101 Greats of European Basketball

come one of the best big men in the history of the game
in Europe. He had what only the greats have: the ability
to play even better when the team needs it the most.”
Svetislav Pesic, who was a Bosna teammate of Radovanovic’s
until 1979, and later his coach, says this:
“He was pure talent. He achieved a lot through hard
work, but without the talent that he had in his veins, he
would never have reached those heights. He was a very
fast player for his height; his legs resembled those of a
boxer in the lighter categories. Also, he didn’t know the
meaning of the word ‘fear’.”
Radovanovic was a staple in the national team. He
won bronze at the 1979 EuroBasket, then gold at the
1980 Olympics, silver at the 1981 EuroBasket and
bronze at the 1982 World Cup. He finished seventh
at the 1983 EuroBasket in France as Yugoslavia’s top
scorer (21.6 ppg) in front of Dalipagic (18.3), Kicanovic
(14.8) and Drazen Petrovic (13.4). Radovanovic came
back home from the 1984 Olympics with a new bronze
medal, then missed the 1985 EuroBasket, but was back
for the 1986 World Cup in Spain, where he won bronze
with 12 points per game. He also finished third, too, at
the 1987 EuroBasket in Athens with 9.4 points on average.
He was 31 years old and was now playing with
Vlade Divac, Dino Radja, Toni Kukoc and Sasha Djordjevic,
the inheritors of the previous golden generation.
Radovanovic was a bridge between those two great
generations of the Yugoslav national team. Altogether,
he won nine medals at major competitions.
With Bosna, Radovanovic won two more domestic
league titles, 1980 and 1983. At 27 years old he signed
with Stade France of Paris, where he played with Kicanovic.
Thanks to those two masters, a humble team
managed to finish in fourth place in France, but at the
end of the season, Kicanovic decided to retire at 31
years old! Radovanovic stayed for two more seasons,
and in 1984-85 his average was 20.7 points plus 8 rebounds
and 2.1 assists. In 1985-86, he averaged 18.1
points plus 6.3 rebounds. At 30 years old, he signed his
best contract with Reyer Venice. In four seasons there,
Radovanovic played 105 games and averaged 21.8
points and 7.1 rebounds. His individual highs were 35
points against Stefanel Trieste and 22 boards against
Varese. In Venice, he played with another teammate
from the national team, Dalipagic.
At 34 years old, Radovanovic retired and started a
business in Sarajevo, but then the war started. In 1972,
he arrived with a suitcase, and in 1992, he left with almost
nothing, but he held no grudge. He is a rich man
in his memory, proud of his career. He lives in Belgrade,
where he owns a café bar. He was sports director for
FMP Zeleznik for many years and became an important
figure in the growth of the small team of the industrial
suburb of Belgrade. He has stayed away from basketball
lately, but he will be back. Basketball needs him.
101 greats of european basketball
Ratko Radovanovic
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