Željko Obradović

Obradović started his club career as a basketball player with Borac Čačak, in their youth system.

During the 1977–78 season, then eighteen-year-old Obradović, got his first taste of senior men's team basketball at Borac, as he appeared in 6 Yugoslav First Federal League games during the season, and contributed a total of 3 points.[6] After eventually establishing himself as the team's starting point guard, he stayed with the club until 1984.

Over the summer of 1984, the at the time twenty-four-year-old Obradović, joined Partizan Belgrade. He was brought in by Partizan's incoming head coach at that time Moka Slavnić, and the club's vice president at the time Dragan Kićanović, both of which were recent retirees from their playing careers, and who had previously starred on the senior Yugoslav national team, throughout the 1970s, as a legendary point guard and shooting guard duo.

In Obradović's third season with the team, Partizan won the 1986–87 season title of the Yugoslav League. In the following season, they reached the 1987–88 season edition of the European Champions Cup's Final Four. Finally, they won the 1989 Yugoslavian Cup and the Korać Cup's championship of the 1988–89 season. During his time at Partizan, Obradović established himself as one of the best and most reliable point guards in Yugoslavia's top level league.

Obradović was a member of the junior national teams of Yugoslavia. With Yugoslavia's under-19 national team, he played at the 1979 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. He was also a member of the senior Yugoslavian national team. With Yugoslavia's senior national team, he won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, and a gold medal at the 1990 FIBA World Championship.

Obradović's playing career came to a halt, when he was sentenced to two years in prison, due to causing the death of a pedestrian, in a car accident. After serving his prison sentence, Obradović returned to the court as a player, and already in his latter days as a player, he began coaching Partizan Belgrade's youth team. He retired from playing basketball in 1991, and he then immediately signed on as the head coach of the senior team of the club.

Obradović's coaching career began quite suddenly in the summer of 1991 while he was still an active thirty-one-year-old Partizan Belgrade player getting ready for EuroBasket 1991 with the Yugoslav national team. Selected and coached by Dušan Ivković, the 1991 national squad was to be captained by Obradović — the oldest player among the assembled group. However, after finishing the training camp in Poreč and coming back to Belgrade to sleep over before leaving in the morning for a preparation friendly tournament in Germany, Obradović got called in for a meeting with the Partizan management — club president Radojica Nikčević, vice-president Dragan Kićanović, as well as board members Đorđe "Siske" Čolović, Milorad "Miketa" Đurić, and Dragan Todorić — who convinced him to take over the Partizan head coaching job, which entailed retiring from playing effective immediately thus giving up a chance to captain the national team at the upcoming EuroBasket.

The idea was to have Obradović, a debutante head coach, work under the guidance of experienced elder statesman of Yugoslav basketball, sixty-seven-year-old professor Aca Nikolić, whose coaching advisory services were soon secured by Kićanović and the club management. Also joining the front office in the technical director capacity was another fresh retiree from playing, thirty-one-year-old Milenko Savović, Obradović's longtime teammate at Partizan, who had spent the previous 1990–91 season playing for Vojvodina.

In the 1991–92 season, Partizan had a 20–2 record in the 1991–92 YUBA League regular season. In the playoffs, they progressed to the final, winning the best-of-five series 3–0 against Crvena zvezda. It also won the Yugoslav Basketball Cup in 1992, beating Bosna 105-70 in the final game. In European competition, Obradović led the young squad to become the champions of 1991–92 FIBA European League, on the spur of breakup of Yugoslavia. Partizan played its international matches in Fuenlabrada, Spain, due to international sanctions imposed on FR Yugoslavia.

In 1992–93 season, Partizan was runner-up to Crvena zvezda with 3–2 record in the final series. In 1993 Yugoslav Basketball Cup, it lost with 104–91 in the final game to OKK Beograd.

In 1993, Obradović signed a contract with the Spanish team Joventut, based in Badalona, where Partizan played its international matches in 1991–92 season. With Joventut, he won the 1993–94 FIBA European League. In Liga ACB, Joventut finished in 3rd place with 24–14 record. In 1994 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto, Joventut was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

After the end of season, Obradović signed a contract with Real Madrid. In his first season with the club, Real Madrid failed to defend the Liga ACB title, finishing in 3rd place with 27–19 record. In 1995 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto, Real Madrid finished in 4th place. However, he won the 1994–95 FIBA European League.

In 1995–96 season, Real Madrid didn't manage to take any title. In Liga ACB, Real Madrid finished in 5th place with 28–12 record. In 1996 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto, Real Madrid finished in 3rd place. On the European scene, Obradović made his third consecutive Final Four appearance and second with Real Madrid, but ended losing in 3rd place game. In 1996–97 season, Real Madrid finished as the runner-up in theLiga ACB and was also eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 1997 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto. In European competitions, Real Madrid participated in second-tier FIBA Saporta Cup and eventually won it with 78–64 in the final game over Verona. At the end of the season, Obradović parted ways with the team.

In the summer of 1997, Obradović signed a contract with the Italian team Benneton Treviso. In 1997–98 season, Treviso was eliminated in the quarterfinal series of the Serie A1 Playoffs with 3–2 record by Reggio Emilia. In 1997–98 FIBA EuroLeague, Treviso finished in 3rd place after 96–89 win over Partizan Belgrade in the Final Four.

In 1998–99 season, Treviso finished as the runner-up in the Serie A1 Playoffs, after 3–0 record in the final series against Varese. Also, Treviso won the FIBA Saporta Cup, following 64–60 win in the final game over Valencia.

In the summer of 1999, Obradović became the head coach of Panathinaikos. In his first season with the club, he won the 1999–2000 Greek Basket League with 3–0 record in the final series against P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki. In 2000 Greek Basketball Cup final, it lost with 59–57 by AEK Athens. Also, Panathinaikos won the 1999–2000 FIBA EuroLeague, after 73–67 win in the final game over Maccabi Tel Aviv. It was club's second EuroLeague championship in history.

Obradović stayed with Panathinaikos until 2012, leading the team to become the top club in European club basketball during that time, while simultaneously maintaining the club at the top position in the Greek national championship. In total, Obradović won with Panathinaikos eleven Greek League championships, seven Greek Cups and five EuroLeague titles (2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011).

In 2007, he achieved winning the highly coveted Triple Crown championship, for the second time as a head coach (the first was in 1992 with Partizan), and won the EuroLeague Coach of the Year award. Also in 2009, in Berlin, he completed this achievement as head coach for the third time. In 2011, he won his 8th EuroLeague trophy overall, and 5th with Panathinaikos.

Despite winning the Greek Cup in the 2011–12 season, Panathinaikos finished 4th in the 2011–12 season of the EuroLeague, while Olympiacos was crowned the EuroLeague champion. Following this disappointment, Panathinaikos lost to Olympiacos, 3 games to 2, in a best-of-five Greek League Finals series. After that, in June 2012, Obradović announced that he was stepping down as the head coach of Panathinaikos, after 13 consecutive seasons.

Željko Obradović with Fenerbahçe in 2017

Željko Obradović talking to Tarik Biberović, Fenerbahçe season 2017

In early July 2013, Obradović signed a two-year contract with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe,[7] that was reportedly worth €3 million in net income salary, over the contract period.[8] After inheriting a roster with point guard Bo McCalebb and versatile shooting guards / small forwards Bojan Bogdanović and Emir Preldžić, the famous head coach added a pair of marquee forwards, in Linas Kleiza and Nemanja Bjelica. He additionally signed Luka Žorić and Melih Mahmutoğlu, as well as talented youngsters Ömer Yurtseven and Kenan Sipahi.

In his first season with the club, Obradović won the Turkish League championship, following a 4–3 record in the league's finals series against Galatasaray. In the 2014 Turkish Cup, Fenerbahçe were eliminated in the semifinals by Pınar Karşıyaka. In the 2013–14 Euroleague season, they reached the Top 16 stage.

In the 2014–15 season, Fenerbahçe finished the regular season of the Turkish League in first place, with a 23–7 record. In the Turkish League Playoffs, they were eliminated in the semifinals series by Karşıyaka Basket, with a 3–1 record. They were also runners-up in the 2015 Turkish Cup. In the 2014–15 Euroleague season, Fenerbahçe reached the 2015 Euroleague Final Four, where they were eliminated in the semifinals, and later lost in the 3rd place game. The appearance in the EuroLeague Final Four was the first in the club's long history. On May 25, 2015, after the end of season, he signed a two-year extension with Fenerbahçe.[9]

In the 2015–16 season, Fenerbahçe finished in second place in the Turkish Super League regular season, with a 24–6 record. In the Turkish Super League Playoffs, Fenerbahçe went on to win the league championship, with a 4–2 record in the finals series against Anadolu Efes. The club also won the 2016 Turkish Cup. In the 2015–16 Euroleague season, they finished as runners-up, after losing against CSKA Moscow in the final game of the 2016 Final Four.

On November 18, 2016, Ozan Balaban, a board member of Fenerbahçe SK, declared at the QNB Finansbank sponsorship ceremony of the club, that Obradović would sign a new three-year deal with the club.[10][11] On December 3, 2016, Obradović officially extended his contract with the club, until the end of the 2019–20 season.[12]

In the 2016–17 season, Fenerbahçe finished with a 28–2 record in the Turkish Super League regular season, and eventually won the league championship. after a 4–0 record in the finals series over rivals Beşiktaş. On May 21, 2017, Fenerbahçe won the EuroLeague championship finals game against Olympiacos, which was the first EuroLeague championship in the club's history, and also the first for any Turkish team.[13] In the summer of 2017, two of the team's core players, Bogdan Bogdanović and Ekpe Udoh, left the team and moved to the NBA.

In the 2017–18 season, Fenerbahçe once again finished the Turkish Super League regular season in first place, with a dominant 27–3 record. In the 2018 Turkish Cup, Fenerbahçe were eliminated early in the quarterfinals, by the eventual cup winners, Anadolu Efes. In the 2017–18 EuroLeague season, Fenerbahçe made it to the 2018 EuroLeague Final Four, their fourth consecutive Final Four appearance. Eventually, they lost to Real Madrid, by a score of 80–85, in the final game.[14] At the end of the season, Fenerbahçe won its third consecutive Turkish Super League title, after winning the league's finals series 4–1 against Tofaş.[15]

In the 2018–19 season, Fenerbahçe lost to Efes in the Turkish Presidential Cup Final, and later beat Efes in the 2019 Turkish Cup Final. They also lost to Efes in the Turkish Super League playoff's finals series, 4–3. In the 2018–19 EuroLeague season, the club made its fifth straight EuroLeague Final Four appearance, as they qualified to the 2019 EuroLeague Final Four, where they finished in fourth place.

In 2019–20 season, Fenerbahçe had underwhelming results as they were in the bottom and the middle of 2019–20 EuroLeague Regular Season standings from the beggining of the season until the season cancellation in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 28 rounds, they had 13–15 record and were holding 8th place which would lead them to quarterfinals. In 2019–20 Basketbol Süper Ligi which was also cancelled in May for the same reason, Fenerbahçe was in fourth place with 17–5 record and one game behind the worse-record Galatasaray.

On June 23, 2020, Fenerbahçe announced that Obradović would no longer be the head coach since he wants to take a break from coaching for one year.[16]

Obradović worked as the head coach of the senior FR Yugoslavian national basketball team, from 1996 to 2000. With FR Yugoslavia, he won a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, a gold medal at the EuroBasket 1997, a gold medal at the 1998 FIBA World Championship, and a bronze medal at the EuroBasket 1999. He was also the Serbia and Montenegro national team head coach, from 2004 to 2005.[17]

• European Cups (11×):
  • EuroLeague champion: 9 (with Partizan: 1991–92, Joventut Badalona: 1993–94, Real Madrid: 1994–95, Panathinaikos: 1999–00, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11 and Fenerbahçe: 2016–17)
  • FIBA Saporta Cup winner: 2 (with Real Madrid: 1996–97 and Treviso: 1998–99)
• National Championships (16×):
  • Greek League champion: 11 (with Panathinaikos: 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11)
  • Turkish League champion: 4 (with Fenerbahçe: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18)
  • Yugoslav League: 1 (with Partizan: 1991–92)
• National Cups (11×):
  • Greek Cup winner: 7 (with Panathinaikos: 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12)
  • Turkish Cup winner: 3 (with Fenerbahçe: 2016, 2019, 2020)
  • Yugoslav Cup winner: 1 (with Partizan: 1991–92)
• National Super Cups (4×):
  • Turkish Super Cup winner: 3 (with Fenerbahçe: 2013, 2016, 2017)
  • Italian Super Cup winner: 1 (with Treviso: 1997)
• EuroLeague Final Four without winning (9×):
  • 2nd place: 3 (with Panathinaikos: 2000–01 and Fenerbahçe: 2015–16, 2017–18)
  • 3rd place: 2 (with Treviso: 1997–98 and Panathinaikos: 2004–05)
  • 4th place: 4 (with Real Madrid: 1995–96, Panathinaikos: 2011–12 and Fenerbahçe: 2014–15, 2018–19)

Obradović in Fenerbahçe season 2018

• Partizan (1991–1993)
  • EuroLeague Champion: (1992)
  • Yugoslav League Champion: (1992)
  • Yugoslav Cup Winner: (1992)
• Joventut Badalona (1993–1994)
  • EuroLeague Champion: (1994)
• Real Madrid (1994–1997)
  • EuroLeague Champion: (1995)
  • Saporta Cup Champion: (1997)
• Benetton Treviso (1997–1999)
  • Saporta Cup Champion: (1999)
  • Italian Super Cup: Winner (1997)
• Panathinaikos (1999–2012)
  • 5× EuroLeague Champion: (2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011)
  • 11× Greek League Champion: (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11)
  • 7× Greek Cup Winner: (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012)
• Fenerbahçe (2013–2020)
  • EuroLeague Champion: (2017)
  • 4× Turkish League Champion: (2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18)
  • 3× Turkish Cup Winner: (2016, 2019, 2020)
  • 3× Turkish Super Cup Winner: (2013, 2016, 2017)
• FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro National Team (1995–2000, 2004–2005)
  • Assistant coach
  • EuroBasket 1995:  Gold
  • Head coach
  • 1996 Summer Olympics:  Silver
  • EuroBasket 1997:  Gold
  • 1998 FIBA World Championship:  Gold
  • EuroBasket 1999:  Bronze