101 Greats of European Basketball

Vladimir Stankovic
sionary, called him and three other future stars – Divac
(who had already played the 1986 World Cup in Spain),
Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja – for the 1987 EuroBasket in
Athens. Djordjevic, coming off the bench, would score 8
points to help Yugoslavia win the bronze medal against
Spain, 98-87. After Athens, the four youngsters went
to the junior national team coached by Pesic to play the
U19 Basketball World Cup in Bormio, Italy. On August
5, as team captain, Djordjevic lifted the trophy after a
great win in the final against an excellent USA Team.
The following season, Djordjevic would lead Partizan
with 16.7 points per game on its way to the first Euro-
League Final Four in Ghent, in 1988. In 1989, that great
Partizan generation first won the national cup against rival
Jugoplastika and then lifted the Korac Cup. After losing
to Cantu 89-76, despite great games by Divac (28) and
Djordjevic (22), the chances to recover in the second game
were scarce. But Partizan made it, winning the second and
last game 101-82 after the great duo scored 51 points (30
by Divac, 21 by Djordjevic) plus 22 by Zarko Paspalj. It was
enough to overcome a great night by Antonello Riva, who
scored 36 points. After not having made the national team
for the World Cup 1990 in Argentina, Djordjevic was back
with it for the 1991 EuroBasket in Rome, where Yugoslavia,
complete for the last time (save for Jure Zdovc, who left
the team under Slovenian government orders on the eve
of the semifinal), won the gold medal with great authority.
Miracle in Istanbul
The 1991-92 season has a privileged spot in the
memory of all Partizan fans. It was the year of the triple
crown: national league, national cup and EuroLeague
titles, the latter won on an unforgettable final played in
Istanbul against Joventut Badalona. With 8 seconds to
go, Tomas Jofresa scored a tough basket for a 70-68
Joventut advantage. Instantly, Djordjevic got the ball
from Slavisa Koprivica and raced upcourt to launch a
shot almost on the buzzer for an amazing three-pointer
that meant the only continental title ever for Partizan.
Djordjevic finished the game with 23 points.
At 25 years old, he moved to Italy to join Philips Milan,
with whom he won his second Korac Cup, this one
against Virtus Roma. In the first game in Rome, Milan
won 95-90 with 29 points by Djordjevic. Back at home,
Milan won again, 106-91, as Sasha hit 38 points, including
6 of 11 threes, to go with 7 assists and 5 rebounds
– in other words, a total fireworks display. However, one
of the best games in Djordjevic’s career was in the title
game of the 1995 EuroBasket in Athens against Lithuania.
Yugoslavia won 96-90 with 41 points by Djordjevic,
including 9 of 12 triples, while on the other side Sarunas
Marciulionis shined with 32 points. It was the best Euro-
Basket final I have ever seen. Djordjevic was enormously
popular. The fans called him “Sale Nazionale” – with Sale
being a nickname for Sasha – while the press christened
him “Alexander the Great”.
After two years in Milan, Sasha spent two more
with Fortitudo Bologna, When, in the summer of 1996,
he decided to try his luck in the NBA with the Portland
Trail Blazers, he left behind four years in Italy with 218
Italian League games played in which he averaged 18.2
points and hit 44.7% of his shots from downtown. Sasha
Djordjevic was a great passer, but he was a scoring
playmaker, thanks to his great outside shot. Above all
of his many qualities, he had a strong character. He was
a natural-born winner, a fighter who never gave up. He
had the thing that only great champions have: self-confidence
to take responsibility, to shoot the last ball and,
on top of that, to score it.
Before starting in Portland, Djordjevic won the sil-
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