Dusan Bulut, GOAT of 3×3 FIBA Basketball?

Who would have told in 2012 that Dusan Domovic Bulut from small Serbia will become the first ranked player in the world in 2022? This question raises in the heads of many 3×3 basketball fanatics all over the world. The basketball crowd considers him as one of the most influential players in this thrilling and entertaining sport and you will see why later in the article. Bulut’s turbulent basketball career is one of the most interesting stories in the history of the sport, for sure. He has surpassed much greater talents than him and this review of his career will inspire and motivate generations to come.

How did he start?

His road to becoming the greatest began with watching the movie White man cannot jump in the 90s. Incredible images from cult movie with Woodie Harelson in the main role pushed Dusan to ask his father something. He directly put the question if his father is going to sign him to a school basketball team. He was only 9 years old and suddenly it became a huge part of his life. Dusan decided to invest more in basketball when he was going to the 6^th grade of elementary school. He simply decided to try to transform his passion into his official profession. He practiced persistently and constantly played basketball on the street with his friends after training.

Who were his idols in childhood?

Dusan stated many times that his ideal and model figure in the world of basketball was Michael Jordan. Dusan shared feelings and opinions with the majority of the basketball audience regarding the best player in the history of this game. Michael Jordan’s skills, consistency, and hunger to be the best were driving forces for Dusan to become a professional athlete. Bulut started adopting the mentality of a professional champion by watching NBA and Michael’s determination and perseverance. Dusan simultaneously moved to a school with a basketball program that was better than the previous one.

What were his motives in beginning?

There are two types of motives that initiated a spark in Bulut when he started dedicating himself to this sport. It’s simply impossible to say which is more important because they both play a crucial role in the development and growth of him as a person and athlete. When he was starting playing this wild game on the streets of his birthplace Liman in Novi Sad, he wanted to become the best player in history.  He said in one of his previous interviews that gut feeling was telling him to keep going with 3×3 basketball instead of classic 5×5 basketball. The second motive was to make other people’s days happier.

Why Dusan chose 3×3 instead of 5×5 basketball?

According to him, classic basketball is forcing players into certain lifestyles and it is creating an environment that players may not like. In  3×3 basketball there is more freedom in training and choice of people who surround you on your road to glory. For example, you can choose when and how much you want to practice specific segments of play. Dusan also said that 3×3 basketball has a dimension of lucidity that often is lacking in Nba. Although he had lucrative job offers in professional 5×5 basketball, he decided to commit himself to 3×3.

What trophies he won with a team of Novi Sad?

Dusan Bulut played together with Marko Zdero, Marko Savic, and Dejan Majstorovic in something which turned out to be 3×3 first dynasty. Team Novi Sad set many records which will be difficult to outcome in the future. Novi Sad won four World Tour titles in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019. They lifted twenty trophies in Masters tournaments during the successful period.  Absolute domination on the 3×3 basketball courts was seen in 2018 when Novi Sad finished the season without defeat. This quartet was playing for a national squad of Serbia and won three titles in World Cup. They added two titles in Europe Cup to that achievement.

How did Dusan’s participation at the Olympic games go?

Serbia qualified for this massive event convincingly and had six straight wins before they face ROC (Russian Olympic Committee)  in the semifinal. Dusan Bulut was eager to win the gold and fill his collection of trophies with what he has been missing. Dejan Majstorovic Aka Maestro was also in good form and it looked like Serbia will get what they have come for. Unfortunately, ROC broke the long dreamed desire of Dusan and surprisingly beat Serbia. Serbia could be satisfied with bronze after they won the game for third place against Belgium. It turned out to be the first and last Olympic Games for Dusan.

How Dusan’s career in America is going?

Dusan Bulut, as one of the most dominant players of 3×3 in Europe, was chosen by the Big3 team Ball Hogs in 2019. Big3 is an American 3×3 league formed in 2017 with different rules than FIBA 3X3 basketball. Bulut transfer to America couldn’t pass without a big controversy. Dusan commented on the whole situation with the words that FIBA prohibited him from playing at Olympics in 2020 if he played in Big3. It was a punch to Dusan’s hope to play together with some of his role models from childhood. Serbian player chose to pull off from Big3 temporarily but never gave up on his dream. He finally played for team Power in Big3 in 2021 and made a great contribution right away. Bulut is playing for Aliens from 2022.

How Dusan Bulut influenced development of 3×3?

Dusan Bulut got the idea to share all of the knowledge he gained throughout his career. He is the founder of Bulut Hoops Camp. The purpose of the camp is to give all necessary advice to young players and make champions mentality out of them. Bulut is having higher ambitions regarding this camp as he wants to transform it into a global camp based in Novi Sad. His idea is to gather the best international players in one place as a forum for new ideas and innovations. For example, Dusan is frequently improving 3×3 basketball in Asia by holding Bulut Hoops on the island of Maldives.

What are Bulut’s biggest flaws and virtues?

Dusan, a four-time world champion, seems often nervous because of the referee’s decision and that can affect his performance. His short-tempered mentality is consisting part of his personality and doesn’t have to be a bad thing, though. When someone “provokes” him on the court his unbelievable creativity starts to play role in his game. His famous “crossover” is a moment of magic that he performs from instinct and intuition. He has a good sense of what will happen next on the court. His biggest virtue is passion and true love for this street-based sport.

What’s the secret to Dusan’s success?

Dusan received values like friendship, care for other people, and determination early from his family and he managed to keep his humbleness during his glory days.  He learned to be tough on the streets otherwise he couldn’t succeed in a competitive subculture like 3×3. Bulut was only thinking about basketball while others were giving themselves to addiction and shallow pleasures. Dusan’s insatiable hunger to improve enables him to handle all disappointments in his career and that’s why he is enjoying the status of the best player of 3×3 in history now.