Belgrade (AFP) - With sold-out crowds, an ignited fan base and a late season rally, Partizan Belgrade's return to the Euroleague playoffs on Tuesday marks an end to a 13-year postseason drought for the club in basketball-crazed Serbia.
The comeback season has brought thousands flocking to games decked in black and white.The team regularly sell out the 18,300-capacity Stark Arena in Belgrade and led the Euroleague in attendance this year.
"On average, 17,012 fans attend the game in the Stark Arena," according to Basket News.
The team's fans -- known as the Gravediggers because of the club's colours -- are renowned for their fierce devotion.
This season their devotion has been rewarded as Partizan have made the playoffs and visit Real Madrid on Tuesday for a first-round game.
They have not been in a European playoff game since 2017 and have not won one since finishing fourth in Euroleague in 2010.
The team is part of a multi-sport club founded in 1945 that also includes one of Serbia's top football teams.
The ultras at the basketball marshal passion more common at a football match, leading the crowd through thundering chants and songs, while waving flags and scarfs.
"Hands down we have the best home court in Europe.I don't think anyone can contest that," Mathias Lessort, Partizan's star French centre, told AFP.
"It's a no-brainer how much they are helping us at home."
Following a rocky start to the season, Partizan turned the tide snatching a wildcard entry into the Euroleague postseason under the guidance of coach Zeljko Obradovic -- who led the team to their last European championship in 1992.
After coaching in Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey and amassing trophies, Obradovic returned to coach Partizan in 2021, energising the team and the fan base.
'Far too long'
"There is this connection with the huge support from the stands," Obradovic told local media before the playoffs.
"Partizan fans have always been like that."
While Serbia has long been known for its fierce football culture, basketball has deep roots in Serbia -- with the game first introduced by an American Red Cross envoy a century ago.
Following World War II, Yugoslavia's socialist government invested generously in sports, including in basketball with courts built in almost every neighbourhood.
Southeastern Europe remains a leading incubator for talent.
Serbian players -- who have a reputation for both toughness and finesse -- are heavily recruited by wealthier European leagues and the National Basketball Association in North America.
Back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic hails from Serbia and cut his teeth playing in the domestic league before joining the Denver Nuggets.
As their Serbian basketball players have soared abroad Partizan and their crosstown rivals Red Star have struggled for years, with both absent from the Euroleague playoffs for long stretches.
Yet Partizan also import.Their five top scorers in Euroleague this season include three Americans -- forward Kevin Punter, centre Zach LeDay and guard James Nunnally -- as well as Australian forward Dante Exum and Lessort. Exum and Nunnally are both former NBA players.
"We've waited for far too long.Partizan's place is in the Euroleague," said Marko Pena, a 27-year-old supporter following the team's win over Greek side Panathinaikos earlier this month.
"We'll go to the final four."
