In a summer of major changes on the bench and on the court, Crvena Zvezda also chose to invest in two figures closely identified with the club, giving Milos Teodosic and Nikola Kalinic the opportunity to take their first steps in life after playing.
There has been no shortage of change in Belgrade this summer. Crvena Zvezda have entered a new era with Ibon Navarro taking over as head coach and several adjustments being made to the roster. Yet some of the club’s most significant moves have taken place away from the court. Two decisions in particular carry considerable strategic importance, as they involve two people who know exactly what Crvena Zvezda stands for and what it takes to be part of the organization.
Milos Teodosic and Nikola Kalinic have changed roles, but they have not changed sides. Teodosic has taken over as Sporting Director, while Kalinic will join Navarro’s staff as an assistant coach, while also completing the necessary studies to earn his coaching license. They are following two different paths, but the thinking behind both moves is the same: Crvena Zvezda are putting their trust in people who understand the club inside and out.
Teodosic’s case is particularly interesting. Although he only spent two seasons playing for Crvena Zvezda, from 2023 to 2025, his connection with the club runs much deeper than those two years suggest. One of the greatest Serbian players of all time and among the finest playmakers in EuroLeague history, Teodosic brings a wealth of experience at the highest level. He won the EuroLeague with CSKA Moscow in 2016 and also spent two seasons in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers, from 2017 to 2019.
Now, all that experience is moving from the court to the front office. His reputation, the network he has built across the basketball world and, above all, his understanding of the game give him a strong foundation for his new role as Sporting Director. Just as importantly, Teodosic knows first-hand what comes with representing Crvena Zvezda: the pressure surrounding the club, the demands of its passionate fanbase, the realities of the ABA League and the challenges of competing in the EuroLeague.
Kalinic’s ties to Crvena Zvezda run even deeper. The 34-year-old Serbian forward brought his playing career to an end after three separate spells in Belgrade, in 2014-2015, 2021-2022 and 2024-2026. Along the way, he experienced some of the biggest stages in European basketball and reached the top of the EuroLeague with Fenerbahce in 2017, while spending his career working under some of the most accomplished coaches of his generation.
That background may now prove to be his greatest asset on the bench. Kalinic has played under coaches such as Zeljko Obradovic and Sarunas Jasikevicius, gaining first-hand experience of different basketball philosophies, demanding environments and different approaches to managing a locker room built to compete for trophies. His next challenge is to bring elements of those experiences into Navarro’s coaching staff as he begins an entirely new chapter in his basketball career.
So, amid a summer of significant change, Crvena Zvezda have also made a point of looking within. Teodosic and Kalinic have experienced the club in different roles and at different stages, they understand the weight that comes with wearing its jersey and they share the management’s vision for what comes next. For an organization determined to take another step forward in the EuroLeague, keeping two of its most trusted basketball figures close to the club could ultimately prove just as valuable as any signing made on the court.
