101 Greats of European Basketball

Vladimir Stankovic
ical power went hand in hand with good technique,
a solid mid-range shot and, most of all, his winning
character. He was a natural-born fighter, a man who
never surrendered and never acknowledged a loss
before the final buzzer.
Born and raised in Madrid, Martin started playing in
the Estudiantes basketball school, which has produced
so many other great players. He was one of those kids
with a talent for just about any sport. He excelled at
handball, table tennis and swimming. In 1980, he made
his debut on the Estudiantes first team and starting in
1981 he was a staple in the starting five. It was clear
that Spanish basketball had its new jewel. Many clubs
put their eyes on him. It is normally said that he had a
pre-agreement with Joventut Badalona, but an offer
from Real Madrid together with the fact that he would
be able to stay in Madrid made him sign for the Whites
in the end.
He made his debut with the Spanish national men’s
team, coached by Antonio Diaz Miguel, on May 13,
1981, in Bordeaux against France and scored his first
2 points with the red jersey that he would wear a total
of 86 times. After playing in the World Cup 1982
in Colombia (13.1 points per game), Martin was also
a very important man in the Spain team that won the
silver medal at EuroBasket 1983 in France. I saw him live
there once again, as I did at the Los Angeles Olympics in
1984, where Spain won the silver again and where Martin
averaged 16.6 points. That summer, in the qualifying
tournament for the Olympics, played in France, Martin
led his team with 23.6 points. As always, he played
each and every game with maximum effort, fighting
with much bigger men than him. He was a coach and
a fan favorite. He was an example and a leader on the
court. In the 1985 EuroBasket in Germany, Martin also
had good numbers (16.6) as he did in the 1986 World
Cup in Spain (15.3).
With Drazen, against Drazen
During his first stint with Real Madrid, Fernando
Martin won four Spanish League titles, two Spanish
King’s Cups and one Saporta Cup. The latter came in
1984 in Ostend, Belgium against Dino Meneghin’s Simac
Milano by the score of 82-81, with Martin posting
12 points and 10 rebounds. On April 3, 1985, he played
his only EuroLeague final against Cibona Zagreb, but
Madrid lost 87-78. Drazen Petrovic was the executor in
that game with 36 points, while Martin had 14.
After a year in Portland, Martin went back to Real
Madrid in 1987 and in the Korac Cup final, a two-game
series, Real Madrid got some revenge against Cibona.
In Madrid, the Whites won 102-89 and in Zagreb they
lost 94-93 (47 points by Petrovic), but Martin did not
play the games due to a serious injury that had him
away from the courts for a long time. One of the few
games he played that year was in Belgrade, against
Crvena Zvezda, in February of 1988. Madrid won 89-82
with 11 points from Martin.
In the summer of 1988, Real Madrid signed Drazen
Petrovic and the old rivals became teammates. In
November of that year, Real Madrid won the Spanish
King’s Cup. In the quarterfinals, it defeated Huesca
easily 88-64 with Martin’s 17 points. In the semis,
against Joventut, Real Madrid won by 26 points, 90-74,
as Martin scored 11. In the title game, the victim was FC
Barcelona by the score of 85-81. Martin scored another
11 points and Petrovic led the way with 27.
The highlight of that year was a win in the Saporta
Cup final against Snaidero Caserta in Athens on March
14, 1989. It was the same stage on which Martin lost
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