Remembering the legendary Žućko
Today is the day when we remember one of the greatest sportsmen of our region – the legendary Radivoj Korać, one of the symbols of the famous former Yugoslavian school of basketball.
Legendary Radivoj Korać, or Žućko as he was popularly nicknamed, would have turned 79 years old on this day, if it wasn’t for a tragical car accident that has occurred by his age of 30 outside of Sarajevo, which has ended the life of this basketball genius.
Korać was the key member of the Yugoslavian national team generation that strived the basketball in our region towards World’s top – with him aboard, Yugoslavia have won five silver medals, and one bronze medal, in a total of 157 international games during which he averaged 20.1 points per game. He was the EuroBasket's Top Scorer 3 times (1959, 1961, and, 1963), and was named the MVP of EuroBasket 1961. He also became the top scorer of the Olympic Basketball Tournament in 1960.
Everything about his greatness is said with the fact that soon after his death, FIBA Europe established the European third-tier Radivoj Korać Cup in his remembrance, in 1971. Korać was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. In 2002, the Basketball Federation of Serbia named its top national cup competition, the Radivoj Korać Cup, after him. He was enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors the following year.
However, besides his fantastic basketball abilities, what makes him a symbol of former Yugoslavian basketball culture is his lifestyle. An intelectual that he has been, away from the basketball court Žućko enjoyed theatre, music, and reading books. He was a senior undergraduate, from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (ETF), at the University of Belgrade.
Even though it has been almost half of a century since he isn't with us anymore, his spirit will never be forgotten. Happy birthday, Žućko!
