Former Fiba chief Borislav Stankovic dies at 94

(FILES) In this file photograph taken on February 13, 1996, Borislav Stankovic, then Secretary General of the Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) holds a paper with the words United States of America during the selection of the 1996 Olympic Basketball Draw in Atlanta ahead of the 1996 Olympic Games. – Borislav Stankovic, the long-time secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) instrumental in paving the way for NBA players to compete in the Olympics, died March 20, 2020, in Belgrade at the age of 94, state-run media reported. (Photo by DOUG COLLIER / AFP)

Borislav Stankovic, the long-time secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) instrumental in paving the way for NBA players to compete in the Olympics, died Friday in Belgrade at the age of 94, state-run media reported.

Born in Bosnia, Stankovic starred as a player for Red Star Belgrade and also represented Yugoslavia at the 1950 World Championship in Argentina.

He ran the Yugoslav Basketball Federation for a decade, building up the sport’s popularity in the former Yugoslavia, which became a basketball powerhouse under his leadership.

Stankovic served as Fiba’s secretary-general from 1976 to 2002, a period in which he notably helped clear the way for NBA players to compete in the Olympics, starting at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

During his tenure Fiba also introduced the three-point shot and divided matches into quarters.