With an away game at FC Barcelona, Bayern Basketball’s international season will come to an end on Friday night (8:30 p.m./MagentaSport). After Svetislav Pesic announced that his coaching career will finish this summer after 44 years, the 76-year-old now returns one last time as a EuroLeague head coach to the Palau Blaugrana – the very arena where, in 2003, he celebrated his greatest achievements at club level by winning the treble of EuroLeague, Copa del Rey and Spanish championship. To this day, it remains Barça’s most glorious season. In addition to his first spell in charge (2002–2004, including another league title), he had a second stint with the Catalans from February 2018 to 2020 (two cup wins).
Back then, Barça legend Juan Carlos Navarro – “La Bomba” – was one of the cornerstones of Pesic’s teams. The long-time Barça guard, a World and European champion with Spain, poured in 4,152 EuroLeague points for his boyhood club and was also a central figure in the second EuroLeague triumph in 2010, when he was named Finals MVP. Under Pesic, Navarro, now 45, ended his illustrious playing career in the summer of 2018 and has been Barça’s general manager since 2021.
A conversation about coach Pesic, on the occasion of the last duel between two long-time companions.
Juan Carlos, which words immediately come to mind when you think of coach Pesic?
Juan Carlos Navarro: Legend. A huge personality.
In 2003, you celebrated the treble together, including Barça’s first of now two EuroLeague titles. What are your memories of that time?
Pesic always showed incredible heart and passion for basketball, every single day. The treble with the league title, the cup and the EuroLeague was – and still is – hugely important for the club and has never been matched since. That treble has played a major role to this day in shaping the status of basketball at FC Barcelona, and it will forever be linked to him. Yes, we had a very strong team back then, a team built to win titles, with players who could decide a game in the key moments. With Pesic, we made it happen.
Pesic followed a long era under Aíto, who was a much calmer character, not only in his in-game coaching. How did you experience that change?
Every coach has his own way of working. Of course, in the years before, Aíto used more words and paid more attention to details. Pesic was different. He demanded more from the players. More discipline and physicality. That’s his style…
…a style that led to success in 2003: in the semifinal of the Final Four, held at the Palau Blaugrana, you first beat CSKA Moscow (76–71). What was he like after clearing that first hurdle and in preparing for the big final?
Always the same. The semifinal itself had already been meticulously prepared. The weeks of practice beforehand were shaped by intense preparation and extra work for that very moment. For him, it was a long process that certainly didn’t start with the Final Four. The team was already very focused at the hotel before the final. Coach Pesic always demanded maximum concentration from everyone, including in the build-up to the final.
“During the party, he stayed in the background”
Then came the triumph over Benetton Treviso (76–65). Coach Pesic likes to keep everything under control – did that also apply to the celebrations?
No, the party was organized by the players. This triumph was celebrated with the whole city of Barcelona. Pesic mostly stayed out of it and withdrew – to start preparing for the next league game. It was us players who did the celebrating.
How would you best describe his basketball philosophy?
His main concern is clearly a strong, intense defense. Defense is his foundation. Offensively, the focus was on the extra pass and ball movement. I don’t think that has changed.
Pesic has coached many stars – in 2003 a Dejan Bodiroga, and in recent years Nikola Jokic with the Serbian national team. How does he handle those big names?
Definitely differently than the others. He has a special connection with those great players and big names, because they were his extended arm on the court. Back then, his favorite player with us was clearly Bodiroga.
In 2004, you won the Spanish championship together once more, then he came back in February 2018 – and one week later you lifted the Copa del Rey. What did he change so quickly?
He has very clear standards and values that he lays down. That approach came at exactly the right moment back then. The coaching change brought new energy, which the team really needed. It was the final year of my playing career and my role was already much smaller. After that, the decision was made not to renew my contract – that was also partly a decision from the coach. Everything has its time.
There were 15 years between his two stints – had he changed as a person and in his view of the game?
At the beginning, when he arrived in 2002, we were a bit shocked by how demanding his mentality was. In his second spell in 2018, we knew what was coming and what he would ask of us – myself included. Everyone could prepare for that. Of course, everyone changes a bit over time. But what remained exactly the same with him, even after 15 years, was his incredible passion and dedication to basketball.
In 2018 Pesic said that, before his second stint in Barcelona, he had actually planned to step away from basketball. Now, at 76, it’s supposed to be over for good.
It does feel like his decision is final this time, that’s my impression as well. But I still can’t be 100 percent sure, because I know him. With him, you never know.
On Friday he’ll return to the Palau once more as a head coach. Apart from the trophies, what has he left behind in Barcelona?
People were impressed by his personality. He’s still very popular in Barcelona and will always get a warm welcome. He’s here a lot, his daughter works at the club and Marko is often around as well. Barcelona will always be his second home.
“No gifts” on Friday night
So it does look as if things are coming full circle, with his final game taking place of all places at the Palau Blaugrana – Barcelona as the perfect stage for his last EuroLeague game.
I’m not sure how perfect that is for us… (laughs). It’s his last game as a coach in the EuroLeague and the end of a great career. But for us, the game is also hugely important from a sporting perspective…
…because Barça have to win, in a long-distance battle with Dubai, to make the Play-Ins. And coach Pesic isn’t exactly the type to hand out gifts, is he?
No. We’ll wish him lots of success and all the best for his future after the game, but we can’t – and won’t – be handing out any gifts either.
Señor Navarro, thank you very much for your time.