Radivoj Korac
Encyclopedia
Radivoj Korać , sometimes also Radivoje, (November 5, 1938 – June 2, 1969) was a successful Serbia
n basketball
player from Yugoslavia
.
Korać was born in Sombor
in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
. He started playing for BSK (OKK Belgrade
) at the age of 16, and played as a left-handed forward-center. Popularly nicknamed "Žućko" ('Blondie'), he became one of the best, if not the best player of Yugoslavia in the 1960s. In 1960 Korać was named as the best athlete of Yugoslavia. He was the best scorer of the Yugoslav league for seven seasons, a record.
He entered the Yugoslav national basketball team in 1958 and won five silver and one bronze medal with them, in a total of 157 international games.
Korać played professionally for OKK Beograd
, reaching various European champions' competitions with the club. Korać was three times named as part of the best European selection. In a 1964/65
FIBA European Champions Cup
first round return game against Swedish champions Alvik
from Stockholm
, he scored 99 points (the game ended 155-57).
Away from the basketball court, Korać enjoyed theatre, music and reading books. He was a senior undergraduate from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (ETF) at the University of Belgrade
. Surprisingly, he once turned down a contract offer to play with KK Red star.
On June 2, 1969, at the age of 30, Korać died in a car crash in Vogošća
, one of the Sarajevo
suburbs. In 1971, FIBA established Radivoj Korać Cup
in his remembrance, and no basketball games were played in Yugoslavia on June 2 again by decision of the country's Basketball Federation. The Europe-wide Cup folded in 2002. At that time, the basketball federation of Serbia-Montenegro renamed its national cup competition to Radivoj Korać Cup. He was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame
in 2007.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player from Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
.
Korać was born in Sombor
Sombor
Sombor is a city and municipality located in northwest part of Serbian autonomous province of Vojvodina. The city has a total population of 48,749 , while the Sombor municipality has 87,815 inhabitants...
in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
. He started playing for BSK (OKK Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
) at the age of 16, and played as a left-handed forward-center. Popularly nicknamed "Žućko" ('Blondie'), he became one of the best, if not the best player of Yugoslavia in the 1960s. In 1960 Korać was named as the best athlete of Yugoslavia. He was the best scorer of the Yugoslav league for seven seasons, a record.
He entered the Yugoslav national basketball team in 1958 and won five silver and one bronze medal with them, in a total of 157 international games.
Korać played professionally for OKK Beograd
OKK Beograd
OKK Beograd is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based sport club OSD Beograd.-History:The club was founded in 1945 under the name KK Metalac...
, reaching various European champions' competitions with the club. Korać was three times named as part of the best European selection. In a 1964/65
FIBA European Champions Cup 1964-65
The 1964-65 and eighth season of the FIBA European Champions Cup was won by Real Madrid for the second straight time.Real defeated CSKA Moscow in the two legged final, after losing the first in Moscow 88-81 and winning at Madrid 62-76.-Qualifying round:...
FIBA European Champions Cup
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
first round return game against Swedish champions Alvik
Alvik
Alvik is a residential district in western Stockholm municipality and part of the Bromma borough.The Alvik outdoor Metro station was opened in 1952 and is also a connection to the Tvärbanan light railway....
from Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, he scored 99 points (the game ended 155-57).
Away from the basketball court, Korać enjoyed theatre, music and reading books. He was a senior undergraduate from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (ETF) at the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
. Surprisingly, he once turned down a contract offer to play with KK Red star.
On June 2, 1969, at the age of 30, Korać died in a car crash in Vogošća
Vogošca
Vogošća is a secondary suburb and municipality of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located about 6 kilometers north of the city center and covering some 72 km².-1971:According to 1971 population census there were 14.402 residents....
, one of the Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
suburbs. In 1971, FIBA established Radivoj Korać Cup
Korac Cup
The 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 European Champions' Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup...
in his remembrance, and no basketball games were played in Yugoslavia on June 2 again by decision of the country's Basketball Federation. The Europe-wide Cup folded in 2002. At that time, the basketball federation of Serbia-Montenegro renamed its national cup competition to Radivoj Korać Cup. He was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame honors basketball players, coaches and administrators who have contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA in 1991. It includes the "Samaranch Library", the biggest basketball library in the world that, as of 2007, has over 10,000 basketball...
in 2007.