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Kresimir CosicYugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player and basketball coach
Date of Birth: 26.11.1948
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Krešimir Ćosić
Early Life and CareerKrešimir Ćosić was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was born in Zagreb, Croatia and grew up in Zadar. Ćosić started his career playing for the local basketball club "Zadar," which was the strongest club in the Yugoslav Championship in the late 1960s. The team won the championship three times and reached the EuroLeague semi-finals in 1968.
In 1970, Ćosić enrolled at Brigham Young University in the United States and played for the university team for three seasons. He became the first foreign player to be included in the All-American team, receiving this honor in 1972 and 1973.
Professional Career
After finishing university, instead of pursuing offers from professional American clubs, Ćosić chose to return to his homeland. He continued playing for "Zadar," then joined "Brest" Ljubljana, played in Italy for Virtus Bologna, and ended his playing career in 1983 with "Cibona."
Ćosić gained worldwide recognition while playing for the Yugoslav national team, representing his country in 303 matches. He participated in four consecutive Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in 1980 and two silver medals. Throughout his career, he also competed in four World Championships and eight European Championships, winning five gold, five silver, and one bronze medal.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Ćosić became a coach. He led teams such as "Olimpija" and "Cibona" to five national championships in Yugoslavia. He also coached Virtus Bologna in Italy and AEK Athens in Greece. As the coach of the Yugoslav national team, Ćosić led the team to bronze medals in the 1986 World Championships and 1987 European Championships. In 1988, he guided the team to a silver medal in the Olympics.
Legacy
After leaving basketball, Ćosić worked at the Embassy of Croatia in the United States. He passed away on May 25, 1995, in Baltimore from cancer. He was buried in Zagreb at the Mirogoj cemetery. A year after his death, Ćosić was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Massachusetts, becoming only the third foreign player to receive this honor. In 2007, he was also inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.
The national basketball cup in Croatia and one of the squares in Zagreb are named after Krešimir Ćosić. He was a six-time Yugoslav champion, four-time Yugoslav Cup winner, two-time Italian champion, and won the Cup of Cup Winners once. He was an Olympic champion, two-time world champion, and three-time European champion. Additionally, he received several personal honors, including being included in the Basketball Hall of Fame, the FIBA Hall of Fame, and being named one of the 50 greatest contributors to the development of EuroLeague. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the 1971 European Championship.
