Dejan Bodiroga

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Basketball player
Dejan Bodiroga
Dejan Bodiroga 2006.jpg
Player information
Nickname White Magic, The new Delibasic
Bodi Bond, Mr. MVP
birthday March 2nd 1973
place of birth Zrenjanin, SFR Yugoslavia
size 205 cm
position Small Forward /
Shooting Guard
NBA draft 1995 , 51. Pick, Sacramento Kings
Clubs as active
1984–1985 BC Mašinac 1985–1990 KK Proleter Zrenjanin 1990–1992 KK Zadar 1992–1994 Stefanel Triest 1994–1996 Olimpia Milano 1996–1998 Real Madrid 1998–2002 Panathinaikos Athens 2002–2004 FC Barcelona 2004–2007 Lottomatica RomaYugoslavia Socialist Federal RepublicYugoslavia
Yugoslavia Socialist Federal RepublicYugoslavia
Yugoslavia Socialist Federal RepublicYugoslavia
ItalyItaly
ItalyItaly
SpainSpain
GreeceGreece
SpainSpain
ItalyItaly
National team
Yugoslavia
Serbia

Dejan Bodiroga ( Serbian - Cyrillic Дејан Бодирога ; born March 2, 1973 in Zrenjanin , SR Serbia ) is a Serbian basketball official and former player. During his active career as a player, Bodiroga always fulfilled the role of team captain, regardless of whether with the national team or with his clubs, and with a total of 17 titles he is one of the most successful basketball players of all time. Although he never played in the US professional league NBA, he was considered one of the best players in the world. Since 2014, Bodiroga has been a member of the Council of the Continental Association FIBA Europe as a representative of the Serbian Association .

Career

Dejan Bodiroga, who can be considered one of the most complete and successful European basketball players of all time, began his career in 1984 with BC Mašinac in what was then Yugoslavia . In 1985 he moved to Proleter Zrenjanin, where he made the leap into the first team at the age of only 13. In 1990 he moved to KK Zadar , where Bodiroga received his first professional contract. In 1992, the then 19-year-old Bodiroga moved abroad for the first time, signed a two -year contract with the Italian club Stefanel Triest and thus became the youngest foreigner to ever play in the top Italian professional league.

In 1994 he moved to league competitor Olimpia Milano , where he won his first professional title in 1996 with the Italian championship. In the 1995 NBA Drafts , Bodiroga was drafted 51st by the Sacramento Kings , but decided against a career in the NBA and moved to the Spanish league for Real Madrid in 1996 , with whom he won the 1997 Saporta Cup . In 1998 Bodiroga finally moved to Panathinaikos Athens in Greece , where he received a four-year contract and became one of the highest paid basketball players in Europe. At Panathinaikos, the 2.05 m tall small forward , who often also acted in the position of shooting guard , had his most successful sporting period and won three Greek championships (1999, 2000, 2001), the European championship (2000) and the ULEB Euroleague (2002). In 2002 Bodiroga left Athens and moved to FC Barcelona . In addition to two championships (2003, 2004) and a cup victory (2003), Bodiroga was able to win the Euroleague again in 2003. In 2004 Bodiroga moved back to Italy to join Virtus Lottomatica Rome. where he ended his active career in 2007. Bodiroga then took over the post of Technical Director at Lottomatica before leaving the club in 2009 after two years in this position.

In addition to a successful career as a club player, Dejan Bodiroga can boast a number of awards as a national player. With the Yugoslav national team , he won three European championships (1995, 1997, 2001) and two world championships (1998, 2002). In addition, the Serb also won the silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games.

In the summer of 2006 he opened a basketball summer camp for children. In 2008 Bodiroga was named one of the 50 most important players in the history of the Europa League .

successes

Awards

  • Sportsman of the year (Yugoslavia): 1998
  • Spanish League MVP : 1998
  • Greek League MVP: 1999
  • MVP of the Greek All Star Game: 2000
  • MVP of the Top16 of the Euroleague: 2002
  • MVP of the Euroleague Final Four: 2002, 2003
  • All-Euroleague 1st Team: 2002, 2003, 2004
  • Spanish Cup MVP: 2003
  • MVP of the Spanish Final Series: 2004
  • All-Star First Team at the EM: 2001
  • All-Star Second Team at a European Championship: 1997, 1999
  • "50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors": 2008
  • Participation in the Italian All Star Game: 1994, 1996
  • Participation in the Spanish All Star Game: 1997, 1998, 2003
  • Participation in the Greek All Star Game: 2001, 2002, 2003
  • Participation in European championships: 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001
  • Participation in world championships: 1998, 2002
  • Participation in the Olympic Games: 1996, 2004

Others

  • Dejan Bodiroga is a great cousin of Dražen Petrović . Bodiroga's grandmother (paternal side) was the sister of Petrović's grandfather (paternal side).
  • In honor of Bodiroga, the Serbian music group Inspector Blaza wrote the title Sex, Droga I Bodiroga .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Demirel Elected FIBA ​​Europe President. FIBA Europa , May 17, 2014, accessed June 9, 2014 (English, media information).
personal data
SURNAME Bodiroga, Dejan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Serbian basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH March 2nd 1973
PLACE OF BIRTH Zrenjanin , Serbia