Have you ever heard a commentator screaming “Mr. Robot” on TV during watching 3×3 basketball games? Did you wonder who that player is? Ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about Stefan Stojacic. Stefan is one of the most recognizable figures in the world of 3×3 basketball.
The older brother of Strahinja Stojacic is present on the biggest stage in basketball on one rim for a long time. About his beginnings, temptations, and comebacks to the thing he likes very much. When we talk about his priorities, basketball is right behind his family. His career inspired me to write a story about him.
How did he start playing basketball?
Stojacic was training classic 5×5 basketball in the younger generations of famous Serbian teams like Vojvodina, Partizan, and Red Star. At that age, Stefan graduated from two universities. Stefan was the junior champion of the World in 2007 where he won the final game against the USA.
Stephen Curry was representing USA national squad, but he was hopeless in the clash against the Serbians. This player thought going into the NBA draft in 2011, but everything turned 360 degrees quickly. When he was 23 years old and the hero of our story started wandering with his career and decided to give up on basketball.
What happened next on Stefan’s road to glory?
Basketball didn’t please Stefan’s deepest desires anymore. Stojacic began studying Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad. Stefan Stojacic asked Ilija Kovacevic, a professor at that university, what major to enroll in the university. He got some advice but decided to choose Mechatronics. It’s mixed electronics, mechanics, and information technologies.
Aleksandar Ratkov, the future teammate of Stojacic, called him during those days of studying to represent the university’s team in the tournament of faculties. The hero of these paragraphs accepted the offer and that’s how the interesting road started.
What did Stefan do on 3×3 basketball university tournaments?
Nemanja Tomic and Jovan Krpez joined those two guys in that team who won the tournament. Stefan’s team first competed in the Novi Sad locations. The space of competition expanded later to Belgrade and Serbia.
The team had some modifications to the roster and under its name, FTN was a winner in the university championship of Serbia. The place on the global stage and competitions was acquired and that’s how the team Liman was formed. The wonderful story of one of the two biggest teams in Serbia could start officially.
How was the road for team Liman?
Novi Sad can be called as cradle of 3×3 basketball. Liman is part of Novi Sad from which are Stefan Stojacic and Dusan Domovic Bulut, the two most important personalities for the development of European basketball on one rim. Liman had a great rivalry with another Serbian giant Novi Sad during the 2010s.
At one moment, Liman and Novi Sad were first-placed and second-placed teams in the ranking. Novi Sad was founded a little bit earlier. Liman got to first place in the team’s ranking in 2018. Liman made a long way from only being a university team to becoming a global force in this sport.
Did Stefan Stojacic play in other countries?
Stefan had the offer to spend his career internationally. His Liman was invited to the Chinese city Shanghai by the Chinese Basketball Association to play there. The purpose was to help the national squad of China national squad to qualify for the upcoming Olympic Games. He and his teammates said yes and lived there for almost a year.
Stojacic points out that those months in Asia were an incredibly significant experience in his career. This player has great reminiscence from that period. However, the desire to come back to Serbia prevailed. Stefan Stojacic missed almost the whole of 2019 due to injury.
How were the results for Serbia when Stojacic was playing?
Serbia won the World Cup in 2018 in the Philippines in the city Bocaue. Serbia beat Netherland in the final game with 16-13. Dejan Majstorovic, Dusan Domovic Bulut, Marko Savic, and Stefan Stojacic were members of that winning squad. It was the fourth title of world champion for the Serbian national squad.
Stefan achieved his goal for that year and continued to dream about winning gold at Olympics. Stefan’s teammate Bulut got the MVP award in that tournament and was included in the Team of the competition. Stojacic played a huge role in winning the quest.
Did Stefan participate in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo?
Stefan was not called for Olympic Games in Japan. As we mentioned before, Stojacic missed almost the entire 2019 regarding a serious injury. Stefan Stojacic was disappointed and devastated when he found out the Serbian roster didn’t include him. His reaction was very reasonable since this player marked Serbian 3×3 basketball during the previous years.
Stefan’s thoughts were that his hard work didn’t pay off. However, his determination to improve himself succeeded in the future. Stefan recovered after those setbacks and injuries and became even more motivated to prolong his career.
What happened after with Stefan?
The pandemic hit the world in the spring of 2020 and many sports events were not held. Olympic games 2021 were prolonged for next year. 3×3 basketball was not an exception and players didn’t have a chance to play tournaments. Stojacic did not lose time and practiced 3×3 basketball alone. Stefan had the vision to continue his career and to rise like a phoenix from dust.
This player only wanted to someone see his dedication and recognize the doubtful quality of his game. Stefan Stojacic was waiting for a chance to shine like the brightest star again in the world sky and the patience paid off finally.
Where did Stefan continue his career?
Stefan became a coach and player at the same time in the Austrian team Vienna. The team from the capital of Austria hired a 3×3 basketball star as their main enforcement in 2022. It was an opportunity for Stojacic to revive his career in his 30s.
Stefan Stojacic is playing excellently in Challengers this season and pushed his team to make some significant results at those tournaments. His team is constantly progressing and we can conclude that hero of our story made a good move. They competed at some of the biggest Masters. His decision to try the coach-player role turned out to be a clever decision.
Look here some of his best moves in career:
What is Stefan Stojacic doing outside of court?
Chess and music are big Stefan’s passions. Stojacic was third in the European championship when he was 10 years old. His love for playing piano in his spare time is one of his main hobbies. Also, the hero of these paragraphs graduated from three universities and he is one of the rare players who did that.
We can see that Stefan Stojacic has many interests outside the court. Stojacic is a member of many projects that have a goal to help younger generations to grow into successful 3×3 basketball players. Stefan has family also.
Stefan Stojacic was awarded the title of FIBA 3X3 World Tour regular season MVP 2017. Stefan is in reality more than just MVP. Older brother Stojacic is one of the remaining representatives of older generations of 3×3 players. His skills and playing characteristics are necessary for any team in the world.
His authority and leadership are evident and easy to recognize during watching a 3×3 game. Supporters hope Stefan Stojacic has more playing years in front of him because of his creativity on the court. Mr. Robot deserves to be in the 3×3 Hall of Fame. He has done so much for this sport and we expect more in upcoming years.
[…] under the rim with his strength and athleticism, so opponent players had difficulties guarding him. Stefan Stojacic has natural-born leadership skills and can make crucial assists in deciding moments of the […]