Aleksandar Nikolić facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 28 October 1924 Sarajevo, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
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| Nationality | Serbian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 12 March 2000 (aged 75) Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia |
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| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1945–1951 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1951–1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1945 | Crvena zvezda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1945 | Yugoslav Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1946 | Partizan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1947–1949 | Crvena zvezda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1950 | Železničar Čačak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951 | BSK Beograd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951–1965 | Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1961 | Partizan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1961–1963 | OKK Beograd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963–1965 | Petrarca Padova | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1965–1967 | OKK Beograd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1969–1973 | Varese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1973–1974 | Crvena zvezda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974–1976 | Fortitudo Bologna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1980 | Borac Čačak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1982 | Virtus Bologna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Reyer Venezia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | Victoria Libertas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | Udinese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
As head coach:
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Medals
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Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić (born October 28, 1924 – died March 12, 2000) was a famous Serbian basketball player and coach. People often called him the "Father of Yugoslav and Serbian Basketball". He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade.
Nikolić was a mentor to many young basketball coaches. Some of his students became very successful coaches themselves. He was nicknamed the "Professor" and "Iron Sergeant". Nikolić was honored in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. He was also inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, he was recognized as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors.
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Early Life and Education
Aleksandar Nikolić was born in Sarajevo. His parents lived in Brčko, but his mother was visiting her sister when he was born. Young Aleksandar grew up in a wealthy family. His father, Đorđe Nikolić, was 62 when Aleksandar was born.
After a few years in Brčko, his family moved to Belgrade. He attended the Kralj Aleksandar Gymnasium there. Later, he studied medicine and law at the University of Belgrade. He finished his studies in 1946.
Playing Basketball
Nikolić played as a small forward in basketball. He played for 7 seasons in the top Yugoslav league. This was from 1945 to 1951. He played for several teams during his career.
His teams included Yugoslav Army and Partizan. He also played for Crvena zvezda. He won the Yugoslav Championships four times as a player. He won in 1945, 1947, 1948, and 1949. He stopped playing basketball in 1951.
Playing for the National Team
Nikolić also played for the Yugoslavia national basketball team. He played 10 games for his country. This was during the late 1940s.
Coaching Basketball
After he stopped playing, Nikolić became a basketball coach. He coached many teams in Serbia and Italy. One of his famous Italian teams was Ignis Varese.
Coaching the Yugoslav National Team
Nikolić was also the main coach for the senior Yugoslavia national basketball team. He coached them from 1951 to 1965. He returned to coach them again from 1977 to 1978.
Under his coaching, Yugoslavia won many medals.
- They won gold at the 1978 FIBA World Championship.
- They also won gold at the 1977 EuroBasket.
- His teams won silver medals at the 1963 FIBA World Championship, 1961 EuroBasket, and 1965 EuroBasket.
- They earned a bronze medal at the 1963 EuroBasket.
Later Life and Legacy
Aleksandar Nikolić passed away on March 12, 2000. He died in Belgrade, where he is buried. His grave is in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens. This special area is at Belgrade's New Cemetery.
After his death, a sports arena was named in his honor. It is called Aleksandar Nikolić Hall. This shows how important he was to basketball.
See also
- Aleksandar Nikolić Hall
- Radomir Šaper
- FIBA Basketball World Cup winning head coaches
- List of FIBA EuroBasket winning coaches
- List of EuroLeague-winning coaches
