Basketball – Legendary Yugoslavic player, Drazen Dalipagic died at 73

Olympic, world and Europe champion, Drazen Dalipagic, who won everything with Yugoslavia, died on Saturday in Belgrade, at 73, announced the Partizan club, where he played most of his career. With Yugoslavia, Dalipagic reigned over European Basketball in the 1970s before the world consecration in 1978 and then Olympic in 1980.

“After a long and difficult illness, Drazen Dalipagic died this morning in Belgrade“The Partizan Belgrade announced in a statement, evoking”The best marker in the history of KK Partizan, a former player of the Yugoslav national team, a world basketball legend and a man with a unparalleled character“.

Born November 27, 1951 in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, then in Yugoslavia, Dalipagic joined Partizan in 1971 before becoming the best scorer, with 8,278 points. “”It was selected from the 50 which most marked the Euroleague and from the 50 largest players in the FIBA“, The International Federation, in 1991, recalled the Partizan. Between 1973 and 1986, he played 243 times for Yugoslavia, winning the biggest competitions.

At the Olympic Games, before the consecration of Munich in 1980 (without the United States that boycotted), he was beaten in the final in 1976 and obtained bronze in 1984. At the world championships, before the gold of 1978, he won the silver medal in 1974. The bronze will follow in 1982 and 1986. At the European Championships, its medal collection is also substantial: three times in gold (1973, 1975 and 1977), once in silver (1981 ) and in bronze (1979).

In club, Dalipagic also played in Spain for Real Madrid, and in Italy with Udine, Venice and Verona. He ended his career in 1991, with the Red Star in Belgrade. At the partition of Yugoslavia, Dalipagic becomes Serbian. He will train clubs in Serbia, North Macedonia and Italy.