FAREWELL TO A BASKETBALL LEGEND: Dražen Dalipagić passes away, remembered as one of the greatest in history!

On Saturday, it was confirmed that Dražen “Praja” Dalipagić, one of the greatest European basketball players of all time, passed away at the age of 74 after a prolonged illness.

Dalipagić was named the best athlete of Yugoslavia in 1978, was a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield and the FIBA Hall of Fame, and was listed among the 50 people who contributed the most to the EuroLeague.

At the club level, he became a two-time Yugoslavian champion, won a Yugoslavian Cup, and secured two Radivoj Korać Cups (when it was still a European competition)—all with Partizan. On the international stage, he was an Olympic champion (1980), a world champion (1978), a three-time European champion (1973, 1975, 1977), and a Mediterranean Games champion (1975) with the Yugoslav national team, earning numerous silver and bronze medals as well.

Dalipagić was one of the greatest scorers in the history of basketball. Officially, he scored over 50 points in at least 15 professional games. One memorable performance came in the Italian league, where he scored 70 points for Virtus Venezia, setting his career record.

As a coach, Dalipagić led Gorica, MZT Skopje, and Astra Banka.

Partizan, the club where Dalipagić spent the majority of his career, shared the news of his passing on their official website.

“The day we all dreaded has come… The day when the great Praja left us! After a long and difficult illness, Dražen Dalipagić passed away this morning in Belgrade. The greatest scorer in the history of KK Partizan, a former Yugoslav national team player, a world basketball legend, and a man of unparalleled character!

Born in Mostar on November 27, 1951, a Hall of Famer and winner of the highest honors at both club and international levels, Dalipagić joined Partizan in 1971 and became the club’s all-time leading scorer! After Praja, many great players and legends of world basketball have passed through Partizan, but none came close to his record of 8,278 points!

Dalipagić wore the Partizan jersey from 1971 to 1980 and again during the 1981/82 season. With the black-and-whites, he won two league titles (1976, 1979), the Yugoslavian Cup, and two Radivoj Korać European Cups (1978, 1979). With the Yugoslav national team, he won it all!

He was an Olympic, world, and European champion. He was listed among the 50 people who contributed the most to the EuroLeague and among FIBA’s greatest 50 players.

Dalipagić represented Yugoslavia at the European Championships in 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, and 1983; the World Championships in 1974, 1978, 1982, and 1986; and the Olympic Games in 1976, 1980, and 1984. In total, he played 243 games for the national team from 1973 to 1986.

He won gold at the 1978 World Championships, silver in 1974, and bronze in 1982 and 1986. At the Olympic Games, he won gold in 1980, silver in 1976, and bronze in 1984. At the European Championships, he won gold in 1973, 1975, and 1977, silver in 1981, and bronze in 1979.

Individually, Dalipagić received numerous awards and recognitions. He was named the best player of the 1977 European Championship and the best basketball player in Europe in 1977, 1978, and 1980. The sports publication Sport named him Yugoslavia’s best athlete, awarding him the Golden Badge in 1978. The Italian basketball magazine Superbasket twice awarded him the “Mr. Europa” prize, in 1977 and 1978, recognizing the best European player regardless of where they played. In 1980, he received the Euroscar Basketball Award.

In addition to Partizan, Dalipagić played for Real Madrid, Udine, Venezia, Verona, and Crvena Zvezda, where he concluded his career in 1991.

After retiring, Dalipagić worked as a basketball coach in Serbia, Italy, and North Macedonia and served as a sports official for the national team and KK Partizan.

Dražen was married and the father of two children.

The time and place of Dražen “Praja” Dalipagić’s funeral will be announced later,” stated Partizan in their official announcement of this sad event.