The team of presidents or how about managing sports as an option after playing career
One of the most popular options for basketball players at the end of their playing career is to step up into coaching. And there are numerous examples of players who decided to be in a position where they can give instructions as opposed to receive instructions and who changed the playing shirt with a costume (shirt and tie): Sarunas Jasikevicius (the native Lithuanian is now coaching his former team FC Barcelona), Zeljko Obradovic (the Serbian who last season coached Fenerbahce in Turkey), Dusko Ivanovic (the Montenegrin who is currently at the helm of TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz in Spain/ACB league), and so many others in a similar position – it is a pretty long list not only in Euroleague competition but in so many other clubs and leagues throughout Europe.
But this article is not about coaching; instead, the focus will be on a different pathway, a different career move which players seem to embark on and to still enjoy without being too far away from the basketball court – a sports management career. The opportunity to manage sport presents itself and requires skills and abilities that players learnt during their careers: the ability to work as part of a team (teamwork and cooperation with others); communication; motivation and desire to succeed; and so on. European basketball landscape offers this unique opportunity: to still be in a position to stay close to the game they loved.
This article is about 10 top elite players who turned up to management as a career option after they stopped playing basketball – all these 10 players were elected and are currently working as Presidents of the basketball federations in their home countries and they continue to make an impact as they did when they were on the court. They all can easily make up a team – and what team this will be! Just check the names (that are listed in no particular order): Andrei Kirilenko (Russia); Jorge Garbajosa (Spain); Arvydas Sabonis (Lithuania); Horia Paun (Romania); Predrag Danilovic (Serbia); Hidayet Turkoglu (Turkey); Stojan Vrankovic (Croatia); Mirza Teletovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Georgi Glushkov (Bulgaria); George Vassilakopoulos (Greece).
Some of these names are more familiar than others: for sure we all remember AK 47 (Kirilenko’s nickname) scoring baskets for Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets in NBA or winning the bronze medals for Russia at London 2012 Summer Olympic Games (after beating Argentina 81-77).
Or Garbajosa who, in the same time with playing for Toronto Raptors and some other top Spanish, Italian and Russian clubs, contributed to his country success at 2008 Beijing Olympics (silver medal), at 2006 Japan World Cup (gold medallist) plus medals at Eurobasket final rounds in 2001 (in Turkey – bronze), in 2003 (in Sweden – silver), in 2007 (in Spain – silver) and in 2009 (in Poland – gold).
The legend that is Sabonis needs no further introduction – the 1985 Eurobasket MVP continues to maintain his native country of Lithuania as one of the powers in European and international basketball. The FIBA Hall of Fame member is well-known for his extraordinary passing ability despite his height and position on court (2.21 meters; center). Interestingly, he contributed with medals for both Soviet Union (at 1988 Olympics in South Korea – gold medal) and also for the small Baltic country of Lithuania once independence was restored in 1990 (bronze medal in 1992 at Barcelona Olympics and in 1996 in Atlanta after scoring 30 points and getting 13 rebounds against Australia in the bronze medal final).
A well-known figure part of the Romanian basketball, Horia Paun was a member of Steaua Bucharest, the team that once was dominating the Romanian league (and made appearances with this team in European Champions Cup 1991 and in Korac Cup in 1993). He played over 300 games in the Romanian top league and has achieved a 5th place at 1991 World Championship for Junior Men in Edmonton (Canada) – he scored 21 points in the game against Spain in the final for 5th – 6th place (won by Romanians 110-96). Some other significant achievements next to his name: Romanian Cup winner with Steaua Bucharest and bronze medal at World Army Championship in 1996.
Serbian basketball school is represented by Predrag Danilovic – a shooting guard who got an impressive CV: he was the 1992 Final Four MVP in Euroleague when he played for Partizan Belgrade and when he got his first Euroleague title (while his second Euroleague title came at the end of 1997-1998 season when he played for Virtus Bologna). He stepped up at all major tournaments and he did not go home empty-handed – gold medallist with Yugoslavia at Eurobasket in 1989 and in 1991 and then, after being selected to represent Serbia and Montenegro (also known as FR Yugoslavia national basketball team), managed a silver medal at Atlanta 1996 Olympics, gold at Eurobasket in 1995 and in 1997 (plus a bronze in France in 1997); pretty impressive, isn’t it?
Hidayet Turkoglu (Turkey) played for 4 years in Europe with Efes Pilsen (now Anadolu Efes Istanbul) and then spent 15 years in NBA (with Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers). Two silver medals in major tournaments were achieved by the 2.08 meters forward on home soil (proving that home-court advantage sometimes counts): the first one at Eurobasket in 2001 and then nine years later at 2010 World Championship.
Similar to Sabonis and Danilovic who won medals for two nations (mainly because of the political situation in their countries at that moment in history), Stojan Vrankovic (Croatia) played for Yugoslavia and also for Croatia (after 1991 independence) and his performances did not go unnoticed: silver medal at Seoul Summer Olympics in 1988 and bronze at FIBA World Championship in 1986 in Spain for Yugoslavia; silver medal at 1992 Barcelona Olympics plus three bronze medals (in 1994 at the FIBA World Cup in Canada, in 1993 and 1995 at Eurobasket in Germany and France respectively) while representing Croatia.
From Sloboda Tuzla basketball club all the way to NBA big names of Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks (with a stop in Belgium with Oostende and one in Spain with Saski Baskonia), the Bosnian Mirza Teletovic proved that it does not matter if you come from a small country when it comes to playing. He represented his native Bosnia and Herzegovina at four Eurobasket final rounds (in 2003, 2005, 2011 and 2013) and enjoyed participation twice in the Euroleague Final Four in 2007 and 2008.
Last two names on the list are less glamorous but still solid players during their time. Georgi Glushkov (Bulgaria) made himself known on both sides of the Atlantic after playing one season for Phoenix Suns and for several years for clubs around Europe (including CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria, Juvecaserta Basket in Italy and Tau Ceramica in Spain amongst others). And, last but not least, George Vassilakopoulos (Greece) who was captain at Panathinaikos and won 3 Greek League championships with this team (in 1961, 1962 and in 1967).
Elsewhere, on other continents, the same option is available – see for example the case of Yao Ming who is currently leading the governing body of basketball in China or the examples of some European players such as Vlade Divac and Arturas Karnisovas, who are (or were) in the management structures of various NBA teams (ex-Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls respectively). Irrespective where they are located in a geographical sense, one thing is certain – their rich experience will be used to good effect for the further development of the game in their respective countries and outside of them too!
Alex Radu is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching Basketball at University of Worcester (England/UK). He has coached various teams at different levels of the game at both club and national team level, including Cardiff Archers (Associate Head Coach – in WBBL/Women Basketball League, UK); Worcester Wolves (Assistant Coach – in BBL /British Basketball League, UK); Romania U20 Women National Team (Assistant Coach) and Romania U18 Women National Team (Assistant Coach – at European Championship Division B); Wales U20 Men National Team (Head Coach) and Wales Senior Men National Team (Assistant Coach – at European Championship for Small Countries); Romania Women National Team (Assistant Coach – at Women Eurobasket 2015).
