OVERVIEW
Kosakarski klub Partizan basketball club (KK Partizan) is a highly successful Serbian basketball team founded in 1945 in Belgrade. They are the winningest team in Serbian history winning a combined 48 trophies, 21 of which are Serbian national championships and one European Champion trophy. They currently compete in the Basketball League of Serbia, the ABA League, and the EuroLeague.
EARLY HISTORY
Founded in 1945 as a part of the Yugoslav army, the team was consistently made up of army soldiers however they split from the army in 1953 and became an independent club competing for the Yugoslav championship. In the mid to late 1970s the team began to storm onto the scene of European basketball, winning multiple titles in European competitions. This led the team into a new golden era with high-skill players, renowned coaches, and a plethora of national and international titles.
CURRENT TEAM
Today KK Partizan is still a Serbian and international powerhouse with appearances in a multitude of European tournaments and Serbian championships. They are led by head coach Zeljko Obradovic and leading scorers Kevin Punter and Dante Exum.
Question: "How does the orgin of KK Partizan differ from other Euro league clubs?"
Information:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/teams/partizan/
https://kkpartizan.rs/en
That is so insane that this club was originally made up of former army soldiers! I know that I would never think a basketball club would originate from the army. I am curious about how the army created a club, and why they would want to do this. Does anyone know why the army would want to create a basketball club?
ReplyDeleteI also think that it is crazy that the club was formed by the army. One reason that I can think for this was the rise of the game during WW2 due to exposure from other cultures, and then the former soldiers wanting a team of their own to compete.
DeleteIt seems as though this team has had a lot of success. Has this been in the last couple years or did a lot of their wins and success come from the advent of their establishment? Dante Exum is also another one of those players that you wonder what happened to; it's really cool to hear from these blogs about all these former NBA players.
ReplyDeleteAlthough most of their European success was in the past, they are still the dominant team within their domestic league. They continuously compete for championships within the Serbian league.
DeleteIt is clear that the history of Partizan is unique being that of soldiers, but I argue that it is similar in a way being that the formulation of clubs has largely been through the miiddle/lower classes of socioty. This would draw parallels in my eyes, but another point I would make is that being from such a difficult background, the army, there had to have been a discipline and happiness that sport had brought. This leads me to believe that this background contributed to their success, and also presents an awesome story. Good work!
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting point to bring up about the discipline that the team must have had in the early stages due to originating from the military. That is something that I would not have thought of but very well could be a reason of their long standing success.
DeleteIt is definitely an interesting history! It is cool that they begin recruiting from their most strong and able-bodied men, being those in the army. Have there been any players since switching to a private club that served both in the army and played on KK Partizan Nis? Knowing the history of the team also helps clarify who their supporters may be and the roots of the club.
ReplyDeleteThat is really incredible that this team started at the end of the second world war. At the time, the team was probably filled with a bunch of athletic military men. Now, the team is a group of professional players that dedicate all of their time to the sport. It is important to think about team's roots sometimes and examine how far they have come as clubs.
ReplyDeleteI never considered your point on the team originally being constructed with former military men. This is another interesting fact in this teams elustrios past.
DeleteI agree, the fact that they were athletic military men meant that they were in great shape. I think that this will greatly benefit them as a team, and it will show especially when it comes to team chemistry.
DeleteThis is very similar to the start of the Bayern Munich basketball club as they originated soon following world war 2 and was closely tied to the army. I find these backstories to be very interesting as many soccer clubs started tied to the workplace and these are tied to the army and wartime. It also shows the advancement of the clubs as they started out playing and finding success with commoners, where now it has turned into a huge business with large contracts to players.
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique history for a basketball team! It is super interesting to analyze the differences between then and now, especially considering the fact that the team used to be made up of all soldiers and now it consists of professional basketball players. Because of their history, do they utilize a different form of talent attraction? Or is their process now similar to other teams?
ReplyDeleteI think that due to their experience within WW2 they were exposed to various sports from their time within the military. Due to them being soldiers, I think they worked together very well and knew how to communicate much more effectively than your stereotypical team.
DeleteWow, I did not know that they originated as a team made up of Army soldiers! Is there a reason why the Army wanted to expand to a Basketball team? How did they perform? Has Basketball always been popular in Serbia? I am very intrigued by their origin. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned in an earlier comment about the same matter, one theory that I have is that the exposure to other cultures during WW2 led them to be exposed to basketball, leading the former soldiers to start their own team.
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