Yugoslav and Serbian basketball were left without one of their greats. Vladimir Cvetković, legend of Red Star and former representative of Yugoslavia, died at the age of 84.
He was a part of that first great generation of Yugoslav basketball that, during the 60s, began to win medals at the biggest world competitions and create the foundations for the later dominance of the Yugoslav school of basketball.
One of the key men for Olympic silver
Cvetkovic was one of the most important players of the Yugoslav national team who won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968 – one of the greatest successes of Yugoslav basketball in that period.
It is for the national team played as many as 149 games and scored 1276 pointsa, and during his career he won four silver medals at major competitions:
- 1963 World Cup
- 1967 World Cup
- 1968 Olympic Games
- European Championship 1969
Many believe that he would have been a member of the national team that won the world championship in Ljubljana in 1970, but coach Ranko Žeravica removed him from the team nafter a big conflict with national team captain Ivo Daneu.
The two clashed fiercely during the derby between Crvena Zvezda and Olimpija Ljubljana, and the consequences of that incident were also felt in the national team.
A big role in football Zvezda as well
In addition to leaving a deep mark in basketball, Cvetković later became a one of the most important people in the history of the Red Star football club.
As general secretary of the club, together with Dragan Džajićhe was among the most responsible for creating the team that became European and world champions in 1991.
His departure represents a great loss for sport in the area of the former Yugoslavia, especially for the generations who watched the first great successes of Yugoslav basketball with him, reports Tportal.hr.
(www.jabuka.tv | Photo: Screenshot)
