December 12, 2020 - KK Split brings back Jugoplastika to their famous yellow jerseys this season in place of a team sponsor.

KK Split announced on Friday evening that their jerseys would once again display the Jugoplastika name, after the general sponsor, the company Tommy, did not extend the contract with the club. Until further notice, the yellow jersey of the Split club will bear the name of the famous Jugoplastika, which was the European champion for three consecutive years and became the European basketball dynasty of the last century.

'Jugoplastika' is placed on the new jerseys under the Split club name. Because the club used to be called Jugoplastika Split, the positions on the jersey were arranged differently. Former Croatia national team goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa was among the first to pose with the jersey.

"Given that the contract with Tommy, which has been our general sponsor for several seasons and which we thank for their cooperation, has expired, KK Split has decided that until further notice, in honor of the club's 75 years and three European titles, the name Jugoplastika returns to the jerseys. As a sign of respect for the most glorious days in the history of our club, we are returning that name to the jersey, to the place that is reserved for the general sponsor of the club," the club announced.

In the last decade, some unhappy locals have tried to eradicate the Jugoplastika name for political purposes, reports Index.hr.

The cult Jugoplastika mural was even overwritten in Split, the release of the club's anthem from the '70s was banned at Gripe, and almost none of the legendary line-up attended the celebrations for anniversaries, ceremonies, or gatherings after being named the official best European basketball team of 20th century.

Not long ago, Dino Rađa and Božo Maljković came to Split to present the book about Jugoplastica. Although they had invitations, most of the others did not show up, and some of them even confirmed their arrival. After the mural was taken down in Split, Rađa said: "Unfulfilled poor people, you disgust me."

Jugoplastika was the European champion in 1989, 1990, 1991, and then played under the name POP 84.

The club was officially named KK Split in 1997 and has been repeatedly saved from bankruptcy by various maneuvers and hybrid combinations, classic for clubs in Croatia. After the termination of cooperation with Tommy, the club will face new challenges, and until then, it will bear the name of the club from which they originated.

KK Split has entered the new season solidly and is holding on to ninth place out of 14 clubs after playing nine regional ABA league games.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November 18, 2020 - To celebrate the European basketball dominance and tradition of the Balkans, premium sportswear and sneaker store BSTN Store has partnered with Adidas to honor Jugoplastika, the cult Split basketball club which rose to European basketball fame in the late eighties and early nineties when they were three-time European champions. Introducing the exclusive Jugoplastika sneaker.

The Tuesday launch of the exclusive Adidas Forum High certainly surprised fans who hold the famous Split club, once the flagship of Croatian and European basketball - in their hearts.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BSTN Store (@bstnstore)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BSTN Store (@bstnstore)

"Basketball royalty. Our upcoming edition of the legendary Adidas Forum is paying homage to one of the most dominant teams of all time!" BSTN teased on their Instagram before officially launching the Jugoplastika sneaker.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BSTN Store (@bstnstore)

"It’s a Euro thing! An exclusive version of the Adidas Forum High that celebrates the unmistakable basketball culture of the Balkans!"

"Introducing the strictly limited BSTN x Adidas Forum High, celebrating the European basketball dominance and tradition of the Balkans. The shoes are part of an exclusive twin-pack (also including an Adidas Forum Low) that is available free of charge via a special BSTN Charity Raffle that is live now on raffle.bstn.com! Enter before Friday, November 20th for a chance to win!"

The sneakers are white with blue and yellow details, and on the heel is the inscription 'Jugoplastika.' There is a limited number available that can be won in a raffle on the BSTN Instagram page.

But this isn't only about the sneaker. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BSTN Store (@bstnstore)

"The exclusive BSTN x Adidas Forum “Ćevape & Fries” Twin-Pack is celebrating the unique characteristics of the US and the European basketball cultures and their unifying love for the game. A one-of-a-kind six-piece pack (featuring the Adidas Forum High and Low, two gym bags, and two water bottles) is available free of charge through a special charity raffle and only at BSTN. Make sure to complete all four steps and enter before Friday at noon - raffle.bstn.com!"

The Split club was named Jugoplastika after the former factory, which annually produced 4.5 million sports items for Adidas. The biggest club successes are related to the generation of Toni Kukoč and Dino Rađa in the late 80s when Božo Maljković created the best European team of all time.

Fun fact: Did you know that Jugoplastika was also one of the key suppliers of the automotive industry, not only the domestic Zastava, but also the French manufacturers Citroen and Renault, the Italian Fiat, the Russian Lada, the Romanian Dacia, and the German Volkswagen?

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

April 6, 2020 - While we may not have any new sport to watch on TV, for the time being, we do have the memories of our beloved teams. On this day, 31 years ago, we remember the reign of Jugoplastika in Europe. 

Time flies, but the memories remain - and some last a lifetime. For many Croatian basketball fans, the time Jugoplastika won the European title for three consecutive years (1989, 1990 and 1991) would be categorized into flashbacks worth remembering. 

Thus, on this day, April 6, 31 years ago, Jugoplastika started their championship series, reports Dalmatinski Portal.

Several anecdotes from that 1989 and making it to the Final Four in Munich have been told many times. In the company of Barcelona, Maccabi and Aris, no one mentioned Jugoplastika, let alone give the team a chance for success. Split was fourth in all books of protocol, and coach Bozidar Maljkovic said that the team had invented the word 'outsider'.

However, Jugoplastika defeated Barcelona 87:77 in the semi-final that year, and then Maccabi 75:69 in the final. Nobody slept in Split that night. More than 150,000 people took to the streets to welcome the sensational champions. Under the leadership of Bozidar Maljkovic, the first European Championship title in 1989 was won by Luka Pavicevic, Dusko Ivanovic, Toni Kukoc, Dino Rada, Goran Sobin, Zoran Sretenovic, Velimir Perasovic, Zan Tabak, Teo Cizmic and Ivica Buric.

Dino Rada published a status on his official Facebook page in 2018 about his days at Jugoplastika and this exact moment.

“I cannot give this team just one post. A little on 1989 and the European Champions Cup. As total outsiders, we were not even aware of how we got into it,” Rada began.  

“The reception in Split was something unimaginable. When the plane was landing, we could see a column of cars to the city. They would not let us leave the building because there were even more people. The airport was blocked. There were no departures or arrivals. We managed to climb the roof of the building to the airport and show the trophy to the people. 

As it was not possible to get out, they sent a bus to the ramp and to the exit where only the military planes go, and we went to the hangar on the upper road. A whole bunch of people and cars followed us. 

The entrance to the city was a spectacle. At every window of the Jugoplastika factory, there were people with flags and transparencies. All the streets were crowded. We started at 5. 

We came to the tunnel and were stopped by the police. They said you couldn’t go to the Riva. We insisted and they said that they would let us, but there is no chance that any army would allow the bus to pass.

They transferred us directly to Gripe. Today we are sorry that we could not come to the Riva. Somehow, some people managed to go to Gripe and then there was a moment I will never forget. And now, tears well my eyes. When we exited the bus, an old woman in her 70s came to us and kissed each of our hands and said, ‘Thank you kids, thank you, kids’. I have no idea who that woman was. She is probably not even alive anymore to read this, but that thought will never leave my head as long as I am alive.

In the Gripe hall again, there was madness. They thought Gripe had never been fuller and would never be that full again. If it usually fits 3,000 people, and that night was probably 5,000. They were packed in liked sardines. They all came to see the Cup. They called us one by one and when Dusko came with the trophy, there was a stampede. How we survived, I have no idea. 

Those couple of days were unbelievable. We had to wake up very quickly. We had a match against Vojvodina. For us, the game didn’t matter, but if they lost, they’d fall from the league. The trophy of the Champions Cup was in the center and they started messing around: ‘Come on, don't play one hundred percent'. Yeah, right. Who would lose with such shame,” Rada recalled.

Tor read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

“The reception in Split was something unimaginable. When the plane was landing we could see a column of cars all the way to the city.”

FIBA invited the best European basketball club of the 20th Century to participate in the next season of the newly established Champions League

In the first leg of the Croatian Basketball League semi-finals, Cibona won in Šibenik, and Cedevita beat Split

The play-off got to the semi-final stage... a clash between two Dalmatian and two Zagreb teams!