creHe was never considered a great talent.
Never the best player of his generation.
But Branko Lazić figured out two things early: hard work pays off, and basketball is a team game.
That is why he walks away with the kind of career he probably dreamed about when he first picked up a basketball in his hometown of Ljubovija.
“Players Like Him No Longer Exist”
When Aleksandar Đorđević succeeded the legendary Dušan Ivković as Serbia head coach, he went on to lead the national team to three medals in four years.
Before EuroBasket 2017, Ivković spoke about a player he believed deserved to be part of Đorđević’s plans.
“I was recently with Jovica Antonić [Đorđević’s assistant] at the Radivoj Korać Cup and we were talking about different players,” Ivković said.
“I told him, ‘You should keep an eye on this guy [Lazić], because Europe has lost players like him – players who give everything for the team, who give everything on defense.’
“I think he’s the key to Zvezda’s defense and everything else. First and foremost, that’s Lazić. I told him, ‘Watch him if you get the chance, because at the very least, that kind of player will raise the level of your practices significantly.’
“It would be unjustified not to call him up because players like that simply don’t exist in Europe anymore. There’s an old coaching rule: play with players who give. Lazić always gives. He can’t have a bad game.”
It was the best season of Lazić’s career.
One of the EuroLeague’s best perimeter defenders was supposed to be Đorđević’s defensive specialist for specific matchups.
Instead, he got injured at the worst possible time.
He couldn’t contribute much at EuroBasket, but that silver medal still belonged on the résumé of a career built the hard way.
And who knows?
Maybe Lazić would have been the man to slow down Klemen Prepelič – or his good friend Jaka Blažič – in that final against Slovenia.
Built for Radonjić Basketball
Lazić came through the FMP Železnik system and, when the club merged with Crvena zvezda in 2011, he put on the red-and-white jersey.
He would never take it off.
With Zvezda, Lazić became a nine-time Serbian champion and seven-time ABA League champion. Three times, he was named the best defender in the Adriatic League.
If you wanted to draw up a Dejan Radonjić player, Lazić was pretty close to the blueprint.
Relentless work, total commitment on defense and a willingness to fight for every possession.
It was under Radonjić that Lazić truly flourished.
There weren’t many EuroLeague guards happy to see Lazić pick them up. He could swing a game with a steal, a deflection or a perfectly timed charge.
Lazić never overcomplicated the game. He knew what he was good at and stayed within himself.
Coaches appreciated it. Teammates appreciated it. Opponents did, too.
More Than Just a Defender
Lazić was always reliable from the free-throw line and calm in close finishes.
And then there was that corner three.
It rescued Zvezda more than once.
Over time, he developed his shot to the point where leaving him alone was no longer a smart option. Once defenders could no longer help off him without being punished, his defense made him an easy player to keep on the floor.
Former teammate Marko Simonović once told Meridian Sport a story that perhaps explains Lazić better than any scouting report ever could.
“I remember one situation in a game when he was chasing the ball and I was running behind him,” Simonović said. “He gets there, catches it, the ball hits his leg and he falls…
“You could see he’d taken a huge fall, wiped out the cameraman and scraped himself up, but he just carried on like nothing had happened.
“I remember the timeout when Radonjić asked him, ‘Are you crazy? Are you trying to get injured?’
“And Branko just said, ‘Do you want to win or not?’
“That’s when you see what kind of mentality he had. He was ready to put his head where others wouldn’t put their foot.”
A Captain Without Big Speeches
Zvezda reached the EuroLeague playoffs once during Lazić’s career. On another occasion, they came agonizingly close.
There were moments when a move elsewhere was discussed, but some players are simply built for one club.
Lazić was one of them.
Eventually, he became captain.
As captain, he didn’t need speeches to lead the locker room. Mostly, he led by example.
He was willing to stand up for his teammates away from the court, but also to raise his voice or confront someone when he felt a teammate wasn’t living up to the standards of the club.
Sometimes that meant explaining to a foreign teammate that you still go over to the fans after a painful loss.
Lazić knew what it meant to represent Crvena zvezda.
A Bitter Ending – but Not the End
The years passed.
Lazić was no longer the player he once was. That much was clear.
But last summer, he and the club he loved couldn’t reach an agreement. Lazić wanted to keep playing. Zvezda wanted him to retire and take up a role within the club.
There was bitterness.
Then came a year in limbo.
After spending a season without a club, but still under contract with Zvezda, Lazić finally made it official at the ceremony marking 25 years since the founding of the ABA League.
His professional playing career was over.
Zvezda responded with a statement full of respect, calling him “a symbol of our rise.”
Surely, that can’t be where his story with Zvezda ends.
This is a man who wore the red-and-white jersey for 14 years.
Through good times and bad.
For now, there is family.
A little time in the gym. A little hunting.
Lazić has earned some time away.
But it’s hard to imagine basketball – or Zvezda – letting him stay away for too long.
Until then, he’ll be there as a fan.
Loudly, of course.
How else?
