Lou Stefanovic

Ljubiša Stefanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Љубиша Стефановић, pronounced [ʎǔbiʃa stefǎːnoʋitɕ]; born 1963), commonly known as Lou Stefanovic, is a Serbian-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois State.

Not to be confused with Ljubiša Stevanović.
Lou Stefanovic
Personal information
Born1963 (age 59–60)
Aleksinac, NR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian / American
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolMerrillville (Merrillville, Indiana)
CollegeIllinois State (1981–1985)
NBA draft1985: 4th round, 97th overall pick
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career1985–1990
PositionSmall forward
Number35, 43
Career history
1985–1986Crvena zvezda
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-MVC (1985)

College career

In 1981, Stefanovic went on to play for Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. As a senior with the Redbirds in the 1984–85 season, Stefanovic averaged team-high 17.5 points and seven rebounds per game and was named to the Missouri Valley All-Second Team.[1][2]

Professional career

Stefanovic was selected with the 97th overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1985 NBA draft.[3] Following the draft, Stefanovic officially signed for a club in the Spanish ACB League. Few days before the start of the 1985–86 season, he signed a deal with Crvena zvezda of the Yugoslav Basketball League. Afterwards, he had stints in France, Switzerland, and Italy.[4][5]

National team career

In summer 1983, Stefanovic was an initial roster member for the Yugoslavia University team, but failed to make the final 12-man roster led by Dražen Petrović for the 1983 Summer Universiade in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.[6][5]

Personal life

Stefanovic's grandfather Branko was a native of Serbia who fought in World War II before emigrating to Gary, Indiana to find work in the steel mills. His father Zoran received a visa to the United States in February 1970 and brought him as a young child.[6][4]

Stefanovic married Helen, with whom he has two sons, Dejan (b. 1994) and Sasha (b. 1998). Sasha played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers.[4][7][8]

See also

References
  1. "Stefanovic ready for serbian opportunity". purduesports.exposure.co. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  2. "Missouri Valley Conference Teams". joomag.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  3. "1985 Seattle SuperSonics NBA Draft". sonicsrising.com. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  4. "LJubiša Stefanović, prvi draftovani igrač iz SFRJ: Sin Saša će se odužiti Srbiji". novosti.rs. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  5. "Ko je prvi Srbin u NBA?". kosmagazin.com. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  6. "Purdue's Sasha Stefanovic following family's example". eu.jconline.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  7. Dopirak, Dustin (May 10, 2022). "Better for it: After redshirt year, Stefanovic, Wheeler ready to make impact at Purdue". The Athletic. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  8. "Helen and Lou Stefanovic". nwitimes.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
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