Koà ¡arkaà ¡ki klub Crvena zvezda (, ), usually referred to as KK Crvena zvezda or simply Crvena zvezda, currently named Crvena zvezda Meridianbet for sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia, and the major part of the Red Star multi-sports club. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and it competes in the Serbian League (KLS), the ABA League, and the continental top-tier EuroLeague.
Crvena zvezda is regarded as one of the most successful clubs in Serbia history; their squads have won 24 National League championships, including 10-in-a-row and 9-in-a-row sequences. They have played in three different National Leagues since 1945, including the Yugoslav First Federal League (1945âÂÂ1992), the First League of Serbia and Montenegro (1992âÂÂ2006) and the Serbian League (2006 onwards). They have also won 15 National Cup titles, 7 Adriatic League Championships, one Adriatic Supercup, and one FIBA Saporta Cup. The club plays home matches in the Belgrade Arena. Zvezda's supporters are known as Delije.
The Zvezda's rise to dominance began in their inaugural season by winning the 1946 Yugoslav Championship. FIBA Hall of Fame player-coach Nebojà ¡a Popoviàand Aleksandar Gec, along with a talented supporting cast of future Hall of Famers Aleksandar Nikoliàand Borislav StankoviÃÂ, would lead Crvena zvezda into the greatest period in club history, winning ten consecutive Yugoslav championships in as many seasons throughout the 1940s and early 1950s. After the retirement of Popoviàin 1956, Zvezda entered a period of rebuilding. Led by forward Vladimir Cvetkoviàand future FIBA Hall of Fame point guard Zoran SlavniÃÂ, Zvezda returned to championship caliber, winning two Yugoslav championships in 1969 and 1972. Crvena zvezda won the only European-wide competition in club history, the FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup in 1974. The club struggled throughout the 1980s with a talented cast led by point guard Zoran Radoviàand FIBA Hall of Fame coach Ranko à ½eravica.
Zvezda again returned to dominance in the 1990s following the breakup of Yugoslavia and joining the league with Serbian and Montenegrin clubs. Led by guard Saà ¡a ObradoviÃÂ, Crvena zvezda won the 1993 and 1994 championships. The club also won one more title in 1998. After winning 15 championships throughout the 20th century, Zvezda, now competing in the Adriatic and the Serbian League, after struggling through the 2000s, rose again to dominance in the late 2010s. The Crvena zvezda squads won nine consecutive Serbian championships (2015âÂÂ2024) and seven Adriatic championships in the same nine-year span.
Zvezda has a notable rivalry with Partizan. The rivalry started immediately after the creation of the two clubs in 1945 and the two clubs have been dominant in domestic basketball since then. The Partizan legends and future Hall of Fame players Draà ¾en Dalipagiàand Vlade Divac had their stints with Zvezda in the 1990s.
Crvena zvezda is the only club in the world to have produced two members now in the Hall of Fame (Stankoviàand NikoliÃÂ) and four in the FIBA Hall of Fame (StankoviÃÂ, PopoviÃÂ, Radomir à  aper, and NikoliÃÂ). The four of them have the highest Order of Merit from FIBA.
The club was founded on 4 March 1945, as a basketball section of the Crvena zvezda Sports Society. By winning the first of ten consecutive championship titles after the Second World War, the golden age of Crvena zvezda began. No domestic national selection could be imagined without seven or eight Zvezda's players and the first five featured Nebojà ¡a PopoviÃÂ, Tullio Rochlitzer, Aleksandar Gec, Ladislav Demà ¡ar, and SrÃÂan Kalember. They first played in an open-air court at the Kalemegdan fortress.
That long-awaited eleventh title was won in the 1968âÂÂ69 season, when Crvena zvezda won all six games against Jugoplastika, Zadar and Partizan, therefore proving to be better than all three fierce rivals. Led by Vladimir CvetkoviÃÂ, the title was won by Dragan KapiÃÂiÃÂ, Zoran LazareviÃÂ, Ivan SarjanoviÃÂ, Ljubodrag SimonoviÃÂ, SrÃÂan à  kuliÃÂ, Zoran SlavniÃÂ, Tihomir PavloviÃÂ, Nemanja ÃÂuriÃÂ, Miroslav TodosijeviÃÂ, Dragià ¡a VuÃÂiniàand Dubravko KapetanoviÃÂ. At that time, they were the youngest championship-winning team in Yugoslavian basketball. The twelfth title was won in the 1971âÂÂ72 season. In the 1970s the club won the Yugoslav Cup three times, and most of the work in those years was done by SlavniÃÂ, SimonoviÃÂ, KapiÃÂiÃÂ, VuÃÂiniÃÂ, and à ½ivkoviÃÂ. This generation of players won two national championships and three national cups.
Crvena zvezda also had significant international success, having played in five continental cup finals so far. They lost the first European Cup Winners' Cup finals to Italian powerhouse Simmenthal Milano in 1972 by a score of 70âÂÂ74. Then, in 1974, they defeated Spartak ZJà  Brno from Czechoslovakia by a score of 86âÂÂ75. This team's third finals in the European Cup Winners' Cup were lost to Spartak Leningrad by a score of 62âÂÂ63 in 1975. In the club's first KoraàCup finals, in Paris in 1984, the French Orthez won by a score of 97âÂÂ73. In the KoraàCup second finals in 1998, Zvezda played two matches with Rielo Mash Verona from Italy; they won the away match, 74âÂÂ68, but lost at home, 64âÂÂ73. With the total score being 138âÂÂ141, they did not win the trophy.
The 1990s started promisingly. Throughout the 1991âÂÂ92 season, which was the last one in Yugoslavia, Crvena zvezda played some inspired basketball, reaching the play-off finals versus arch-rival Partizan that coached by à ½eljko Obradoviàwon the EuroLeague that season. In a twist of fate, Crvena zvezda was led that season by the legendary Partizan coach Duà ¡ko Vujoà ¡eviÃÂ. Though they lost the finals series, the young Crveno-beli team showed plenty of promise. The thirteenth championship title was won after a gap of no less than 21 years, in 1993. In the fifth match of the play-off finals, Crvena zvezda beat fierce rivals and Pionir Hall co-tenants Partizan. The players who won that championship title are: Saà ¡a ObradoviÃÂ, Nebojà ¡a IliÃÂ, Zoran JovanoviÃÂ, Mile MarinkoviÃÂ, Nikola JovanoviÃÂ, Mileta Lisica, Dejan Tomaà ¡eviÃÂ, Dragoljub VidaÃÂiÃÂ, Aleksandar TrifunoviÃÂ, Rastko CvetkoviÃÂ, Slobodan KaliÃÂanin, Predrag Stojakoviàand SrÃÂan JovanoviÃÂ. In the next season, Crvena zvezda won its fourteenth national championship title. In the play-off finals, Partizan was beaten by 4âÂÂ1 overall. The Zvezda won the championship for the fifteenth time in 1998. The main star of that team was without any doubt Yugoslavian national team power forward Milenko TopiÃÂ, and other influential players were Igor RakoÃÂeviÃÂ, Oliver PopoviÃÂ, and Zlatko BoliÃÂ.
In the early part of 2002, the club got complete new management. Individuals from the political and business milieu close to ruling Democratic Party, such as à ½ivorad AnÃÂelkoviÃÂ, Goran VesiÃÂ, and Igor à ½eà ¾elj, took over key positions in the club.
From summer 2002 onward, the project called Evropska Zvezda (The European Red Star) was thought up in order to slowly and methodically return the club on the path of its former glory by achieving results that would see the club play EuroLeague again. To that end, new management hired Slovenian coach Zmago Sagadin who became the Zvezda's organizational centerpiece. In his first season, Sagadin did not actually coach the team (the formal head coach role was given to Aleksandar TrifunoviÃÂ), but he did make all the important personnel decisions from the role of a sporting director. Under Sagadin's guidance, Crvena zvezda entered the Adriatic League (a privately owned regional competition in which he holds ownership stake) for the 2002âÂÂ03 season. In August 2003, ahead of the 2003âÂÂ04 season, Sagadin took over the coaching duties formally as well. Despite all the efforts, the club did not manage to win any major trophies in this period, and in November 2004 Sagadin got fired.
In the next couple of years the club struggled to get back on a winning streak, and only managed to win the 2004 and 2006 national cup (Radivoj KoraàCup) finals. The first of them was held in Novi Sad, where Crvena zvezda beat the National Champion Partizan, then the host Vojvodina and, finally, FMP à ½eleznik. All three matches were won in overtime, which is something to remember, especially when it is known that those matches were played without some of the best players, including the team captain Igor RakoÃÂeviàwho missed the final match. Besides RakoÃÂeviÃÂ, the cup was won by Goran Jeretin, Vuk RadivojeviÃÂ, Milan Dozet, Miloà ¡ MirkoviÃÂ, Norman Richardson, Milko Bjelica, Aleksandar ÃÂuriÃÂ, Vladislav DragojloviÃÂ, Luka BogdanoviÃÂ, ÃÂedomir Vitkovac and Aleksej Neà ¡oviÃÂ. The 2006 cup was won in Belgrade when Crvena zvezda won superiorly against Hemofarm Vrà ¡ac by 80âÂÂ65. The team was coached by Dragan à  akota and featured the likes of Goran Jeretin, Milan GuroviÃÂ, Gerrod Henderson, Miroslav RaiÃÂeviÃÂ, Larry O'Bannon, Igor Miloà ¡eviÃÂ, Vujadin SubotiÃÂ, Nenad Mià ¡anoviÃÂ, Vladislav DragojloviÃÂ, ÃÂedomir Vitkovac, Vuk Radivojeviàand Pero AntiÃÂ.
With the failure of the project "European Red Star" in 2008, Slobodan VuÃÂiÃÂeviàbecame the president of Crvena zvezda and brought new life into the club. Svetislav Peà ¡iàbecame the head coach, and a new team was assembled, including some notable players such as Nemanja Bjelica, Marko Keà ¡elj, Vladimir à  timac, Andre Owens, Lawrence Roberts but the club failed to win a trophy that year, and at the end of the season, both Slobodan VuÃÂiÃÂeviàand Svetislav Peà ¡iàleft the club.
In the following two seasons, the club experienced a decline and financial problems, which culminated in the 2010âÂÂ11 season when the club had a budget of only 500.000 euros. Crvena zvezda finished 13th in the Adriatic League, and 5th in the Serbian league, failing to qualify for the Adriatic League the following season.
A huge debt of 15 million euros threatened the very existence of the club. The club was saved from bankruptcy when Nebojà ¡a ÃÂoviàbecame president of KK Crvena zvezda, merging them with KK FMP. He prepared a plan for financial reorganization. In the first year of his presidency, Svetislav Peà ¡iàbecame a head coach for the second time. Even though the season was without success in the Adriatic League, Peà ¡iàmanaged to bring his team to the finals, eventually losing to a much stronger Partizan team 3âÂÂ1 in the series. Peà ¡iàleft the club at the end of the season, and his assistant Milivoje Laziàbecame the new head coach. Crvena zvezda had big ambitions for the 2012âÂÂ13 season, bringing back Igor RakoÃÂeviàfor the 3rd time, and signing players such as DeMarcus Nelson, Elton Brown and Boris SavoviÃÂ. But Laziàwas fired after only 2 games in the season after losing the games against KK Zadar and KK Split, and Vlada VukoiÃÂiàwas brought in to replace him. VukoiÃÂiàmanaged to win the Serbian cup and managed to advance to the Last 16 EuroCup stage, but he was sacked as well after a very bad start in the domestic league. Dejan Radonjiàreplaced him, but he was unable to win the Adriatic League and the Serbian League, losing to Partizan in both finals.
The season of 2013âÂÂ14 was a historic one for the club, as Crvena zvezda was back in the EuroLeague after 15 years. The club had a very successful season in the European competitions, led by the new signings Charles Jenkins, Blake Schilb, Jaka Blaà ¾iàand Boban Marjanoviàand had a record of 4âÂÂ6 in the group stage of the EuroLeague. This was not enough to advance to the knockout phase, but the team did reach the semifinals of the EuroCup. Crvena zvezda was eventually eliminated in the semifinals of the Adriatic league, losing to Cibona, and failed to win the domestic title yet again, losing to Partizan in a series which will be remembered more by incidents and a brawl in game 1.
In the summer of 2014, Crvena zvezda signed Nikola Kaliniàand Stefan Joviàfrom RadniÃÂki Kragujevac, NBA prospect Nemanja DangubiÃÂ, center Maik Zirbes and finalized a huge signing of point guard Marcus Williams. In season 2014âÂÂ15, the club participated in EuroLeague, winning 6 out of 10 games in regular season, reaching Top 16 and seeing its average home attendance rising to 14483. In the Adriatic league, it set a new record of 20 consecutive victories, ending league competition with score 24âÂÂ2, losing only to Krka and Partizan. In the playoffs, Zvezda triumphed over Partizan 3âÂÂ1 in the semifinals, and 3âÂÂ1 over Cedevita Zagreb in the finals, winning its first trophy in this competition and securing a place in Euroleague in the 2015âÂÂ2016 season. Zvezda also won Radivoj KoraàCup for the third time in a row. In Basketball League of Serbia, Zvezda entered playoffs with 13 wins and only one lost game. In the semifinals, it defeated Mega Leks 2âÂÂ0, and in the final triumphed over great rival Partizan, 3âÂÂ0.
The team started preparing for the 2015âÂÂ16 season by re-signing coach Radonjiàand guard Branko Laziàfor two years each. Team captain Luka Mitroviàextended his contract until summer 2017. Williams, MarjanoviÃÂ, KaliniÃÂ, Jenkins, and Blaà ¾iàleft the club, and the roster was reinforced by Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Stefan NastiÃÂ, Ryan Thompson and Gal Mekel. From its development team FMP, Zvezda promoted MVP of 2015 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Marko GuduriÃÂ. The first part of the season was marked by mixed results and a lot of squad changes. Due to serious injuries of Mitroviàand DangubiÃÂ, the club brought back Marko SimonoviÃÂ, and later on, landed Quincy Miller. Out-of-form Schortsanitis and Mekel were replaced by Vladimir à  timac and returning Marcus Williams. Mid-season, the club also released Williams and Thompson, replacing them with Vasilije Miciàand Tarence Kinsey. Results improved, and Crvena zvezda ended group stage of EuroLeague with a 5âÂÂ5 score, reaching the third place of Group A, qualifying for Top 16 stage. Successful European season continued as Zvezda ended fourth in Top 16 Group E, with a score of 7 wins and seven losses. In the playoffs, it was stopped by CSKA Moscow, who eventually went on to lift EuroLeague trophy. In ABA league, Zvezda entered playoffs from the second position, facing another EuroLeague team â Cedevita â and, defeating them twice, advanced to final series. In the finals, Zvezda pulled a 3âÂÂ0 against Mega Leks, defending the ABA league title. Zvezda ended another spectacular season by defending the Serbian league title beating Partizan 3âÂÂ1 in the finals.
The 2016âÂÂ17 season saw the Zvezda parting ways with its two-star players, Zirbes and Miller, as well as Kinsey, à  timac and MiciÃÂ. During the pre-season, the club signed Ognjen KuzmiÃÂ, Milko Bjelica and Charles Jenkins, brought talented Petar RakiÃÂeviàand promoted Ognjen Dobriàfrom its development team. When the season already began, the club brought on Nate Wolters who was waived by Detroit Pistons. Squad was finally completed mid-season, with the addition of Deon Thompson to the roster. Building on previous years tactics, Zvezda's trademark became its strong, aggressive defense, pressure on the ball, intercepting passes, steals and resulting fast breaks. In January 2017, coach Dejan Radonjiàachieved his 200th victory leading Zvezda. He also brought another Radivoj KoraàCup to the team. Zvezda has ended the regular ABA league season with 25 wins on their record while losing only once, which was the best regular-season record made by any team in the history of the regional competition so far. Team narrowly stayed out of Top 8, ending up on 9th place, having the same number of victories as 8th placed Darussafaka, but having worse head-to-head record. However, it decisively defended ABA league trophy, defeating BuduÃÂnost (2-1) and Cedevita (3-0) on its way. In the domestic championship, Zvezda ended league part with the score of 13âÂÂ1, defeated Mega Leks (2-0) and FMP (3-0) in the playoffs, and lifted another trophy.
During the summer of 2017, the head coach Radonjiàdid not sign a new contract, and the club parted ways with no less than eleven players, including key figures in the last couple of years such as SimonoviÃÂ, captain MitroviÃÂ, Jenkins, JoviÃÂ, KuzmiÃÂ, and GuduriÃÂ. Young prospect Duà ¡an Alimpijeviàwas named as the head coach. Depleted roster was reinforced by James Feldeine and Taylor Rochestie, veterans Pero Antiàand Marko Keà ¡elj and a quartet of young players: Mathias Lessort, Nikola RadiÃÂeviÃÂ, Stefan Jankoviàand Nikola JovanoviÃÂ. Zvezda also brought in Dragan ApiÃÂ, Dejan Davidovac and Stefan Lazareviàfrom its development team FMP. Half of the rebuilt team has not previously played a single game in EuroLeague. Breaking with defense-oriented philosophy of Radonjiàera, the staple of the Zvezda's game became 3 point shot. In December 2017, the roster was further strengthened with combo guard Dylan Ennis, while Apiàand Lazareviàgot loaned back to FMP. The last player to arrive was Slovenian national team center Alen OmiÃÂ, while underperforming RadiÃÂeviàparted ways with the club. Zvezda finished first in the regular part of ABA League, having 19 wins and 3 losses, and reached finals by defeating Mornar 2âÂÂ1 in series, but lost 3âÂÂ1 in final series to BuduÃÂnost. The defeat meant that the club will not participate in EuroLeague next year, which triggered downsizing. Management terminated contract with Dylan Ennis and Milko Bjelica, and reinforced squad with Filip ÃÂoviàand young prospect Aleksa Radanov from FMP. Poor start in domestic KLS forced coach Alimpijeviàto resign, and his assistant Milenko Topiàtook over as interim head coach. The modified team managed to win the Superleague title, beating FMP in the finals, but the season was generally deemed to be unsuccessful due to failure to secure a spot in Euroleague.
Squad rebuilding prior to the 2018âÂÂ19 season started with signing Milan Tomiàas a head coach. Soon to follow were the players Billy Baron, Michael Ojo and two centers from Radonjiàera: Maik Zirbes and Duà ¡an RistiÃÂ. The Zvezda also added experienced Stratos Perperoglou and Mouhammad Faye, as well as point guard Joe Ragland. The last one to sign was combo guard Nemanja Nenadiàfrom the development team FMP. Zvezda started season well, convincingly winning ABA League Super Cup tournament by beating last season champion BuduÃÂnost in the final game. Tomiàstruck a great balance between hard defense and versatile offense, causing team to grab the first spot at the beginning of ABA League, as well as EuroCup Group A. Bad streak in the EuroCup during November, caused Zvezda to finish the group phase on the third spot, which was still good enough for it to advance to the next stage. In the ABA League, the Zvezda ended the first part of the season with 11âÂÂ0, having defeated every opponent in the league. Zvezda ended the 2018-19 EuroCup season in Top 16 stage, reaching third out of four places in group G. Mid-February roster was strengthened by signing experienced guard K. C. Rivers. Zvezda entered ABA playoffs from the first position, having 21 win and one loss. In semifinals, Zvezda eliminated Partizan 2-1 despite losing starting playmaker Ragland at the beginning of match one due to a knee injury. In the finals, Zvezda clashed with last year's champions KK BuduÃÂnost and defeated them 3âÂÂ2 in series, despite playing without injured Perperoglou in the last three matches. In the Serbian Super League, the Zvezda won all 10 league games, downed Mega Bemax in playoffs semifinals 2âÂÂ0, and triumphed over Partizan in final series 3âÂÂ1.
Prior to the 2019âÂÂ20 season, the club extended contracts with Baron, ÃÂoviÃÂ, DobriÃÂ, Faye, LaziÃÂ, Borià ¡a SimaniÃÂ, and Perperoglou, brought back Jenkins and KuzmiÃÂ, as well as signed Derrick Brown, James Gist and Lorenzo Brown. Zvezda entered season poorly, getting relegated from ABA Supercup in the first match, losing 2 out of 3 games in ABA and having the same score in Euroleague. Coach Milan Tomiàresigned less than a month after the season kicked off, leaving assistant Andrija GavriloviÃÂ, who never held a head coach position before, as an interim solution. Gavriloviàfailed to make any notable progress, which added to the bad atmosphere around the club. Upset by his poor performances, Zvezda fans started booing Filip ÃÂoviÃÂ. Club management reacted at the end of December, hiring Dragan à  akota as a coach and reinforcing squad with Vladimir à  timac and Kevin Punter. Derrick Brown and Mo Faye agreed with the club to terminate their contracts in January. Mid-February Zvezda transferred ÃÂoviàand Kuzmiàto FMP, bringing in Kalin Lucas instead. An outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic brought EuroLeague and ABA seasons to a standstill mid-March. At that point, the Zvezda held 3rd position in ABA with one round left to be played, and the 14th position in EuroLeague, with six rounds remaining. Both competitions ended without a champion, and EuroLeague decided to stick with the same clubs in the next season.
The Zvezda entered the 2020âÂÂ21 season hiring club's legend Saà ¡a Obradoviàas the new head coach. The club started building the new squad by signing Jordan Loyd, Corey Walden, Langston Hall and Emanuel Terry. Aleksa Radanov, Aleksa Uskokoviàand Duop Reath got promoted from the development team. Soon after the season start, Zvezda signed Taylor Rochestie on a short-term contract and completed a huge signing of Johnny O'Bryant. However, the team performed below expectations, winning only 5 out of 16 games in Euroleague opening stages and losing in ABA to another title contender KK BuduÃÂnost, so coach Obradoviàand the club decided to part ways. Obradoviàwas replaced by Dejan RadonjiÃÂ, Zvezda's all-time leader in both regular-season games coached and wins. The club also parted ways with Rochestie and Emanuel Terry and reinforced the squad with Quino Colom and Landry Nnoko. Despite missing five important players due to COVID-19, Zvezda won the Serbian national cup. It was the 10th RadonjiÃÂ's trophy on Zvezda helm. Right after the cup tournament, Zvezda parted ways with O'Bryant. Soon to follow were departures of Simaniàand Colom, as the coach was seeking a way to trim down the roster. Zvezda finished regular part of the ABA league in the first place, with 23 wins and 3 losses. The semifinals duel with KK Igokea was won 2âÂÂ1 despite struggling with injury problems, most notably the starting playmaker Walden. In the finals, Zvezda triumphed against BuduÃÂnost with 3âÂÂ2 in series, relying once again on RadonjiÃÂ's trademark aggressive defense. In the Serbian Super League, Zvezda put on a dominant performance on its road to finals, beating in process KK Zlatibor and KK Borac ÃÂaÃÂak. In the final series, Zvezda defeated Mega Soccerbet 2âÂÂ1, despite Walden missing all the games due to back injury and Loyd getting injured in game 1 and missing games 2 and 3. This was the third triple crown under coach RadonjiÃÂ, and the third one in club's history.
For the 2021âÂÂ22 season, the club focused on keeping its domestic players base and expanding it by re-signing five of Zvezda's former players: Luka MitroviÃÂ, Nate Wolters, Stefan LazareviÃÂ, Maik Zirbes and most importantly Nikola KaliniÃÂ. Zvezda also added experienced Aaron White and Austin Hollins, as well as the former key player of its rival BuduÃÂnost, Nikola IvanoviÃÂ. Once again putting a heavy emphasis on defense and transition, Zvezda won MagentaSport Cup preseason tournament by beating Panathinaikos and home side Bayern, but Aaron White suffered a broken arm. In November, Zvezda added former Serbia national team point guard Stefan MarkoviÃÂ. In February Zvezda won the Serbian national cup, triumphing decisively in the final game over Partizan led by à ½eljko ObradoviÃÂ. The club ended its Euroleague season sharing 9th spot with Baskonia and Alba, having 12 wins and 14 defeats. It also finished regular part of the ABA league in the first place, with 24 wins and 2 losses, securing home court advantage in the playoffs. Zvezda defeated Cedevita Olimpija 2âÂÂ1 in the semifinals, and triumphed over Partizan 3âÂÂ2 in the final series, lifting its 6th ABA league trophy. In Serbian Super League playoff, Zvezda knocked out Mega Mozzart (2âÂÂ1) and defeated FMP in the finals (2âÂÂ0), completing the fourth triple crown in its history, and fourth under the same coach.
In the summer of 2022, coach Radonjiàdecided not to extend the contract with Zvezda. Several key players from the past season followed suit and left the club as well: KaliniÃÂ, Wolters, Hollins, Davidovac. Zvezda hired head coach of the Serbia national under-20 team, Vladimir JovanoviÃÂ. He started building a new squad by signing Zvezda's former star Nemanja NedoviÃÂ, Ben Bentil, Jaylen Adams and Hassan Martin, added depth with veterans John Holland and Miroslav Raduljica, as well as young Serbian prospects Filip Petruà ¡ev and Dalibor IliÃÂ. In October the club completed a major transfer by bringing in Luca Vildoza, and reached a mutual agreement to terminate the contract of underperforming Jaylen Adams. After a poor start in Euroleague (1âÂÂ6) and an upset loss on a home court to Zadar in ABA league, Zvezda replaced coach Jovanoviàwith Duà ¡ko IvanoviÃÂ. Ivanoviàmade an immediate impact with 10 games won in a row, 6 of which in Euroleague. Late in December, Zvezda signed Facundo Campazzo, but was prevented to register him to play the Euroleague until March due to a ban. On-form Vildoza was chosen as the Euroleague MVP for December In February Zvezda won the Serbian national cup, beating Borac, Partizan and Mega in process. It was the first trophy Zvezda won under Duà ¡ko IvanoviÃÂ. The club ended Euroleague season in 10th position, with 17 victories and 17 losses. In June, it won its 23rd national title by defeating FMP in the final series, but lost ABA final series against Partizan, 3-2.
In line with previous seasons, the club was not able to keep its key players. Campazzo, Vildoza and Petruà ¡ev left, along with DobriÃÂ, Nikola IvanoviÃÂ, Holland, Martin, Bentil and Raduljica, while Stefan Markoviàretired. Uncharacteristically, Zvezda built a new squad early by bringing in no less than nine new players: Miloà ¡ TeodosiÃÂ, Shabazz Napier, Joel Bolomboy, Mike Tobey, ÃÂdám Hanga, Rokas Giedraitis, Yago dos Santos, Marko Simonoviàand Dejan Davidovac. On 21 October, club announced that they have parted ways with head coach Duà ¡ko Ivanoviàafter slow Euroleague start of one win and four defeats. He was the head coach of the club since November 2022, and during his tenure club won Serbian League and Serbian Cup titles. On the next day, the club hired Greek coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos as their new head coach. The results continued to suffer due to a string of injuries, as well as underperformance of Shabazz Napier as a key player, which led to a mutual termination of his contract. The club also parted ways with Ognjen Kuzmiàand Marko SimonoviÃÂ, and brought in Freddie Gillespie and a rising young star Nikola TopiÃÂ. Unfortunately, Topiàgot injured after only three games in Zvezda jersey, so the club had to reinforce its depleted roster by signing Javonte Smart and adding a recovering veteran Trey Thompkins. Injury-riddled Zvezda managed to win another national cup in February by defeating Partizan in the final game, but kept underperforming in Euroleague, ending its campaign in 16th spot. In ABA league, however, Zvezda secured the first place in the regular season, entering the playoffs with home court advantage. In the playoffs, Zvezda eliminated SC Derby (2-0), Mega Basket (2-0) and Partizan (3-0), winning its second trophy of the season. Zvezda finished the season by winning Serbian league, beating KK FMP 2âÂÂ0 in semifinals and KK Partizan 2âÂÂ0 in the finals. The second game of the finals ended with Crvena Zvezda taking a 20-0 following the Game 2 suspension. Finals MVP award was given to Dejan Davidovac.
Building squad for the season 2024/2025 began with extending contracts for a number of players: Giedraitis and Laziàsigned for 2 more years, Teodosiàfor one additional season, while Bolomboy signed 2-year extension back in January. New reinforcements were the club icon Nikola KaliniÃÂ, Codi Miller-McIntyre, Isaiah Canaan, Ognjen DobriÃÂ, Mike Daum and Uroà ¡ Plavà ¡iÃÂ. Zvezda started the season with mixed results, losing two early games in the ABA League but performing strongly in the EuroLeague. The team's best-performing player, Joel Bolomboy, suffered an injury in late October, prompting the club to sign Filip Petruà ¡ev. In December, they further strengthened the roster by bringing in John Brown III. On January 7, Zvezda extended coach Sfairopoulos' contract, securing his services through the end of the 2026/2027 season. On February 15, Zvezda won the national cup by beating Partizan in overtime of the final game. Filip Petruà ¡ev became tournament MVP. Zvezda played well throughout the year and finished the EuroLeague regular season with a 18-16 record - qualifying for a Play-In game against FC Bayern Munich. In a one-off game in Munich, Bayern beat Zvezda. The rest of the season became a complete nightmare for Zvezda - Zvezda finished only fourth in the ABA standings, and defeated Igokea m:tel 2âÂÂ0 in a tough quarterfinal matchup. In the semifinals, Zvezda faced old rival BuduÃÂnost VOLI, who finished first in the ABA league standings - the two teams split the series with two blowout wins, before a deciding clash in Podgorica - even throughout, Zvezda was still considered the heavy favorites of the competition. However, BuduÃÂnost shocked Zvezda with a buzzer-beating 81-78 victory and eliminated Zvezda 2-1 from the competition - the worst finish by Zvezda in the ABA league since 2014. In the Basketball League of Serbia, Zvezda again were considered the easy favorites, coming in winning the league nine consecutive times - a record. Partizan finished above Zvezda in the standings, with both teams qualifying for the semifinals with a bye. In the semifinals, Zvezda suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in club history when KK Spartak Subotica beat Zvezda 2âÂÂ0 in the semifinals, winning both in Belgrade and Subotica, ending the long win streak of winning the Serbian league for Zvezda.
Before the 2025/2026 season, Zvezda started a roster rebuild, assembling a younger, more athletic squad. The first signing was Baskonia's star Chima Moneke, followed by Ebuka Izundu, Semi Ojeleye, Stefan MiljenoviÃÂ, Uroà ¡ Plavà ¡ià(back from loan to Besiktas), Tyson Carter, Jordan Nwora, Ognjen Radoà ¡iÃÂ, Jasiel Rivero and Devonte' Graham. Slow start and a number of injuries affected results early on, leading to terminating contract with coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos, who was replaced by Saà ¡a Obradoviàin his second stint in Zvezda as a coach. Obradoviàmade an instant impact, helping team to 7 consecutive wins in Euroleague. During October, injury-depleted roster was reinforced with veteran center Donatas Motiejà «nas and NBA signing Jared Butler. The team developed aggressive, high-tempo game focused on efficient transition offense, controlling rebounds, aggressive perimeter pressure in defense and versatile switching. On February 21, Zvezda won the Serbian cup for the sixth time in a row. Jordan Nwora became tournament MVP.
The rivalry between Crvena zvezda and Partizan involves the two biggest and most storied basketball clubs in Serbia.
The two Belgrade-based clubs have won the two highest numbers of national titles in Serbia: Crvena zvezda have won 24, two more than Partizan. Together, they account for 17 of the 48 national titles in Yugoslavia (1945âÂÂ1992), 11 of 14 national titles in Serbia and Montenegro (1992âÂÂ2006), and all national titles in Serbia (2006 onwards). Also, the two clubs have won the two highest numbers of championships in the Adriatic League. Together, they account for 15 of 23 championships.
The rivalry between BuduÃÂnost and Crvena zvezda is an Adriatic League (ABA League) rivalry. While the two teams have played each other since BuduÃÂnost joined the Yugoslav First Basketball League in 1980, their rivalry began to develop in the 1990s through the Serbian-Montenegrin League and reached its peak in the Adriatic League during the late 2010s and early 2020s with 3-in-a-row League Finals (2018, 2019, and 2021).
The main colors of Crvena zvezda, since its foundation, are red and white. The crest is a red five-pointed star, white and gold framed, on a red-white shield. In addition, the whole crest is framed with gold color. There are two golden stars on the top of their emblem, symbolizing the 20 national titles won. The typical kit of the team is a shirt with red and white vertical stripes and red or white shorts. Crvena zvezda used also as away kit or third kit, an all-blue jersey, but very rarely, so that the club used all the colors of the Serbian flag.
Since 1979, Crvena zvezda has a specific kit manufacturer and a kit sponsor. The following table details the shirt sponsors and kit suppliers by year:
Crvena zvezda has had several denominations through the years due to its sponsorship:
Crvena zvezda played their home games at the Aleksandar NikoliÃÂ Hall, located in the Belgrade municipality of Palilula. The arena, then named Pionir Hall, was built in 1973 in eleven months, by Energoprojekt. Basketball was popular in Yugoslavia at the time, and although the Aleksandar NikoliÃÂ Hall hosted many different sports events (volleyball, handball) it became known as a basketball arena. It has a seating capacity of 8,000.
Crvena zvezda plays their home matches at the Belgrade Arena, which has a seating capacity of 18,386 for basketball games. Club holds the highest attendance records for three EuroLeague seasons: 2014âÂÂ15, 2015âÂÂ16, and 2016âÂÂ17. The Belgrade Arena is also the home of Zvezda's main rival Partizan.
Delije is an umbrella name referring to the supporters of various sports clubs that compete under the Red Star Belgrade Sports Society banner. The name is derived from the Serbian word delija, meaning "brave, hero". The name Delije first began to be used by hardcore Red Star supporters during the late 1980s, with the official inauguration taking place on 7 January 1989.
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The following players were selected as the Zvezdine zvezde (, meaning The Stars of Red Star).
The following is a list of father-and-son combinations who have played for Crvena zvezda.
There have been 43 head coaches in the club's history. Montenegrin coach Dejan Radonjiàis the all-time leader in both regular-season games coached and wins. Nebojà ¡a Popoviàwon 10 National Championships, while Radonjiàwon five National Cups. Dejan RadonjiÃÂ, Bratislav ÃÂorÃÂeviÃÂ, Duà ¡ko Ivanoviàand Ioannis Sfairopoulos won both a National Championship and a National Cup. Also, Crvena zvezda won 5 Adriatic Championships under Radonjiàand an ABA Supercup under Milan TomiÃÂ. Coaches RadonjiÃÂ, Tomiàand Sfairopoulos won the Adriatic Championship and the National Championship in the same season. In the 2014âÂÂ15, 2016âÂÂ17, 2020âÂÂ21 and 2021âÂÂ22 seasons, coach Radonjiàrecorded three titles (Serbian League, Adriatic League, and Serbian Cup), while Sfairopoulos did the same in the 2023âÂÂ24 season. Coach Aleksandar Nikoliàwon the only European-wide competition in the club's history, the FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup in 1974.
Aleksandar NikoliÃÂ, Ranko à ½eravica and Svetislav Peà ¡iàare members of FIBA Hall of Fame as coaches, while Nikoliàis a member of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. American coach Tom Ludwig, hired in 1997, was the first foreign head coach, and the only non-European. Montenegrins Radonjiàand IvanoviÃÂ, Slovenian Zmago Sagadin and Greek Sfairopoulos were the other foreign head coaches. Head coaches Vladislav LuÃÂiàand Aleksandar Trifunoviàwere hired three times.
Head coaches Nebojà ¡a PopoviÃÂ, Aleksandar Gec, Milan BjegojeviÃÂ, ÃÂorÃÂe Andrijaà ¡eviÃÂ, Aleksandar NikoliÃÂ, Nemanja ÃÂuriÃÂ, Strahinja AlagiÃÂ, Dragià ¡a VuÃÂiniÃÂ, Zoran SlavniÃÂ, Vladislav LuÃÂiÃÂ, Stevan Karadà ¾iÃÂ, Aleksandar TrifunoviÃÂ, Milenko Topiàand Saà ¡a Obradoviàwere also Crvena zvezda's players. Popoviàand VuÃÂiniàwere player-coaches, while PopoviÃÂ, Bjegojeviàand Topiàwon the National Championships both as the players and head coaches.
The four-time EuroLeague-winning head coach, Boà ¾idar Maljkoviàwas an in the 1980s. Further notable assistant coaches include Marin SedlaÃÂek, Velibor RadoviÃÂ, Saà ¡a KosoviÃÂ, Carles Marco, Nenad Jakovljeviàand Tomislav TomoviÃÂ.
The biggest achievement of the Crvena zvezda youth team is winning the Euroleague NGT in 2014, as well as reaching the finals in 2015 and 2016.
Some of the most notable home-grown players are Zoran SlavniÃÂ, a member of the 50 greatest players in the history of FIBA international basketball, as selected in 1991, then Igor RakoÃÂeviàâ the three-time EuroLeague Top Scorer, Peja Stojakoviàâ the NBA All-Star player and FIBA EuroBasket MVP, as well as Vladimir Cvetkoviàand Dragan KapiÃÂiÃÂ.
Further notable home-grown players include Goran RakoÃÂeviÃÂ, Ivan SarjanoviÃÂ, à ½arko Koprivica, Slobodan NikoliÃÂ, Predrag Bogosavljev, Boban JankoviÃÂ, Mirko MiliÃÂeviÃÂ, Branislav PreleviÃÂ, Aleksandar TrifunoviÃÂ, Nebojà ¡a IliÃÂ, Saà ¡a ObradoviÃÂ, Rastko CvetkoviÃÂ, Nikola JestratijeviÃÂ, Miloà ¡ VujaniÃÂ, Vladimir RadmanoviÃÂ, Milko Bjelica, Luka BogdanoviÃÂ, Tadija DragiÃÂeviÃÂ, Nemanja NedoviÃÂ, Ognjen DobriÃÂ, Marko Guduriàand Nikola TopiÃÂ.
Aleksandar ÃÂorÃÂeviÃÂ (one of 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors), Dejan KoturoviÃÂ, Marko JariÃÂ, and Vladimir Micov were members of the club's youth system who have never appeared in a regular-season or playoff game for the first team.
For the 2024âÂÂ25 season.
The organizational structure of Crvena zvezda has been consisted of Assembly, Presidency, President, Managing Board, Supervisory board, General manager, and disciplinary commission. The Assembly has 35 members elected on a 5-year term, including the chairperson and the deputy chair. The Presidency has 7 officers elected in a 5-year term, including the president. The Managing Board has up to 23 officers, including 7 officers of the Presidency and up to 16 members elected on a 5-year term.
The following people are the current officeholders of Crvena zvezda (elections held on 27 December 2021):
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