Borislav Stanković

Not to be confused with Borisav Stanković.
Borislav Stanković
Personal information
Born (1925-07-09) 9 July 1925
Bihać, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Nationality Serbian
Career information
Playing career 1946–1953
Coaching career 1950–1969
Career history
As player:
1946–1948 Crvena Zvezda
1948–1950 Železničar Belgrade
1950–1953 Partizan
As coach:
1950–1953 Partizan
1953–1963 OKK Belgrade
1964–1965 OKK Belgrade
1966–1969 Cantù
Career highlights and awards

As player:

As coach:

Basketball Hall of Fame as player
FIBA Hall of Fame as player

Borislav "Bora" Stanković (Serbian: Борислав Станковић; born 9 July 1925) is a Serbian former basketball player and coach, as well as a longtime administrator in the sport's various governing bodies, including FIBA and International Olympic Committee. For his contributions to the game of basketball he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.[1] He is most known for allowing players from the NBA to compete at the Summer Olympics, after he changed FIBA's rules to allow players from the NBA to compete, while he was FIBA's Secretary General in 1989.

Biography

Simultaneous to his studies Stanković played professionally for Crvena zvezda (1946–1948), Železničar Beograd (1948–1950) and Partizan (1950–1953) and was on the Yugoslav national team for five years in early 1950s. After he retired from the game, he coached OKK Beograd for ten consecutive seasons (1953–1963) and for a season in 1965. He then moved on to Italian club Pallacanestro Cantù, spending three seasons as its head coach (1966–1969).

Throughout his lengthy involvement with basketball, Stanković has served or been a part of the following organizations: Yugoslav Olympic Committee, International Olympic Committee, Board of Trustees at the Basketball Hall of Fame and he's best remembered for his tenure as FIBA's Secretary General from 1976 to 2002.

Stanković was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.[2]

Many observers feel it was Borislav Stanković who most encouraged foreign basketball players to apply their trade in the NBA. Other than Serbian, he fluently speaks six other languages and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991 as a contributor. In 2007, he was enshrined as a contributor in the FIBA Hall of Fame.

FIBA has named the annual international basketball cup after him, "Stanković Cup".

In his book "Dream Team – How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever" (2012), American novelist and sportswriter Jack McCallum praises Stanković (incorrectly referred to him as Boris) for his role in allowing NBA pros to compete for their national teams in the Olympics, and later in the Basketball World Cups organized by FIBA.[3]

Personal life

Stanković was born in Bihać, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Early in his life he moved to Novi Sad and then to Syrmian town of Ledinci during World War II. After the war, Stanković went to Belgrade where he graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in veterinary medicine.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Hall of Famers". Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  2. ↑ "WBHOF Inductees". WBHOF. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  3. ↑ "A Forgotten Yugoslavian Meat Inspector First Came Up With The Idea To Form An Olympic Basketball 'Dream Team'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
William Jones		 Secretary General of the FIBA
1976 – 2002 		Succeeded by
Patrick Baumann


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