101 Greats of European Basketball

to Italy in the group stage, 61-60, with 16 points and 6
boards from Fucka.
Triumphs in Paris and Barcelona
In the summer of 1996, the friends got separated,
with Bodiroga going to Real Madrid and Fucka staying
in Trieste one more season. But in 1997, Fucka also
left and joined Fortitudo Bologna. Fucka and Bodiroga
met again as rivals at the 1999 EuroBasket in Paris. In
a dramatic semifinals game, Italy was ahead by 20 but
Yugoslavia managed to tie the score. In the end, Italy
prevailed 72-61. As coincidence would have it, both
Fucka and Bodiroga ended up with 17 points. In the big
final, Italy defeated Spain 64-56 with Fucka posting a
double-double of 10 points and 10 boards. He was MVP
of the tournament. The all-tournament team featured
Carlton Myers, Andrea Meneghin, Alberto Herreros,
Dejan Bodiroga and Gregor Fucka. Ten years after starting
their relationship, Fucka and Tanjevic, coach of that
EuroBasket-winning team, were at the top of European
basketball. Not with their club, but their Italian national
team success was just as remarkable.
Fucka stayed in Bologna until 2002, when another
coach from the Yugoslav school, Svetislav Pesic, called
both Fucka and Bodiroga for his new project in FC Barcelona.
The two great friends were in their prime, and they
arrived highly motivated to Barcelona. Bodiroga had
already won two EuroLeague titles with Panathinaikos
Athens, but Fucka was still missing the continental
crown at the club level. Barcelona worked its way to the
Final Four, which was held in its own city, at Palau Sant
Jordi. In the semifinal, on May 9, 2003, Barcelona got
rid of CSKA Moscow by 76-71 with 21 points by Fucka,
his best total all season! His shot was almost perfect
that night: 6 of 8 twos, 1 of 1 from at the three-point
arc, and 6 of 6 free throws to go with 9 rebounds in
29 minutes. His friend Bodiroga scored 17 points. The
title game two days later, against Benetton Treviso,
saw the two stars exchange roles: Bodiroga scored 20
and pulled down 8 rebounds while Fucka had 17 points
plus 6 rebounds for a 76-65 Barcelona win and another
dream fulfilled.
After four years in Barcelona, Fucka and Pesic met
again in Girona where, in the 2006-07 season, they
won the FIBA EuroCup. The final, played in Girona, saw
Akasvayu Girona defeat Azovmash Mariupol by 79-72.
Together with Fucka on the court were Fernando San
Emeterio, Marc Gasol, Victor Sada, Arriel McDonald,
Darryl Middleton and Bootsy Thornton – a great team.
After five good years in Catalonia, Fucka returned to
Italy. He played in Rome and for his old club, Fortitudo,
where before putting an end to his brilliant career in
2011, at age 39. He has remained in Bologna, where he
currently has a basketball school.
Apart from Tanjevic, there’s no better person to talk
about Gregor Fucka than Dejan Bodiroga himself: “A
great friend, a great man and a great player. He helped
me a lot in my first months in Trieste. It was a pleasure
to play alongside him and to spend some time with him
off the court. He was not a typical player. He was really
smart and his versatility allowed him to play the three,
four or five positions. His best weapons were his big
hands. He was one of the players who made a difference.
We are still in touch nowadays. Our friendship is
forever.”
101 greats of european basketball
Gregor Fucka
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