Aleksandar Nikolić

Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a renowned Serb basketball player and coach from Yugoslavia. He is considered to be so instrumental and important to the game's development in the country, that he is often referred to as, The Father of Yugoslav Basketball.

Nikolić was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in what was at the time, part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, but he moved to the capital Belgrade, at a young age. He studied medicine and law at the University of Belgrade, graduating in 1946.

Aleksandar Nikolić died on 12 March 2000, in Belgrade, He is buried in the Alley of the Greats, in Belgrade, Novo Groblje ("New Cemetery").

Basketball biography

Nikolić was nicknamed, "The Professor", "Iron Sergeant", and, "The father of Yugoslav basketball". He was a Professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. The future coaches taught by Nikolić include Božidar Maljković, Dušan Ivković, Bogdan Tanjević, Želimir Obradović, etc.

However, Nikolić always had a real passion for basketball. As a player, he competed for Partizan (1945-1947), Red Star Belgrade (1947–1949), Železničar Čačak (1949–1950), and BSK Belgrade (1950–1951). He won the Yugoslav League in 1947, 1948, and 1949 with Red Star Belgrade. Nikolić was a member of the Yugoslav national basketball team, during the late 1940s, playing 10 games.

After his playing career was over, he became involved with coaching, both with Serbia-based clubs, and those in Italy, notably Varese. Nikolić was the head coach of the Yugoslav national squad, between 1951 and 1965, and later between 1977 and 1978. During this time, he coached two future Hall of Famers in Borislav Stanković and Krešimir Ćosić. Under his leadership, Yugoslavia won the 1978 FIBA World Championship and 1977 FIBA European Championship; silver medals in the 1963 FIBA World Championship, 1961 FIBA European Championship, and 1965 FIBA European Championship, and a bronze medal in the 1963 FIBA European Championship.

Nikolić was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, and into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors.

Clubs coached

• 1959-1961 Partizan
• 1961-1963 OKK Belgrade
• 1965-1967 Petrarca Padova
• 1967-1968 OKK Belgrade
• 1969-1973 Ignis Varese
• 1973-1974 Red Star Belgrade
• 1974-1976 Fortitudo Bologna
• 1978-1980 Borac Čačak
• 1981-1982 Virtus Bologna
• 1982-1983 Carrera Venezia
• 1983-1984 Scavolini Pesaro
• 1984-1985 Australian Udine

Titles

• 1963 Yugoslav League, (OKK Belgrade)
• 1962 Yugoslav Cup, (OKK Beograd)
• 1970 European Champions' Cup, (Ignis Varese)
• 1972 European Champions' Cup, (Ignis Varese)
• 1973 European Champions' Cup, (Ignis Varese)
• 1970 Italian League, (Ignis Varese)
• 1972 Italian League, (Ignis Varese)
• 1973 Italian League, (Ignis Varese)
• 1970 Italian Cup, (Ignis Varese)
• 1971 Italian Cup, (Ignis Varese)
• 1973 Italian Cup, (Ignis Varese)
• 1970 Intercontinental Cup, (Ignis Varese)
• 1973 Intercontinental Cup, (Ignis Varese)
• 1974 Cup Winners' Cup (Red Star Belgrade)

External links

• FIBA Hall of Fame profile
• Sećanje na slavnog Profesora (Serbian)

Sporting positions
Preceded by Mirko Novosel	FIBA World Championship Winning Coach 1978	Succeeded by Alexander Gomelsky
Preceded by Vladimir Kondrashin	EuroBasket Winning Coach 1977	Succeeded by Alexander Gomelsky
Preceded by Armenak Alachachian Alexander Gomelsky	FIBA European Champions Cup Winning Coach 1970 1972,1973	Succeeded by Alexander Gomelsky Pedro Ferrándiz