Lou Stefanovic
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963 (age 60–61) Aleksinac, NR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia |
| Nationality | Serbian / American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Merrillville (Merrillville, Indiana) |
| College | Illinois State (1981–1985) |
| NBA draft | 1985: 4th round, 97th overall pick |
| Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics | |
| Playing career | 1985–1990 |
| Position | Small forward |
| Number | 35, 43 |
| Career history | |
| 1985–1986 | Crvena zvezda |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Ljubiša Stefanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Љубиша Стефановић, pronounced [ʎǔbiʃa stefǎːnoʋitɕ]; born 1963), commonly known as Lou Stefanovic, is a Serbian-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois State.
College career
[edit]In 1981, Stefanovic went on to play for Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. As a senior with the Redbirds in the 1984–85 season, Stefanovic averaged team-high 17.5 points and seven rebounds per game and was named to the Missouri Valley All-Second Team.[1][2]
Professional career
[edit]Stefanovic was selected with the 97th overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1985 NBA draft.[3] Following the draft, Stefanovic officially signed for a club in the Spanish ACB League. Few days before the start of the 1985–86 season, he signed a deal with Crvena zvezda of the Yugoslav Basketball League. Afterwards, he had stints in France, Switzerland, and Italy.[4][5]
National team career
[edit]In summer 1983, Stefanovic was an initial roster member for the Yugoslavia University team, but failed to make the final 12-man roster led by Dražen Petrović for the 1983 Summer Universiade in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.[6][5]
Personal life
[edit]Stefanovic's grandfather Branko was a native of Serbia who fought in World War II before emigrating to Gary, Indiana to find work in the steel mills. His father Zoran received a visa to the United States in February 1970 and brought him as a young child.[6][4]
Stefanovic married Helen, with whom he has two sons, Dejan (b. 1994) and Sasha (b. 1998). Sasha played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers.[4][7][8]
See also
[edit]- List of Serbian Americans
- Oklahoma City Thunder draft history
- Saint Sava Church, Merrillville, Indiana
References
[edit]- ^ "Stefanovic ready for serbian opportunity". purduesports.exposure.co. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Missouri Valley Conference Teams". joomag.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "1985 Seattle SuperSonics NBA Draft". sonicsrising.com. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "LJubiša Stefanović, prvi draftovani igrač iz SFRJ: Sin Saša će se odužiti Srbiji". novosti.rs. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Ko je prvi Srbin u NBA?". kosmagazin.com. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Purdue's Sasha Stefanovic following family's example". eu.jconline.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Dopirak, Dustin (May 10, 2022). "Better for it: After redshirt year, Stefanovic, Wheeler ready to make impact at Purdue". The Athletic. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Helen and Lou Stefanovic". nwitimes.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
External links
[edit]- 1963 births
- Living people
- American expatriate basketball people in France
- American expatriate basketball people in Italy
- American expatriate basketball people in Switzerland
- American men's basketball players
- American people of Serbian descent
- Basketball players from Indiana
- Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball players
- KK Crvena zvezda players
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- People from Aleksinac
- Seattle SuperSonics draft picks
- Serbian men's basketball players
- Small forwards
- Yugoslav men's basketball players
- Yugoslav emigrants to the United States
- 20th-century American sportsmen