Background
Though his parents were from Brčko, Nikolić was born in Sarajevo, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes due to his mother visiting her sister and suddenly going into labour.
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Though his parents were from Brčko, Nikolić was born in Sarajevo, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes due to his mother visiting her sister and suddenly going into labour.
He is considered to be so instrumental and important to the game"s development in the country, that he is often referred to as, The Father of Yugoslav Basketball. Aleksandar Nikolić died on 12 March 2000, in Belgrade, He is buried in the Alley of the Greats, in Belgrade, Novo Groblje ("New Cemetery"). Having a wealthy father Đorđe Nikolić, who had him when he was 62 years old, meant that young Aleksandar enjoyed a privileged upbringing.
He studied medicine and law at the University of Belgrade, graduating in 1946.
Nikolić was nicknamed, "The Professor", "Iron Sergeant", and, "The father of Yugoslav basketball". He was a professor at the University of Belgrade"s Faculty of Sport and Physical Education.
The future coaches taught by Nikolić include Božidar Maljković, Dušan Ivković, Bogdan Tanjević, Želimir Obradović, et cetera However, Nikolić always had a real passion for basketball.
As a player, he competed for Partizan (1945–1947), Crvena Zvezda (1947–1949), Železničar Čačak (1949–1950), and BSK Belgrade (1950–1951).
After his playing career was over, he became involved with coaching, both with Serbia-based clubs, and those in Italy, notably Varese. Nikolić was the head coach of the Yugoslav national squad, between 1951 and 1965, and later between 1977 and 1978. During this time, he coached two future Hall of Famers in Borislav Stanković and Krešimir Ćosić.
Nikolić was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, and into the International Basketball Federation Hall of Fame in 2007.
In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors.
Nikolić was a member of the Yugoslav national basketball team, during the late 1940s, playing 10 games.