KK Crvena zvezda
| KK Crvena zvezda Telekom Belgrade | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Nickname | The Red-whites | ||
| Leagues |
Euroleague ABA League KLS | ||
| Founded | 1945 | ||
| History |
KK Crvena zvezda (1945–present) | ||
| Arena |
Pionir Hall (8.150) Kombank Arena (25.000) | ||
| Location | Belgrade, Serbia | ||
| Team colors |
Red and White | ||
| Main sponsor | Telekom Srbija | ||
| President | Nebojša Čović | ||
| Head coach | Dejan Radonjić | ||
| Championships |
1 Saporta Cup 1 ABA League 16 National Championships 8 National Cups | ||
| Website |
www | ||
| Uniforms | |||
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KK Crvena zvezda (Serbian Cyrillic: КК Црвена звезда, English: Red star Basketball Club) is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade. Crvena zvezda is a part of the Adriatic Basketball Association and compete in the ABA League, Euroleague and in the KLS. The team play domestic home matches in the Pionir Hall, and the Euroleague home matches in Kombank Arena. Zvezda's supporters are known as Delije.
History
When the subject of great teams in the cradle of European basketball arises, the name of Red Star Belgrade is always a part of the discussion. As one of the most-crowned teams in the former Yugoslavia, Red Star has always commanded attention wherever it plays.
1945–1968: Early years and ten consecutive championship titles
By winning the first of ten consecutive championship titles after the Second World War, the golden age of Red Star began. No domestic national selection could be imagined without seven or eight Red Star basketball players and the first quintet featured Nebojša Popović, Tulio Roklicer, Aleksandar Gec, Ladislav Demšar and Srđa Kalember. Their style was unique, they made basketball popular in Serbia and achieved first international results for former Yugoslavia, playing in an open-air court at Kalemegdan fortress. The greatness of this team cannot be disputed. They were pioneers of Yugoslavian basketball who achieved amazing results, entertaining the audience with their game style, just as with their squad harmony both on and off the court. After a decade filled with nothing but success, game scores started to decline, generation shift arrived and it took Red Star fourteen long years to win another trophy.
1968–1972: A giant reborn
That long awaited eleventh title was won in the 1968–69 season, when Red Star won all six games against Jugoplastika, Zadar and Partizan, therefore proving to be better than all three fierce rivals. Led by Vladimir Cvetković, the title was won by Dragan Kapičić, Zoran Lazarević, Ivan Sarjanović, Ljubodrag Simonović, Srđan Skulić, Zoran Slavnić, Tihomir Pavlović, Nemanja Đurić, Miroslav Todosijević, Dragisa Vučinić and Dubravko Kapetanović. At that time, they were the youngest championship winning team in Yugoslavian basketball. The twelfth title was won in the 1971–72 season, after which Red Star's league success deteriorated gradually. In the 70s the club won the national cup three times, and most of the work in those years was done by Slavnić, Simonović, Kapičić, Vučinić and Živković. This generation of players definitely failed to certify their talent by winning only two national championships and three national cups, although they were widely considered capable of achieving much more.
1972–1990: Continental competitions
Crvena Zvezda also had significant international success, having played in five continental cup finals so far. They lost the first Cup Winners' Cup finals to Italian powerhouse Simmenthal Milano in 1972 by a score of 70–74. Then, in 1974, they defeated Jbrojovka Brno from Czechoslovakia by a score of 86–75. This team's third finals in the Cup Winners' Cup were lost to Spartak Leningrad by a score of 62–63 in 1975. In the club's first Korać Cup finals, in Paris in 1984, the French Orthez won by a 73–67 score. In the Korać Cup second finals in 1998 Zvezda played two matches with Rielo Mash Jeans Verona from Italy. They triumphed in the away match with 74–68 score, but lost the home match by 64–73. With the total score being 138–141, the precious trophy wasn't won.
1990–2002: Another comeback
The 1990s started promisingly. Throughout the 1991–92 league season, which was the last one in SFR Yugoslavia, Red Star played some inspired basketball, reaching the play-off final versus arch-rival Partizan that coached by Željko Obradović won Euroleague that season. In a twist of fate, Red Star was led that season by the legendary Partizan coach Duško Vujošević. Though they lost the finals series, the young Crveno-beli team showed plenty of promise. The thirteenth championship title was won after a gap of no less than 21 years, in 1993. In the fifth match of the playoff finals Red Star beat fierce rivals and Pionir Hall co-tenants Partizan. The players who won that championship title are: Saša Obradović, Nebojša Ilić, Zoran Jovanović, Mile Marinković, Nikola Jovanović, Mileta Lisica, Dejan Tomašević, Dragoljub Vidačić, Aleksandar Trifunović, Rastko Cvetković, Slobodan Kaličanin, Predrag Stojaković and Srđan Jovanović. In the next season Red Star won its fourteenth national championship title literally without any problems. In the playoff finals Partizan was beaten by 4–1 overall. Red Sar won the championship for the fifteenth time in 1998. The main star of that team was without any doubt Yugoslavian national team power forward Milenko Topić, and other influential players were Igor Rakočević, Oliver Popović and Zlatko Bolić.
2002–2011: "European Red Star" project, struggles
In the early part of 2002, the club got a complete new management. Individuals from the political and business milieu close to ruling Democratic Party, such as Živorad Anđelković, Goran Vesić, and Igor Žeželj, took over key positions in the club. From summer 2002 onward, the project called Evropska ZVEZDA (European RED STAR) was thought up in order to slowly and methodically return the club on the path of its former glory by achieving results that would see the club play Euroleague again. To that end, new management hired Slovenian coach Zmago Sagadin who became Red Star's organizational centerpiece. In his first season Sagadin did not actually coach the team (the formal head coach role was given to Aleksandar Trifunović), but he did make all the important personnel decisions from the role of a sporting director. Under Sagadin's guidance Red Star entered the Adriatic League (a privately owned regional competition in which he holds ownership stake) for the 2002–03 season. In August 2003, ahead of the 2003–04 season, Sagadin took over the coaching duties formally as well. Despite all the efforts, the club did not manage to win any major trophies in this period, and in November 2004 Sagadin got fired.
In the last couple of years the club is struggling to get back on a winning streak, and managed to win the 2003 and 2006 national cup (Radivoj Korać Cup) finals. The first of them was held in Novi Sad, where Red Star beat the national champion Partizan, then the host Vojvodina and, finally, KK FMP from Železnik. All three matches were won in overtime, which is something to remember, especially when it is known that those matches were played without some of the best players, including the team captain Igor Rakočević who missed the final match. Besides Rakočević, the cup was won by Goran Jeretin, Vuk Radivojević, Milan Dozet, Miloš Mirković, Norman Richardson, Milko Bjelica, Aleksandar Đurić, Vladislav Dragojlović, Luka Bogdanović, Čedomir Vitkovac and Aleksej Nešović. The 2006 cup was won in Belgrade when Red Star won superiorly against Hemofarm Vršac by 80–65. The team was coached by Dragan Šakota and featured the likes of Jeretin, Milan Gurović, Gerrod Henderson, Miroslav Raičević, Larry O'Bannon, Igor Milošević, Vujadin Subotić, Nenad Mišanović, Vladislav Dragojlović, Čedomir Vitkovac, Vuk Radivojević and Pero Antić. With the failure of the project "European Red Star" in 2008. Slobodan Vucicevic became the president of Red Star and brought new life into the club. Svetislav Pesic became the head coach, and a new team was assembled, including some notable players such as Nemanja Bjelica, Vladimir Stimac, Lawrence Roberts, Marko Keselj but the club failed to win a trophy that year, and at the end of the season, both Slobodan Vucicevic and Svetislav Pesic left the club. In the following two seasons, the club experienced a decline and financial problems, which culminated in the season 2010/11 when the club had a budget of only 500.000 euros. Red Star finished 13th in the Adriatic League, and 5th in the Serbian league, failing to qualify for the Adriatic League the following season.
2011–present: New era with Nebojša Čović
A huge debt of 15 million euros threatened the very existence of the club.[1] The club was saved from bankruptcy when Nebojša Čović became president of KK Crvena Zvezda.[2] He prepared a plan for the financial reorganization. In the first year of his presidency, Svetislav Pešić became a head coach for the second time.[3] Even though the season was without success in the Adriatic League, Pesic managed to bring his team to the finals, eventually losing to a much stronger Partizan team 3–1 in the series. Pesic left the club at the end of the season, and his assistant Milivoje Lazic became the new head coach.[4] Red Star had big ambitions for the 2012/13 season, bringing back Igor Rakočević for the 3rd time, and signing players such as DeMarcus Nelson, Elton Brown, Boris Savović. But Lazić was fired after only 2 games in the season after losing the games against KK Zadar and KK Split, and Vlada Vukoičić was brought in to replace him.[5] Vukoicic managed to win the Serbian cup, and managed to advance to the Last 16 Eurocup stage, but he was sacked as well after a very bad start in the domestic league. Dejan Radonjić replaced him,[6] but he was unable to win the Adriatic League and the Serbian League, losing to Partizan in both finals.
The season of 2013/14 was a historic one for the club, as Red Star was back in the Euroleague after 15 years. The club had a very successful season in the European competitions, led by the new signings Charles Jenkins, Blake Schilb, Jaka Blažič and Boban Marjanović and had a record of 4–6 in the group stage of the Euroleague. This wasn't enough to advance to the knockout phase, but the team did reach the semifinals of the Eurocup. Red Star was eventually eliminated in the semifinals of the Adriatic league, losing to Cibona, and failed to win the domestic title yet again, losing to Partizan in a series which will be remembered more by incidents and a brawl in game 1.[7]
In the summer of 2014, Red Star signed Nikola Kalinić[8] and Stefan Jović[9] from KK Radnički Kragujevac, NBA prospect Nemanja Dangubić,[10] center Maik Zirbes[11] and finalized a huge signing of point guard Marcus Williams.[12] In season 2014/2015, the club participated in Euroleague,[13] reaching Top 16.[14] In Adriatic league, it set a new record of 20 consecutive victories,[15] ending league competition with score 24–2, losing only to Krka and Partizan. In the playoffs, Zvezda triumphed over Partizan 3–1 in the semifinals,[16] and 3–1 over Cedevita Zagreb in the finals,[17] winnining its first trophy in this competition and securing a place in Euroleague in the 2015–2016 season. Zvezda also won Radivoj Korać Cup for the third time in a row.[18] In Basketball League of Serbia, Zvezda entered playoffs with 13 wins and only one lost game. In the semifinals, it defeated Mega Leks 2–0, and in the final triumphed over great rival Partizan, 3–0.[19]
Team started preparing for season 2015–2016 by re-signing coach Radonjić[20] and guard Branko Lazić[21] for two years each. Team captain Luka Mitrović extended his contract until summer 2017. Williams, Marjanović, Kalinić, Jenkins and Blažič left the club, and roster was reinforced by Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Stefan Nastić, Ryan Thompson and Gal Mekel. From its development team KK FMP, Zvezda promoted MVP of 2015 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Marko Gudurić. Due to serious injuries of Mitrović and Dangubić in the beginning of the season, club also brought back Marko Simonović, and later on landed Quincy Miller. Out-of-form Schortsanitis and Mekel were replaced by Vladimir Štimac and returning Marcus Williams. Red Star ended group stage of Euroleague with a 5–5 score, reaching third place of group A, qualifying for Top 16 stage.[22]
Honours
Total titles: 26
Domestic competitions
Former domestic competitions
Yugoslav League (SFR Yugoslavia)
- Winners (12): 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1968–69, 1971–72
- Runners-up (7): 1959, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1989–90
Yugoslav League (FR Yugoslavia)
- Winners (3): 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98
- Runners-up (2): 1991–92, 2005–06
- Winners (3): 1970–71, 1972–73, 1974–75
- Runners-up (3): 1973–74, 1989–90, 1993–94
European competitions
FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup / FIBA Saporta Cup
Regional competitions
Individual awards
Top performances in European & Worldwide competitions
| Season | Achievement | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euroleague | |||
| 1969–70 | Quarter-finals | 3rd place in a group with CSKA Moscow, Ignis Varèse and ASVEL | |
| 1972–73 | Semi-finals | eliminated by CSKA Moscow, 90–98 (L) in Belgrade and 83–100 (L) in Moscow | |
| Saporta Cup | |||
| 1971–72 | Final | lost to Simmenthal Milano, 70–74 in the final (Thessaloniki) | |
| 1973–74 | Champions | defeated Zbrojovka Brno 86–75 in the final of European Cup Winner's Cup in Udine | |
| 1974–75 | Final | lost to Spartak Leningrad, 62–63 in the final (Nantes) | |
| 1990–91 | Quarter-finals | 4th place in a group with CAI Zaragoza, PAOK and Hapoel Galil Elyon | |
| Korać Cup | |||
| 1980–81 | Semi-finals | eliminated by Joventut Freixenet, 89–105 (L) in Barcelona and 73–82 (L) in Belgrade | |
| 1981–82 | Semi-finals | eliminated by Šibenka, 115–99 (W) in Belgrade and 83–101 (L) in Šibenik | |
| 1983–84 | Final | lost to Orthez, 73–97 in the final (Paris) | |
| 1984–85 | Semi-finals | eliminated by Simac Milano, 86–109 (L) in Milan and 99–100 (L) in Belgrade | |
| 1987–88 | Semi-finals | eliminated by Real Madrid, 82–89 (L) in Belgrade and 72–81 (L) in Madrid | |
| 1997–98 | Final | lost to Mash Verona, 74–68 (W) in Verona and 64–73 (L) in Belgrade in the double finals of Korać Cup | |
| Eurocup | |||
| 2005–06 | Quarter-finals | eliminated by Dynamo Moscow, 86–87 (L) in Belgrade and 65–86 (L) in Moscow | |
| 2006–07 | Quarter-finals | eliminated by Real Madrid, 72–83 (L) in Belgrade and 78–79 (L) in Madrid | |
| 2013–14 | Semi-finals | eliminated by UNICS, 63–52 (W) in Belgrade and 67–84 (L) in Kazan | |
The road to the European Victory
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1973-74 FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup
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Players
Current roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events.Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
| KK Crvena zvezda roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depth chart
| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Bench 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Maik Zirbes | Vladimir Štimac | Stefan Nastić | |
| PF | Quincy Miller | Marko Simonović | Marko Tejić | Luka Mitrović  |
| SF | Nemanja Dangubić | Branko Lazić | Boriša Simanić | |
| SG | Tarence Kinsey | Marko Gudurić | ||
| PG | Stefan Jović | Vasilije Micić | Nikola Rebić |
Squad changes for the 2015–16 season
In
|
Out
|
Players on the NBA Draft
| # | Denotes player who never played in the NBA regular season or playoffs |
| Position | Player | Year | Round | Pick | Drafted by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG |  Igor Rakočević |
2000 | 2nd round | 51st | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| PF |  Tadija Dragićević# |
2008 | 2nd round | 53rd | Utah Jazz |
| PF / SF | Nemanja Bjelica |
2010 | 2nd round | 35th | Washington Wizards, traded to Minnesota Timberwolves |
| PF | Luka Mitrović# |
2015 | 2nd round | 60th | Philadelphia 76ers |
Notable coaches
See: List of Red Star Belgrade basketball coaches
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Kit manufacturers
| Period | Kit Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| 1986–1990 | Sport |
| 1990–1992 | Dribling |
| 1992–1993 | Reebok |
| 1993–1995 | Asics |
| 1995–2000 | Nike |
| 2000–2003 | Rang |
| 2003–2010 | And1 |
| 2010–2011 | Anta |
| 2011–2013 | Adidas |
| 2013– | Champion |
References
- ↑ ČOVIĆ: Zvezda duguje 15 miliona evra, Milan Beko "oprostio" milion | Telegraf – Najnovije vesti. Telegraf.rs (2012-05-29). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Crvena zvezda Beograd: Čović predsednik | Mondo Sport. Mondo.rs. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Glavni meni | KK Crvena zvezda. Kkcrvenazvezda.rs. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Glavni meni | KK Crvena zvezda. Kkcrvenazvezda.rs. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Glavni meni | KK Crvena zvezda. Kkcrvenazvezda.rs. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Zvezda potvrdila: Radonjić novi trener! | Mondo Sport. Mondo.rs (2013-04-15). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Tuča košarkaša Zvezde i Partizana u Pioniru | Mondo Sport. Mondo.rs (2014-06-14). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Najave se obistinile – Kalinić potpisao za Zvezdu!. Sportske.net. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Stefan Jović potpisao za Zvezdu. Mozzartsport.com (2014-09-22). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Glavni meni | KK Crvena zvezda. Kkcrvenazvezda.rs. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ (Serbo-Croatian) ZIRBES: Zvezda se ne odbija | Najnovije vesti. Srbija danas. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ ZVANIČNO: Markus Vilijams novi plejmejker Zvezde!. Mozzartsport.com (2014-08-16). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ ECA board approves 2014–15 teams, steps toward comprehensive competition model – Latest – Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. Euroleague.net (2014-06-25). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Red Star join Olympiacos and roar into the Top 16, Euroleague round up –. Talkbasket.net. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Zvezda – Solnok 90:47, 20. kolo ABA lige 2014/15 | Mondo Sport. Mondo.rs. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Ameri odveli Zvezdu u Evroligu!. B92.net (2015-04-19). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ ZVEZDA JE ŠAMPION ABA LIGE! Crveno-beli stavljaju prstenje u sred Zagreba! (FOTO) (VIDEO) | Telegraf – Najnovije vesti. Telegraf.rs (2015-04-30). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Red Star Belgrade defends Radivoj Korac Cup | InSerbia News. Inserbia.info. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ KLS: Zvezda je šampion! | N1 Srbija. Rs.n1info.com. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Crvena Zvezda extends term of Coach Radonjic – Latest – Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. Euroleague.net (2015-06-30). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Crvena Zvezda re-signs defensive standout Lazic – Latest – Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. Euroleague.net (2015-06-25). Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
- ↑ Standings – Welcome to EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL. Euroleague.net. Retrieved on 2016-01-06.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to KK Crvena zvezda. |
- KK Crvena zvezda official website (Serbian)
- Club info at Adriatic league official site
- Crvena Zvezda Sports Association
- Latest news from KK Crvena zvezda (Serbian) at kapiten.rs
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