Miško Ražnatović shared his views on several key topics, including the direction of the Serbian national team, the current situation in the EuroLeague, developments at Red Star and Partizan, and a bold new global basketball concept that involves LeBron James.
In an interview with MozzartSport, Ražnatović pointed to what he believes is a major issue facing European basketball: the absence of a strong central authority in the EuroLeague.
He said, “The Euroleague needs someone like Adam Silver or like David Stern, before him. Their decisions were unquestionable. As for the future, no one really knows. NBA Europe is on the horizon, but it’s unclear whether they’ll take control of the clubs or the players. There are a lot of unknowns, for me and for everyone else.”
He went on to confirm that discussions about forming a new, global basketball league – an idea linked to LeBron James – are serious and ongoing.
“That idea has been around for a while, and people are actively working on it. It would be a completely different kind of league, not based on clubs, but more like Formula 1. If it comes to life, it could shake up both the Euroleague and the NBA, since some players might choose that path instead. But there’s still a lot of work to be done before that happens,” Ražnatović said.
Turning to the Serbian national team, he noted that the appointment of Dušan Alimpijević marks a major shift.
“After many years, we have a fresh face on the national team bench. He’s significantly younger than his predecessors and has been close to the players for a long time. I expect things to look different, that’s why I said this is a new chapter,” Ražnatović explained.
On the subject of coaching experience versus youth, he added, “I always lean toward younger coaches. Dušan has enough experience to handle any challenge, and his communication with the players will be excellent, there’s no generation gap.”
Ražnatović also addressed the growing issue of exhaustion among elite players.
“Thirty or forty years ago, guys like Slavnić or Kićanović played maybe 20 to 30 games a season. Today’s players can have as many as 90. It’s simply impossible for them to play for the national team year after year. There’s no ideal solution and that’s bad news for the players. Those who do join the national team face enormous physical strain, which then affects their club seasons. The growing number of injuries says it all.”
Shifting to club basketball, he spoke about Donatas Motiejunas’ move to Red Star.
“He’s a fantastic addition. Red Star needed experience and a sense of European basketball and Motejunas brings exactly that. Even when he’s not the best player on the floor, his influence in the locker room will be invaluable. Red Star was very fortunate – everyone involved made the right move.”
When assessing the summer moves of Serbia’s two biggest clubs, he observed, “Red Star is overloaded at the three and four positions, while injuries have hurt their backcourt, creating some imbalance. Partizan, on the other hand, kept the core of its team and didn’t make many changes. It’s a good approach, but we’ll see how it plays out on the court. I see both teams fighting for the play-in or the playoffs. That’s probably their ceiling right now.”
Misko Raznatovic shares updates on a potential NBA rival league with the involvement of LeBron James.
“It would be an additional blow to the EuroLeague and the NBA”https://t.co/Y7aJUlZOyk
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) October 20, 2025
