101 Greats of European Basketball

same hotel, we had the chance afterward to chat about
the games. Off the court, he was very nice, open and
well-mannered.”
At age 33, Lopatka participated in his fourth Olympic
Games in Munich in 1972. That ended his national
team career after 13 years. He finished with 236 games,
3,522 points and an average of 14.9 points per game.
When he returned from Munich, he finally received permission
to play abroad. He went to France to become
player-coach with third division Montbrison. Lopatka
returned home in 1976 and began to work as a head
coach, and did not do badly at all. In 10 seasons with
Slask Wroclaw, he was Polish League champion eight
times. His son Miroslaw was taller than his father, at
2.13 meters, but was far from being as dominant.
Eventually, Mieczyslaw Lopatka was awarded the
status of adopted son in the town of Gniezno, where
his pro career started. But no matter how you look at it,
his impact on the courts applies to the whole country.
Mieczyslaw Lopatka is a legend in Polish basketball.
Mieczyslaw Lopatka
from their battles in the EuroBaskets. He remembered
Mieczyslaw Lopatka like this:
“He was a great player, a ‘four’ height-wise, but a
‘five’ for his body and rebounding capacity,” Buscato
told me. “He played excellently facing the basket, shot
with both hands and moved well. He formed a great
tandem with Likszo, who was tougher; Lopatka was
smarter. The game of the Polish team depended on
those two players, but more on Lopatka. He had what
the great champions have – a winning character. In the
1960s, he was one of the big players in Europe, and
ahead of his time. Since our teams usually stayed in the
101 greats of european basketball
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