Boris Kristančič facts for kids
Boris Kristančič
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 November 1931 Skopje, Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Died | 29 October 2015 (aged 83) Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Listed height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9.29 in) |
| Listed weight | 72 kg (159 lb) |
| Career information | |
| Pro career | 1949–1967 |
| Coaching career | ?–1967 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1949–1961 | Enotnost/AŠK Olimpija |
| 1962–1967 | Stella Azzura |
| As coach: | |
| ?–1967 | AŠK Olimpija |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
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Boris Kristančič (born November 21, 1931 – died October 29, 2015) was a famous Slovenian basketball player and coach. He played for the Yugoslavia national basketball team on the international stage.
Basketball Career
Boris Kristančič spent most of his basketball career with the team AŠK Olimpija in Ljubljana. He often played and coached for the team at the same time during the 1950s and 1960s. With his great help, Olimpija won five of their six championship titles in the Yugoslav First Basketball League.
Kristančič was also the first basketball player from Slovenia to play for a team in another country. He played for Stella Azzurra in Italy.
He was an important part of the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia. He served on its technical committee from 1967 to 1978 and was its president from 1978 to 1983. He also led the team that organized the 1970 FIBA World Championship in Ljubljana.
Playing for Yugoslavia
Boris Kristančič played for the Yugoslav national basketball team from 1951 to 1960. He played in 81 games and was the team's captain for six years.
With the national team, he took part in several big tournaments:
- The 1954 FIBA World Championship in Brazil.
- Two European Championships: 1957 and 1959.
- The 1960 Summer Olympics basketball tournament in Rome, Italy. His team, known as the "Plavi" (meaning "Blues"), finished sixth out of 16 teams.
Personal Life
Kristančič was born in Skopje, which was then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Today, Skopje is the capital of North Macedonia. Besides his basketball career, he was also a construction engineer.
In 2001, the President of Slovenia, Milan Kučan, gave Kristančič a special award. It was called the Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia. This award recognized his 50 years of work in Slovenian sports, especially for helping basketball grow.
Boris Kristančič passed away on October 29, 2015. Interestingly, he died on the same day as Ranko Žeravica, another famous Serbian basketball coach.
Achievements and Awards
Boris Kristančič had many great achievements in his basketball career:
- Yugoslav League Champion: He won this title 5 times with AŠK Olimpija. He won as a player/coach in 1957, 1959, and 1961. He won as a coach only in 1962 and 1966.
- Yugoslav League Top Scorer: He was the top scorer in the league once, in 1954, playing for Enotnost.
He also helped his team reach high levels in European competitions:
- FIBA European Champions Cup:
- His team reached the semifinals in the 1961-62 season.
- They reached the quarterfinals in the 1959-60 and 1962-63 seasons.
