00:36:00,713 --> 00:36:02,284 +the turn of the century. + +579 +00:36:02,284 --> 00:36:05,334 +His client list includes Nikola Jokic, MVP +of the NBA. + +580 +00:36:05,334 --> 00:36:07,874 +Vasa Micic, MVP of EuroLeague. + +581 +00:36:07,874 --> 00:36:09,694 +And most of the other top players in Europe. + +582 +00:36:09,694 --> 00:36:15,274 +He is also the owner of Mega Basket, a club +in the adriatic league that has produced more + +583 +00:36:15,274 --> 00:36:18,054 +NBA talent than any other team in Europe. + +584 +00:36:18,054 --> 00:36:22,054 +But before he became known as the most powerful +man in the European basketball scene, Misko + +585 +00:36:22,054 --> 00:36:24,953 +was a basketball player and student of the +game. + +586 +00:36:24,953 --> 00:36:33,804 +When I was 14, we played during class and +one guy came and said “you’re good. + +587 +00:36:33,804 --> 00:36:37,604 +You should come to the practice of the team.” + +588 +00:36:37,604 --> 00:36:40,384 +And that is the way I started playing basketball. + +589 +00:36:40,384 --> 00:36:44,064 +I opened my own attorney office when I was +25. + +590 +00:36:44,064 --> 00:36:45,064 +Very early. + +591 +00:36:45,064 --> 00:36:47,014 +For Serbian standards, very very early. + +592 +00:36:47,014 --> 00:36:52,944 +But then 1995, I was like 29 years old, for +the first time people in Serbian, basketball + +593 +00:36:52,944 --> 00:36:55,364 +players, started to get the money. + +594 +00:36:55,364 --> 00:36:58,223 +They said, “now it is getting serious. + +595 +00:36:58,223 --> 00:37:00,874 +You need to have some papers.” + +596 +00:37:00,874 --> 00:37:06,694 +And then they want to find somebody who will +make the contracts. + +597 +00:37:06,694 --> 00:37:07,764 +They don’t know anybody. + +598 +00:37:07,764 --> 00:37:08,764 +They knew me. + +599 +00:37:08,764 --> 00:37:10,454 +I still played division 3 but I am loyal. + +600 +00:37:10,454 --> 00:37:14,144 +So they came to me and I started to work on +the contracts. + +601 +00:37:14,144 --> 00:37:19,324 +Two years later I said, “all of them did +stupid signings. + +602 +00:37:19,324 --> 00:37:23,233 +Maybe I can convince them to do it better +because I really know basketball.” + +603 +00:37:23,233 --> 00:37:28,024 +In America, the preps to pros era was in full +swing in the NBA. + +604 +00:37:28,024 --> 00:37:29,794 +Young players were picked on upside. + +605 +00:37:29,794 --> 00:37:35,364 +In Serbia, pressure was on coaches and general +managers to produce championships at any cost. + +606 +00:37:35,364 --> 00:37:39,274 +Misko saw a gap in the development of young +players, and founded Megabasket. + +607 +00:37:39,274 --> 00:37:46,284 +It came to the stage of European career that +nobody really give a chance to kids to play. + +608 +00:37:46,284 --> 00:37:52,944 +Pressure for winning is so high, that traditional +developmental projects like Partizan when + +609 +00:37:52,944 --> 00:38:01,024 +you had Djordjevic, Danilovic, Divac, Paspalj, +so many, now, they don’t have young players + +610 +00:38:01,024 --> 00:38:02,044 +at all. + +611 +00:38:02,044 --> 00:38:03,684 +Somehow I noticed this before it’s coming. + +612 +00:38:03,684 --> 00:38:13,314 +I really have to make something where young +players, 18 years old, who are not ready to + +613 +00:38:13,314 --> 00:38:19,753 +compete at the highest level, will have great +coaches, great practices, and playing time. + +614 +00:38:19,753 --> 00:38:24,584 +And not only playing time, the right to do +mistakes. + +615 +00:38:24,584 --> 00:38:25,733 +You make mistake, it’s okay. + +616 +00:38:25,733 --> 00:38:26,733 +You play. + +617 +00:38:26,733 --> 00:38:27,733 +3rd one? + +618 +00:38:27,733 --> 00:38:30,034 +Okay, you sit on the bench but you are coming +in 5 minutes. + +619 +00:38:30,034 --> 00:38:34,794 +Misko’s goal with Mega started out somewhat +modest, even if Misko himself rarely is. + +620 +00:38:34,794 --> 00:38:39,384 +Ok, people say that I am the best agent in +the history of European basketball. + +621 +00:38:39,384 --> 00:38:41,634 +Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not true. + +622 +00:38:41,634 --> 00:38:47,690 +But difference between me and other agents +is basketball knowledge. + +623 +00:38:47,690 --> 00:38:57,154 +For me, what provocate success of the club +is, that I manage coaches to follow club’s + +624 +00:38:57,154 --> 00:38:58,154 +policy. + +625 +00:38:58,154 --> 00:39:01,754 +It means, development of the players. + +626 +00:39:01,754 --> 00:39:06,284 +Okay, we are going to lose some games, I hate +to lose. + +627 +00:39:06,284 --> 00:39:09,253 +Me personally, I really hate to lose. + +628 +00:39:09,253 --> 00:39:13,544 +Even with my daughter when we play 1 on 1, +it is sport. + +629 +00:39:13,544 --> 00:39:21,374 +But if Mega needs to lose 3, 4 5 games but +it means getting Jokic, or Nikola Jovic, or + +630 +00:39:21,374 --> 00:39:24,044 +Micic…we are fine. + +631 +00:39:24,044 --> 00:39:30,394 +Coaches, everybody, cleaning ladies in the +gym, assistant coach, physical coach, and + +632 +00:39:30,394 --> 00:39:33,224 +especially head coach, everybody has bonuses. + +633 +00:39:33,224 --> 00:39:35,804 +But not for winning the title and winning +games. + +634 +00:39:35,804 --> 00:39:43,344 +They have bonuses for players going to the +NBA. + +635 +00:39:43,344 --> 00:39:48,344 +Perhaps the first person to see greatness +in Nikola was his coach, Dejan Milojevic. + +636 +00:39:48,344 --> 00:39:51,864 +Dejan is a great person. + +637 +00:39:51,864 --> 00:39:57,124 +At that time he was not a real coach. + +638 +00:39:57,124 --> 00:40:04,254 +He was a retired player who was starting to +know coaching jobs. + +639 +00:40:04,254 --> 00:40:09,204 +He’s very positive, very straight, and all +people love him. + +640 +00:40:09,204 --> 00:40:10,404 +So Nikola loved him. + +641 +00:40:10,404 --> 00:40:16,463 +After a couple of practices he told me “this +one will be starting in the playoffs.” + +642 +00:40:16,816 --> 00:40:18,356 +I said, “yeah, ok. + +643 +00:40:18,930 --> 00:40:23,671 +We want to give chance to young. + +644 +00:40:23,671 --> 00:40:24,951 +But It’s too much. + +645 +00:40:24,951 --> 00:40:26,962 +Come on.” + +646 +00:40:26,962 --> 00:40:32,710 +I said “I believe you are wrong” but still +I didn’t see the kids but if you say this, + +647 +00:40:32,710 --> 00:40:34,384 +I would be very happy for that. + +648 +00:40:34,384 --> 00:40:35,723 +And it happened. + +649 +00:40:35,723 --> 00:40:40,734 +Another person who recognized Nikola’s talent +early on at Megabasket was his teammate, Ratko + +650 +00:40:40,734 --> 00:40:41,734 +Varda. + +651 +00:40:41,734 --> 00:40:44,473 +His friend, Milan Dozet recalls the story. + +652 +00:40:44,473 --> 00:40:49,014 +I remember on the preseason I called him on +the phone and asked him how was it there and + +653 +00:40:49,014 --> 00:40:52,552 +he said…“Look, there is one kid. + +654 +00:40:52,552 --> 00:40:53,954 +One FAT kid. + +655 +00:40:53,954 --> 00:40:55,969 +Looking terrible. + +656 +00:40:55,969 --> 00:41:00,014 +And I don’t know if I want to hug him or +fight him.” + +657 +00:41:00,014 --> 00:41:01,764 +I said how old is he? + +658 +00:41:01,764 --> 00:41:02,764 +“I don’t know. + +659 +00:41:02,764 --> 00:41:03,764 +17, 16 years. + +660 +00:41:03,764 --> 00:41:04,764 +I don’t know. Something like that.” + +661 +00:41:04,969 --> 00:41:06,764 +I said ok explain. + +662 +00:41:06,764 --> 00:41:11,354 +He said, “look if I don’t come close to +him he will shoot and score everytime. + +663 +00:41:11,354 --> 00:41:14,874 +If I come close, he will penetrate and score +on me.” + +664 +00:41:14,874 --> 00:41:16,854 +I said, ok is he strong? + +665 +00:41:16,854 --> 00:41:17,854 +He said “no.” + +666 +00:41:17,854 --> 00:41:18,854 +Slow? + +667 +00:41:18,854 --> 00:41:21,774 +He said “when he is playing on post up I +cannot do anything with him.” + +668 +00:41:21,774 --> 00:41:23,304 +He told me he’s a hard worker. + +669 +00:41:23,304 --> 00:41:25,174 +He said that he’s the best kid ever. + +670 +00:41:25,174 --> 00:41:26,174 +Polite. + +671 +00:41:26,174 --> 00:41:33,894 +And he behave perfectly in the locker room +with all the people dealing with the team + +672 +00:41:33,894 --> 00:41:35,894 +and all foreigners, all the fans. + +673 +00:41:35,894 --> 00:41:40,564 +And on the game he was the young kid who said +“hello, how are you?” + +674 +00:41:40,564 --> 00:41:45,954 +So for me he is a perfect match for everything +in basketball. + +675 +00:41:45,954 --> 00:41:49,174 +You could see how he improved. + +676 +00:41:49,174 --> 00:41:53,094 +How fast he catch everything from other players. + +677 +00:41:53,094 --> 00:41:55,164 +From experience on the court. + +678 +00:41:56,577 --> 00:41:58,327 +I mean, he’s amazing. + +679 +00:41:58,327 --> 00:42:00,236 +I don’t know what to tell you about him. + +680 +00:42:00,236 --> 00:42:02,384 +Everything is positive just for him. + +681 +00:42:02,384 --> 00:42:05,754 +Even with Nikola’s growing talent, there +was still one last stroke of luck that would + +682 +00:42:05,754 --> 00:42:08,394 +arrive to solidify the path of the future +MVP. + +683 +00:42:08,394 --> 00:42:12,834 +The Denver Nuggets had secured Nikola’s +draft rights by selecting him with the 41st + +684 +00:42:12,834 --> 00:42:14,993 +pick in the 2014 NBA draft. + +685 +00:42:14,993 --> 00:42:18,364 +But the plan was to stash him for at least +a couple of seasons. + +686 +00:42:18,364 --> 00:42:22,723 +Nikola would play out another season under +Dejan at Megabasket before finding a larger + +687 +00:42:22,723 --> 00:42:25,214 +European team to further his development. + +688 +00:42:25,214 --> 00:42:29,344 +The team that emerged with the most interest +was Barcelona, one of the premiere club teams + +689 +00:42:29,344 --> 00:42:30,344 +in Europe. + +690 +00:42:30,344 --> 00:42:31,344 +They made the decision. + +691 +00:42:31,344 --> 00:42:34,314 +They came we went to lunch at the hotel of +the national team. + +692 +00:42:34,314 --> 00:42:38,274 +Paper, this is money for Mega, money for Nikola. + +693 +00:42:38,274 --> 00:42:40,064 +First year loan to Fuenlabrada. + +694 +00:42:40,064 --> 00:42:41,064 +Everything. + +695 +00:42:41,064 --> 00:42:42,223 +Shake hands. + +696 +00:42:42,223 --> 00:42:43,223 +Lunch. + +697 +00:42:43,223 --> 00:42:45,824 +We were very close. + +698 +00:42:45,824 --> 00:42:47,584 +Then we went to watch the game. + +699 +00:42:47,584 --> 00:42:50,064 +But the game was a disaster. + +700 +00:42:50,064 --> 00:42:51,544 +Nikola played horribly. + +701 +00:42:51,544 --> 00:42:53,044 +His worst game of the season. + +702 +00:42:53,044 --> 00:42:57,544 +I can’t explain to you the level of bad. + +703 +00:42:57,544 --> 00:43:01,825 +More than disaster. + +704 +00:43:01,825 --> 00:43:07,417 +I saw them after the game and they are like +really…worried. + +705 +00:43:07,594 --> 00:43:11,244 +I said, “Guys, we agreed on everything. + +706 +00:43:11,244 --> 00:43:15,213 +We don’t need to finalize tomorrow if you +are now under the stress. + +707 +00:43:15,213 --> 00:43:20,394 +Let’s wait a couple of games because it +just happened. + +708 +00:43:20,894 --> 00:43:26,733 +Again to come to the shape and then you can +go to your president and we can finalize the deal." + +709 +00:43:26,733 --> 00:43:27,733 +Ok, ok. + +710 +00:43:27,733 --> 00:43:32,013 +Then they didn’t call me a month or two +but I counted that them that when the time + +711 +00:43:32,013 --> 00:43:34,575 +comes they were going to do. + +712 +00:43:35,238 --> 00:43:42,024 +Karnisovas entered in the meantime in the +middle and changed direction. + +713 +00:43:42,024 --> 00:43:46,705 +Karnisovas called me and said we want to bring +him. + +714 +00:43:46,705 --> 00:43:48,985 +I said “it’s too early. + +715 +00:43:48,985 --> 00:43:50,515 +Let’s wait.” + +716 +00:43:51,751 --> 00:43:56,041 +He said, “Do you believe his career depends +upon how much he fixes his body? + +717 +00:43:56,041 --> 00:43:57,525 +I said 100%. + +718 +00:43:57,525 --> 00:44:01,848 +“Do you think his body will be better in +Denver or Fuenlabrada?” + +719 +00:44:01,848 --> 00:44:04,655 +I said “You are right. + +720 +00:44:04,655 --> 00:44:07,554 +But you will not have patience for him. + +721 +00:44:07,554 --> 00:44:10,514 +You need to have program and patience.” + +722 +00:44:10,514 --> 00:44:12,376 +He said “We will have patience.” + +723 +00:44:12,376 --> 00:44:13,894 +I said, “No, you will not!” + +724 +00:44:13,894 --> 00:44:14,894 +“Yes” “No.” + +725 +00:44:14,894 --> 00:44:18,749 +I saw that they showed interest. + +726 +00:44:18,749 --> 00:44:19,563 +I stopped everything. + +727 +00:44:19,563 --> 00:44:23,212 +And then after the season we negotiate.” + +728 +00:44:23,212 --> 00:44:26,331 +By now you have probably noticed that there +are 3 major international competitions that + +729 +00:44:26,331 --> 00:44:28,171 +matter most to Serbians. + +730 +00:44:28,171 --> 00:44:30,795 +The Olympics, the World Cup, and EuroBasket. + +731 +00:44:30,795 --> 00:44:34,061 +If you’re asking me, number one is the EuroBasket. + +732 +00:44:34,061 --> 00:44:36,707 +EuroBasket is winnable. + +733 +00:44:36,707 --> 00:44:39,494 +When you go to the Olympics and when you’re +going to the World Cup, you’re playing to + +734 +00:44:39,494 --> 00:44:41,124 +be 2nd. + +735 +00:44:41,124 --> 00:44:46,144 +We all know the Americans are going to bring +up, if they feel like it, are going to bring + +736 +00:44:46,144 --> 00:44:50,314 +the Harden’s and the LeBron’s and the +whoevers. + +737 +00:44:50,314 --> 00:44:53,276 +And let’s face it, we’re not that good. + +738 +00:44:53,276 --> 00:44:54,944 +The legacy is built in EuroBasket. + +739 +00:44:54,944 --> 00:44:57,114 +You want to be the champion of your own continent. + +740 +00:44:57,114 --> 00:45:01,874 +The greatest stories of modern basketball +history of this country have been written + +741 +00:45:01,874 --> 00:45:04,644 +and sang at the EuroBasket. + +742 +00:45:04,644 --> 00:45:10,434 +By 1995, Serbia was still competing as Yugoslavia +even though most of the republics had departed. + +743 +00:45:10,434 --> 00:45:14,374 +They were finally cleared to return to international +competition and for the people of Yugoslavia, + +744 +00:45:14,374 --> 00:45:15,834 +this event meant the world. + +745 +00:45:15,834 --> 00:45:20,034 +So in 95, we are getting to the tournament, +nobody knows what is going to happen. + +746 +00:45:20,034 --> 00:45:26,384 +The tournament is an absolute monster because +it’s 95, Greeks are hyped up. + +747 +00:45:26,384 --> 00:45:29,213 +They have a very good team. + +748 +00:45:29,213 --> 00:45:30,784 +Germans are the defending champions. + +749 +00:45:30,784 --> 00:45:32,493 +Croatians are massive. + +750 +00:45:32,493 --> 00:45:34,784 +They have all of their big guns. + +751 +00:45:34,784 --> 00:45:39,723 +They have Radja, Kukoc, Drazen is gone by +the moment but they still have a very strong team. + +752 +00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:46,434 +We have Lithuanians which have the former +Denver Nuggets Sarunas Marciulionis, Arvydas + +753 +00:45:46,434 --> 00:45:47,434 +Sabonis. + +754 +00:45:47,434 --> 00:45:50,085 +They defeated the Greeks in overtime. + +755 +00:45:50,085 --> 00:45:52,917 +Then the Lithuanians, who were among the favorites +in the tournament. + +756 +00:45:52,917 --> 00:45:55,824 +Then Italy, Sweden, Israel, and Germany. + +757 +00:45:55,824 --> 00:46:00,154 +On the opposite side of the bracket was Croatia, +their former countrymen and teammates, who + +758 +00:46:00,154 --> 00:46:02,365 +had also gone undefeated in pool play. + +759 +00:46:02,365 --> 00:46:06,424 +In the semifinal game, Yugoslavia once again +matched up with the host nation of Greece. + +760 +00:46:06,424 --> 00:46:08,534 +And once again, Yugoslavia got the win. + +761 +00:46:08,534 --> 00:46:11,453 +The Greek fans were furious. + +762 +00:46:11,453 --> 00:46:12,804 +We get our way to the final. + +763 +00:46:12,804 --> 00:46:17,514 +The final is a surprise because everybody +expects it is going to be Serbia against Croatia…Yugoslavia, + +764 +00:46:17,514 --> 00:46:23,683 +excuse me, against Croatia, and that some +kind of meltdown is going to happen in the + +765 +00:46:23,683 --> 00:46:25,434 +middle of Athens. + +766 +00:46:25,434 --> 00:46:28,764 +Doesn’t happen because Lithuania beats Croatia +in the semifinals. + +767 +00:46:28,764 --> 00:46:33,284 +The 95 EuroBasket final is widely considered +the best game in tournament history. + +768 +00:46:33,284 --> 00:46:37,744 +Over 20,000 fans packed the arena, most were +Greeks who had turned on Serbia for knocking + +769 +00:46:37,744 --> 00:46:40,213 +Greece out of gold medal contention. + +770 +00:46:40,213 --> 00:46:44,834 +The game was back and forth between both teams, +with Lithuania’s Sarunas Marciulionis and + +771 +00:46:44,834 --> 00:46:48,984 +Yugoslavia’s Sasa Djordjevic each having +the best game of their careers. + +772 +00:46:48,984 --> 00:46:50,084 +Marciulionis couldn’t miss. + +773 +00:46:50,084 --> 00:46:51,184 +Djordjevic couldn’t miss. + +774 +00:46:51,184 --> 00:46:52,664 +Clutch shot after clutch shot. + +775 +00:46:52,664 --> 00:46:54,084 +A technical foul on Vlade. + +776 +00:46:54,084 --> 00:46:56,973 +Then a technical foul on Arvydas Sabonis. + +777 +00:46:56,973 --> 00:46:58,503 +Neither team able to pull away. + +778 +00:46:58,503 --> 00:47:00,334 +The pressure of the game was immense. + +779 +00:47:00,334 --> 00:47:04,144 +So much so that the referees were struggling +to maintain control. + +780 +00:47:04,144 --> 00:47:08,534 +Frustrated by a series of foul calls including +a 5th and final foul on Sabonis, the Lithuanian + +781 +00:47:08,534 --> 00:47:11,064 +team walked off of the court as if to forfeit. + +782 +00:47:11,064 --> 00:47:15,654 +With 2 minutes still remaining in the game +and Yugoslavia up by 4, an emotional Sasa + +783 +00:47:15,654 --> 00:47:20,424 +Djordjevic sprinted over to the Lithuanian +sideline and pleaded with Marciulionis to + +784 +00:47:20,424 --> 00:47:21,554 +continue the game. + +785 +00:47:21,554 --> 00:47:25,434 +After a few moments, Lithuania walked back +onto the court so that the game could end. + +786 +00:47:25,434 --> 00:47:29,634 +For Serbian born basketball fans, no moment +will ever top it. + +787 +00:47:29,634 --> 00:47:34,674 +And for us, I was 15 years old at the time, +that felt like a million dollars. + +788 +00:47:34,674 --> 00:47:38,364 +Honestly speaking, that felt like everything +I could ever imagine. + +789 +00:47:38,364 --> 00:47:42,223 +After 4 years of listening to “you’re +guilty for this. + +790 +00:47:42,223 --> 00:47:43,223 +This is happening. + +791 +00:47:43,223 --> 00:47:44,814 +This is happening. + +792 +00:47:44,814 --> 00:47:49,233 +Wars, shortages, queues, ratios, milk, bread, +gas. + +793 +00:47:49,233 --> 00:47:51,134 +You name it. + +794 +00:47:51,134 --> 00:47:54,884 +There is a guy hitting 9 three-pointers in +a big final and we’re winning it. + +795 +00:47:54,884 --> 00:47:57,453 +And everybody is at the podium. + +796 +00:47:57,453 --> 00:47:59,594 +200 300,000 people out on the streets. + +797 +00:47:59,594 --> 00:48:01,164 +Everybody is out to welcome. + +798 +00:48:01,164 --> 00:48:05,674 +That’s when, Djordjevic said, that’s when +we inaugurated the balcony. + +799 +00:48:05,674 --> 00:48:10,164 +Because after that point, when you’re celebrating +a big medal you are out on the balcony of + +800 +00:48:10,164 --> 00:48:11,464 +the national assembly. + +801 +00:48:11,464 --> 00:48:18,753 +That was such a great…one of the best Serbian +feelings in history. + +802 +00:48:18,753 --> 00:48:21,527 +That is like the watershed moment for people +at that time. + +803 +00:48:21,527 --> 00:48:24,134 +Nobody is going to tell you anything different. + +804 +00:48:24,134 --> 00:48:25,193 +That is THE trophy. + +805 +00:48:25,193 --> 00:48:27,924 +There was one final cherry on top for Serbians. + +806 +00:48:27,924 --> 00:48:31,754 +A moment that so perfectly encapsulates everything +that Serbians and Yugoslavians were feeling + +807 +00:48:31,754 --> 00:48:32,754 +in that moment. + +808 +00:48:32,754 --> 00:48:37,193 +Zarko Paspajl, who was the team captain, had +recently switched from playing for Olympiacos + +809 +00:48:37,193 --> 00:48:40,213 +in Athens to their crosstown rival, Pathaniakos. + +810 +00:48:40,213 --> 00:48:44,624 +It was rare for a player to go from one team +to the other in such a heated rivalry and + +811 +00:48:44,624 --> 00:48:46,984 +the move drew the ire of Olympiakos fans. + +812 +00:48:46,984 --> 00:48:50,804 +To make matters worse, Paspajl had missed +a crucial free throw in a semi-final game + +813 +00:48:50,804 --> 00:48:53,614 +against his former team en route to a crushing +loss. + +814 +00:48:53,614 --> 00:48:55,814 +Fans of both teams were suddenly pitted against +him. + +815 +00:48:55,814 --> 00:48:56,963 +The crowd began to mock him. + +816 +00:48:56,963 --> 00:48:58,924 +“You will never hoist the trophy, Paspajl. + +817 +00:48:58,924 --> 00:49:00,524 +You will never hoist the trophy.” + +818 +00:49:00,524 --> 00:49:06,664 +A year later, with the Eurobasket trophy in +hand, in Athens, Paspajl lifted the trophy + +819 +00:49:06,664 --> 00:49:11,114 +to the sounds of his teammates cheering “now +you are hoisting the trophy Paspajl. + +820 +00:49:11,114 --> 00:49:12,874 +Now you are hoisting the trophy” + +821 +00:49:12,874 --> 00:49:15,904 +This is a place that is steeped in tradition. + +822 +00:49:15,904 --> 00:49:21,743 +And don’t get me wrong, we appreciate definitely +everything that Jokic does and as I said, + +823 +00:49:21,743 --> 00:49:27,003 +it would be stupid to say anything else but +that he is the greatest in terms of sheer + +824 +00:49:27,003 --> 00:49:28,334 +talent and sheer output. + +825 +00:49:28,334 --> 00:49:33,003 +Nobody has been MVP once, not to mention twice. + +826 +00:49:33,003 --> 00:49:34,564 +Back to back. + +827 +00:49:34,564 --> 00:49:36,774 +But, in the hearts of the common people. + +828 +00:49:36,774 --> 00:49:43,944 +If you’re going to ask people who are 35, +40, 45 years old, what is their favorite memory? + +829 +00:49:43,944 --> 00:49:47,774 +Until Jokic wins something it is going to +be Paspalj hoisting the trophy. + +830 +00:49:47,774 --> 00:49:49,274 +Champions breed champions. + +831 +00:49:49,274 --> 00:49:50,344 +We have grown up watching the great Yugoslav +sides. + +832 +00:49:50,344 --> 00:49:53,624 +We grew up watching the great Yugoslavian sides, the great Serbian sides. + +833 +00:49:53,624 --> 00:50:02,144 +The children we have, the children of their +children need new heroes. + +834 +00:50:02,144 --> 00:50:03,814 +The images will fade away eventually. + +835 +00:50:03,814 --> 00:50:06,154 +We will remember that, it’s nice. + +836 +00:50:06,154 --> 00:50:07,534 +But we need new Djordjevic. + +837 +00:50:07,534 --> 00:50:08,693 +We need new Bodirogas. + +838 +00:50:08,693 --> 00:50:12,038 +Jokic is the guy who can take us there. + +839 +00:50:27,316 --> 00:50:29,864 +It’s Thursday night in Belgrade. + +840 +00:50:29,864 --> 00:50:31,364 +Stark Arena. + +841 +00:50:31,364 --> 00:50:35,564 +The very arena that was commissioned to be +built to house the 1994 World Cup. + +842 +00:50:35,564 --> 00:50:39,105 +A tournament that never arrived in Yugoslavia. + +843 +00:50:39,105 --> 00:50:44,567 +At stake is an improved opportunity to earn +a spot in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. + +844 +00:50:47,614 --> 00:50:53,864 +This time, Serbia is up against their Balkan +neighbors in Greece, featuring former NBA + +845 +00:50:53,864 --> 00:50:56,484 +MVP Giannis Atentakoumnpo. + +846 +00:50:56,484 --> 00:51:00,704 +Walking along courtside inside the arena felt +like walking through a living museum of Serbian + +847 +00:51:00,704 --> 00:51:03,560 +basketball history. + +848 +00:51:20,604 --> 00:51:27,044 +Serbia! Serbia! Serbia! + +849 +00:52:54,725 --> 00:52:59,231 +Final result: Serbia 100, Greece 94. + +850 +00:53:03,823 --> 00:53:06,980 +That’s crazy, man. + +851 +00:53:12,367 --> 00:53:15,484 +Throughout our week in Serbia, we grew to +appreciate the ways in which their culture + +852 +00:53:15,484 --> 00:53:18,374 +and history are expressed through the way +that they play basketball. + +853 +00:53:18,374 --> 00:53:22,824 +There is a joyfulness that coats the competitive +fire inside so many Serbs. + +854 +00:53:22,824 --> 00:53:25,204 +Sasa Djordjevic, who was a fierce +competitor, once said: + +855 +00:53:25,948 --> 00:53:27,434 +Basketball is a game of tricks. + +856 +00:53:27,434 --> 00:53:29,284 +Look to the left, pass to the right. + +857 +00:53:29,284 --> 00:53:31,983 +That’s why there are good basketball players +here throughout our history. + +858 +00:53:31,983 --> 00:53:34,364 +We are the people who like to joke. + +859 +00:53:34,364 --> 00:53:37,074 +The first thing you wake up, you look for +someone to make a joke with. + +860 +00:53:37,074 --> 00:53:39,213 +And that’s exactly what this sport is about. + +861 +00:53:39,213 --> 00:53:42,934 +For us the most important thing in Serbia is family. + +862 +00:53:42,934 --> 00:53:44,374 +Before everything. + +863 +00:53:44,374 --> 00:53:47,764 +And after family is the friends. + +864 +00:53:47,764 --> 00:53:50,733 +So it is really important for us to be part of some +kind of group. + +865 +00:53:50,733 --> 00:53:53,654 +Which can explain with our crazy fans. + +866 +00:53:53,654 --> 00:53:56,264 +It’s important for them to be part of some +friend group or some team. + +867 +00:53:56,264 --> 00:53:57,264 +Something like that. + +868 +00:53:57,264 --> 00:53:59,094 +So we are good at team sports. + +869 +00:53:59,094 --> 00:54:05,384 +The core of most Serbs is still Inat, that +word that has no equivalent in any other language. + +870 +00:54:05,384 --> 00:54:10,744 +Inat is a driving force that Serbs believe +rests lightly inside all of them. + +871 +00:54:10,744 --> 00:54:14,004 +I don’t know how to translate that in English. + +872 +00:54:14,004 --> 00:54:18,954 +Inat is something that defines us as a nation. + +873 +00:54:18,954 --> 00:54:23,014 +I was thinking before this interview about +Jokic and all this. + +874 +00:54:23,014 --> 00:54:28,074 +I think it’s the way that we are raising +kids here in Serbia. + +875 +00:54:28,074 --> 00:54:33,253 +When you want to push kids to do something +in Serbia you say: + +876 +00:54:33,253 --> 00:54:37,455 + “there is no way that you could do it. You are not so fast. Or you are too weak. Come on.." + +877 +00:54:37,455 --> 00:54:39,294 +I don’t believe that you could do that.” + +878 +00:54:39,294 --> 00:54:44,524 +So even when Jokic came to the NBA, nobody +said not with that body, not with that jump. + +879 +00:54:44,524 --> 00:54:48,470 +Not with that style of shoot. + +880 +00:54:48,470 --> 00:54:51,534 +But he showed everybody that he is more than +just that actually. + +881 +00:54:51,534 --> 00:54:58,404 +That he is best one of, not just the big players +of all time, but players in NBA for sure. + +882 +00:54:58,404 --> 00:55:02,774 +From this point forward, I think the man wrote +all the stories he can write. + +883 +00:55:02,774 --> 00:55:06,124 +But no, honestly, anything else would be just +gravy. + +884 +00:55:06,124 --> 00:55:10,904 +But of course we would like if he would keep +playing for the Serbian national team as much + +885 +00:55:10,904 --> 00:55:13,154 +as possible and win as much as possible. + +886 +00:55:13,154 --> 00:55:14,894 +Better not to say anything. + +887 +00:55:14,894 --> 00:55:18,114 +Last season they asked me, “could he repeat +MVP?” + +888 +00:55:18,114 --> 00:55:19,794 +I said “Come on. + +889 +00:55:19,794 --> 00:55:23,444 +Last year people were injured. Now, LeBron James. This and that. + +890 +00:55:23,444 --> 00:55:26,998 +It’s back to back. It’s not realistic.” + +891 +00:55:26,998 --> 00:55:30,515 +So…I mean…who knows? + +892 +00:55:30,515 --> 00:55:34,036 +After all this, the sky is the limit for him. + +893 +00:55:34,036 --> 00:55:35,688 +Maybe, I don’t know. + +894 +00:55:35,688 --> 00:55:40,671 +I know that he is not chasing anything, but +I think he will break many more records. + +895 +00:55:40,671 --> 00:55:44,620 +That he will surprise us. + +896 +00:55:44,620 --> 00:55:46,284 +But surprise us with what? + +897 +00:55:46,284 --> 00:55:48,124 +He is 2 times MVP. + +898 +00:55:48,124 --> 00:55:52,203 +He is better center than every other in the +NBA. + +899 +00:55:52,203 --> 00:55:56,134 +There is something unique about how sports +can give a nation a sense of pride and purpose. + +900 +00:55:56,134 --> 00:56:00,404 +And Something special about the way sports +can connect people from different nations + +901 +00:56:00,404 --> 00:56:01,934 +and cultures. + +902 +00:56:01,934 --> 00:56:05,305 +Of all of the lessons learned from our time +traveling to Serbia and meeting so many of + +903 +00:56:05,305 --> 00:56:09,984 +our fans and making new friends along the +way, the strongest lesson remains how powerful + +904 +00:56:09,984 --> 00:56:11,544 +the game of basketball can be. + +905 +00:56:11,544 --> 00:56:15,914 +It is made evident and obvious in 95 when +Paspajl lifted the trophy. + +906 +00:56:15,914 --> 00:56:21,324 +It was evident inside the walls of Stark arena +when Nikola hit the Sombor Shuffle. + +907 +00:56:21,324 --> 00:56:23,124 +And it is evident in ourselves. + +908 +00:56:23,124 --> 00:56:26,713 +A group of friends that were brought together +because of the Denver Nuggets, and brought + +909 +00:56:26,713 --> 00:56:29,654 +across the world because of Nikola Jokic + +910 +00:56:29,654 --> 00:56:33,934 +There is something special about adopting +a team that is foreign to you. + +911 +00:56:33,934 --> 00:56:37,984 +There is an element of discovery that is unique +among the many fan experiences. + +912 +00:56:37,984 --> 00:56:41,973 +I’ve observed that experience among our +Serbian fans who have latched onto the Denver + +913 +00:56:41,973 --> 00:56:47,173 +Nuggets, and by extension, to DNVR, all because +of Nikola Jokic. + +914 +00:56:47,173 --> 00:56:52,394 +After this trip, I can finally say that I +can reciprocate those sentiments with Serbia. + +915 +00:56:52,394 --> 00:56:55,794 +There is an unexplainable attraction that +this country has on a person. + +916 +00:56:55,794 --> 00:57:00,894 +It isn’t a nation that is as architecturally +beautiful as Italy, or as culinarily refined as France. + +917 +00:57:00,894 --> 00:57:05,064 +It doesn’t have the beaches of the Greek +isles or the mountains of Switzerland to draw you in. + +918 +00:57:05,064 --> 00:57:09,284 +What it has to offer is a people who proudly +claim to be the most hospitable in the world, + +919 +00:57:09,284 --> 00:57:12,814 +even if their tempers often run shorter than most. + +920 +00:57:12,814 --> 00:57:15,493 +As Momo Kapor said best: + +921 +00:57:15,493 --> 00:57:19,874 +Serbia is a nation as comfortable as a friendly +pub; it does not put fear in the hearts of + +922 +00:57:19,874 --> 00:57:26,980 +visitors with its enormity, but binds its +visitors forever with a hundred invisible threads. +