Stojko Vranković

Stojko Vranković
Personal information
Born	22 January 1964 (age 57); Drniš, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality	Croatian
Listed height	7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Listed weight	260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	1986 / Undrafted
Playing career	1982–2001
Position	Center
Career history
1982–1989	Zadar
1989–1990	Aris
1990–1992	Boston Celtics
1992–1996	Panathinaikos
1996–1997	Minnesota Timberwolves
1997–1999	Los Angeles Clippers
1999–2001	Fortitudo Bologna
Career highlights and awards
	EuroLeague champion (1996); FIBA European Selection (1987); Greek League champion (1990); 3× Greek Cup winner (1990, 1993, 1996); Greek All-Star Game MVP (1994 II); Italian League champion (2000); Yugoslav League champion (1986); EuroLeague records since the 2000–01 season Most blocked shots in a game;
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Men’s basketball
Representing Yugoslavia
Summer Olympic Games
FIBA World Cup
EuroBasket
Summer Universiade
European Championship for Juniors
Representing Croatia
Summer Olympic Games
FIBA World Cup
FIBA EuroBasket

Stojan "Stojko" Vranković (born 22 January 1964) is a Croatian professional basketball executive and former player. He is currently the president of the Croatian Basketball Federation (HKS).

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. For a short spell in the winter of 1994-95, Vrankovic thrilled fans of the Greek team by adding 3-point shots to his usual repertoire of slam dunks, hook shots, and blocked shots. One game, against Benfica in the EuroLeague in February 1995, exemplified this, as Vrankovic top-scored with 23 points and finished the game with a 3-point shot followed by a coast-to-coast dunk. Vrankovic had first taken a 3-point shot in the Greek League All-Star Game held at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus in December 1994, and seemed as surprised as everyone in the stadium when it went in. 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.^{[citation needed]}

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[]

[1] Video footage of Vranković's last second block of for Panathinaikos in the 1996 Final Four

[2] 1996 Final Four: Victory comes to Greece and the Greens Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine

[3] "HKS: Stojko Vranković novi predsjednik Hrvatskog košarkaškog saveza" (in Croatian). Croatian Basketball Federation. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2020.

[4] "Stojko Vranković ponovno izabran za predsjednika HKS-a" (in Croatian). Croatian Basketball Federation. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2020.

[5] CRO - Dražen Petrović memorial, fiba.com; accessed 16 October 2016.

[6] "Antonio Vrankovic Bio". goduke.com. Retrieved 2019-03-02.

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