Stojko Vranković
Stojan "Stojko" Vranković (born January 22, 1964) is a Croatian professional basketball executive and former player. He is currently the president of the Croatian Basketball Federation (HKS).
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A 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) center, he played five seasons (1990–1992; 1996–1999) in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Clippers. He was popular in Europe while playing for the Athens-based club Panathinaikos, with whom he won the club's first EuroLeague championship.
Club career
A renowned shot blocker, Vranković made little impact in the NBA, managing small minutes and a low scoring average even though he started 73 out of 170 games played. He did however have a major impact in Europe playing for the Greek League team Panathinaikos. In 1996, he combined with Dominique Wilkins to lead Panathinaikos to a EuroLeague championship - a first for the club. Vranković's defensive contribution was vital, namely his block of Željko Rebrača at the buzzer, in the third game of the quarter-finals against Benetton Treviso, sending Panathinaikos through. In the EuroLeague Finals, his block to deny Barcelona the lead in the last second, gave the game a dramatic end, before falling to the ground in the ensuing hustle and clutching his knee in pain at the buzzer.[1] In an interview at the official EuroLeague Final Four website, Panathinaikos captain Panagiotis Giannakis described the incident as follows:
- "All that happened at the end of the game is unbelievable, a few seconds that lasted one century! I remember Stojko [Vranković] running like...Carl Lewis from one side to the other, to stop (José Antonio) Montero. He blocked the layup, almost at the buzzer, and he sealed the victory."[2]
National team career
Yugoslavia
Vranković earned a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games with the senior Yugoslav national team.
Croatia (after independence)
At the following 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games, he got the silver medal after Croatia lost to the USA in the men's final against "The Dream Team", while playing for the senior Croatian national team.
Administrative career
Croatian Basketball Federation president (2016–present)
On November 19, 2016, Vranković became the president of the Croatian Basketball Federation (HKS).[3] On June 15, 2019, he was re-elected as the HKS president until 2023.[4]
Personal life
Vranković was a close friend of the fellow Croatian basketball player Dražen Petrović. He was a coffin bearer at Petrović's funeral in 1993, and has been active in commemorating his memory. In an article at the FIBA website concerning the opening of a museum in Dražen's honour, Vranković was quoted as saying: "I would like to thank all those involved in creating this place, so children would be able to learn more about basketball's Amadeus".[5] Vranković and his wife Lovorka have two daughters, Andrea and Matea, and one son, Antonio, who plays for Croatian club Split.[6]
References
- Video footage of Vranković's last second block of for Panathinaikos in the 1996 Final Four
- 1996 Final Four: Victory comes to Greece and the Greens Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine
- "HKS: Stojko Vranković novi predsjednik Hrvatskog košarkaškog saveza" (in Croatian). Croatian Basketball Federation. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Stojko Vranković ponovno izabran za predsjednika HKS-a" (in Croatian). Croatian Basketball Federation. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- CRO - Dražen Petrović memorial, fiba.com; accessed 16 October 2016.
- "Antonio Vrankovic Bio". goduke.com. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
External links
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