Basketball Club Zadar

"God created a man and Zadar created the basketball!" - as soon as people in Zadar are asked about basketball, their eyes begin sparkling and you can hear this sentence very often.

Zadar is considered to be the birthplace of Croatian basketball. The very first mention of Basketball in Zadar can be traced all the way back to April 7th, 1928. On that day Italian soldiers stationed in Zadar started competing in a divisonal tournament in Ancona (Italy). But, according to Djure Vujanic, a basketball historian, basketball in Zadar was played as early as 1925.

The basketball club KK Zadar was founded in 1945 and is now the second best basketball team in the national league. In its history it has won the championship 9 times and 6 times the national cup. The fan club was founded in 1965; it is called "Tornado" and it´s surely one of the most fanatic and loyal fan clubs in Europe.

Krešimir Cosic is perhaps Zadar's best-known player - a mammoth statue in his image stands guard over the entrance to the Old Town, basketball held in meditative awe. He was the first European in the NBA.

Fan Shop BC Zadar: www.malta.hr

Official website: www.kkzadar.net