FIBA sec-gen emeritus Stankovic dies

MANILA, Philippines — FIBA Secretary General Emeritus Borislav Stankovic died on Friday (Saturday, Manila). He was 94.

Stankovic served as FIBA's second Secretary General for 26 years from 1976 to 2002 and was also a member of the International Olympic Committee.

He was declared FIBA's Secretary General Emeritus in 2003.

Current FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis mourned Stankovic in a statement released to the media.

"On behalf of FIBA, I wish to express our deepest sympathies and pass on our healtfelt condolences to Mr. Stankovic's family, friends and loved ones," Zagklis said.

"Boris Stankovic will always be one of the msot important figures in the history of our sports. We are eternally grateful to him for all he did in implementing concrete changes without which FIBA would not be where it is today," he added.

During his time at FIBA, Stankovic worked towards building bridges between the East and West during the Cold War.

Working closely with the late former NBA Commissioner David Stern in the late 1980s to the early 1990s, Stankovic brought world basketball into the modern era.

Their efforts resulted in having professional players participate in top-level national team competitions, including the Olympics and the FIBA World Cup, starting at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Stankovic is survived by one daughter, two granddaughters and two great grandchildren.