Much-decorated coach of clubs all over the Balkans and Europe, who has passed away aged 67, will be remembered both for his dedication to basketball and his robust opposition to Serbia’s current government.
Katarina Baletic
Tributes have been paid to Dusko Vujosevic, a basketball coach who gained renown and respect across the Balkans, after he died on Wednesday aged 67.
“European and Serbian basketball has lost one of its most passionate minds and devoted teachers,” Euroleague Basketball President Dejan Bodiroga said.
“Dusko Vujosevic was a man of basketball, a mentor, and a symbol of integrity and dedication to the game. His influence shaped generations of players and coaches, leaving an indelible mark on our sport,” Bodiroga added.
Born in Podgorica, Montenegro in 1959, Vujosevic was best known for his tenure at one of Serbia’s main clubs, Partizan Belgrade.
Partizan bid farewell to Vujosevic with a statement saying it had received the news everyone had feared after the “black-and-white general” – a reference to the club’s colours – saw his health condition worsen a few weeks ago.
“Under Dusko, stars were developed who later became basketball legends in Serbia, Yugoslavia, Europe, and around the world,” the club said in an Instagram post.
It added that Vujosevic will be remembered as the most decorated coach in Partizan’s history, with 12 national championship titles, five regional ABA League titles, five national cups, a title as the winner of the international Radivoj Korac Cup, and two appearances in the European Champions Cup (Final Four).
Vujosevic also served as the head coach of the Serbia and Montenegro team, the Montenegro national team and the Bosnian national team for various periods.
He coached Partizan’s cross-town rival, Red Star, and various international clubs, such as Italian teams Brescia, Olimpia Pistoia and Victoria Libertas Pesaro, Russia’s CSKA, France’s Limoges CSP, Romania’s U-BT Cluj-Napoca and Spain’s CD Oximesa.
At the time of his death, he was a coach consultant for the Montenegrin ABA League club Studentski Centar.
Vujosevic was a strong opponent of the current Serbian government under President Aleksandar Vucic. In interviews in recent years, Vujosevic has accused Vucic, a fan of Red Star, of engineering the “downfall” of Partizan after his Serbian Progressive Party came to power in 2012.
Partizan has encountered serious financial problems in recent years. However, Vucic has insisted that the state does provide it with financial support.
Vujosevic has also claimed the Progressive Party exerts control over sports organisations as well as other non-political institutions.
“You can’t even become the president of a tenants’ association if you don’t have their sympathy and are not under their control, and you can’t reach any important position if he is against it, or even if he is not explicitly in favour of it,” he told SportKlub in November 2024.
In August 2025, the pro-government tabloid Informer launched a campaign against Vujosevic, claiming that he threw eggs at supporters of the Progressive Party. He denied this but added that, “everyone in this country knows my attitude toward this regime”.
“Everyone knows that I was among the first to stand up against this political evil, and for curing a cancer, timely detection is crucial,” he said.
He added that from the very beginning, he “unequivocally supported the students” who have been protesting against Vucic’s government since November 2024.
Vujosevic explained that he could no longer participate in protests himself because of his health condition after a kidney transplant. “I have already paid my debt to this country and to the fight for freedom and a normal social order, and I have settled it in time,” he said.
