The man who trained on his own for one year
Dejan Bodiroga in TriesteBefore becoming a star of European basketball, a young player moved to the north-eastern border of Italy, and prepared for the rest of his career.
Considerato tra i più completi cestisti europei dell'ultimo decennio, Bodiroga inizia la carriera in Croazia nello Zara. Allo scoppio della guerra civile, si rifugia in Italia appena diciannovenne e viene ingaggiato dalla Stefanel Trieste di Bogdan Tanjević. Una curiosità: l'anno prima di approdare in Italia, Bodiroga è rimasto fermo per un anno senza giocare, ma allenandosi duramente. Scelto dai Sacramento Kings al secondo giro del draft del 1995 (scelta n. 51), non ha però mai giocato per propria decisione in NBA, rimanendo sempre in Europa, dove ha costruito una carriera piena di successi.
wikipedia.it
Il talento è come una gamba più corta dell’altra: si vede lontano tre chilometri.
Bogdan Tanjević
“I read some reports from the Italian press in that tournament and in one article I found a comparison that seemed way out of line: someone wrote that this Yugoslav kid, Dejan Bodiroga, was the 'white Magic Johnson'”, coach Bogdan Tanjevic said. “I didn't believe that but, curious as I am, in the preseason I took the chance to visit a tournament close to Trieste, where I used to live, to go see Zadar. The big star of the team was Komazec, but I soon noticed that the boss of that team was the young kid, Dejan Bodiroga”.
Tanjevic would become, after Cosic, the most important person in the career of Dejan Bodiroga.
Vladimir Stankovic
That city is still one of the basketball centers of Europe.
Trieste, Italia
Nel cuore della pallacanestro
Popolazione: 201000
Every fan in the city still remembers the Tanjević, Stefanel years.
La più bella squadra forse che ho allenato. Il basket italiano non era pronto a vedere una cosa... perchè nessuno capiva cosa stava accadendo. [parlando della sua Stefanel Trieste]
Bogdan Tanjević
Every fan still remembers Dejan Bodiroga, the man who wanted to give his basketball gifts to Europe.
“They put a lot of pressure on me, but I was a bit skeptical because regulations only allowed for two foreigners then, and normally you would sign Americans”, Tanjevic recalled. “I asked, 'How can I sign an 18-year-old kid as a foreigner?' Then, my good friend Cosic told me, 'Don't be a Bosnian fool. Sign him and you won't ever regret it. But there was an added problem, his documentation. Dejan was under contract and Zadar would not release him. Despite all that, I decided to sign him. He spent one season practicing with Stefanel Trieste without playing, but after just two practices I realized what a diamond I had”.
Vladimir Stankovic
Sinceramente andare in America non mi ha mai attratto più di tanto. Ho preferito rimanere in Europa, dove sono stato bene ed ho ottenuto molte gratificazioni.