DistantNews
Support us
🇭🇷 Croatia /Sports

Controversial Athlete Who Says He Does Not Like Croats Attends Mladić Funeral, Shirt Draws Attention

From Večernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Former Serbian basketball player Darko Miličić attended the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Belgrade.
  • Miličić wore a shirt displaying 09011992, which the article identifies as the date of Republika Srpska's creation.
  • The article recalls Miličić's Serbian nationalist associations and his earlier statement that he could not realistically call a Croat his brother.

Darko Miličić arrived at Ratko Mladić's funeral in Belgrade wearing a shirt marked with the number 09011992. The article identifies the number as the date Republika Srpska was established, making the garment the detail that drew particular attention.

Miličić, a former Serbian national team basketball player, entered the NBA as the second pick in the 2003 draft and won an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons. The article presents him as a major talent who failed to meet expectations and ended his playing career at 27.

People see me drinking like a Chetnik and say, look at the peasant. So what? I am a peasant at heart and a Chetnik, and I will always be a Chetnik.

· Darko MiličićMiličić made the statement while discussing his Chetnik identity and criticism of his drinking.

After retiring, Miličić returned to Serbia and was often seen at gatherings where he sang songs by Baja Mali Knindža, described in the article as a fervent Serbian nationalist and singer of Krajina songs. The article also points to Miličić's tattoos depicting historical Chetnik figures and recalls his admiration for Chetnik duke Momčilo Đujić.

Miličić has previously spoken in sharply nationalist terms about the wars of the former Yugoslavia. "To call a Croat my brother would be a lie, it isn't realistic," he said on one occasion. The article also quotes him saying, "I am a peasant at heart and a Chetnik, and I will always be a Chetnik," while discussing criticism of his drinking and Chetnik identity.

To call a Croat my brother would be a lie, it isn't realistic.

· Darko MiličićThe article recalls the former basketball player's earlier statement about Croats and other peoples involved in the war.
About this summary

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog