Goran Grbović
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 9, 1961 Kruševac, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia |
| Listed height | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1983 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 1979–1991 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Career history | |
| 1979—1980 | Borac Čačak |
| 1980—1988 | Partizan |
| 1988—1990 | Oximesa Granada |
| 1991 | IMT |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Goran Grbović (born February 9, 1961) is a former Serbian professional basketball player.
Contents
Biography
Born in Kruševac, after finishing high school, he moved to Čačak. He started his career with KK Borac Čačak, where he was trained by the legendary Aleksandar Nikolić and Dragan Milošević - Gaga. He played for Partizan from 1980 until 1988, winning a national championship in 1981 and 1987 also a third-place finish in Euroleague in 1988. He ended his career after two successful seasons with Oximesa Granada.
He is also remembered as an idol of many Partizan fans, inspiring many children to play basketball.[citation needed]
He won a bronze medal in EuroBasket 1987 with the Yugoslav national team.
Player profile
Grbović was a very strong and attractive player, temperamental also. His nickname was "Tank". He was 2.02 m tall and played small forward. He had a good three-point shot and audiences liked his dunks.[citation needed]
Partizan
Grbović played in Partizan from 1980 until 1988, he won National championship in 1981 and 1987 and participated in Euroleague F4 in 1988. That season, he scored the most points in hall Euroleague. He was also the best scorer of national championship in 1983 and 1984. He holds second place in club history by points in one play-off game, 44. He is seventh scorer in club history with 3889 points in 240 games, his average is 16.2 points.
National team
Although he was qualified for the Yugoslav national team, he participated in only two competitions – EuroBasket tournaments in 1983 and 1987. He won a bronze medal in EuroBasket 1987. National team coaches from the period didn't like him because of his temperamental personality.[citation needed]
Coaches' opinions
- In 1980s journalists asked Aleksandar Nikolić for his opinion on the best player in Yugoslavia. Nikolić just said, "Grbović!"
- In an interview after Partizan's successes in the 2009–10 season, coach Duško Vujošević was asked which five players would always play on his team. Vujošević picked Đorđević, Danilović, Divac, Paspalj, and Grbović.
Interesting moments of Grbović's career
- He was one of the main participants in a fight between Yugoslavia and Italy in EuroBasket 1983. On a spectacular night when Aleksandar Djordjevic ended his career, Dino Meneghin got paper scissors from Grbović as a souvenir of his legendary game against Yugoslavia.
- He also participated in a fight between Partizan and Cibona players in Domestic Cup 1988.
- In an exciting game between Partizan and Borac in the domestic championship, the referee awarded the ball to Partizan with 7 seconds left on the clock. In a move which could have cost Partizan the game, Grbović said it was the wrong decision and had the referee give the ball to Borac. However, Partizan won the game in spite of this.
Achievements
- Yugoslav league winner: 1980/81 and 1986/87
- Yugoslav league finalist: 1981/82 and 1987/88
- FIBA Euroleague 3rd place: 1982 and 1988
- EuroBasket 1987: Bronze medal
- FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship 1980: Silver medal
Individual achievements
- ACB League All Star participation: 1988
- Yugoslav championship best scorer: 1983, 1984.
