Dražen Dalipagić

Dražen Dalipagić (Cyrillic Дражен Далипагић; * December 27, 1951 in Mostar, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina ) is a former professional basketball player who was with Yugoslavia, European and World champion and Olympic champion. He is one of the few players who have been included in both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and in the FIBA Hall of Fame. He was three times elected to the European basketball player of the year. Since the end of his professional career, he lived in Belgrade.

Career

Association

Although Dalipagić had begun at age 19 to play basketball, he quickly established himself at KK Partizan Belgrade as the dominant basket Sagittarius. With the exception of the 1978/79 season, when he performed his military service, Dalipagić was active from 1971 to 1980 at Partizan and won with this club 1976, Yugoslav Championships and the 1978 Korac Cup.

He then moved into the second Italian league to Carrera Venezia. The association succeeded in promotion to Serie A1, but returned Dalipagić 1981 for another year to Partizan Belgrade back. For this club, he scored a total of 8,278 points in 305 games, alone in his last season the average was 43 points per game. The following season, he was active along with his team-mate Mirza Delibašić at Real Madrid.

After Dalipagić 1984 again the rise was succeeded in the Serie A1, this time with Pallalcesto Amatori Udine, he played another year at the now coached by former Yugoslav coach Aleksandar Nikolić club. It was followed by the re- switching to Reyer Venezia, and again succeeded in the immediate promotion to Serie A1, but this time he stayed a total of three years. In the season 1987/88 Dalipagić scored 1417 points in 39 games and was even before Oscar Schmidt basket best shooter in the league. Again he moved into the A2 series, but with Glaxo Verona did not succeed, the rise time. Overall Dalipagić scored in the Italian league operating 7,993 points in 241 games. After a year break, he returned for the 1990/91 season back onto the field and ran on for KK Crvena Zvezda.

National

Dalipagić was active for the Yugoslav team from 1973 to 1986 and won by the side of the likes of Kresimir Cosic, Mirza Delibašić, the long-time team-mate at Partizan Dragan Kićanović and towards the end of Dražen Petrović total of 12 medals at major championships.

In its first three European Championships in 1973, 1975 and 1977 respectively succeeded in winning the title. Follow the 1979 winning the bronze medal in 1981 won the silver medal with Yugoslavia Dalipagić.

Dalipagić part in the World Championships with four medals ( one gold (1978 ), one silver (1974) and two bronze medals (1982 and 1986 ) ) of the most successful participants. In addition, he was elected in 1978 to the MVP of the tournament and is achieved with 568 points, third-best scorer in World Cup history.

At the Olympic Games in 1980 Dalipagić also won the Olympic gold medal after Yugoslavia had won the silver medal in 1976. After the final defeat against the United States, he had Red Auerbach after a trial a professional contract with the Boston Celtics offered personally, but to his amateur status and thus to obtain eligibility to play for the national team, Dalipagić had declined. At the Olympics in 1984 finally winning the bronze medal followed. Dalipagić scored a total of 3,131 points in 243 National Games.

Honors

During his time in Dalipagić in 1977, 1978 and 1980 voted Europe Basketball Player of the Year, 1978, he also received the award of Yugoslavia Sportsman of the Year. In 2004, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2007 to the newly founded FIBA Hall of Fame.

Dražen Dalipagić was honored in May 2008 as one of the fifty major personalities of the sport of basketball in Europe. The ceremony was performed by the Euro League Basketball at an official ceremony at the Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid, Madrid (Spain).