Personal information | |
---|---|
Born |
Lučani, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
December 15, 1963
Died | June 28, 2006 Rhodes, Greece |
(aged 42)
Nationality | Serbian |
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Career information | |
NBA draft | 1985 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 1980–1993 |
Position | Small forward |
Number | 8 |
Career history | |
1980–1990 | Crvena zvezda |
1990–1991 | Vojvodina |
1991–1992 | Crvena zvezda |
1992–1993 | Panionios |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Slobodan "Boban" Janković (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан "Бобан" Јанковић; December 15, 1963 – June 28, 2006) was a Serbian professional basketball player. His son, Vlado Janković, is also a professional basketball player.
At the age of 7, Janković moved to Belgrade.
Janković (nicknamed Bomber) joined his first professional basketball club, Crvena zvezda of the Yugoslavian Basketball League in 1980, still short of his 17th birthday. Over the next 10 seasons, he grew into a dependable 6'7" (2.01 m) small forward. In 1990, he transferred to the Yugoslavian Basketball League club Vojvodina of Novi Sad, but he stayed there for only one season.
In 1992, the head coach of Panionios, Vlade Đurović, Boban's mentor from his Red Star days, was instrumental in bringing him to the Greek Basketball League club. During the 1992–93 season, the 29-year-old Janković enjoyed a good run of playing form and success with Panionios. On April 28, 1993, Janković nearly fatally injured himself during a Greek League playoff game between Panionios and Panathinaikos in Nea Smyrni, Athens, Greece, on the home court of Panionios.
The injury occurred eight minutes before the end of a tense playoff match. Janković scored a basket on a drive to the hoop while being guarded by Panathinaikos player Fragiskos Alvertis. However, the referee Stelios Koukoulekidis, wiped out Janković's basket and instead called him for an offensive foul. It was Janković's 5th foul of the game, which meant that he had fouled out.