Moneke Points Finger at Obradović: "We're Not Connected with the Coach!"

Pulse Sports Team 06:42 - 22 May 2026

Following their fourth consecutive loss to Partizan and elimination from the ABA League finals, the atmosphere at Crvena zvezda Meridianbet is somber. In yet another lackluster performance from Saša Obradović's team, power forward Chima Moneke had an unconvincing outing, and after the game, he openly discussed the team's issues.

Moneke, who played 15 minutes and scored seven points, didn't shy away from directly answering a question about the team's relationship with the coach.

When asked by a "Meridian Sport" journalist if the team had a good connection with Saša Obradović, Moneke was brief and clear: "No, we don't."

The Nigerian basketball player precisely pinpointed the moment things started to go downhill for Zvezda.

Everything changed after the break, following the game against Olympiacos on November 26th. Some say the turning point was the match against Partizan, where we squandered a 16-point lead, or perhaps the games against Bayern and Maccabi. In my opinion, it all started even before that. We lost our identity when we returned from that break.

When asked how it was possible for the team to fail to regain its lost identity for so long, Moneke shifted the responsibility to others.

That's an excellent question, but it's not for me; it's for someone else. From the Fenerbahçe game to the Olympiacos match, we went into every duel feeling like we would win. After that, we were just hoping for a victory. Our offense was absolutely dreadful, and our defense suffered because of it.

The Red Star finished their EuroLeague campaign in the play-in, while in the ABA League, they were eliminated in the semifinals, where Partizan defeated them 2-0.