Nikola Vujčić, the man and the legend, was presented today at a gala press conference as the new team manager for Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv. “It’s an honor for me to be a part of such a great club like Maccabi.”
By Amy Samin
Today (Sunday) Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv held a celebratory press conference announcing that legendary center, Nikola Vujčić, has returned to the club as team manager.
Club chairman, Shimon Mizrahi made the opening remarks at the press conference. “I recall the day we reached an agreement regarding Nikola Vujčić. He came to Israel and was then loaned out for a season to Villeurbanne, and with them he won the French Championship and the French Cup; the first time in a great many years that the team had won those titles. Nikola was literally the pillar of our team, which won many titles. I wish Nikola all the success in the world, and I am sure he can lead the team, add a lot of motivation, and devote the time to help our big players improve. Welcome, Nikola.”
Nikola Vujčić made these remarks to the gathering: “I am very excited about coming back. It’s an honor for me to be a part of such a great club like Maccabi. Really, you could say I never left. For me, coming back to Maccabi is like coming home. I can’t wait to get started. My job description is to be involved in many different basketball matters. One of my roles is also to be the connection between the management and the professional staff. I just want to help in every way I can. I’m here to give my opinion, not to make decisions.”
When asked if he was prepared to announce his retirement from playing basketball, Vujčić said, “A year or two will need to pass before I am ready to say I am retiring. I still feel good. Will I play? You can’t rule anything out.” Questions about the details of his role elicited this response: “I will mostly be involved in basketball matters. Part of my role is to be part of the professional staff. I think I can help a lot and I hope everyone will be satisfied with the work I do.”
Later on, David Federman said a few words: “We brought Nikola so that he could contribute his knowledge and be the go-between for the management and the coaches. The relationship between him and the coaches, and David, is extremely good, and what we’ve seen in the first week that he has been here is far beyond any expectation that we had.”
“We are thinking thirty years ahead and we are sure he will be able to take us forward. He is going to be an enormous benefit to us in terms of basketball. Nikola will be involved in every conversation with a player. In 99 cases out of 100, we all agree regarding one player or another. Nikola, thank you for coming.”
