Protocol, Self-Promotion, and Behind-the-Scenes Battles: What Really Happened at the ABA League Assembly in Zagreb?

Pulse Sports Team 10:45 - 22 July 2026

The ABA League Assembly held on Monday in Zagreb brought about significant changes to this regional competition, alongside decisions that, according to our information, were not fully and adequately presented to the basketball public in Serbia.

Thanks to our highly informed source, privy to all the happenings at the meeting, we can now reveal what truly transpired behind the closed doors of the Assembly in Zagreb.

Monday's multi-hour ABA League Assembly yielded numerous outcomes, yet the public, beyond the official league statement, learned little. Understandably, the most significant news for regional audiences and media was the Assembly's decision to expand the league to 20 clubs, divided into two groups. The new competition format will culminate after the Top 8, with teams battling for the trophy in a Final Four. This, along with the detail that Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet and Partizan are once again separated into different groups, captured the attention of the domestic basketball public.

According to our source, much of what was reported from the Assembly was either superficial or inaccurate, starting with the news regarding the election of the ABA League's top official (Partizan BC President Ostoja Mijailović was elected as the presiding chairman).

"I cannot claim it was intentional, but it's incredible how the news about the election of the presiding chairman of the ABA League presidency (not the President) was reported in a completely inaccurate form. And many other, far more important things also went under the radar," says the Sportal source.

According to our source, the election of the ABA League chairman is quite straightforward and largely ceremonial:

Since 2015, when the ABA League jtd was formed in Bar, the election of the presiding chairman and two vice-presidents has been a matter of rotation. All clubs have held the chairmanship, and I don't understand why a "spectacle" is being made out of someone being elected to a ceremonial position that, with all due respect, presidents of Krka, Zadar, etc., have also held. Here, I must mention that there was a "skip" in the rotation order, which was a concession from Budućnost's top man, Dragan Bokan. According to the established order, the presiding chairman should have been the president of a Montenegrin club, not the Partizan BC representative. As a result, Budućnost will spend four years in the presidency, while Partizan will serve only two, without disrupting the rotational order or disadvantaging any other club. This was also the stance of the ABA League's lawyers. Next year, the first vice-president, Dragan Bokan, will become the chairman, followed by Davor Užbinec from Cedevita, who is currently the second vice-president. Interestingly, the only dissenting vote against this decision was due to personal animosity between the leaders of two clubs, which is common knowledge (only FMP voted against).

Some fundamentally more important decisions and news slipped under the radar:

"Some much more significant decisions and major changes in the league's management went unnoticed: starting with the failure to re-elect referee commissioner Srdjan Dožai, as well as the head of the referee committee Saša Maričić, and disciplinary judge Hrvoje Vidan. The only ones who 'survived' were league director Dubravko Kmetović and sports director Milija Vojinović. There was various lobbying, announcements that Sreten Radović, a Croatian EuroLeague referee, might join the league, and even high-ranking FIBA official Zoran Radović was mentioned. However, it all ended with a public tender being announced, and it will be very interesting to see what happens in August when the deadlines for the public tender expire," our interlocutor states, adding that the upcoming season will be extremely important for one reason only:

Undeniably, this league is starting to generate profit, but it's losing its standing in European basketball due to long-term contracts between clubs and the EuroLeague, and consequently, its competitive significance. For some, it's their lifeline, and they would struggle to function without it. However, for the biggest clubs with established status and ambitions, it's becoming a problem. Especially considering that the largest financial contributions come from Serbia, and the league largely relies on that money – yet others want to lead it... In any case, while not critically important in terms of results, another exciting season awaits us. Whether on the court or off it, we shall see...

The new season kicks off on the last weekend of September, with the first-round games scheduled for September 26th, 27th, and 28th. The final tournament is set for May 28th to 30th, 2027, with the host to be determined later. Twenty clubs will participate in the competition, divided into two groups of ten teams each. The first phase will be played in a double round-robin format, with the top four teams from both groups advancing to the Top 8. The remaining 12 clubs will continue their season in the play-out. All points earned during the first phase will carry over to the next round, which will also be played in a double round-robin league system.

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