Boban Janković
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 15, 1963 Lučani, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Died |
June 28, 2006 (aged 42) Rhodes, Greece |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 1985 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 1980–1993 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Career history | |
| 1980–1990 | Red Star Belgrade (Yugoslavia) |
| 1990–1991 | Vojvodina (Yugoslavia) |
| 1991–1992 | Red Star Belgrade (Yugoslavia) |
| 1992–1993 | Panionios (Greece) |
Slobodan "Boban" Janković (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан "Бобан" Јанковић; December 15, 1963 – June 29, 2006) was a Serbian professional basketball player. His son, Vladimir Janković, is also a professional basketball player.[1]
Early life
At the age of 7, Janković moved to Belgrade.
Professional basketball career
Janković (nicknamed Bomber)[2] joined his first professional basketball club, Red Star Belgrade of the Yugoslavian Basketball League in 1980, still short of his 17th birthday. Over the next 10 seasons, he grew into a dependable 6'7" (2.01 m) small forward. In 1990, he transferred to the Yugoslavian Basketball League club Vojvodina of Novi Sad, but he stayed there for only one season.
Panionios tragedy
In 1992, the head coach of Panionios, Vlade Đurović, Boban's mentor from his Red Star days, was instrumental in bringing him to the Greek Basketball League club. During the 1992–93 season, the 29-year-old Janković enjoyed a good run of playing form and success with Panionios. On April 28, 1993, Janković nearly fatally injured himself during a Greek League playoff game between Panionios and Panathinaikos in Nea Smyrni, Athens, Greece, on the home court of Panionios.
The injury occurred eight minutes before the end of a tense playoff match. Janković scored a basket on a drive to the hoop while being guarded by Panathinaikos player Fragiskos Alvertis. However, the referee Stelios Koukoulekidis, wiped out Janković's basket and instead called him for an offensive foul. It was Janković's 5th foul of the game, which meant that he had fouled out.
In reaction to what he believed was a bad call at a crucial moment of a very important playoff game, Janković slammed his head hard against the padded concrete goal post. He permanently damaged his spinal cord and was unable to walk for the rest of his life.[3][4]
Panionios retired his number 8 jersey.[5]
Death
After using a wheelchair for the final 13 years of his life, Janković gained weight, which exerted too much stress on his heart. He eventually died of heart failure at the age of 42, on June 28, 2006 while on a holiday cruise on the Greek island of Rhodes.[6]
References
- ↑ NYTimes.com Greek Basketball’s Adopted Son Ponders Major Goodbye.
- ↑ ACB.com 'Boban' Jankovic, el guerrero sin alas (Spanish).
- ↑ NYTimes.com Greek Basketball’s Adopted Son Ponders Major Goodbye.
- ↑ GalanisSportsData.com Person: Mr. Boban Jankovic.
- ↑ NYTimes.com Greek Basketball’s Adopted Son Ponders Major Goodbye.
- ↑ ACB.com 'Boban' Jankovic, el guerrero sin alas (Spanish).