First Federal Basketball League

Yugoslav Basketball League
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1945
Ceased	1992
Countries	Yugoslavia
Continent	FIBA Europe (Europe)
Last; champion(s)	Partizan (5th title)
Most titles	Crvena Zvezda (12 titles)
Level on pyramid	1st Tier; (Yugoslavia)
Relegation to	Yugoslav 1. B League
Related; competitions	Yugoslav Basketball Cup

The Yugoslav First Basketball League (Serbo-Croatian: Prva savezna košarkaška liga) was the name of the top level basketball league played in SFR Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1991-92. The First Federal League was the top-tier league in Yugoslavia, and the Second Federal League was the second-tier league in Yugoslavia. With a total of 16 European trophy winners and 11 finalist, the Yugoslav First Basketball League, was one of the strongest basketball leagues of all times.

Although all countries founded after the breakup of Yugoslavia each now have their own national domestic leagues, each of the six nations now take part in the Adriatic League, which was founded in 2001; and which is today the closest league in existence similar to the former Yugoslav Basketball League.

History

After the end of Second World War in Yugoslavia in 1945, there arose a need for athletic development in the fledgling nation. Post-WW2 Yugoslavia was (with the exception of major cities such as Belgrade, Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Sarajevo) for the most part lacking in competitive opportunities in sports. In response to this, 1945 and 1946 saw an explosion of new clubs and leagues for every sport, the basketball league being part of this phenomenon.

The very first competition under the newly formed Yugoslav Basketball League in 1945, drawing parallel to the Yugoslav First League (of football), was more or less a nationwide affirmation of unity. Instead of individual clubs competing in the usual fashion, there were only eight teams. Six representing each state within Yugoslavia, one representing the province of Vojvodina, and the last representing the Yugoslav People's Army.

Only in the 1970s did the basketball culture of Yugoslavia truly come to enjoy recognition as the top nation in basketball. Breaking away from the dominance of the Soviet Union, the Yugoslav league gave rise to stars that would go on to win multiple Basketball World Championships and European Basketball Championships. After a decade of dominance, the 1980s saw a disappointing slump of talent in the Yugoslav Basketball League.

Once again the world witnessed a sleeping giant come awake in the early 90s as Yugoslavia won two straight European Basketball Championships and a World Basketball Championship. This momentum was swiftly halted by the ethnic strife which broke out in 1991. Clubs from SR Slovenia and SR Croatia withdrew from the league so that the 1991-92 season, the competition's last, was contested without them. The country got divided into five successor republics, each founding their own basketball federations with the exception of Serbia and Montenegro, which retained the name Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the YUBA League.

Despite all these changes, the joint league of clubs from the former Yugoslavia proved to be a winning league format formula, so on July 3, 2001, the Adriatic League was founded. It features teams from all the former Yugoslav states, and it exists alongside scaled-down versions of the individual national domestic leagues of each of the former Yugoslav states.

Title holders

1957 AŠK Olimpija
1958 OKK Beograd
1959 AŠK Olimpija
1960 OKK Beograd
1961 AŠK Olimpija
1962 AŠK Olimpija
1963 OKK Beograd
1964 OKK Beograd
1965 Zadar
1966 AŠK Olimpija
1967 Zadar
1967–68 Zadar

1968–69 Crvena Zvezda
1969–70 AŠK Olimpija
1970–71 Jugoplastika
1971–72 Crvena Zvezda
1972–73 Radnički Belgrade
1973–74 Zadar
1974–75 Zadar
1975–76 Partizan
1976–77 Jugoplastika
1977–78 Bosna
1978–79 Partizan
1979–80 Bosna

1980–81 Partizan
1981–82 Cibona
1982–83 Bosna ^{[Note 1]}^[2]
1983–84 Cibona
1984–85 Cibona
1985–86 Zadar
1986–87 Partizan
1987–88 Jugoplastika
1988–89 Jugoplastika
1989–90 Jugoplastika
1990–91 Pop 84
1991–92 Partizan

Performance by club

Titles	Club	Years
12	Crvena zvezda	1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1968–69, 1971–72
6	Olimpija	1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1969–70
	Zadar	1965, 1967, 1967–68, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1985–86
	Split	1970–71, 1976–77, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91
5	Partizan	1975–76, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1991–92
4	OKK Beograd	1958, 1960, 1963, 1964
3	Bosna	1977–78, 1979–80, 1982–83
3	Cibona	1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85
1	Jugoslovenska Armija	1945
	Proleter Zrenjanin	1956
	Radnički Belgrade	1972–73

Performance by Republic 1946-1992

Titles	Republic
23	Serbia
15	Croatia
6	Slovenia
3	Bosnia and Herzegovina

Play-off Finals

Playoffs as a way of determining the Yugoslav First Basketball League champion following the regular season got instituted in 1981 ahead of the 1981-82 season.

Season	Home court advantage	Result	Home court disadvantage	1st of Regular Season	Record
1981–82	Partizan	0–2	Cibona	Partizan	18–4
1982–83	Šibenka	1–2	Bosna	Šibenka	16–6
1983–84	Cibona	2–1	Crvena Zvezda	Cibona	16–6
1984–85	Cibona	2–1	Crvena Zvezda	Cibona	19–3
1985–86	Cibona	1–2	Zadar	Cibona	21–1
1986–87	Partizan	2–0	Crvena Zvezda	Cibona	22–0
1987–88	Jugoplastika	2–1	Partizan	Jugoplastika	21–1
1988–89	Partizan	0–2	Jugoplastika	Partizan	16–6
1989–90	Jugoplastika	3–1	Crvena Zvezda	Jugoplastika	19–3
1990–91	Pop 84	3–0	Partizan	Pop 84	19–3
1991–92	Partizan	3–0	Crvena Zvezda	Partizan	20–2

Source: official website archive^[3]

Yugoslav basketball clubs in European-wide competitions 1958-1992

FIBA European Champions Cup

Split has made 3 Euroleague Final Four appearances (with 3 top 4 place finishes), has played in the Euroleague Final 4 times, and has won the Euroleague championship 3 times. Cibona has played in the Euroleague Final 2 times, and has won the Euroleague championship two times. Bosna has played in the Euroleague Final 1 time, and has won the Euroleague championship once. Partizan has made 2 Euroleague Final Four appearances, has played in the Euroleague Final once, and has won the Euroleague championship 1 time.

Club	Champions	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarterfinalist
Split	1988-89, 1989-90, 1990-91	1971-72		1977-78*
Cibona	1984-85, 1985-86			1982-83*
Partizan	1991-92		1987-88	1979-80, 1981-82
Bosna	1978-79			1979-80, 1980-81, 1983-84*
OKK Beograd			1958-59, 1963-64, 1964-65
Olimpija			1961-62, 1966-67	1959-60, 1962-63, 1970-71
Zadar			1967-68, 1974-75	1965-66, 1968-69, 1986-87*
Crvena Zvezda			1972-73	1969-70
Radnički Belgrade			1973-74

* Top 6 (semifinal group stage)

FIBA Saporta Cup

Yugoslav clubs that finished in the top 2 places of the now defunct Saporta Cup (1966-67 to 2001-02), which was the second-tier European-wide continental competition:

Club	Champions	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarterfinalist
Cibona	1981-82, 1986-87		1980-81, 1983-84, 1988-89	1969-70
Crvena Zvezda	1973-74	1971-72, 1974-75		1990-91
Split		1972-73		1985-86
Radnički Belgrade		1976-77		1978-79
Olimpija			1968-69, 1982-83	1967-68
Rabotnički			1975-76
Partizan				1966-67, 1989-90
Zadar				1970-71, 1979-80
Kvarner				1977-78
IMT				1987-88

FIBA Korać Cup

Yugoslav clubs that finished in the top 2 places of the now defunct Korać Cup (1971-72 to 2001-02), which was the third-tier European-wide continental competition:

Club	Champions	Finalist	Semifinalist	Quarterfinalist
Partizan	1977-78, 1978-79, 1988-89	1973-74	1974-75
Split	1975-76, 1976-77		1978-79, 1979-80
Cibona	1972	1979-80, 1987-88		1990-91
Šibenka		1981-82, 1982-83
Crvena Zvezda		1983-84	1980–81, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1987-88
Bosna		1977-78	1989-90
OKK Beograd		1972
Zadar			1981-82, 1982-83, 1988-89	1990-91

Notable players

Award winners

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

FIBA Hall of Fame

FIBA's 50 Greatest Players

50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors

Euroleague Final Four MVP

Dino Rađa (1989)
Toni Kukoč (1990, 1991, 1993)
Predrag Danilović (1992)
Žarko Paspalj (1994)
Zoran Savić (1998)
Željko Rebrača (2000)
Dejan Bodiroga (2002, 2003)

Euroleague Finals Top Scorer

FIBA Saporta Cup Finals Top Scorer

Zoran Slavnić (1974, 1975)
Srećko Jarić (1977)
Andro Knego (1982)
Dragan Kićanović (1983)
Dražen Petrović (1987, 1989)
Branislav Prelević (1991, 1992, 1996)
Roman Horvat (1994)
Petar Naumoski (1995, 2002)
Predrag Danilović (2000)

FIBA Korać Cup Finals Top Scorer

Nikola Plećaš (1972)
Dražen Dalipagić (1974, 1978)
Željko Jerkov (1977)
Dragan Kićanović (1979)
Dražen Petrović (1988)
Vlade Divac (1989)
Aleksandar Đorđević (1993, 1999)
Teoman Alibegović (1995)
Petar Naumoski (1996)

Euroscar

Dražen Dalipagić (1980)
Dragan Kićanović (1981, 1982)
Dražen Petrović (1986, 1989, 1992, 1993)
Toni Kukoč (1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998)

Mr. Europa

Dražen Dalipagić (1977, 1978)
Dragan Kićanović (1981, 1982)
Dražen Petrović (1986, 1993)
Vlade Divac (1989)
Toni Kukoč (1990, 1991, 1992, 1996)
Aleksandar Đorđević (1994, 1995)

Notes

^ On Saturday, 9 April 1983 at Baldekin Hall in Šibenik, Šibenka and Bosna played the deciding game 3 of their best-of-three playoff final series. The contest was decided in the very last second: Bosna's Sabit Hadžić got called for a foul on Šibenka's Dražen Petrović who proceeded to score two free throws that won the game. The next morning, after watching video replays of the game's last moments, the presidency of the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia (KSJ) established that the foul happened after time had already elapsed. The game was thus voided and a rematch was ordered at a neutral venue in Novi Sad. Unhappy with the decision Šibenka decided to boycott it, refusing to show up for the rematch. The championship got awarded to Bosna.^[1]

References

^ "Režimski poraz iz ´83. bio je pobjeda: "I hrvatski klubovi grozili su se na pomisao da Dražen sa Šibenkom osvoji naslov"" (in Croatian). Index.hr. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
^ "Tri decenije od historijske utakmice Bosne i Šibenke (VIDEO)". sport.ba. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
^ "Tabele državnih prvenstava od sezone 1991/92 (archive copy at the Wayback Machine)". Basketball League of Serbia. 5 June 2008. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[2] On Saturday, 9 April 1983 at Baldekin Hall in Šibenik, Šibenka and Bosna played the deciding game 3 of their best-of-three playoff final series. The contest was decided in the very last second: Bosna's Sabit Hadžić got called for a foul on Šibenka's Dražen Petrović who proceeded to score two free throws that won the game. The next morning, after watching video replays of the game's last moments, the presidency of the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia (KSJ) established that the foul happened after time had already elapsed. The game was thus voided and a rematch was ordered at a neutral venue in Novi Sad. Unhappy with the decision Šibenka decided to boycott it, refusing to show up for the rematch. The championship got awarded to Bosna.^[1]

[1] "Režimski poraz iz ´83. bio je pobjeda: "I hrvatski klubovi grozili su se na pomisao da Dražen sa Šibenkom osvoji naslov"" (in Croatian). Index.hr. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.

[3] "Tri decenije od historijske utakmice Bosne i Šibenke (VIDEO)". sport.ba. Retrieved 2 March 2015.

[4] "Tabele državnih prvenstava od sezone 1991/92 (archive copy at the Wayback Machine)". Basketball League of Serbia. 5 June 2008. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[Note 1]

[2]

[3]

[1]

v t e Yugoslav First Federal Basketball League (1945–1992)
Clubs	Bosna Borac Čačak Budućnost Cibona Crvena zvezda Čelik Dalvin Dinamo Pančevo Eđšeg Igman IMT Industromontaža Ivangrad Jugoplastika Jugoslovenska armija Kvarner Lesonit Lokomotiva Rijeka Makedonija Maribor 66 Metalac Milicionar Mladost MZT Skopje Novi Zagreb OKK Beograd Olimpija Oriolik Partizan Proleter Zrenjanin Rabotnički Radnički Belgrade Slavija Sloboda Tuzla Sloboda Užice Sloga Slovan Spartak Subotica Šibenka Vojvodina Zadar Zastava Kragujevac Zorka Šabac Železničar Belgrade Željezničar Karlovac Željezničar Sarajevo ŽKK Ljubljana ŽKK Maribor
Seasons	1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92
Statistics	Scoring leaders Annual Career
Associated competitions	Clubs in international competitions First B Federal League