Željko Obradović

Želimir "Željko" Obradović (Serbian Cyrillic: Желимир "Жељко" Обрадовић; born 9 March 1960) is a Serbian professional basketball coach and former player. He last served as a head coach for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League and the EuroLeague.[1]

Željko Obradović
Obradović in 2019
Personal information
Born (1960-03-09) 9 March 1960
Čačak, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian
Listed height6 ft 0.5 in (1.84 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
NBA draft1982 / Undrafted
Playing career1978–1991
PositionPoint guard
Coaching career1991–present
Career history
As player:
1978–1984Borac Čačak
1984–1991Partizan
As coach:
1991–1993Partizan
1992–1995FR Yugoslavia (assistant)
1993–1994Joventut Badalona
1994–1997Real Madrid
1996–2000,
2004–2005		FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro
1997–1999Benetton Treviso
1999–2012Panathinaikos
2013–2020Fenerbahçe
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As head coach:

Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Yugoslavia
Summer Olympics
1988 Seoul
FIBA World Cup
1990 Argentina
Head coach for FR Yugoslavia
Summer Olympics
1996 Atlanta
FIBA World Cup
1998 Greece
EuroBasket
1997 Spain
1999 France

Generally considered as the best European head coach, and regarded by many as the greatest European head coach of all time,[2][3][4][5] Obradović has won 63 club titles and honours in his entire coaching career, including nine EuroLeague titles with five different clubs, and has also made 18 EuroLeague Final Four appearances, during his coaching career. His list of professional titles won is unmatched by any other European head coach. In addition to his success at the club level, he has also won major trophies as the head coach of the senior FR Yugoslavian national team, most notably winning the gold medals at the 1997 EuroBasket and the 1998 FIBA World Championship.

Among his individual coaching awards, he has won three EuroLeague Coach of the Year and four Greek Basket League Best Coach awards. In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors, as a head coach.

Early life

Obradović was born March 9, 1960, in Čačak, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia.

Playing career

Borac Čačak (1978–1984)

Obradović started his club career as a basketball player with Borac Čačak, in their youth system.

During the 1977–78 season, then eighteen-year-old Obradović, got his first taste of senior men's team basketball at Borac, as he appeared in 6 Yugoslav First Federal League games during the season, and contributed a total of 3 points.[6] After eventually establishing himself as the team's starting point guard, he stayed with the club until 1984.

Partizan Belgrade (1984–1991)

Over the summer of 1984, the at the time twenty-four-year-old Obradović, joined Partizan Belgrade. He was brought in by Partizan's incoming head coach at that time Moka Slavnić, and the club's vice president at the time Dragan Kićanović, both of which were recent retirees from their playing careers, and who had previously starred on the senior Yugoslav national team, throughout the 1970s, as a legendary point guard and shooting guard duo.

In Obradović's third season with the team, Partizan won the 1986–87 season title of the Yugoslav League. In the following season, they reached the 1987–88 season edition of the European Champions Cup's Final Four. Finally, they won the 1989 Yugoslavian Cup and the Korać Cup's championship of the 1988–89 season. During his time at Partizan, Obradović established himself as one of the best and most reliable point guards in Yugoslavia's top-level league.

National team career

Obradović was a member of the junior national teams of Yugoslavia. With Yugoslavia's under-19 national team, he played at the 1979 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. He was also a member of the senior Yugoslavian national team. With Yugoslavia's senior national team, he won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, and a gold medal at the 1990 FIBA World Championship.

End of playing career

Obradović's playing career came to a halt, when he was sentenced to two years in prison, due to causing the death of a pedestrian, in a car accident. After serving his prison sentence, Obradović returned to the court as a player, and already in his latter days as a player, he began coaching Partizan Belgrade's youth team. He retired from playing basketball in 1991, and he then immediately signed on as the head coach of the senior team of the club.

Coaching career

Obradović's greatness as a professional club basketball coach, is fully confirmed by the great collection of titles he has acquired in his twenty-eight-year career as a head coach, including: a record 9 European-wide premiere level EuroLeague championships (won with five different teams), a record 14 EuroLeague Finals appearances, a record 18 EuroLeague Final Four appearances, two European-wide secondary level Saporta Cup championships, and numerous national domestic league championships and national cups.

Partizan Belgrade (1991–1993)

Obradović's coaching career began quite suddenly in the summer of 1991 while he was still an active thirty-one-year-old Partizan Belgrade player getting ready for EuroBasket 1991 with the Yugoslav national team. Selected and coached by Dušan Ivković, the 1991 national squad was to be captained by Obradović — the oldest player among the assembled group. However, after finishing the training camp in Poreč and coming back to Belgrade to sleep over before leaving in the morning for a preparation friendly tournament in Germany, Obradović got called in for a meeting with the Partizan management — club president Radojica Nikčević, vice-president Dragan Kićanović, as well as board members Đorđe "Siske" Čolović, Milorad "Miketa" Đurić, and Dragan Todorić — who convinced him to take over the Partizan head coaching job, which entailed retiring from playing effective immediately thus giving up a chance to captain the national team at the upcoming EuroBasket.

The idea was to have Obradović, a debutante head coach, work under the guidance of experienced elder statesman of Yugoslav basketball, sixty-seven-year-old professor Aca Nikolić, whose coaching advisory services were soon secured by Kićanović and the club management. Also joining the front office in the technical director capacity was another fresh retiree from playing, thirty-one-year-old Milenko Savović, Obradović's longtime teammate at Partizan, who had spent the previous 1990–91 season playing for Vojvodina.

In the 1991–92 season, Partizan had a 20–2 record in the 1991–92 YUBA League regular season. In the playoffs, they progressed to the final, winning the best-of-five series 3–0 against Crvena zvezda. It also won the Yugoslav Basketball Cup in 1992, beating Bosna 105–70 in the final game. In European competition, Obradović led the young squad to become the champions of 1991–92 FIBA European League, on the spur of breakup of Yugoslavia. Partizan played its international matches in Fuenlabrada, Spain, due to international sanctions imposed on FR Yugoslavia.

In 1992–93 season, Partizan was runner-up to Crvena zvezda with 3–2 record in the final series. In 1993 Yugoslav Basketball Cup, it lost with 104–91 in the final game to OKK Beograd.

Joventut (1993–1994)

In 1993, Obradović signed a contract with the Spanish team Joventut, based in Badalona, where Partizan played its international matches in 1991–92 season. With Joventut, he won the 1993–94 FIBA European League. In Liga ACB, Joventut finished in 3rd place with 24–14 record. In 1994 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto, Joventut was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Real Madrid (1994–1997)

After the end of season, Obradović signed a contract with Real Madrid. In his first season with the club, Real Madrid failed to defend the Liga ACB title, finishing in 3rd place with 27–19 record. In 1995 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto, Real Madrid finished in 4th place. However, he won the 1994–95 FIBA European League.

In 1995–96 season, Real Madrid didn't manage to take any title. In Liga ACB, Real Madrid finished in 5th place with 28–12 record. In 1996 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto, Real Madrid finished in 3rd place. On the European scene, Obradović made his third consecutive Final Four appearance and second with Real Madrid, but ended losing in 3rd place game. In 1996–97 season, Real Madrid finished as the runner-up in theLiga ACB and was also eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 1997 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto. In European competitions, Real Madrid participated in second-tier FIBA Saporta Cup and eventually won it with 78–64 in the final game over Verona. At the end of the season, Obradović parted ways with the team.

Benetton Treviso (1997–1999)

In the summer of 1997, Obradović signed a contract with the Italian team Benneton Treviso. In 1997–98 season, Treviso was eliminated in the quarterfinal series of the Serie A1 Playoffs with 3–2 record by Reggio Emilia. In 1997–98 FIBA EuroLeague, Treviso finished in 3rd place after 96–89 win over Partizan Belgrade in the Final Four.

In 1998–99 season, Treviso finished as the runner-up in the Serie A1 Playoffs, after 3–0 record in the final series against Varese. Also, Treviso won the FIBA Saporta Cup, following 64–60 win in the final game over Valencia.

Panathinaikos (1999–2012)

In the summer of 1999, Obradović became the head coach of Panathinaikos. In his first season with the club, he won the 1999–2000 Greek Basket League with 3–0 record in the final series against P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki. In 2000 Greek Basketball Cup final, it lost with 59–57 by AEK Athens. Also, Panathinaikos won the 1999–2000 FIBA EuroLeague, after 73–67 win in the final game over Maccabi Tel Aviv. It was club's second EuroLeague championship in history.

Obradović stayed with Panathinaikos until 2012, leading the team to become the top club in European club basketball during that time, while simultaneously maintaining the club at the top position in the Greek national championship. In total, Obradović won with Panathinaikos eleven Greek League championships, seven Greek Cups and five EuroLeague titles (2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011).

In 2007, he achieved winning the highly coveted Triple Crown championship, for the second time as a head coach (the first was in 1992 with Partizan), and won the EuroLeague Coach of the Year award. Also in 2009, in Berlin, he completed this achievement as head coach for the third time. In 2011, he won his 8th EuroLeague trophy overall, and 5th with Panathinaikos.

Despite winning the Greek Cup in the 2011–12 season, Panathinaikos finished 4th in the 2011–12 season of the EuroLeague, while Olympiacos was crowned the EuroLeague champion. Following this disappointment, Panathinaikos lost to Olympiacos, 3 games to 2, in a best-of-five Greek League Finals series. After that, in June 2012, Obradović announced that he was stepping down as the head coach of Panathinaikos, after 13 consecutive seasons.

Fenerbahçe (2013–2020)
Željko Obradović with Fenerbahçe in 2017
Željko Obradović talking to Tarik Biberović, Fenerbahçe season 2017

In early July 2013, Obradović signed a two-year contract with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe,[7] that was reportedly worth €3 million in net income salary, over the contract period.[8] After inheriting a roster with point guard Bo McCalebb and versatile shooting guards / small forwards Bojan Bogdanović and Emir Preldžić, the famous head coach added a pair of marquee forwards, in Linas Kleiza and Nemanja Bjelica. He additionally signed Luka Žorić and Melih Mahmutoğlu, as well as talented youngsters Ömer Yurtseven and Kenan Sipahi.

In his first season with the club, Obradović won the Turkish League championship, following a 4–3 record in the league's finals series against Galatasaray. In the 2014 Turkish Cup, Fenerbahçe were eliminated in the semifinals by Pınar Karşıyaka. In the 2013–14 Euroleague season, they reached the Top 16 stage.

In the 2014–15 season, Fenerbahçe finished the regular season of the Turkish League in first place, with a 23–7 record. In the Turkish League Playoffs, they were eliminated in the semifinals series by Karşıyaka Basket, with a 3–1 record. They were also runners-up in the 2015 Turkish Cup. In the 2014–15 Euroleague season, Fenerbahçe reached the 2015 Euroleague Final Four, where they were eliminated in the semifinals, and later lost in the 3rd place game. The appearance in the EuroLeague Final Four was the first in the club's long history. On May 25, 2015, after the end of season, he signed a two-year extension with Fenerbahçe.[9]

In the 2015–16 season, Fenerbahçe finished in second place in the Turkish Super League regular season, with a 24–6 record. In the Turkish Super League Playoffs, Fenerbahçe went on to win the league championship, with a 4–2 record in the finals series against Anadolu Efes. The club also won the 2016 Turkish Cup. In the 2015–16 Euroleague season, they finished as runners-up, after losing against CSKA Moscow in the final game of the 2016 Final Four.

On November 18, 2016, Ozan Balaban, a board member of Fenerbahçe SK, declared at the QNB Finansbank sponsorship ceremony of the club, that Obradović would sign a new three-year deal with the club.[10][11] On December 3, 2016, Obradović officially extended his contract with the club, until the end of the 2019–20 season.[12]

In the 2016–17 season, Fenerbahçe finished with a 28–2 record in the Turkish Super League regular season, and eventually won the league championship. after a 4–0 record in the finals series over rivals Beşiktaş. On May 21, 2017, Fenerbahçe won the EuroLeague championship finals game against Olympiacos, which was the first EuroLeague championship in the club's history, and also the first for any Turkish team.[13] In the summer of 2017, two of the team's core players, Bogdan Bogdanović and Ekpe Udoh, left the team and moved to the NBA.

In the 2017–18 season, Fenerbahçe once again finished the Turkish Super League regular season in first place, with a dominant 27–3 record. In the 2018 Turkish Cup, Fenerbahçe were eliminated early in the quarterfinals, by the eventual cup winners, Anadolu Efes. In the 2017–18 EuroLeague season, Fenerbahçe made it to the 2018 EuroLeague Final Four, their fourth consecutive Final Four appearance. Eventually, they lost to Real Madrid, by a score of 80–85, in the final game.[14] At the end of the season, Fenerbahçe won its third consecutive Turkish Super League title, after winning the league's finals series 4–1 against Tofaş.[15]

In the 2018–19 season, Fenerbahçe lost to Efes in the Turkish Presidential Cup Final, and later beat Efes in the 2019 Turkish Cup Final. They also lost to Efes in the Turkish Super League playoff's finals series, 4–3. In the 2018–19 EuroLeague season, the club made its fifth straight EuroLeague Final Four appearance, as they qualified to the 2019 EuroLeague Final Four, where they finished in fourth place.

In 2019–20 season, Fenerbahçe had underwhelming results as they were in the bottom and the middle of 2019–20 EuroLeague Regular Season standings from the beginning of the season until the season cancellation in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 28 rounds, they had 13–15 record and were holding 8th place which would lead them to quarterfinals. In 2019–20 Basketbol Süper Ligi which was also cancelled in May for the same reason, Fenerbahçe was in fourth place with 17–5 record and one game behind the worse-record Galatasaray.

On June 23, 2020, Fenerbahçe announced that Obradović would no longer be the head coach since he wants to take a break from coaching for one year.[16]

National team coaching career

Obradović worked as the head coach of the senior FR Yugoslavian national basketball team, from 1996 to 2000. With FR Yugoslavia, he won a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, a gold medal at the EuroBasket 1997, a gold medal at the 1998 FIBA World Championship, and a bronze medal at the EuroBasket 1999. He was also the Serbia and Montenegro national team head coach, from 2004 to 2005.[17]

Coaching style

Well known for his temperamental approach, Obradović often utilized a system heavy on pick-and-rolls, focusing on using the corners and back passes to open up the offense and make it more difficult for the defense to commit.[18] With Panathinaikos, from 2004 onward, he made center Mike Batiste and point guard Dimitris Diamantidis the focal points of this pick-and-roll setup.[19]

Revered San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has been a longtime admirer of Obradović's coaching style, frequently praising him[20][21] and admitting to "stealing his plays". In turn, Obradović, ahead of his second season coaching Fenerbahce, talked about spending a significant portion of the summer 2014 off-season, dissecting the San Antonio game, particularly positioning and ball movement, with a view of implementing it into his team.[18][22]

Coaching record
Legend
G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win-loss %

Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the team played during the season. He also coached in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.

EuroLeague
Team Year G W L W–L% Result
Partizan
1991–92 21156.714Won EuroLeague Championship
Joventut
1993–94 20155.750Won EuroLeague Championship
Real Madrid
1994–95 18135.722Won EuroLeague Championship
1995–96 19118.579Lost in 3rd place game
Benetton 1997–98 23176.739Won in 3rd place game
Panathinaikos
1999–00 23194.826Won EuroLeague Championship
2000–01 24186.750Lost in the final game
2001–02 22193.864Won EuroLeague Championship
2002–03 20146.700Eliminated in Top 16 stage
2003–04 20911.450Eliminated in Top 16 stage
2004–05 251510.600Won in 3rd place game
2005–06 23167.696Lost in Quarterfinal Playoffs
2006–07 24204.833Won EuroLeague Championship
2007–08 20155.750Eliminated in Top 16 stage
2008–09 22175.773Won EuroLeague Championship
2009–10 16106.625Eliminated in Top 16 stage
2010–11 22166.727Won EuroLeague Championship
2011–12 23149.609Lost in 3rd place game
Fenerbahçe 2013–14 241410.583Eliminated in Top 16 stage
2014–15 29227.759Lost in 3rd place game
2015–16 29236.793Lost in the final game
2016–17 352312.657Won EuroLeague Championship
2017–18 362511.694Lost in the final game
2018–19 32257.781Lost in 3rd place game
2019–20 281315.464Season cancelled
Career598418180.699

Playing achievements
Obradović with Aleksandar Đorđević in August 2015.

also

Coaching achievements

Multiple titles

Titles by club
Obradović in Fenerbahçe season 2018
gollark: Why did they ship it as a 1.2GB shellscript!
gollark: It isn't.
gollark: It probably iß!
gollark: ++delete lichensteninian spies
gollark: Switch your entire system to brightPINK.

See also

References
  1. "Zvanično: Željko Obradović više nije trener Fenerbahčea". vijesti.me (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  2. "Obradovic: More than a coach". eurohoops.net. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  3. "Ivkovic: "Obradovic is by far the best coach in Europe"". eurohoops.net. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  4. "Fenerbahçe's coach Zeljko Obradovic seeking record 9th title". dailysabah.com. Daily Sabah. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  5. "Vladimir Stankovic's list: Top 10 coaches of the Final Four era". euroleague.net. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  6. Stanković, Vladimir (29 January 2017). "Zeljko Obradović, destined for Istanbul". EuroLeague.net. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  7. "Fenerbahce officially name Zeljko Obradovic head coach". Sportando. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  8. "Obradović zvanično u Fenerbahčeu". b92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  9. "Zvanično: Obradović produžio ugovor". b92.net (in Serbian). 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  10. Aziz Yıldırım and Zeljko Obradović agree for extend 3 years contract.
  11. Obradovic will sign 3 year extended contract.
  12. "Obradovic and Gherardini extended their contracts". Eurohoops.net. 3 December 2016.
  13. Preradović, V. (21 May 2017). "Fenerbahče osvojio Evroligu: Srpski trio sa peharom". novosti.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  14. "Real Madrid is 2018 EuroLeague champion". euroleague.net. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  15. "Fenerbahçe Doğuş wins 3rd consecutive Turkish basketball title". dailysabah.com. Daily Sabah. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  16. "Açıklama". fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  17. FIBA.com SCG – Obradovic returns to helm of Serbia & Montenegro.
  18. Avdić, Edin (24 March 2015). "Njih 30 miliona i Željko". mondo.rs. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
  19. Mitnick, AJ (8 May 2014). "Mitnick: Obradovic too brash to coach in the NBA? Ridiculous". Sheridan Hoops. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
  20. Whittell, Ian (12 November 2007). "10 reasons to watch the Euroleague". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
  21. from San Antonio Express-News (15 October 2007). "Panathinaikos' Schemes Intrigue Popovich". RealGM. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
  22. Laurie, Kenny (13 October 2014). "Obradovic shows his players San Antonio Spurs blueprint". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2015-03-25.
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