Basketball in Slovenia
Basketball in Slovenia is governed by the Basketball Federation of Slovenia (Košarkarska zveza Slovenije). Slovenia is participating in the international basketball as an independent nation since 1991, when the country gained independence from SFR Yugoslavia.
History
Although in some parts of Yugoslavia basketball was played from the twenties onwards, it came to the territories that are today part of Slovenia only during the Second World War. First club was founded in Ljubljana as a basketball section of ŽŠK Hermes in 1943, when the city was under Italian administration. After the war basketball was promoted mostly by students who came from Belgrade Sports Institute and new clubs soon were soon founded in Ljubljana, Maribor, Murska Sobota, Celje and Lendava. First postwar public match was played in February 1946 and the first Championship was held later that year, with Svoboda winnig the first title. Slovenian champion had the opportunity of competing for the Yugoslav Championship on the final tournament until 1949, when with the formation of Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia all-season federal league was established. It was joined by two best Slovenian teams Enotnost and Železničar, who later both played a major role in yugoslav basketball. Enotnost, renamed Olimpija, won yugoslav league six times, while Železničar won one cup title.
On 15 January 1950 Basketball Federation of Slovenia was founded as a section of Yugoslav federation and home and away round-robin republic league was established as a second or third tier of yugoslav basketball. Republic champion had the opportunity of promotion to Yugoslav leagues and apart from Olimpija and Železničar also Slovan, ŽKK Maribor, Lesonit and Maribor 66 managed to play in the Yugoslav First Federal Basketball League. In 1950 Mirko Amon (Železničar), best scorer of yugoslav league that season, became the first Slovenian player in Yugoslavia national basketball team, later to be followed by many others. Slovenian players with most appearances for the national team were Ivo Daneu, Peter Vilfan, Jure Zdovc, Boris Kristančič and Aljoša Žorga. Slovenian players had important role when Yugoslavia won the 1970 FIBA World Championship in Tivoli Hall in Ljubljana, while they were also members of 1978 and 1990 World Championships' winning teams. Apart from men, women basketaball was also popular with Iskra Delta Ježica being regular in Yugoslav women's league and many players becoming members of women's national team.
After the Independence of Slovenia in 1991 national League and Cup competitions were formed on the basis of old republic structures. Slovenia became official member of FIBA on 10. January 1992 and Slovenia national basketball team played their first official match against Croatia in May that year.
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