Partizan Fans Are Accustomed to Tears in April

Sadly, we've seen many sports figures pass away, and it's a trend that will continue. But some deaths leave a knot in my stomach, that feeling of something clenching inside that just won't let go. In recent years, that's how it felt when Antara (Radomir Antić), Miha (Siniša Mihajlović), and Mr. Chairman (Milan Mandarić) left us. And now, it's happened again. The General is gone, folks. Duško Vujošević has passed away.

He wasn't from my sport, but he was from my Partizan. I didn't always agree with his views, his decisions, or even the way he did some things, but I always held immense respect for him. He was a true man of sport, a hard worker, a developer of talent, someone who read books and recommended them to others. Some of his phrases, like these two: "Those were indeed hours of love, but they weren't free" and "That's when the machine kicks in," will forever remain in my heart.

The words he spoke and the way he delivered them – that could only come from someone who had read extensively, someone who juggled words like a ball handler. I thoroughly enjoyed his press conferences and his recent interviews on TV shows or podcasts, because he knew how to speak meaningfully, to poke, and to subtly challenge. They were verbal bravura performances. All delivered with precision and intuition.

I remember being at an event for the Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan when he was promoted to president. I also recall that the legendary swimmer Milorad Čavić was given a role at Partizan then, perhaps as vice-president of JSD. Dule read his speech from a piece of paper after being announced as the club's leader, and he sounded somewhat unnatural; his voice trembled, he paused, as if uncomfortable in front of such a large crowd. I promised myself that if I ever got the chance, I'd ask him about it. He seemed scared, as if stage fright had completely overwhelmed him, which was uncharacteristic for him, at least on the court. Unfortunately, I never got that opportunity, even though I once ran into him a few years ago in New Belgrade. But I felt awkward approaching him, explaining who I was, and asking about something that happened a decade or more ago. And by then, he was already battling the health issues that ultimately took him to another place today.

Knowing the nature of their relationship from various Partizan fans' stories, however silly or morbid it sounds, it somehow felt logical that Dule would pass away not long after his great Partizan-loving friend, Božo Koprivica. Dule gave him two or three weeks to settle in up there, and now he's joined him so they can continue discussing their eternally relevant, and probably favorite, topic – Partizan.

When they wanted to insult Dule, they'd say – what kind of Partizan fan is he if he could go coach Zvezda? I have a ready answer. Velibor Vasović and Vlade Divac both played for or coached Zvezda, but that doesn't make them any less devoted to Partizan. I know, I know, some would now start lecturing about sportsmanship, explaining how there are just some things you don't do, unwritten rules. But to me, that brief stint, a season or a few games, with the fiercest rival, confirms that even some of the greatest Partizan legends throughout history were just flesh-and-blood people. Like any ordinary person, they had the right to their own anger, defiance, disappointments, calculations, and even delusions. How else would life be interesting? Ask those who did the same in the opposite direction – Zoran Moka Slavnić, Dejan Tomašević, Milko Đurovski, or Vladimir Stojković.

Duško Vujošević was criticized for many other things: being stubborn, a Yugo-nostalgic, they called him a Dukljanin, crucified him for getting involved in politics when he should have been solely focused on a 28x15 meter court. But he saw things differently. And that's why he was special. Both when he was right and when he wasn't.

Due to his stubbornness, he didn't even attend his club's matches last season, because the second-row seat bothered him. He believed he deserved the front row, right next to the bench where his player, friend, and then comrade-in-arms – Željko Obradović – sat. Their two careers are so intertwined that it's impossible to describe in a single text, but much can be seen in the documentary "If Roses, They Will Bloom," about the first Champions Cup (now EuroLeague) Final Four in 1988, in which Partizan participated. With Vujošević on the bench and Obradović as the conductor on the court. Partizan wasn't ready for a European title in Ghent, but they matured four years later in Istanbul.

It's true that Željko Obradović was on the bench then, but anyone who claims Dule didn't have a hand, at least up to his fingertips, in that success, surely knows nothing about sports, team building, or the DNA of sports. In 2010, in Paris, also at the Final Four, he was just a hair's breadth away from what separates the great from the greatest. But the fact that he didn't manage to reach the top of Europe in his second attempt doesn't diminish his contribution to Partizan being recognized as a major European basketball club, a club with a distinct identity.

Partizan fans are accustomed to tears in April, sometimes of joy, sometimes of sorrow. We've mentioned Istanbul (April 14-16, 1992), we've mentioned Radomir Antić (November 22, 1948 - April 6, 2020), but in the story of Duško Vujošević, it would be rude and unfair not to mention Miroslav Gajić, better known as Miša Tumbas. Dule loved him like his own kin. One of Partizan's most famous fans passed away six years ago (April 5th), so if they meet somewhere up there, April in Belgrade will forever connect them.

Weep, Partizan faithful. There's no shame in shedding a tear for someone who shaped your life. A friend of mine, a Partizan supporter, not long ago offered Dule a kidney through a mutual acquaintance. This is absolutely true. Dule thanked him, with the remark: "Everything's fine, but don't overdo it." That's the kind of man he was.

And me? Today, I'll buy a book. Purely as a dedication and his signature on my life.

Because Duško Vujošević might have been many things, but a coward, never. And that's how it will forever be remembered.

Duško Vujošević Has Died

Biography: Who Was Duško Vujošević? A Legend of Yugoslav Basketball and a Man Who Lived for Partizan

"Duško Will Remain a Symbol of Knowledge, Authority, Combativeness..." Ministry of Sport Reacts to Vujošević's Death /PHOTO/

"Partizan Was My Life, and I Was Declared an Enemy"

Partizan's Farewell Message to Duško Vujošević

"Luck Wasn't Exactly on My Side!" Duško Opened His Heart and Soul About Partizan's Iconic Season in This Interview

All the Wisdom of Duško Vujošević

"It Came Down to Dule and Me Fighting" How Vujošević and Čović Met Face-to-Face After 10 Years, in a Completely Different Light

"Always a Book in Hand!" Dule Vujošević Always Insisted on One Thing with His Basketball Players

He Left a Deep Mark in Basketball: These Are Duško Vujošević's Greatest Achievements

"It's Noble to Fight for a Lost Cause!" Duško Vujošević Battled Illness for Over a Decade: I Got Diabetes Early and Underestimated the Disease

Duško Vujošević Has Passed Away, This Is His Most Iconic Quote

"Fight, dammit, what is this!" Duško Vujošević's Timeout That Partizan Fans Will Never Forget /VIDEO/

Unseen Photos, Videos, and the Story of Dule Vujošević and Bogdan Bogdanović /VIDEO/