By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The president of KSS, Nebojša Čović, and the head coach of the Serbian National Basketball Team, Svetislav Pešić, held a press conference to discuss some of the key future moves for Serbian basketball. The two outlined the “national project for basketball development of Serbia,” and this didn’t surprise many, as Čović repeatedly said that he thinks the ABA League has lost any meaning.
The duo said they will propose moving all the Serbian teams from the league in 2025-26 and starting a brand-new “Professional National League.” In other words, Serbian basketball officials are looking to bet on themselves and establish a strong, independent national league.
In brief, the league will have strict roster criteria, arena conditions, and a focus on youth players. The plan is to revive Serbian basketball to its “glory days” with the ambition of achieving European dominance. Čović presented a preliminary plan for the new domestic league, which will feature seven levels of competition, with four national and three regional divisions.
“As far as the ABA League is concerned, it lost any market and sports value. Both Red Star and Partizan have secured multi-year licenses for the EuroLeague, while all the other clubs in the region are falling behind. The ABA League is no longer in the interest of Serbian basketball, and it’s oversaturated with “mixed leagues” without any identity,” Čović said.
The brand-new league will have 20 clubs in total, 16 of which will come from the Serbian Basketball League (KLS) and an additional four from the ABA League. Partizan and Crvena Zvezda will also join the competition during the final eight phase in Belgrade. TV coverage will be guaranteed on weekends, and teams must have a minimum of 1,500 arena seats to join the league.
Regarding other requirements, the maximum number of foreign players per team is six, and each team must have a minimum budget of €500,000. Čović also speculated that there’s potential for two additional sports for cities looking to invest in basketball, such as Kragujevac and Niš.
The officials state that they have no issues with the ABA league and aim to remain competitive on the European scene. “Serbia intends to direct its assets towards domestic growth and gain direct access to European competitions in the future by strengthening its national league,” Čović said.