Neno Dimitrijevic was named MVP of the Italian Super Cup. During the short tournament, he scored 30 points and averaged 3.5 assists per game, staying on the court for 59 minutes with an overall +20 plus/minus. “Dimitrijevic spent two years in Kazan. An excellent coach like Velimir Perasovic gave him confidence. Over that time, he matured, he is no longer a child, but a man, a father. His ability to control the pace, the game, he showed it this weekend in Bologna. He can still improve a lot, for example in controlling the game, which he already does well, he can become even better in involving this teammate or the other, recognizing situations. It’s nice to have won the Super Cup with encouraging performances from three elements on whom we placed a lot of expectations and who followed the leadership of our veterans, Shields, Mirotic, the crazy defense of Tonut”, said Coach Ettore Messina. Here we propose Dimitrijevic story and his interview published a few weeks ago, at the beginning of the preseason.
Sasha Dimitrijevic is a basketball coach. This year he coaches a team in Malta. If Neno is a point guard, starting his journey with Olimpia, in the EuroLeague, the “credit” should go to him. Or perhaps to a Macedonian family with a boundless and contagious passion for basketball. “As far as I remember, I always had the ball in my hands – Neno says -. My mother also played the game, my sister played, my uncles played. We’re basically all involved in basketball. We are a basketball-oriented family. It was a very easy choice for me, it was love at first sight. I realized I was going to be a player when I was 3 or 4 years old. I remember the first practice with a team. I think I was five. I was a small child. But, at a camp in Zlatibor, Serbia, I think I won all the individual trophies, the shooting competition. I was a precocious talent.”
Dimitrijevic’s entire career was precocious. He was born with the ball in his hands; he immediately showed quality; he never had doubts. In fact, he was 14 years old when he was called to Joventut Badalona. In this regard, his story follows that of Nikola Mirotic who went from Podgorica to Madrid and Leandro Bolmaro who moved from Bahia Blanca to Barcelona at a very young age. They made difficult and courageous decisions. “I was with the Macedonian national team at a tournament for Under 14s. Badalona had a couple of coaches there, because Spain itself was playing in that competition. A couple of their coaches contacted me and invited me to play a tournament with their team the following year. I went, I played well, and they asked me if I wanted to go with them. The following year I moved. I was 14,” he says. No doubt ever surrounded him. “I would do it again a hundred times. I had the support of many people, especially my family. The first two years especially were tough, but I survived, then I grew up and, in the end, I’d say it was the best experience I could have had. I only have great memories of Badalona.”
The most vivid memory dates back to a 2019 Eurocup game against Nanterre, in Badalona. Down by one, ball in hands, crossover, drive. He glided to the rim. Winning score and a foul. A huge play. In that game, he scored 23 points with five assists. Among his teammates there was Nikos Zisis, one of his role models. It was his first big Eurocup game, in his rookie season at international level. He had others: in the Top 16, he averaged 13.6 points and 4.5 assists per game. However, the season was interrupted due to Covid. The following season he played his best game against Kazan, a detail not to be forgotten, another 23 points. He finished the year averaging above 13 points per game. In the summer he changed teams: he was signed by Valencia. The best moment was a floater against Andorra with which he gave his team the win in a Spanish league game. But the turning point in his career did not happen in Spain but in Russia.
“From the first moment I arrived in Kazan, I realized that it would be a great opportunity, basketball wise, career wise – says Dimitrijevic -. Coach Perasovic gave me the chance to be the starting point guard, to be the leader of the team. I embraced the opportunity. I believe that the results were important both for me and for the team as we won the title for the first time in Unics’ history. I’m very proud of what we have done, we have created special memories for everyone, I have built relationships that will not cease. They have been two memorable years.” Memorable is the right definition.
In Kazan, Dimitrijevic won the MVP trophy of the VTB League playoffs in 2023 and led the team to that historic title. In the semi-finals, while CSKA was eliminated by Lokomotiv Kuban, Kazan and St. Petersburg, the defending champion, battled in an unforgettable series. “It was a crazy semi-final, we played seven games, and it was decided at the last second. We prevailed 4-3, it was incredible.” In fact, it needs to be told. Game 7 was played in Kazan. Zenit was led by a highly skilled, experienced, and talented player, Thomas Heurtel. The two point-men put on an unforgettable show. With three and a half minutes left, Zenit was six points ahead. Here, Heurtel committed a foul attempting to prevent Dimitrijevic’s drive. After Neno went 2-for-2, Heurtel restored the six-point lead. Neno responded with a floater, then stole the ball on defense, earned two more free throws and reduced the deficit to two. When Kazan came within one, Heurtel again with a mid-range jumper restored another three points of margin. But with 41 seconds left, up by one, he missed the three that would have sealed the game for Zenit. On the ensuing possession, Dimitrijevic played isolation and made a huge, long two step-back. With 21 seconds left, Heurtel made another three. Coach Perasovic called time-out. Dimitrijevic played another isolation and with a fade-away jumper from the midrange he tied up the score with five seconds remaining. Then, Zenit had a turnover and the American Vince Hunter made the winning free throw for Kazan. Dimitrijevic managed to score 18 points in the last quarter. “We won the championship series with Lokomotiv Luban, who had eliminated CSKA, 4-1 – recalls Neno – but every game was a matter of one possession. Every game could go either way. I’m happy to have won that title: when you win a championship that feeling stays with you forever.”
Last year, Kazan won the regular season but failed to win the title again. However, Dimitrijevic was named the league’s MVP. “As I’ve grown up, what I’ve tried to achieve is continuity, consistency and stability throughout the season. I’ve never chased individual goals, but the league MVP award shows that I was consistent throughout the regular season. I am proud of this.”
In the meantime, he also left his mark on the national team. After leading the youth national teams as their leader, from 2021 he is also the do-it-all leader of the senior national team. With 24.5 points per game, he allowed North Macedonia to win the pre-qualification tournament for the 2025 European Championships. In the two qualifying games played last winter he did even better, rising to over 28 points per game. Setting a career-high 32 points, he helped North Macedonia beat Poland last February. A big win for the team. “Playing for the national team is special. You feel like you are defending your country, your people. Becoming the leader of the national team, feeling this responsibility, is something I really wanted, it’s a position I’ve always tried to have. And now the hope is to qualify for the European Championships next summer.”
As a player he describes himself as creative, so it is no surprise that he mentions Teodosic among his role models. “Actually, I’ve always studied point guards. Vassilis Spanoulis is one, Nikos Zisis is another, but if I have to name my favorite player, I’d say Milos Teodosic. I also admire Chacho, there are many great point guards that I like, but Teodosic has always been my favorite. On the court, I try to create advantages for myself and my teammates. Regardless of the situation, my best quality is being able to find the best solution to help the team. I want to be vocal; I want to try to be a leader. This is what I try to do.”
When he was in Valencia, the team played the Eurocup. In Badalona, he played the Eurocup, in Kazan he was not allowed to play international competitions. But in Milan a dream will come true. “I’m very happy to be here, honestly. I have been following the EuroLeague since I was seven years old, I know its history, I know who won the Final Fours, the members of any team. Being part of this league is like a dream come true. I can’t wait to get started and show what I can do. The first weeks in Milan were amazing. I’m getting to know the people, those who work for the club, my teammates. I’m happy, I see many good guys, with whom it will be a pleasure to share the court and possibly have a winning season. Coach Messina told me to be myself. He says if I am myself and stay aggressive, then good things will follow. And that’s what I want to do.”
