Shooting for Mirza

Europe, 1992, the unthinkable happened: The Serbian army took position in the hills surrounding the city of Sarajevo and without stopping, pressured its inhabitants, approximately 550,000 people. Their sadistic strategy consisted of aerial bombardments and sniper gunshots, turning the city into its own hunting grounds. Only one year after it began, the population of Sarajevo fell to 380,000 people. It was at that moment that Mirza Delibašić, a European Basketball legend, decided to fight in the city with his only weapon: to create the first official Bosnian National Basketball team. The majority of the players of that national team had been away from the courts for months, having been involved in military tasks to defend the city.

In April of 1993, Mirza and some of his teammates decided to escape the siege of Sarajevo in order to participate in the Mediterranean Games and afterwards in the European Championship Games. Their mission was to win, if possible, and to reclaim help for Bosnia, their homeland. The expedition, consisted of 18 people (ten Bosnians, five Serbians and three Croatians), divided themselves into three groups. Despite the discretion and speed in which they moved toward the airport of the Bosnian capital, there were gunshots. However, they were able to stay together. All of them followed Mirza faithfully.

Mirza was much more than a magnificent Basketball player.