The FIBA Basketball World Cup (formerly known as FIBA World Championship) is currently taking placing in the Philippines. It takes place every four years, and it is the biggest basketball tournament on the national level. Watching Serbia play these games brings back some great memories. It is a nation that lives and loves basketball and has won this tournament on five occasions in the span of thirty-two years (1970-2002). The last triumph was one of the most memorable highlights of my life, hands down.
Let’s rewind twenty-one years. It’s September 5th and Yugoslavia (now Serbia) has just played their quarter-final game against the USA. Two powerhouses faced each other in this epic game. I travelled to Serbia that summer and stayed for over two months. This same night, I arrived back to Canada and my dad picked me up at the airport. He drove me straight to Pisces, a café where a big circle of friends and acquaintances hung out a ridiculous amount of time. It was our second home. At this time, there were no smartphones and I had to walk into the place to find out the score. Could Yugoslavia beat USA on their home soil? In sports, I am always optimistic, but this was one tough feat to achieve! As soon as I opened the door, I didn’t need any confirmation. The incredible energy that hit me was overwhelming! It was pure joy and ecstasy emanating from this special place. I joined the party until the wee hours. Yugoslavia had achieved the impossible! The USA was beaten on their home soil and it was only two steps to glory.
Fast-forward two days. It’s Saturday and Yugoslavia faced New Zealand in the semi-finals. It was not an easy task by any means. The team was exhausted mentally and physically after such an emotional win against the States, but they showed heart and managed to overcome a nine-point deficit at half-time to reach the final, where they would face Argentina, who had won all their games, including the one against the USA in the second-round group stage.
That same night, there was a family gathering and I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my cousins. It all started when I, half-jokingly, threw out the idea to go to Indianapolis and watch the final. Nobody was receptive at first, but I persisted. Every time I mentioned it, the ‘joking’ part slowly dissipated and it became a serious proposition. Soon, it was a mission. We needed a car for the mission. The next thing we know, a friend is driving us to Hamilton Airport to rent a car. We get there, but there are no cars available! There is only one option left. Only one. It’s our last out. We are heading to Toronto Pearson Airport to see if anything is available. We are on a budget, and we need a car that fits this budget. We get there and find there is only ONE available – Chrysler Intrepid!
Nino and I thank our friend (shout-out Mimi!) and now have to find our other cousin, Rade, and his friend, Nik. They are at a club. It is way past midnight, the game starts in maybe 12-13 hours, we have about 800 km to drive, and we haven’t even left. I remember Rade going into the club to drag Nik out. He was with some girls and wanted to be in two places at once. To say that we were working against time is an understatement. It must have been at least 2 AM when we were finally all in the car. It was time to finally leave. Or was it? No, we can’t forget jersey, flags and scarves. We head to my cousin's home to get those and we finally set off! It was about 3 AM.
My next memory is walking into Conseco Fieldhouse, where the Indiana Pacers play their home games. The game for third place (Germany-New Zealand) was taking place and we went directly to the box office. I ask for the tickets and the seller tells me there are tickets for the upper bowl and the lower bowl, $20 and $190, respectively. Each of us has about $100 or so, so the lower bowl was out of the question. We get four upper bowl tickets and go up there to check out the view. I felt gutted when I saw how far the court was. We didn’t do all of this to watch the game from this far away! I had another mission, to get into the lower bowl. We walk down and I am doing surveillance. We have to get into the lower bowl! I soon realize that you scan the tickets and enter via a turnstile. Not a minute goes by, and I see my friend from Hamilton (shout-out Anja) exiting the lower bowl to go to the bathroom. I ask her to bring me four tickets and the next thing I know we are in!
We are behind one of the nets and the whole stand is full of Serbs. Everyone with one dream, to see Yugoslavia lift the 5th gold medal! We weren’t the only ones to get in the lower bowl for $20. Serbian people tend to be resourceful. The second half was spent evading security guards who were checking tickets. It was obvious that there were way too many people on that stand.
The game? Just incredible. It was a nail-biting spectacle to the very end. It went to overtime and the final result was 84-77 for Yugoslavia. You had Divac, Stojakovic, Bodiroga on one side and Ginobili, Oberto, Scola on the other. Two best teams at the tournament facing each other in the final? It couldn’t get better than that. Serbs outnumbered the Argentinians in the arena, but the Gauchos were pretty loud too. It was electrifying at times. For two plus hours, it was a sort of out-of-body experience. The chanting, the singing, the magnitude of the game. I was in a trance!
Two memories come to mind after the game. As we are all walking out of the arena, there are hundreds of Serbs dancing kolo (a traditional, collective folk dance performed by dancers interlinked to form a chain, usually moving in a circle holding hands) with a boombox in the middle. The other one is walking down a street, downtown Indianapolis, and entering a posh restaurant. We are hungry and we have some money in our pockets thanks to those cheap tickets. We walk into the restaurant, decked out in jerseys and scarves, only to be surrounded by people wearing formal clothes. This juxtaposition made the meal even more superb. We ordered the most expensive meals and while waiting for our stakes we were singing and chanting. I am sure everyone was shocked in that restaurant, but it didn’t matter. We were the champions! For the fifth time in thirty-two years! Serbs live and love basketball.
Proof that I was actually there. I am the fool wearing sunglasses indoors and Rade is the one on the right, giving a three-finger salute.
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