Documentary series "Basketball Rules"
About the series:
The documentary series “Basketball Rules” is presented by Videostroj and TV Arena Sport as part of the celebration of 100 years of basketball in Serbia. A one-of-a-kind concept that combines podcasts with biographical stories about our protagonists.
The host and presenter of the series “Basketball Rules” is Miloš Jovanović, and during the six months of working on the series, he spoke with the selectors of the women’s and men’s national teams, Marina Maljković and Svetislav Pešić. He went to Mijailo Grušanović’s and Nemanja Aleksandrov’s estates and hidden corners; he went to the residences of Božidar Maljković, Žarko Paspalj, and Dino Rađa.; and at the end of the series, we left a narrative with Serbia’s current star basketball player, Kevin Punter.
Radna akcija 2019
Our interlocutors stressed their ideals, specifically all of the “basketball rules” that guided them during their work in trophy sport, using instances and events from their extensive careers. They will remind or expose some of the most noteworthy details from the history of trophy sports in eight half-hour episodes.
SERIES
Episode #1 – Svetislav Pešić
The fact that this episode was filmed right before the release of the expanded list for the 2023 World Cup adds value to it. The mood among basketball fans and sports writers wasn’t the best because of the amount of layoffs, which is precisely why this episode is an even more important record about how hard effort and love, in the sports world, always produce the desired outcome. Of course, legendary Kari brought up memories of his early years in Sarajevo, BC Bosna; his championship years in Istanbul and Indianapolis; but also the time when he was starting a new season at Crvena zvezda.
Episode #2 – Marina Maljković
She never did the backflip. She approached her career cautiously, little by little. From the modest WBC Ušće, where she began her career, to Hemofarm from Vršac and WBC Partizan, she went on to win the first European champion title while leading the Serbian national team. Naturally, Marina’s job encompasses more than just coaching seasoned basketball players. She envisions herself enabling every girl to participate in sports, whether it be through basketball or another activity, and she makes this a reality by spearheading the innovative Movement for Women’s Basketball. As she herself points out – “EACH AND EVERY GIRL MATTERS!“
Episoda #3 – Nemanja Aleksandrov
Regretfully ( or fortunately ), Nemanja’s career did not turn out the way many had anticipated. As one of the top 5 picks in the draft, they all projected that he would have a fantastic NBA career, but the injuries were severe, and our interlocutor had to face the hard reality at a very young age. He does not, however, regret a single second of it. He understands that everything happened for a reason, and he acknowledges that without some truths, he would not have come to realize some of the fundamentals of his current way of living. Today, far from the noise of the city, he and his wife, Jasmina, are getting used to the silence and peace that life in nature brings them. One different basketball story and proof that everyone has their own basketball rules.
Episode #4 – Mijailo Grušanović
In addition to his games for Iva Zorka from Šabac, Mikan of Mačva—a moniker given to him by basketball fans and media in the 1990s—became a cult figure due to the fact that he never left Klenje, his hometown, during the more than two decades he spent playing on home courts. We find Mijailo in a familiar setting at the property he shares with his wife and boys, still today. He refuses to give up his way of life and the notion that he is most attractive at home and in the countryside, despite everything. He does all the farm work even though he is in his seventh decade of life because, as he says, “There is always time for those who have the will”!
Episode #5 – Žarko Paspalj
Almost thirty years after the fans yelled well known, “Now you’ve got the trophy, Paspalj“. our protagonist lives a different life today. Nestled in the middle of Vračar, his home is a peaceful haven where he tends to his garden—which would make many other gardeners envious—listens to quality music, cherishes his love of antiques, and holds onto memories of simpler, slower times. when kids were instructed that “no one is bigger than the team” at that age!
Episoda #6 – Dino Rađa
This Split native, who now resides in Zagreb, shares his story and shares some of the values and basketball rules he adhered to throughout his career. His words are woven from the emotions that drove him throughout his career. Throughout his 15-year senior career, “work, order and discipline” and fervent dedication were not just catchphrases for him; they served as the cornerstone of everything. The great Dino was pushed by his passion for basketball ever since he created a sensation with Jugoplastika, “went to the line” with the strongest centers of his generation in the NBA league, and won a unique title with Panathinaikos in the heart of Piraeus. He’s in his quiet basement today, tuning his electric guitar and getting ready to play the hit line from AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”
Episode #7 – Božidar Maljković
Boža confesses that there is a “worm” that transports him back to his days as a hoops enthusiast, but for now he watches basketball at a “safe” distance from the president of the Serbian Olympic Committee’s chair. He had the honor of studying under two of the best players in the world at the time, Aleksandar Nikolić and Ranko Žeravica. He eventually carried all of that expertise to Split, where he started his ascent to coaching glory. He won four European Champions Cup championships over the next ten years, solidifying his status as one of the greatest trophy-winning basketball experts of all time.
Epizoda #8 – Kevin Panter
The captain of the “black – whites” and the head of the team that reclaimed the ABA league title for Partizan fans and was one step away from qualifying for F4. He enters his record-breaking third season with great motivation and a desire to correct the mistakes of the previous year, and with Miloš he recalled his basketball beginnings on the streets of the Bronx, but even today he was not drafted and was forced to build his basketball path through European courts. He was privileged to work with Serbian coaches, and he still highlights the importance of Dragan Šakota and Aleksandar Đorđević in the growth of his basketball career. Of course, we close the first season of “Basketball Rules” with a unique chapter related to Partizan and the feelings they convey.