We Were The World Champions

Time will show that there were few domains where the South Slavs were so superior, shattering all logical assumptions regarding how and way we make ground breaking achievements. The four of them had answered to every question. Without experience they defined challenges, outlined a great future and placed the master seal on the patent which in the following decades will spread across the world: The Yugoslavian basketball school. If someone had special inspiration, inspiration bordering art, pass only visible to the protagonists, the passer and receiver, it was the Yugoslav way of playing. Building the very foundations of a new sport, they didn't view the cross Atlantic game as a finished product which one mast accept or reject. Instinct told them that it has to do with something which needs to be adopted with determination and centralized social environment. They had enough wisdom to neutralize the neurotic speed and American grandiosness, protecting themselves from the accusations that it would have dangerous heretic effects on the youth of FNR of Yugoslavia. We could have guessed that the new American sport could be so well received in a Balkan country; the NBA dominated America, whilst Yugoslavia dominated the rest of the world. The four of them from '45 until '70 and the triumph in Ljubljana, starting off as players, then coaches and finally, officials, went through all the phases from playing in dusty and muddy clay courts to reaching the gold at the World Championship in 1970. The circle of basketball friendship spread rapidly like an irrepressible virus. Belgrade, Zrenjanin, Zagreb, Zadar, Split, Ljubljana... How and to what extent? We'll see in the series!

 Genres: Documentary, History, Sport

Country of production: Serbia

Original title: Bili smo prvaci sveta

Year of production:2014

No of episodes: 24x30' HD

Screenplay: Zvonimir Simunec, Aleksandar Miletic

Director: Ivica Vidanovic

Cast: Bora Stankovic, Srdja Kalember, Pavle Kostic, Aljosa Zorga, Beno Hvala, Bogdan Tanjevic, Boris Kristancic, Bozidar Boza Maljkovic, Cedomir Stojicevic, Damir Solman, Dragan Kapicic, Dragoslav Raznatovic, Dragutin Cermak, Geza Pastor, Giuseppe Pino Gjergja, Isidoro Marsan, Ivo Daneu, Jovan Kosijer, Jovan Tanurdzic, Lajos Engler, Ljiljana Saper, Lubodrag Duci Simonovic, Marjan Prezevsek, Mirko Novosel, Nemanja Neca Djuric, Nikola Plecas, Pero Zlatar, Petar Skansi, Radisa Mladenovic, Radmilo Misovic, Radovan Rasovic, Ranko Zeravica, Ratko Tvrdic, Slobodan Rica Gordic, Srdjan Saper, Veljko Bulajic, Vlada Stankovic, Vladimir Anzulovic, Vladimir Cvetkovic, Vojislav Bubisa Simic, Zagorka Zeravica, Zvezdana Popovic, Milos Oparica.