KK Split

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Template:Short description Template:Infobox basketball club Košarkaški klub Split (Template:Langx), commonly referred to as KK Split or simply Split, is a men's professional basketball club based in Split, Croatia. The club competes in the ABA League and the Croatian League.

Under its former name of KK Jugoplastika, the club was one of the most successful of the Yugoslav era, winning several national titles in the 1970s and the 1980s. By winning the FIBA European Champions Cup for three consecutive years, from 1989 to 1991, it is also one of the most successful clubs in the history of European basketball.

History

The club's roots are found in Hajduk sports society's basketball section, which was established in 1945. After three years of mostly sporadic activity, in 1948, the club established its own organizational structure known as KK Hajduk, which was independent of sports society. In the next year, 1949, the club changed its name to KK Split.

After competing in the Yugoslav lower divisions for more than a decade, the club finally made it to the Yugoslav top-tier level Yugoslav First Federal League, for the 1963–64 season, and it stayed there until the breakup of Yugoslavia.

In 1967, the club adopted–for sponsorship reasons–the name Jugoplastika (Jugoplastika was a factory of clothing, accessories, and footwear products, made from thermoplastic materials and fiberglass; the original predecessor of AD Plastik),[1] and kept it until the end of the 1989–90 season. In the next season, the club participated in the worldwide, national domestic, and European competitions, under the sponsorship of POP 84 (an Italian clothes company from Ancona).[2]

KK Split is among the most successful clubs in European basketball history. They are, together with the first champions of the competition, Rīgas ASK, the only team to win the EuroLeague trophy three times in a row. In the years 1989, 1990, and 1991, the team, which was known back then as Jugoplastika and POP 84, with players like Dino Rađa, Toni Kukoč, Žan Tabak, Velimir Perasović and Zoran Savić, won the European top-tier level basketball trophy.

Apart from these successes, the club also reached the FIBA European Champions Cup final in 1972, and the FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1973. It lost both finals against the 1970s Italian League superpower Ignis Varese, and the Soviet Union League club Spartak Leningrad. KK Split also won back-to-back Korać Cup titles in 1976, against Chinamartini Torino, and in 1977, against Alco Bologna.

Players

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Current roster

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Depth chart

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FIBA Hall of Famers

colspan="6" style="Template:NBA color cell;"| KK Split Hall of Famers
colspan="6" style="Template:NBA color cell2;"|Players
No. Nat. Name Position Tenure Inducted
7 Template:Flagicon Toni Kukoč F 1985–1991 2017[3]

Honours

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Arena Gripe

Total titles: 24

Domestic competitions

Winners (1): 2002–03
Runners-up (8): 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2007–08, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24
Winners (6): 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97, 2003–04, 2024–25
Runners-up (3): 1995–96, 1998–99, 2020–21
Winners (6): 1970–71, 1976–77, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91
Runners-up (6): 1971–72, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1979–80
Winners (5): 1971–72, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1989–90, 1990–91
Runners-up (5): 1969–70, 1974–75, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89
Winners (1): 1981–82

European competitions

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Winners (3): 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91
Runners-up (1): 1971–72
Final Four (3): 1989, 1990, 1991
Runners-up (1): 1972–73
Semifinalists (1): 1974–75
Winners (2): 1975–76, 1976–77
Semifinalists (3): 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80
Winners (1): 1990
Runners-up (2): 1988, 1989
4th place (1): 1991

Worldwide competitions

4th place (1): 1973
Runners-up (2): 1989, 1990
4th place (1): 1991

Other competitions

Winners (1): 1989
Runners-up (1): 1990

Individual club awards

Winners (2): 1989–90, 1990–91
Winners (1): 1976–77

Top performances in European competitions

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Season Achievement Notes
EuroLeague
1971–72 Final lost to Ignis Varese, 69-70 in the final (Tel Aviv)
1977–78 Semi-final group stage 5th place in a group with Real Madrid, Mobilgirgi Varese, ASVEL, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Alvik
1988–89 Champions defeated FC Barcelona 87–77 in the semi-final, defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 75–69 in the final of the Final Four in Munich
1989–90 Champions defeated Limoges CSP 101–83 in the semi-final, defeated FC Barcelona Banca Catalana 72–67 in the final of the Final Four in Zaragoza
1990–91 Champions defeated Scavolini Pesaro 93–87 in the semi-final, defeated FC Barcelona Banca Catalana 70–65 in the final of the Final Four in Paris
2000–01 Quarter-finals eliminated by Efes Pilsen, 69–95 (L) in Istanbul, 72–64 (W) in Split and 59–82 (L) in Istanbul
FIBA Saporta Cup
1972–73 Final lost to Spartak Leningrad, 62–77 in the final (Thessaloniki)
1974–75 Semi-finals eliminated by Crvena zvezda, 88–76 (W) in Split and 63-81 (L) in Belgrade
1985–86 Quarter-finals 3rd place in a group with FC Barcelona, Scavolini Pesaro and Landis&Gyr Wien
1992–93 Quarter-finals 3rd place in a group with Sato Aris, Hapoel Galil Elyon, Benfica, Pitch Cholet and Budivelnyk
1993–94 Quarter-finals 3rd place in a group with Smelt Olimpija, Taugrés, Fidefinanz Bellinzona, Tofaş and Rabotnički
1994–95 Quarter-finals 3rd place in a group with Olympique Antibes, Iraklis Aspis Pronoia, Maes Flandria, Kyiv and Fidefinanz Bellinzona
FIBA Korać Cup
1973–74 Semi-finals eliminated by Partizan, 97–108 (L) in Belgrade and 85–75 (W) in Split
1975–76 Champions defeated Chinamartini Torino, 97–84 (W) in Split and 82–82 (D) in Turin in the double finals of Korać Cup
1976–77 Champions defeated Alco Bologna, 87–84 in the final of Korać Cup in Genoa
1978–79 Semi-finals eliminated by Partizan, 96–97 (L) in Split and 96–98 (L) in Belgrade
1979–80 Semi-finals eliminated by Arrigoni Rieti, 75–86 (L) in Rieti and 104–97 (W) in Split
FIBA Intercontinental Cup
1973 4th 4th place in a group with Ignis Varese, Sírio, Vaqueros de Bayamón and Lexington Marathon Oilers
McDonald's Championship
1989 Final defeated Philips Milano 102–97 in the semi-final, lost to Denver Nuggets 129–139 in the final (Rome)
1990 Final defeated FC Barcelona Banca Catalana 102–97 in the semi-final, lost to New York Knicks 101–117 in the final (Barcelona)
1991 4th 4th place in Paris, lost to Montigalà Joventut 86–117 in the semi-final, lost to Limoges CSP 91–105 in the 3rd place game

The road to the European Cup victories

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One of the greatest dynasties in European-wide basketball club competition history, came between 1989 and 1991, when Split simply dominated the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague) like no other team had in decades. Head coach Božidar Maljković, put together arguably one of the most talented young teams ever seen anywhere: featuring Toni Kukoč, Dino Rađa, Žan Tabak, Velimir Perasović, Zoran Sretenović, and Luka Pavićević, who joined forces with veterans like Duško Ivanović. In 1989, Jugoplastika reached the Final Four, along with heavy favorites FC Barcelona, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and the very competitive Aris. Kukoč had 24 points and Ivanović had 21, to lead Split past FC Barcelona, by a score of 89–77, in the semifinals. Once in the final, Jugoplastika edged Maccabi 75–69, behind 20 points from Rađa, and 18 from an unstoppable Kukoč, whose combination of size, speed, and incredible court vision, turned him into a one-of-a-kind player.

File:Toni Kukoč-Dino Rađa-Jugoplastika.jpg
Toni Kukoč with Dino Rađa, after the victorious 1990 Champions Cup final against FC Barcelona, in Zaragoza.

Jugoplastika met FC Barcelona again, in the 1990 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four, in Zaragoza, Spain. FC Barcelona was backed by thousands of fans, and managed to get a brief 61–59 lead, late in the second half, but Kukoč buried a couple of critical three-pointers, that sent Jugoplastika on its way to its second straight title. Kukoč finished the game with 20 points, and the EuroLeague Final Four MVP award, in his magic hands.

In most places, one can find that the European champions in 1991, were called POP 84, but that was just the name of the sponsor under which the talented players of KK Split were playing that season. Despite being without Dino Rađa and Duško Ivanović, the team from Split was led by a great Toni Kukoč, and a genius-like Zoran Savić, to their third consecutive title. Since the time when Rīgas ASK of the USSR League, won three straight European titles, in 1958, 1959, and 1960, no other team had won three in a row. And in the Final Four era, only two other teams besides Jugoplastika have been able to win even two consecutively (Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2004 and 2005, and Olympiacos in 2012, and 2013).

In 1991, the competition provided some big surprises, leading up to the Final Four at Paris. English club Kingston Kings of the British Basketball League, eliminated CSKA Moscow, and what is more, with a double victory, 93–77 at home and 72–74 in Moscow. German club Bayer 04 Leverkusen of the Basketball Bundesliga, made its debut in the third round, but the other faces were well known to everyone: FC Barcelona Banca Catalana ended first in that phase (11–3), POP 84 was second (9–5), and the other two Final Four teams would be Scavolini Pesaro and Maccabi Tel Aviv, tied at 8–6. Once again, the first team of the previous round did not get the title. In a rematch of the previous year's final – an occurrence that has not been repeated since – the team from Split won 70–65, almost identical to the 1990 score (72–67). Thanks to a great performance by Savić, who scored 27 points, Jugoplastika had an historic three–peat.

Seasons in Yugoslavia

Split participated in the Yugoslav First Basketball League from the 1964 season, until the breakup of Yugoslavia, in summer of 1991 (except for 1981–82 season, when the club was relegated to the 2nd-tier level Yugoslav 1. B Federal Basketball League).

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Notable players

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Players at the NBA draft

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style="Template:Basketball color cell"|Position style="Template:Basketball color cell"|Player style="Template:Basketball color cell"|Year style="Template:Basketball color cell"|Round style="Template:Basketball color cell"|Pick style="Template:Basketball color cell"|Drafted by
PF/C Template:Flagicon Dino Rađa^ 1989 2nd round 40th Boston Celtics
SF/PF Template:Flagicon Toni Kukoč^ 1990 2nd round 29th Chicago Bulls
C Template:Flagicon Žan Tabak 1991 2nd round 51st Houston Rockets
C Template:Flagicon Bruno Šundov 1998 2nd round 35th Dallas Mavericks
PG/SG Template:Flagicon Roko Ukić 2005 2nd round 41st Toronto Raptors

Head coaches

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References

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External links

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