Zmago Sagadin believes the ABA League has moved away from one of the fundamental reasons it was created: developing young regional talent.
The Slovenian coaching legend argued that clubs are now relying too heavily on foreign players instead of providing opportunities to domestic prospects.
“The ABA League was conceived as a league that produces players, not one made up of legions of foreigners, as it has become today. Player development must always come first. We were obsessed with producing players. In the end, Dule Vujosevic and I were among the few who managed to develop talent while also competing in Europe.”
Sagadin was particularly critical of the roster construction of major regional clubs, calling for Partizan and Crvena Zvezda to return to stronger domestic foundations.
“Serbian basketball, like basketball throughout the region, must return to player development. Partizan and Crvena Zvezda, as well as the other clubs, should have seven or eight domestic players and perhaps four foreigners – not rosters that are 90 percent foreign. Those foreign legions are destroying basketball in this region and driving young players toward Europe and the United States because they are no longer given an opportunity to develop here. There is no Dule anymore, there is no Sagadin, and nobody is pushing those young players forward. It is a disaster.”
Zmago Sagadin marvels at Nikola Jokic’s rise: “The greatest miracle of them all”https://t.co/ArddoHgSWx
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 17, 2026
