Milos Teodosic and Bogdan Bogdanovic are Serbia’s featured backcourt. The two have many things in common beyond nationality. They both are fearless, competitive and entertaining. They have faced off many times in European club play, including a 2016 matchup on the biggest stage in Europe – The Euroleague Championship. And they are both European champions who have now decided that it is time for them to come to the NBA.
Teodosic and Bogdanovic, with the help of teammates and coaches, have saved Serbian basketball. Serbia didn’t become its own country until 2006, when Montenegro voted for independence. At the time, Serbian basketball was in total disarray, and would continue to be as they lost all three group-stage games at Eurobasket 2007 and failed to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The disappointment didn’t hurt the country’s love for hoops, however; instead, it grew stronger. One man wouldn’t be able to save Serbian hoops. It would take multiple men.
The first savior came in 2009. Legendary coach Dusan Ivkovic took over as the national team head coach. 2009 was also a Eurobasket year, and on that roster was another savior for Serbian hoops: 22-year old Milos Teodosic.
Teodosic’s breakout season came in 2006-07 when he was 20 years old, playing with Serbian club FMP Zeleznik. With FMP, Teodosic averaged 7.8 points and 2.9 assists per game in what is now known as the Eurocup. FMP made it all the way to the semi-finals in Eurocup play and made it to the finals in their domestic league, where they lost to Partizan Belgrade.
This strong showing earned Teodosic a move to the Greek club Olympiacos. Olympiacos is one of the biggest clubs in European basketball, and this opportunity gave Teodosic the chance to showcase his wizardry in Euroleague play.
After Teodosic’s momentous move to Olympiacos, he also debuted for the Serbian national team. The Serbian team was still in shambles, however, until that memorable 2009 Eurobasket.
Serbia went 2-1 in their group, beating Spain and Great Britain. In the quarterfinals, they beat Russia; then in the semi-finals, they met Slovenia, the team that had previously bested them at the group stage. Slovenia was led by European star big man Erazem Lorbek, who planned on making the gold medal game. But 22-year old Teodosic had other ideas. He lit up Slovenia for 32 points and led his nation to an overtime win.
Three of his 32 points came on this game-tying three-pointer with less than 30 seconds to go:
He tacked three more points onto his total with this pivotal three-pointer with less than 30 seconds to go in overtime, giving Serbia a crucial four-point lead.
It was at this moment that the European basketball world realized two things: Serbian hoops were back, and Milos Teodosic had officially arrived.
Teodosic was on a roll and continued to wow the European hoops world as he dominated for Olympiacos in the 2009-10 season. He averaged 13.4 points, 4.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game. These were all career highs at the time and led to him being named to the All-Euroleague First Team and Euroleague MVP. Teodosic’s performance was vital to Olympiacos making the Euroleague Final Four, beating Partizan Belgrade in the semis (thanks to this crazy overtime-forcing tip-in by Josh Childress) and then eventually losing to Ricky Rubio’s Barcelona side in the Final.
Teodosic kept on rolling as 2010 brought the FIBA World Championships.
At the 2010 FIBA World Championships, Serbia brought a squad that was very similar to the one they had at the 2009 Eurobasket tournament. They were the youngest team at the FIBA World Championships, but that didn’t have any effect on their confidence.
Serbia went 4-1 in their group, with their only loss coming in double-overtime at the hands of Germany. With a 4-1 record and an impressive victory over a much more experienced Argentina squad, Serbia won their group.
It was in the knockout stages where Serbia really proved that although they were young, they weren’t inexperienced.
They took on Croatia in the Round of 16, and thanks to 16 points from Nenad Krstic, the Serbs prevailed 73-72. During the quarter-finals, Serbia took on the far more experienced and talented Spanish national team. Spain had two NBA players on their roster in Rudy Fernandez and Marc Gasol, wunderkind Ricky Rubio, and Euroleague stars and veterans like Juan Carlos Navarro, Felipe Reyes, Fran Vazquez, Jose Garbajosa and Sergio Llull.
The Spaniards should’ve been able to overwhelm the Serbs. But in the end, two future NBA players shined for the Serbians and helped lead them to victory. Teodosic finished with 12 points and eight assists and Nemanja Bjelica finished with 14 points on perfect 100-percent shooting from the field.
In the final seconds of the quarter-finals, the game was tied at 89. It was again Teodosic, the hero that Serbia needed, who rose to the occasion:
Serbia met the hosts, Turkey, in the semi-finals and despite a 13-point, 11-assist double-double from Teodosic, the Serbs couldn’t overcome the ridiculous home-court whistle advantage that Turkey had.
Serbia’s national team success died down after their run in 2010 as they failed to reach the semifinals at Eurobasket 2011. This meant they didn’t qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and they also failed to reach the semifinals at Eurobasket 2013.
Though the national team slowed down, Teodosic continued to thrive. In 2011 he joined CSKA Moscow and made the All-Euroleague Second Team in 2012 and 2013. Then in the 2013-14 season, Teodosic’s future partner in crime sprang on the scene with Partizan Belgrade.
It was Partizan’s last season in Euroleague play due to financial issues and Bogdanovic played his heart out for the club. In 23 games, Bogdanovic averaged 14.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 37 percent from three.
Partizan fit the model of what has become familiar with Serbian clubs in recent times. They were low on funds – as broke as a college kid – but they always figured out a way to have a good time, thanks to the undying love their fans have for the club.
Partizan had four of the 10 most-attended games of the 2013-14 season, including the highest attendance when Real Madrid came to visit. They also had the league’s highest attendance average with 12,578 fans per game.
It’s this support and pure insanity driven by the sport of basketball that created the ever-entertaining basketball characters that are Teodosic and Bogdanovic. This perfect storm led to a Round-3, Top-16 match-up. CSKA Moscow traveled to the Kombank Arena in Belgrade to take on Partizan.
There were more than 15,000 fans in attendance to cheer on Bogdanovic as he faced off against Teodosic. The fans fueled Bogdanovic to a 27-point performance that Partizan will never forget.
Although Partizan was eliminated after the Top-16 stage, Bogdanovic was named the Euroleague Rising Star of the season.
In domestic play, Partizan won their 13th consecutive title as Bogdanovic averaged an insane 30.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, leading his team to a 3-1 Finals victory over their number one rivals, Red Star Belgrade. In the penultimate Game 4 matchup, Bogdanovic scored 36 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists, all while showcasing his signature head nod along the way.
The basketball world knew then that, just like Teodosic, Bogdanovic wasn’t scared of the moment.
Then came the summer of 2014. Bogdanovic entered the NBA draft and was selected 27th overall by the Phoenix Suns. That was also the summer of the 2014 FIBA World Cup, and it was there that Teodosic and Bogdanovic would team up and bring Serbian basketball to new heights.
Bogdanovic averaged 12 points per game on 36-percent shooting from deep during World Cup play, while Teodosic averaged 13.6 points and 4.4 assists per game on 48-percent shooting from deep.
In the first knockout game against Greece, Bogdanovic led Serbia in scoring with 21 points, and Teodosic led them in assists with five, to go with his 13 points. Serbia destroyed Brazil at the quarter-finals behind 23 points from Teodosic and 12 points and six rebounds from Bogdanovic.
In the semifinals, Serbia would face off against France. This was their second meeting in the tournament as France beat them by one in their group-stage game, a game in which Teodosic and Bogdanovic had not been at their best. The two turned it around this time and were the two leading scorers for their team; Bogdanovic finished with 13 and Teodosic finished with 24, including this game-sealing three-pointer.
This led Serbia to the gold medal game, where they lost to the United States. But Serbia got silver, finally medaling, thanks to the dynamic backcourt duo of Teodosic and Bogdanovic.
For the 2014-15 Euroleague season, Bogdanovic joined Fenerbahce after Partizan didn’t qualify for Euroleague. Bogdanovic won the Rising Star Trophy again as he averaged 10.5 points on 36-percent shooting from deep. Teodosic was chosen for the All-Euroleague First Team after a spectacular season with CSKA Moscow in which he averaged 14.8 points and seven assists per game on 41-percent shooting from three-point territory.
Although both players made the Final Four with their respective teams, they both would fall in the semifinals. Fenerbahce lost to eventual champions Real Madrid, and CSKA Moscow lost to Olympiacos. Disappointment would continue for the Serbian guards as Serbia failed to medal at Eurobasket 2015. They lost in the semifinals to Lithuania and then were bested by France in the bronze medal game.
Both Teodosic and Bogdanovic needed to bounce back, and that’s exactly what they did in the 2015-16 Euroleague season.
Fenerbahce and CSKA Moscow both finished atop their Top-16 groups thanks to the help of their Serbian guards. Both clubs swept their way into the Final Four and won their semifinal matchups, setting up a title game showdown between the two powerhouses.
Teodosic stole the show this time around as he finished with 19 points, seven assists, and five rebounds to help lead CSKA to Euroleague glory, after many years of “choking” on the biggest stage. Bogdanovic, however, played poorly, finishing with a measly six points. The disappointment of defeat would only fuel him and Fenerbahce to come back stronger.
In the summer of 2016, Teodosic and Bogdanovic would team up again for Serbia, on international basketball’s biggest stage. Serbia qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics, for the first time in their history since becoming an independent nation.
They made it out of the group stage by going 2-3 and grabbing the last qualification spot. In the first knockout round match-up, they took on Croatia, the team that won Group B with a 3-2 record. The moment was big, so Teodosic and Bogdanovic stepped up and guided their country to victory again. Teodosic finished with nine points and 10 assists while Bogdanovic finished with a team-high 18 points and five assists.
In the semifinals, Serbia met Australia, the team that defeated them in the group stage phase of the tournament. Teodosic made sure that wouldn’t happen and stole the show, finishing with 23 points and five assists to lead Serbia to an emphatic victory. Serbia would meet the United States in the gold medal game just like they did at the 2014 World Cup, and again they would fall in a heavy defeat.
But Serbia earned the two toughest silver medals in international hoops. They had established themselves as the best non-United-States country despite having only two percent of the United States’ population. All of this was made possible due to the country’s love of the game – and of course Teodosic and Bogdanovic.
For the 2016-17 Euroleague regular season, Bogdanovic struggled with injury and Fenerbahce wasn’t fully healthy until playoff time. Teodosic, however, picked up exactly where he left off the season before and continued to wow the crowds who watched him.
Teodosic and CSKA had home-court advantage in the playoffs as they took on Baskonia, sweeping them without much issue.
Things wouldn’t be as easy for Fenerbahce. Although the team was finally healthy, their injury issues during the regular season led to them missing out on home-court advantage in the playoffs. Instead, they would be on the road for the majority of their series against Panathinaikos, which plays at the OAKA Arena in Athens, the toughest home crowd in European basketball.
The crowd seemed to not have an impact on Bogdanovic as he stepped up big-time for his team. In Game 1 at the OAKA, Bogdanovic finished the night with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals as Fenerbahce stole home-court advantage with a 71-58 victory. The win was huge for Fenerbahce. Bogdanovic had a great quote after the game that showed his competitive spirit. “Nothing is over,” he told the Euroleague media.
Game 2 in Athens was two days later, and Bogdanovic again rose to the occasion. Finishing with a game-high 25 points as well as eight rebounds and six assists, he was the man of the moment. Bogdanovic continued to show that despite his young age, he just might be the best player in Europe.
“This that Grey Poupon, that Evian, that TED Talk, ayy, watch my soul speak, you let the meds talk, ayy” pic.twitter.com/iNDLJeup3j
— Austin Green (@LosCrossovers) April 20, 2017
The signature Bogdanovic head nod continued, and so did Fenerbahce’s roll over Panathinaikos, as they won Game 3 to complete the sweep and clinch their spot in the Final Four. Bogdanovic finished with 10 points and eight rebounds in Game 3, locked in as ever as he prepared for the Final Four.
CSKA Moscow fell to Olympiacos in the Final Four despite a 23-point performance from Teodosic. With Olympiacos beating CSKA via an incredible comeback in the Final Four (for the third time in five years), Teodosic admitted that he felt cursed after the game.
“Maybe we were not lucky,” Teodosic told the Euroleague media. “But maybe it was not even luck anymore, maybe it comes from up above, (I’m) not sure what it is…”
In the other semi-final, Fenerbahce took on Real Madrid and completely overwhelmed them in a team effort. Bogdanovic played well again as he finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Bogdanovic was back in the Euroleague Final, the stage at which he had fallen in overtime just a year ago. The opponent was different this time, but the goal wasn’t; Bogdanovic wanted his Euroleague title.
Bogdanovic definitely remembered the feelings of losing and not playing well from the last time. He turned it around this time, finishing with 17 points – which tied a game high with fellow Serbian teammate Nikola Kalinic – and 5 rebounds.
“Finally,” Bogdanovic told Euroleague media after being crowned champion. “After two failures in the Final Four, this one was such an amazing Final Four for us.”
Bogdanovic won his first Euroleague title much sooner than Teodosic did, to his credit. With the two of them accomplishing all they could at the European club level, they both decided it was time to head over to the NBA, Teodosic with the Los Angeles Clippers and Bogdanovic with the Sacramento Kings.
Both men achieved overseas stardom in different ways – playing with different styles and overcoming different obstacles. But it’s the attributes given to them by the hoops-crazed nation that is Serbia that helped forge the paths that have brought them this far.
They will forever be saviors and legends of Serbian basketball.
