THE SPARTAK BASKETBALL CLUB was founded on April 21, 1945, as part of the newly established sports society "Jovan Mikić – Spartak." In September of the same year, Subotica hosted the first post-war national basketball championship.The history of one of Serbia's oldest basketball clubs is marked by ups and downs. The club came close to reaching the first league in 1949 and 1951, but failure led to the departure of its best players to other teams or their retirement from basketball altogether (Bela Deak, Bartul Skenderović, Jene Blesić, Lazar Vuković). It wasn't until 1968, under the guidance of coach Karlo Kopilović, that a highly talented generation, led by Čedomir Miletin, Tibor Horvat, and Aleksandar Vuković, secured a spot in the Second Federal League, where they competed for nine seasons.In the mid-1970s, the club dropped to the lowest level of competition, the so-called "concrete" league. However, the strategic engagement of Ilija Šakić, Bela Deak, and coach Luka Gavrilović in the mid-1980s marked the rise of the "Blue Pigeons." During the 1985/86 season, the club joined the First "B" League, where it competed for six seasons, striving for a place among the top-tier teams.Finally, after 46 years, Spartak became a first-league club in the 1991/92 season. The "Blues" twice reached the semifinals of the playoffs, and their greatest success came in 1995 under coach Rajko Toroman: reaching the Yugoslav Cup final and narrowly losing to Belgrade's Partizan in Čačak with a score of 81:84.The team's best league finish was third place in the 1992/93 season, under coach Goran Miljković. Spartak also participated in European competitions three consecutive times: debuting in the European Cup during the 1995/96 season and twice competing in the Radivoje Korać Cup. Among their victories, the most memorable was against the Turkish team Tofaş from Bursa, which later became a finalist in the same competition. During this period, the club president was former player Emil Čabarkapa.
SPARTAK SPENT 18 SEASONS IN THE FIRST LEAGUE, including nine consecutive years (from 1991 to 2000) in what was then the YUBA League, now known as the KLS. However, by the mid-2000s, the club found itself in the lowest tier of competition.Thanks to the club’s dedicated and consistent development across all age categories, many players rose to represent their national teams, both at the senior and youth levels. Senior national team players included Dejan Koturović, Dejan Mišković, Vladimir Đokić, Nikola Kalinić, Miloš Milisavljević, and Stefan Pot (who played for OKK Spartak). Among them, Dejan Koturović earned European gold (1995) and World Championship gold (2002), while Nikola Kalinić won Olympic silver (2016) and World Championship silver (2014). Additionally, Nenad Čanak, Dragan Marković, Aleksandar Lazić, and Filip Barna represented the national youth teams, while Predrag Vuletić, Žarko Vojnić, Mikloš Sakal, Mihajlo Bogešić, and Milan Majstorović played for the junior and cadet national teams. Spartak's junior teams finished as runners-up in the national championship in 1991 and 1993.Over its history, the team has been led by 42 coaches, and 472 players have worn its jersey in official matches.A reset for Subotica basketball began in November 2020, with a focus on offering free training for local children and restoring the club’s former glory.In the past three seasons, the club has experienced significant growth thanks to the tireless dedication of basketball enthusiasts and professionals, led by visionary leaders. The 2021/22 season saw absolute dominance under coach Srećko Sekulović, with Spartak winning the Second League and earning promotion to the top tier of Serbian basketball (KLS). The team came just four points short of a championship title, finishing as vice-champions, which qualified them for the regional NLB ABA 2 League for the first time and secured a spot in the Serbian Super League.In the domestic cup, Spartak reached the final tournament, putting up a strong fight in the quarterfinals against Belgrade's Partizan under coach Željko Lukajić. Meanwhile, the cadets finished seventh in the 2021/22 season, and the juniors placed sixth in 2022/23.During the 2023/24 season, Spartak made significant strides on both the Serbian and regional basketball maps. Under coach Vladimir Jovanović, the team finished first in the regular season of the NLB ABA 2 League and triumphed in the playoff final against Vojvodina, achieving the club’s greatest success: promotion to the ABA League. This success also brought fans back to Dudova Šuma Hall, with nearly 4,000 spectators attending the grand final against Vojvodina.In the 2024/25 ABA League season, Spartak will host major teams such as Partizan, Crvena Zvezda, Budućnost, and Cedevita Olimpija, with demand for tickets expected to be high.
