Background
He was born in Zagreb and raised in Zadar, where he started his basketball career in 1965, playing for KK Zadar.
He was born in Zagreb and raised in Zadar, where he started his basketball career in 1965, playing for KK Zadar.
Brigham Young University.
He came to the United States to play college basketball at Brigham Young University from 1971 to 1973. In the 1972 National Basketball Association Draft he was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 10th round (144th overall). The following year at the 1973 National Basketball Association Draft he was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 5th round (84th overall).
He was the first foreign player to earn All-American honors from the United Press International, garnering them in 1972 and 1973.
After his college career, he rejected several professional offers and returned home to Yugoslavia. Ćosić played in four Olympic Games: 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980 in Moscow when he led his team to the gold medal.
He previously led Yugoslavia to a pair of World Championship gold medals in 1970 and 1978. Following his playing days, he turned to coaching, and led the former Yugoslav team to a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and two bronze medals at the 1986 International Basketball Federation World Championship and 1987 EuroBasket.
In 1996 Ćosić became only the third international player ever elected to the world"s Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball.
In the years following basketball he worked in the United States as a Croatian diplomat at the embassy in Washington, District of Columbia, having helped secure the land where the embassy now stands. Ćosić died in Baltimore, Maryland in 1995 of non-Hodgkin"s lymphoma. On 4 March 2006, Ćosić became just the second men"s basketball player to have his jersey retired by Brigham Young University (the other was Danny Ainge).
On 4 March 2006, Ćosić became just the second men"s basketball player to have his jersey retired by Brigham Young University (the other was Danny Ainge). In 2007, he was enshrined in the International Basketball Federation Hall of Fame. Croatian national basketball cup and KK Zadar"s home arena are named after him. The Croatian landmark formerly known as Califfi Castle now carries the name of this basketball superstar and Churchman. There is a square in Zagreb, Croatia that bears his name (Trg Krešimira Ćosića). A street in Zadar carries his name. One of top medalists of International Basketball Federation"s World Championships (4 medals) multiple participant of International Basketball Federation All-Star Games, playing on the side of European Selection roster International Basketball Federation"s 50 Greatest Players: 1991 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors: 2008.
