Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Александар "Аца" Николић; 28 October 1924 – 12 March 2000) was a Serbian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He was also a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. He is often referred to as the Father of Yugoslav Basketball. Nikolić was a mentor of many world-class basketball coaches, such

Božidar Maljković Božidar "Boža" Maljković ( sr-cyr, Божидар Божа Маљковић; born 20 April 1952) is a Serbian former professional basketball coach and current president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia. He is one of the most successful bask ...

, Dušan Ivković, Bogdan Tanjević, Željko Obradović, etc. Nikolić was nicknamed the Professor, the Iron Sergeant. Nikolić was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1998, and into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, he was named one of the

50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural sea ...

Early life

Though his parents lived in Brčko, Nikolić was born in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajev ...

, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, due to his pregnant mother, Krista, suddenly going into labour while visiting her sister in Sarajevo. Young Aleksandar enjoyed a privileged upbringing courtesy of his wealthy father, Đorđe Nikolić, who had him at the age of 62. After spending the first few years of his life in Brčko, Nikolić moved with his family to the capital Belgrade, where he would grow up. Nikolić attended the Kralj Aleksandar Gymnasium at the Belgrade neighbourhood of Banovo Brdo. He then studied medicine and law at the University of Belgrade, graduating in 1946.

Playing career

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular c ...

, Nikolić played 7 seasons in the Yugoslavia Federal League, from 1945 to 1951. During his playing days, he played for the Yugoslav Army ( 1945),

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: ** AK Partizan, athletics **Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling **Džudo Klub Partizan, judo ** FK Partizan, association fo ...

( 1946), Crvena zvezda (1945,

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January– February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the count ...

– 1949), Železničar Čačak and BSK Beograd (

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

). He won the Yugoslav Championships in 1945 with the Yugoslav Army and in 1947, 1948, and 1949, with Crvena Zvezda. He retired as a player with BSK Beograd in 1951.

National team playing career

Nikolić was a member of the Yugoslavia national basketball team during the late 1940s, making in 10 appearances.

Coaching career

Club coaching career

After his playing career was over, Nikolić became involved with coaching, both with

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 Hung ...

-based clubs, and those in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, notably Ignis Varese.

Yugoslavia national team

Nikolić was also 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 Coach (sport), coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manage ...

of the senior Yugoslav national squad, between 1951 and 1965, and later between 1977 and 1978. During this time, he coached two future

members Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the FIBA Hall of Fame, in Borislav Stanković and Krešimir Ćosić. Under his leadership, Yugoslavia won the gold medals at the 1978 FIBA World Championship and the 1977 EuroBasket; silver medals at the 1963 FIBA World Championship,

1961 EuroBasket The 1961 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1961, was the twelfth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Nineteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation ...

, and 1965 EuroBasket, and a bronze medal at the 1963 EuroBasket.

Death

Nikolić died on 12 March 2000, in Belgrade. He is buried in the '' Alley of Distinguished Citizens'' at Belgrade's New Cemetery. After his death, Aleksandar Nikolić Hall was named after him, in his honor.

In popular culture

* In the 2015 Serbian sports drama, '' We Will Be the World Champions'', Nikolić is portrayed by Marko Janketić.Full Cast & Crew of We Will Be the World Champions.
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References

External links

Aleksandar Nikolić
at fiba.basketball
Aleksandar Nikolić
at hoophall.com
Aleksandar Nikolić
at leagabasket.it

at mondo.rs {{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolic, Aleksandar 1924 births 2000 deaths Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Serbia EuroLeague-winning coaches FIBA EuroBasket-winning coaches FIBA Hall of Fame inductees Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna coaches KK Borac Čačak coaches KK Crvena zvezda head coaches KK Crvena zvezda players KK Partizan coaches KK Partizan players OKK Beograd coaches OKK Beograd players KK Železničar Čačak players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Pallacanestro Petrarca Padova coaches Pallacanestro Varese coaches Reyer Venezia coaches Serbian men's basketball coaches Serbian men's basketball players Serbian expatriate basketball people in Italy Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Small forwards Basketball players from Sarajevo University of Belgrade faculty University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine alumni Victoria Libertas Pesaro coaches Virtus Bologna coaches Yugoslav basketball coaches Yugoslav men's basketball players Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery 1942 Belgrade Basketball Championship players