The greatest Slovenian basketball players Sani Bečirović and Boštjan Nachbar officially ended their career at the farewell game. Foto: BoBo
The greatest Slovenian basketball players Sani Bečirović and Boštjan Nachbar officially ended their career at the farewell game. Foto: BoBo

During the Basketball Symphony, as they called the evening when they officially concluded their careers, there were several famous Slovenian and European basketball players to keep them company. Around 6,000 people accompanied the players, who left one of the biggest marks in the history of Slovenian basketball. “Nothing can prepare you for the end. One path has ended. I always tell people who are not athletes to imagine being young and at the peak of their life, and then the career is over and you still have a whole life ahead of you. This was a moment I have been waiting for quite some time and I am glad that it happened. However, nothing can prepare you for this. I’m probably going to think about it for the next few days. It was the fastest game in my entire life. It felt like it lasted for ten minutes,” said Nachbar after the last game in his career.

Even his great friend Sani, who actually stopped playing basketball three years ago, was emotionally overwhelmed. “I was crying like a baby. In those last couple of days, all the emotions came back. When I was thinking and when they tell you about your achievements … Especially this injury, after which I came back … And the fact that Boštjan and I really managed to bring European and World giants to Ljubljana is really special. This proofs that wherever we played, we left a piece of our heart, trust, and respect there. The fact that these people came to pay us tribute, is the best possible way of all this. The event surpassed all my expectations. Words cannot even describe it.”

Playing at home is the best possible way to say goodbye
For their last farewell, they brought together the most important basketball players, with whom they played for the national team, shared a wardrobe or just stood opposite to. There were giants such as Šarunas Jasikevičisus, Dimitris Diamantidis, Fragiskos Alvertis and Nikola Vujčić. The unforgettable Slovenian basketball players, such as Rašo Nesterović, Marko Milić, Matjaž Smodiš and Jaka Lakovič. The giants were led by brilliant coaches Željko Obradović, Saša Đorđević, Zmago Sagadin and Jure Zdovc. “I said my farewells in the best possible way here in Ljubljana. I spent half my life abroad, I practically I moved when I was 18 and it was my lifelong dream to end my career at home. When I was younger I watched Vilfan and Zdovc when they had their own farewell game. I said to myself, one day I will do the same,” said Nachbar.

The feedback they received for their farewell match is a proof of what a strong mark they left on Slovenian basketball “As I have said many times, every person we contacted responded. Only Gigi Datome had to cancel because he could not arrange things with his national team. And that is why there were so many emotions in the end. Even the day before the match, when you see faces you shared the court, wardrobes, buses, airports and hotels, victories and defeats with … Everything started coming back. This is what makes this even more special,” said the unforgettable Boki, who is already very active, as he is one the leaders of the Union of European Leagues of Basketball. As he said, there are many trips waiting for him in the upcoming months, however, he is very motivated for this work.