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 7.5 in (2.02 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1985: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1980–1993 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 8 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1980–1990 | KK Crvena zvezda | ||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | KK Vojvodina | ||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Crvena zvezda | ||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Panionios B.C. | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Slobodan "Boban" Janković (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан "Бобан" Јанковић; December 15, 1963 – June 28, 2006) was a Serbian professional basketball player. He played the position of small forward.[1]
He was nicknamed "Bomber".[2]
He played in 326 games in 12 seasons.[2]
Biography
Janković was born in Lučani but moved to Belgrade when he was 7 years old.[3]
In 1980, at age 16, Janković joined his first professional basketball club, KK Crvena zvezda of the First Federal Basketball League.[3] He was physically strong but not athletically built and was nicknamed "Guza" (butt). He was known for his long-range shooting accuracy.[3]
In 1990, he transferred to KK Vojvodina of Novi Sad, also in the First Federal Basketball League, where he played for one season.[2]
In 1992, despite qualifying, he was prevented from participating in the 1992 Summer Olympics due to sanctions resulting from the Bosnian War.[1][3]
Before the 1992-93 season, he transferred to Panionios B.C., where he scored 30 points in his first exhibition game.[4] He once launched a successful shot from near half court.[4] Jankovic scored 41 points in a 97-85 victory over Dino Radja and the predecessor to Virtus Roma.[4]
Injury
On April 28, 1993, eight minutes before the end of a tense crucial playoff game between Panionios B.C. and Panathinaikos B.C. in Nea Smyrni, with the score 56-50, Janković threw the ball into the basket while being guarded by Fragiskos Alvertis. However, the referee denied the basket and called an offensive foul. It was Janković's fifth foul of the game, which meant that he had fouled out.[3]
In reaction to what he believed was a bad call, Janković rammed his head against the cement blocks supporting the backboard. He slumped to the floor in a pool of blood. He was diagnosed with a fractured neck vertebrae, damage to the spinal cord and paralysis from the neck down.[5]
The next day, he underwent surgery at KAT Hospital in Athens and doctors were optimistic that he would regain use of his arms and legs.[6]
Panionios retired his number 8 jersey.[4][1]
After the incident, all backboard supports were covered with a sponge base to prevent another injury.[3]
Death
Janković used a wheelchair for the final 13 years of his life and gained a considerable amount of weight, which exerted significant stress on his heart.[4] On June 28, 2006, while on a holiday cruise near Rhodes that departed from Piraeus, Janković died of a heart attack and heart failure at the age of 42.[2][3][4][7] His funeral was attended by several thousand people including Dejan Tomašević, Zarko Paspalj, Zeljko Rebraca, Dragan Tarlać, and Vlade Đurović and was paid for by the municipality of Nea Smyrni.[2][3][4]
Personal life
Boban was married to Dragana Belojevic Jankovic.[4] They split in 1997.[4] Their son, Vlado Janković, is also a professional basketball player and lived with his mother in Cyprus after the divorce of his parents.[4]
Boban was 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall.[5]
See also
- KK Crvena zvezda accomplishments and records
- List of KK Crvena zvezda players with 100 games played
- List of Yugoslav First Federal Basketball League annual scoring leaders
References
- ^ a b c Leal, Tolo (4 September 2014). "Boban Jankovic, el momento más trágico en una cancha de baloncesto" [Boban Jankovic, the most tragic moment on a basketball court]. Libertad Digital.
- ^ a b c d e Barranquero, Daniel (2 August 2006). "'Boban' Jankovic, el guerrero sin alas" ['Boban' Jankovic, the warrior without wings]. Liga ACB (in Spanish).
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Tog kobnog 28. aprila 1993. godine dogodila se tragedija koja je promenila život legendi Zvezde" [On that fateful April 28, 1993, a tragedy occurred that changed the life of the Zvezda legend.]. Blic. 2 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Maguire, Ken (22 April 2013). "Greek Basketball's Adopted Son Ponders Major Goodbye". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "Frustrated Player Left Paralyzed After Ramming Head Into Cement". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 30 April 1993.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Paralyzed Player Shows Improvement". The New York Times. Associated Press. 1 May 1993.
- ^ "Serb player's tragic life reaches end". Kathimerini. 30 June 2006.