Serbian Basketball

Contrary to what your instincts may tell you, nations like Serbia hold a rich pedigree when it comes to the big wide world of basketball. As a nation, they’ve always been fairly receptive to the idea of building their profile within a variety of different sports, and as a result, they hold a notable stance in the sport. Not only are they ranked 4th on the planet as a nation, but many of their clubs are coming on leaps and bounds when it comes to their quality in comparison to some of the other top sides in Europe. In order to reach that kind of level, though, they need to play consistently in a well-organised, exciting and fresh form of league play – which is where the Basketball League of Serbia comes into play.

 

Now unlike many other leagues that are spread across Europe, the BLOS is somewhat ‘unique’ courtesy of the Adriatic League, aka the ABA League for short. The ABA features teams from the former nation of Yugoslavia (so Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia & Bosnia), and is often seen as the primary form of competition. It kicks off the overall season with four teams from Serbia taking part after earning their slot in the previous year, whereas the other 14 clubs in Serbia take part in the ‘First League’ which is the first section of the Basketball League of Serbia. Then, the eight best teams from the regular season of the First League move on to the Super League – which is the second part of the BLOS, and is also the part of the season when the four teams from the Adriatic League start competing. Get it? Good.

 

The team who finishes in 14th during the First League are relegated into the second tier (Basketball League of Serbia B), and the overall 12 teams that qualified for the Super League are split into two groups (based on the data from last season), with the eight best teams (four from each ‘group’) then going forward into the playoffs. From there it’s a standard playoff system used to determine the Champions of Serbia, and on top of that, the top six teams will either qualify for the following season’s Adriatic First Division (the Yugoslavia League) or the Adriatic Second Division, and if you’re a fan of professional football aka soccer, then think of those two as the equivalents of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

 

Unlike the Adriatic First Division, however, the Adriatic Second Division doesn’t prevent you from playing in the First League which allows for 14 teams to go at it in the First League each and every season. While they may not be taking part in the prestigious Adriatic top tier they certainly have chips on their shoulders, and these kinds of games serve as motivation for when they eventually come face to face with the four teams that were deemed worthy of not participating in the first section of the BLOS season. In the 2018/19 campaign, according to the league, the following teams will be taking part: Beovuk 72, Borac, Dynamic VIP PAY, Vrsac, Tamis, Metalac, Zlatibor, Vojvodina, Mladost, Dunav, Spartak, OKK Beograd, Novi Pazar and Sloboda. The four teams involved in the Adriatic First Division will be Crvena zvezda mts, FMP, Mega Bemax and Partizan NIS.

Serbia Basketball Predictions

Things have, admittedly, been a little bit ‘two-sided’ when it comes to the success that teams have had with winning the championship. Courtesy of the latest incarnation of the league only being created in 2006, Partizan enjoyed a sensational period of good fortune by winning the first eight titles in a row – firmly establishing them as the biggest force to be reckoned with in Serbian basketball. Crvena zvezda, however, also known as Red Star Basketball Club, have risen from the ashes to win four straight championships from 2014-15 all the way through until the recent 2017-18 campaign. The only other two teams who have come remotely close are Vrsac and FMP, finishing as runners-up on three and two separate occasions respectively.

 

With TV providers in the form of RTS and Arena Sport as well as the Radivoj Korac Cup to contend with as their other form of domestic competition, things seem to be going swimmingly for the Basketball League of Serbia right now – but they wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for some extremely talented players and coaches putting them on the map. Dusko Vujosevic of Montenegro was a big part of Partizan’s rise through the early years of the league, eventually earning himself a job as the new head coach of Bosnian national team. In terms of players, even though there have been many high-profile American stars in the BLOS, 7 ft 3 sensation Boban Marajnovic is the main man in Serbian basketball after winning the MVP award three times before moving onto the NBA, where he currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Yet despite all of this, you could still argue that it’s the national team that has been even more impressive than everything else put together. The Serbians have managed to qualify for four Olympic Games, picking up two silver medals in the process – including one in Rio just two years ago. They’re two-time FIBA World Cup champions (1998 & 2002), secured another silver medal in 2014, and they’ve also won the EuroBasket competition three times with two silvers and one bronze. They’re living, breathing proof that not everything is about star power, and that’s the way it should be. They’re a well-oiled unit who know how to play together on the biggest stages, and that’ll almost always lead to success.



Not everything is quite as simple as it seems in sport, and we’ve all come to learn that over the years. But one thing that will always remain true is that Serbia is a severely underrated nation in the realms of many different events, with basketball being a primary example. The Basketball League of Serbia is on the rise, and people need to stand up and take notice.