DEJAN TOMASEVIC - 101 Greats of European Basketball

ease: 3-1 against Pamesa Valencia, 3-1 against Barcelona
and 3-0 against Unicaja in the finals. That season,
the duo Tomasevic formed with Fabricio Oberto was
almost unstoppable. They combined for unbelievable
assists, many points and rebounds – but mostly they
showed tremendous heart. They were a nightmare for
rivals and a pleasure for the fans in Vitoria.
Curiously enough, in the summer of 2002 Tomasevic
and Oberto were also rivals in the final of the World
Cup in Indianapolis. With luck on its side, Yugoslavia
won in overtime after saving a theoretically lost game
in the last minute of regulation time. Tomasevic, on a
team full of stars, contributed 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds
and 1.9 assists per game.
At the end of the 2001-02 season, Pamesa Valencia
signed the lethal duo of Tomasevic and Oberto, making
one of the best investments in the club’s history. Already
in their first season there, they won a trophy, the Euro-
Cup, which was the team’s first European title ever. In the
final, Pamesa defeated Krka Novo Mesto 90-78 on the
road and then 78-76 at home behind 28 points plus 11
boards by Tomasevic – more than enough to be chosen
MVP. That win allowed Valencia to play in the EuroLeague
the following season. It performed well as it finished second
in the Top 16 with the same record, 4-2, as Maccabi,
which would go on to the Final Four on a tiebreaker.
On May 12, 2004, Tomasevic also entered the history
books in the Spanish League as he became the
fourth player ever to achieve a triple-double. It came
against Unicaja in an 82-66 win. In only 33 minutes,
Tomasevic scored 14 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and
dished 10 assists. Tomasevic’s assists were always a
confirmation of the famous saying attributed to Toni
Kukoc: “A basket makes one player happy, but an assist
makes two players happy.” Off the court, Tomasevic
was always a serious man, a responsible father of four
who was happy with his family and circle of friends.
EuroLeague title with PAO
Before putting an end to his Spanish adventure in
2005, Tomasevic suffered the biggest disappointment
in his career: Yugoslavia ended up 11th of 12 teams in
the 2004 Olympics in Athens, even though Tomasevic,
with 7.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists, was one
of the few who delivered for the team, coached by Zeljko
Obradovic. A small consolation was the gold medal
for Argentina and his friend Oberto. Between his exit
from Pamesa Valencia – after 147 games in the Spanish
League, with averages of 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds,
3.3 assists and a 15.4 index rating – and his signing for
Panathinaikos Athens, Tomasevic experienced his second
major disappointment: the elimination of Serbia &
Montenegro in the Play-off phase of the 2005 EuroBasket
at home, in Novi Sad.
Tomasevic landed in Athens at age 32 in the middle
of a championship-caliber team. However, Coach Obradovic
was looking for an experienced player, a fighter,
rebounder, passer and winner. Dejan Tomasevic was a
perfect fit. He delivered, especially in the EuroLeague
title game against CSKA Moscow in Athens on May
6, 2007. In one of the best finals I have ever seen, the
Greens won 93-91 behind 16 points and 3 rebounds
by Tomasevic in just 21 minutes pm the floor. He finally
fulfilled his dream: winning the EuroLeague, the only
trophy missing in his brilliant resume. He stayed two
more seasons with Panathinaikos, even though he
barely played in the last one due to a back operation.
In the 2008-09 season, at age 35, he played with PAOK
Thessaloniki and he didn’t do badly: 9.3 points, 7.5 rebounds
and 1.8 assists.
101 greats of european basketball
Dejan Tomasevic
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