Branislav Prelević

Branislav Prelević (Serbian Cyrillic: Бранислав Прелевић, Greek: Μπράνισλαβ Πρέλεβιτς; born 19 December 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He is commonly referred to by his nickname Bane (Serbian Cyrillic: Бане, Greek: Μπάνε).

Bane Prelević
Prelević lifting the Korać Cup trophy as captain of PAOK in 1994.
Personal information
Born (1966-12-19) 19 December 1966
Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian / Greek
Listed height6 ft 4.5 in (1.94 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
NBA draft1988: undrafted
Playing career1986–2000
PositionShooting guard
Number7, 8
Coaching career2001–2008
Career history
As player:
1986–1988Crvena zvezda
1988–1996PAOK
1996–1997Kinder Bologna
1997–1999AEK
1999–2000PAOK
As coach:
2001–2002PAOK (assistant)
2002–2005PAOK
2007–2008Ionikos Lamias
Career highlights and awards
As player
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Yugoslavia
FIBA Europe U16 Championship
Gold medal – first place1983 West GermanyUnder-16

Personal information

Prelević was born to ethnic Serb parents in Belgrade, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). He holds both Serbian and Greek citizenship.[1] His family originated from the Bjelopavlići clan.

He is married to Nevena Prelević-Marjanović (born 26 April 1967, daughter of legendary Yugoslavian and Serbian pop singer Đorđe Marjanović), and he has two children, named Anna and Tea. Anna was elected Miss Greece in 2010, and she represented Greece at Miss Universe 2010.

Professional playing career

Red Star Belgrade

Prelević started his career with Crvena zvezda (Red Star Belgrade).

PAOK Thessaloniki

In 1988, at age 21, Prelević moved to Greece in order to be able to play for PAOK Thessaloniki, where he spent eight seasons.

Then 21-year-old Prelević debuted in the 1988–89 season. He became the definitive leader and a fan favorite, often compared to the great Nikos Galis, who was at the time the captain of Aris. Prelević was often quoted for his loyalty to the team. He had a number of injuries and medical emergencies because of weak legs, but he would constantly choose to take heavy dosages of painkillers, rather than missing out on any important games.

While playing with PAOK, Prelević won the FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup, when PAOK defeated CAI Zaragoza in Geneva, by a score of 76–72 on 26 March 1991.

The next season, Prelević was again the leader of PAOK, and the team reached the FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup final again, but they lost to Real Madrid, by a score of 63–65.[2] In the same season, PAOK won the Greek League championship, beating out Olympiacos.

Prelević participated in the EuroLeague for the first time, in the 1992–93 season, and managed to reach the Athens 1993 EuroLeague Final Four. PAOK lost in the semifinal game to Benetton Treviso, which was led by superstar Toni Kukoč, by a score of 77–79.[3]

In 1994, Prelević and PAOK returned to European-wide success by winning the FIBA Korać Cup two-leg final against Stefanel Trieste, winning both at home and away by 9 points.[4] The following year, PAOK won the Greek Cup, in a 19-point victory against Panionios, by a score of 72–53. In 1996, he was a FIBA European Cup finalist.[5]

Virtus Bologna

In 1996, Prelević moved to Italy to play with Virtus Bologna (called Kinder Bologna at the time for sponsorship reasons).[6]

AEK Athens

In 1997, Prelević returned to Greece and played with AEK Athens. Prelević reached the EuroLeague Final Four in Barcelona in 1998, where his team beat Benetton Treviso in the semis, by a score of 69–66, before losing in the final to Kinder Bologna, by a score of 44–58.[7] In 1998 and 1999, Prelević was a Greek Cup finalist.

Return to PAOK Thessaloniki

In 1999, Prelević returned to PAOK, and he then quit playing professional basketball at the end of the season.[8]

National team career

In 1983, Prelević was part of the Yugoslavia Under-16 national team that won the gold medal at the 1983 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in Germany. That team included, alongside Prelević, players such as Žarko Paspalj, Jure Zdovc, Luka Pavićević, Ivo Nakić, and Miroslav Pecarski.[9] He was selected to compete FR Yugoslavia national team at the 1992 Olympic Tournament, but Yugoslavia's participation eventually suspended due to the Yugoslav War.

Post-playing career

Prelević later returned to PAOK in the 2001–02 season, as an assistant basketball coach. He was then the head coach of PAOK, from 2002 to 2005. He then went on to become the President of the club, from 2011 until 2019.

Honors and awards

References
  1. FIBAEurope.com Branislav Prelevits (Greece) Nationality: GRE.
  2. FIBAEurope.com Branislav Prelevits (PAOK THESSALONIKI BC).
  3. FIBAEurope.com Branislav Prelevits (PAOK THESSALONIKI BC).
  4. FIBAEurope.com Branislav Prelevits (PAOK THESSALONIKI BC).
  5. FIBAEurope.com Branislav Prelevits (PAOK THESSALONIKI BC).
  6. FIBAEurope.com Branislav Prelevits (PAOK THESSALONIKI BC).
  7. FIBAEurope.com Branislav Prelevits (PAOK THESSALONIKI BC).
  8. FIBAEurope.com Branislav Prelevits (PAOK THESSALONIKI BC).
  9. FIBA.com Yugoslavia 1983 European Championship For Cadets.
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