Branislav Prelević ( sr-cyr, Бранислав Прелевић; born 19 December 1966) is a retired Serbian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and coach. He is also known by the name Branislav Prelevits ( el, Μπράνισλαβ Πρέλεβιτς) in Greece. He is commonly referred to by his nickname Bane ( sr-cyr, Бане, el, Μπάνε).

Personal information

Prelević was born to ethnic Serb parents in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...

SR Serbia , life_span = 1944–1992 , status = Constituent state of Yugoslavia , p1 = Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia , flag_p1 = Flag of German Reich (1935–1945).svg , p2 ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

(now

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

). He holds both Serbian and Greek citizenship. His family originated from the Kuči clan. He is married to Nevena Prelević-Marjanović (born 26 April 1967, daughter of legendary Yugoslavian and Serbian pop singer

Đorđe Marjanović Đorđe Marjanović ( sr-Cyr, Ђорђе Марјановић; 30 October 1931 – 15 May 2021) was a Serbian and Yugoslav singer. Marjanović began his career in the mid-1950s, rising to fame in the late 1950s with his theatrical on-stage pe ...

), and he has two children, named

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

and Tea. Anna was elected Miss Greece in 2010, and she represented Greece at

Miss Universe 2010 Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it ...

Professional playing career

Red Star Belgrade

Prelević started his career with Crvena zvezda (Red Star Belgrade).

PAOK Thessaloniki

In 1988, at age 21, Prelević moved to Greece in order to be able to play for PAOK Thessaloniki, where he spent eight seasons. Then 21-year-old Prelević debuted in the 1988–89 season. He became the definitive leader and a fan favorite, often compared to the great

Nikos Galis Nikolaos Georgalis ( el, Νικόλαος Γεωργαλής; born July 23, 1957), commonly known as either Nikos Galis ( el, Νίκος Γκάλης), or Nick Galis, is a retired Greek professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playin ...

, who was at the time the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of Aris. Prelević was often quoted for his loyalty to the team. He had a number of injuries and medical emergencies because of weak legs, but he would constantly choose to take heavy dosages of painkillers, rather than missing out on any important games. While playing with PAOK, Prelević won the

FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...

, when PAOK defeated

CAI Zaragoza Basket Zaragoza 2002 S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Basket Zaragoza and as Casademont Zaragoza for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Zaragoza, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Their home arena is the ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

, by a score of 76–72 on 26 March 1991. The next season, Prelević was again the leader of PAOK, and the team reached the FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup final again, but they lost to

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

, by a score of 63–65. In the same season, PAOK won the Greek League championship, beating out

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...

. Prelević participated in the EuroLeague for the first time, in the 1992–93 season, and managed to reach the Athens

1993 EuroLeague Final Four The 1993 FIBA European League Final Four, or 1993 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four, was the 1992–93 season's FIBA European League Final Four tournament, organized by FIBA Europe. Limoges CSP won its first title, after defeating Benetton Treviso in ...

. PAOK lost in the semifinal game to Benetton Treviso, which was led by superstar Toni Kukoč, by a score of 77–79. In 1994, Prelević and PAOK returned to European-wide success by winning the

FIBA Korać Cup The FIBA Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971–72 and 2001–02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the FIBA European Champions' Cup (later renamed th ...

two-leg final against Stefanel Trieste, winning both at home and away by 9 points. The following year, PAOK won the

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

, in a 19-point victory against

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'' ...

, by a score of 72–53. In 1996, he was a

FIBA European Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...

finalist.

Virtus Bologna

In 1996, Prelević moved to Italy to play with Virtus Bologna (called Kinder Bologna at the time for sponsorship reasons).

AEK Athens

In 1997, Prelević returned to Greece and played with

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...

. Prelević reached the EuroLeague Final Four in Barcelona in 1998, where his team beat Benetton Treviso in the semis, by a score of 69–66, before losing in the final to Kinder Bologna, by a score of 44–58. In 1998 and 1999, Prelević was a

finalist.

Return to PAOK Thessaloniki

In 1999, Prelević returned to PAOK, and he then quit playing professional basketball at the end of the season.

National team career

In 1983, Prelević was part of the Yugoslavian Under-16 national team that won the gold medal at the

1983 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship The 1983 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship (known at that time as 1983 European Championship for Cadets) was the 7th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. The cities of Tübingen and Ludwigsburg, in West Germany, hosted the tournament. ...

in Germany. That team included, alongside Prelević, players such as

Žarko Paspalj Žarko Paspalj (Serbian Cyrillic: Жарко Паспаљ; born March 27, 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and sports administrator. The EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 1994, his sixteen and a half seasons career was mostly sp ...

Jure Zdovc Jurij "Jure" Zdovc (born 13 December 1966) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player and coach Zdovc Returning to Helm of National Team.] As a player, he was a 1.98 m (6'6") tall point guard, who began his professional playing caree ...

Luka Pavićević Luka Pavićević ( sr-cyr, Лука Павићевић; born 17 June 1968) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player. Most lately, he served as the head coach for Alvark Tokyo of the B.League. Professional career A poin ...

Ivo Nakić Ivo Nakić (born May 26, 1966) is a Croatian former professional basketball player, who is now a coach. Personal life He lives in Belgrade and works as an agent in Bill Duffy's BDA Sports Management agency. Ivo Nakić married Zorica Desnica ...

, and Miroslav Pecarski.FIBA.com Yugoslavia 1983 European Championship For Cadets.
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Post-playing career

Prelević later returned to PAOK in the 2001–02 season, as an assistant

basketball coach Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behavior of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as wel ...

. He was then the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...

of PAOK, from 2002 to 2005. He then went on to become the President of the club, from 2011 until 2019.

Honors

* PAOK: ** Greek League Champion: (1992) **

Winner: (1995) **

FIBA Saporta Cup The FIBA Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European-wide professional club basketball competition, where the domestic National Cup winners, from all over Europe, played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA E ...

(European Cup Winners' Cup) Champion: (1991) **

FIBA Saporta Cup Top Scorer The FIBA Saporta Cup Top Scorer, also known as the FIBA Saporta Cup Best Scorer, was an annual basketball award of the now defunct second-tier level European-wide league, the FIBA Saporta Cup. It was given to the Top Scorer throughout the FIBA Sap ...

: (1992) **3× FIBA Saporta Cup Finals Top Scorer: (1991, 1992, 1996) **

Champion: (1994) * Virtus Bologna: **

Italian Cup Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...

Winner: (1997)

References

External links

FIBA EuroLeague ProfileFIBA Europe ProfileEurobasket.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prelevic, Branislav 1966 births Living people AEK B.C. players Basketball executives Greek basketball chairmen and investors Greek basketball coaches Greek Basket League players Greek men's basketball players Greek people of Serbian descent Greek expatriate basketball people in Serbia KK Crvena zvezda players P.A.O.K. BC coaches P.A.O.K. BC players Serbian men's basketball coaches Serbian expatriate basketball people in Greece Serbian expatriate basketball people in Italy Serbian men's basketball players Shooting guards Basketball players from Belgrade Virtus Bologna players Yugoslav men's basketball players