Week 34: Niš & Sombor, Serbia (posted by Wade)

We had a basketball-themed week in Serbia!

Our tour of the former Yugoslavian states began in Niš, which is located in southern Serbia, just north of Kosovo and a few hours bus ride from Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It was a fascinating introduction to Serbia for three reasons: first, it was the site of a notorious Nazi concentration camp; second, it was the target of a series of NATO bombing raids in 1999; third, Niš hosts the Serbian championship basketball tournament known as the Korać Cup.

The basketball tournament was the main attraction. We bought some tickets from scalpers on the street to watch the semifinal and finals. We were lucky enough to see the three most famous teams in Serbia: Partizan and Red Star ("Crvena zvezda"), which both date back to 1945 and have the most intense fanbases, plus the upstart Mega Star team, which produced the likes of Nikola Jokic and Ivica Zubac.

The games did not disappoint! The teams were well coached, played tough defense, and had excellent talent. Several Americans started on all of the teams that we watched, although Mega Star emphasizes developing homegrown talent from the Balkans more than the other teams.

Then there were the fans. Oh, my. The Partizan and Red Star fans combined European futbol hooliganism within the confined space of a basketball arena and with a sprinkling of Serbian nationalism. The chants, flag waving, and foot stomping did not relent for the entire game. At one point, the fans chanted "Kosovo" then "Serbia," in a geopolitical call and response. It was kind of like a salty, working man's version of the Cameron Crazies. 

At one point in the fourth quarter of a semifinals match, the Partizan fans started to chant something so lewd that the people sitting around us refused to translate it. Then a Partizan fan threw a fire cracker onto the court. The officials stopped the game and called in the riot police who cleared the bleachers -- it took about 45 minutes to resume the competition.

In between basketball games, we found time to visit a cold, damp Nazi concentration camp on the outskirts of Niš where the Germans processed political prisoners and Serbian Jews on their way to work camps or death camps across Europe. We also visited Bubanj Hill, the site just outside of Niš where Germans executed an estimated 10,000 civilians.

After our two days in Niš, we found a ride to Belgrade where we picked up our giant rental van. From there, we drove a few hours north to our next destination: Sombor.

Sombor rests across the Danube River near the Hungarian border, in the northwest corner of Serbia. It is a flat, open area surrounded by miles and miles of farmland. Why did we go to Sombor? Two words: Nikola Jokic. Why did we love Sombor? For so many reasons. The architecture. The food. The history. The laid back vibes on the main pedestrian square. Plus, the friendly people.

Everyone and everywhere we went, there were signs of the famous Jokic. Eliza played a little bit of pick-up basketball against some 11-year old boys on Jokic's childhood court, next to his elementary school. We went to Jokic's favorite bar. We even ate lunch where Jokic celebrated his daughter's baptism. 

Everyone we spoke to -- literally everyone -- had either met Jokic or was personal friends with Jokic, and everyone loves Jokic. We heard over and over again the same thing, that Jokic is a down-to-earth, regular guy.

Needless to say, we love Serbia, first and foremost, because Serbia loves basketball.