Croatia basketball great Petar Skansi dies
- Sports
- AFP
- Published Date: 10:39 | 04 April 2022
- Modified Date: 11:37 | 04 April 2022
Croatian basketball great Petar Skansi, who won Olympic medals as both a player and coach, has died aged 78 years, state-run media reported on Monday.
Born on the Adriatic island of Brac, the 2.06-metre (6.8-foot) centre spent most of his playing career with Yugoslav club Jugoplastika Split between 1964 and 1976, taking over as coach when he retired.
As a player, Skansi won silver at the 1968 Olympics with the former Yugoslavia, and gold and silver at the 1970 and 1967 World Cups respectively.
During his coaching career he managed several Italian clubs, leading Treviso to the Italian championship title in 1992.
After Croatian independence in 1991, Skansi took over the national team, winning silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, after losing the final to the United States 'Dream Team'.