Over the 50 Years of European Club Basketball being celebrated by Euroleague Basketball throughout this season, a few shots stand out as the most memorable. One of those, without doubt, was Sasha Djordjevic's title-winning buzzer-beater that gave Partizan Belgrade it's only Euroleague trophy in 1992. His race downcourt to beat Joventut Badalona with a jump shot on the full run is seared in the mind of anyone who saw it, and especially the fans of Partizan in Belgrade. Those same fans will be watching on Wednesday, when Djordjevic is honored with other greats from the club's history in another in the series of 50 Years of European Club Basketball commemorative events being held across the continent. With history on his mind, Djordjevic spoke to Euroleague.net recently about the legacy of 1992. "It was a dream come true," Djordjevic said. "But there was a lot of time and a lot of work that went into the shot. It kind of changed the whole history of the club, who had never won the Euroleague before. That's why it meant a lot. I'm really proud and happy about it, but mostly for the team and the city."
Hello, Sasha. We have to start with The Shot: 1992, Istanbul, your game-winner for Partizan in the Euroleague Final. How often do you think of it?
"It was a big shot and a huge game, the one which gave us the title for the team that I really loved as a kid. So it really meant a lot to me. I don't think about it a lot, but people remind me about it all the time. And it's probably going to stay that way. But it really meant a lot to the team especially for their history, and that's how I'll try to remember it."
What did that shot and that 1992 Euroleague title mean to you at the time, but also now, looking back over the years?
"It was a dream come true. Every kid practicing dreams of that kind of shot for that title because that title was the biggest of all for a team and a player. But as a kid, you try to direct it as a movie: 'Down by two with the ball, 4...3...2...1'; you shoot and it goes in. And it really happened. It was a dream come true. But there was a lot of time and a lot of work that went into the shot. It kind of changed the whole history of the club, who had never won the Euroleague before. That's why it meant a lot. I'm really proud and happy about it, but mostly for the team and the city."
That dramatic victory by Partizan is also considered one of European basketball's biggest moments. How does it feel to be a part of history like that, doing something that everyone who saw it always remembers?
"It's a huge part of history by itself. It was an unbelievable thing how we did it and I did it. I remember Milan in the semis and they had a team full of great players and Mike D'Antoni as coach, who was one of my idols. At the beginning of the semis, there were a lot of photographers taking pictures, but everybody at half-court was turned to the Italians. Only about three or four from my country were taking pictures of us and about 25 were shooting the Italians. I remember saying to the trainer, I don't like that. If we beat them, how will things change? And he said, 'I like what you're thinking.' And it happened."
 Your generation of players at Partizan did so much after 1992, too: you, Sasha Danilovic, Zeljko Rebraca, Nikola Loncar and, of course, a young head coach then, Zeljko Obradovic. Looking back, could any of you, at the time, have predicted so much success for that young group?
"That's what you work for it. You can't predict things, but you just go for it. We had a good team, and for three or four years were always there, fighting with Cibona, and were always there trying to win it all. We also believed in ourselves and that's what made the difference. We had a coach in his first year but we all had a great relationship, both professionally and as friends, every time we were on the court. I think I and the others were very mature at the time - not only as players but as persons as well. And that really helped to build the great team spirit and respect for the coach, even though it was his first year. And he would not get mad at us, which helped us. If we would lose by 30 or 40 points, he would be laughing, and that was just the opposite of what you would expect. And that helped our confidence to grow."
You were also part of a generation of European players who helped change the way European basketball is looked at around the world. Did you feel those big changes happening and feel that European basketball was getting better and better during your career?
"Absolutely. Back at that time, I was trying for the Olympic team in 1990, after my military time. And then we had the great Euroleague championship and I had a lot of contracts on the table - from NBA and other strong teams. But I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay in Europe. After the title, I had some of my best playing days in Italy on a personal basis and that helped me in my career. That year helped us understand that with hard work and sacrifice we could move on. We were not the best team on paper and didn't have the most money. But looking back, we had some great players, too. Still, a lot of people said that's one of the biggest upsets in European basketball history."
In the end, after your team and individual achievements, what did it mean to you personally to have the chance to play in those European club competitions - the Euroleague mainly?
"That's what you work for. I saw Maccabi growing up and all the other great teams. Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow and Varese. There were a lot of players with a lot of talent and a lot of big names, who I looked at as my idols. And now I was the one making history. I played a lot of great basketball, and it was an honour to achieve those big goals - as a team team and personally. And looking at Yugoslavia with names like Petrovic and Danilovic and so many others, it was proof that the best basketball was played in Yugoslavia. But it was always about the team. I had a lot of personal honours in my career, but they never gave me the satisfication as those with the team. Every time I talk to young players, I always tell them to think about the team."
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