The Story of Basketball Gold in Athens – TV Premiere on Blic TV

This Friday, Blic TV is bringing you the documentary "Prvi sampionski balkon" ("The First Champion’s Balcony”), a film that tells the story of our basketball team’s historic triumph - European gold in Athens in 1995. Subscribe to MOVE and watch the film’s premiere.

That year, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had just seen the unfair sanctions, imposed three years earlier, finally lifted. All 12 participants of the European Championship were already known, but FIBA decided to expand the tournament to 14 teams, with two additional spots awarded through qualifying rounds. Coach Dusan “Duda” Ivkovic literally gathered his players straight from the beach, and Yugoslavia and Turkey were the two nations that earned their place at EuroBasket. It was a roster of true legends - the best "white" team of that era: Dejan Bodiroga, Predrag Danilovic, Sasa Obradovic, Zoran Sretenovic, Zarko Paspalj, Miroslav Beric, Aleksandar Djordjevic, Zeljko Rebraca, Vlade Divac, Zoran Savic, Dejan Tomasevic, and Dejan Koturovic.

Yugoslavia stormed through the European Championship, despite not having played on the international stage for four full years. One by one, the giants fell before the “Plavi”: Greece, Lithuania, Italy, Sweden, Israel, Germany, then France in the quarterfinals, Greece again in the semifinals, and finally Lithuania in the grand finale. And that final was nothing short of spectacular. It was the night Aleksandar Djordjevic, with 41 points and nine three-pointers, earned the nickname "Sale Nacionale". The night Predrag Danilovic threw down an unforgettable dunk over Sabonis. The night Lithuania nearly walked off the court in protest. The night Yugoslavia was crowned champion of Europe!

It was the first post-war gold, the first sports medal after the sanctions, and it marked the very first spontaneous champion’s balcony celebration in front of the City Hall, witnessed by over 100,000 people. The frenzy in the locker room spilled over into nationwide euphoria. This wasn’t just an ordinary welcome - it was a moment when we all, even if just for a short while, forgot about sports injustice and felt pure pride. It was the moment when an entire nation began to believe again.

This incredible story has been brought to life by Goran Andjelkovic in the documentary "Prvi sampionski balkon - iz pakla rata i sankcija do evropskog zlata 1995". On Friday, August 22, 2025, at 10:00 PM on Blic TV, viewers will hear heartfelt testimonies and previously unknown details from the heroes of that era - Aleksandar Djordjevic, Predrag Danilovic, Zarko Paspalj, Zeljko Obradovic, Sasa Obradovic, Dejan Tomasevic, Zeljko Rebraca, and others. Replays will be aired on August 24 at 7:00 PM and August 26 at 10:00 PM.

Where better to kick off the upcoming EuroBasket than by revisiting the sports legends who started the balcony tradition?

Experience this iconic story from the front row. Watch Blic TV and the film "Prvi sampionski balkon" through the MOVE app. If you’re not yet a MOVE subscriber, secure your package at www.mtel.global and relive the unforgettable year of 1995.

This isn’t just a film - it’s a reminder of the moment when we were all winners once again.