Miralem Halilovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina national team captain and Galatasaray’s player, spoke with Basketball Sphere about various topics.
Miralem Halilovic is a player who has achieved everything in his career through hard work. There are people you can judge at first glance, and it seems that he is one of those who don’t hide behind a mask. When we arranged the interview, it all came down to two simple sentences. Can we do it? The express answer was, “Yes.”
We met, and even when he saw that we had arrived earlier than scheduled while he was on his lunch break and had no obligation, he kindly gestured for us not to wait. A broad smile and honest answers without any pretense, just like the basketball player he is. He always gives his all, no matter what.
We touched all the clubs he has played for, including Zagreb, where he shared the locker room with players like Mike James, Dario Saric, Mario Hezonja and Krunoslav Simon. He talks about all these clubs and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team with special emotion.
The biggest challenge in career – Galatasaray
We started with the new team of Miralem Halilovic. This summer, he signed with Galatasaray, one of the biggest clubs in Turkey, and it boasts a massive fan base.
“This is the biggest club in my career that I’ve played for, as well as the biggest transfer. No club I’ve played for before even came close to having such a reputation, even though I’ve played for clubs that performed at a high level.
One of them is Zagreb, which was in the EuroLeague, and Metropolitans, with whom I played in the EuroCup and reached the quarterfinals. Perhaps that was even better than Galatasaray in recent years in terms of results, but in terms of name, it’s not even comparable.” – Miralem Halilovic said at the beginning.
Galatasaray is one of the largest sports organizations in Turkey, and we know how passionately sports are followed in that country.
“There are big expectations every year. They don’t care if our budget is ten times smaller than Fenerbahce’s. They want to compete for the title, just like in football. They’ve won the title now, and they believe that trophies should be won in volleyball, basketball, table tennis, basically in all sports where the Galatasaray crest is on the jersey. It’s, in a way, both good and bad thing. It’s good because it pushes you to always give your best, to be the best version of yourself.”
Head Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic
Montenegrin head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic took over at Galatasaray, and we were curious about what he expects from Halilovic.
“He brought me in after watching me and playing against me many times in France. He knows what I can bring to the team – experience, a balance between the inside and outside game, and we can say some plays that involve running and positional offenses where I have experience in those quick openings from the pick-and-roll game, to bring calmness and dimension, aside from athleticism and set plays.” – Miralem Halilovic explained.
A friend in the jersey of a big rival – Edin Dzeko
“We haven’t talked yet. He’s in a rival club, and I see that the fans are constantly in a ‘war.’ I didn’t have the impression before that the rivalry was so intense, but I see now that I’ve arrived, every move is closely watched. I believe the fans wouldn’t be happy if I were to post a picture with him.”
Miralem Halilovic: “They raised me to the stars, then wrote me off a year later”
Miralem Halilovic achieved everything in his career primarily through hard work and dedication.
“I was considered a talent as early as 15-16 years old where they raised me to the stars, but within a year, they had already written me off. I had to build my path gradually. I reached the situation I’m in now through hard work and, you could say, the longer route. I’ve been the captain of the national team for five to six years. It all came a bit later than it does in other careers.”
The new Galatasaray player gives his all in every game and practice. There’s a lot of physical contact, hits and running. The question is how much the body can endure with that style of play.
“My former coach, Danijel Jusup, deserves credit for those things. I spent four years with him, and he instilled that mindset in me, that everything is done this way. We recently had some recovery practice with the national team, and I immediately went in and dunked. Jusuf Nurkic asked me, ‘Miki, why?’
That’s how it is when Jusup brainwashes you; you don’t know any other way. It can leave a mark, but honestly, I feel better when I do things that way, not halfway.” – He explained and praised his former coach Jusup.
The beginning of his career and rise
Halilovic started his career at Sloboda in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Later, as a young player, he moved to Zagreb, which was the top club in Croatia at the time. They were champions and played in the EuroLeague. Talented players like Dario Saric and Mario Hezonja were there, as well as the more experienced Krunoslav Simon.
“It was a nice neighborhood club, as they would say in Zagreb, where young players and kids from Zagreb always played, those who couldn’t play for Cibona or Zadar at the time because they were paying a lot of money for their basketball players.
It was a team that just brought in five or six more talents when I arrived including Mario Hezonja, Dario Saric and Toni Prostran, who was an amazing young player. At the same time, they also signed Damir Mulaomerovic. Krunoslav Simon and Luka Zoric were already there, plus Mario Kasun, whose arrival at the time was a shock as it was the biggest transfer ever in Croatia.”
The sleepy Mike James
For some, it’s an unknown fact that Mike James had his first contract in Europe right in Zagreb, playing alongside Halilovic. The reason James was dismissed from Zagreb is quite hilarious.
“Yes, Mike James was with me. There’s a funny anecdote. It was his first season in Europe. The coach was Danijel Jusup. After about two months of being there, he was shocked by various practices and the style of play in Europe. Probably from a night out, communication with his family in America, or maybe video games; I don’t know… But he fell asleep during a video session we were watching, which happened two or three times, and it was a big insult to Jusup.
After that, he was fired. Mike James, who was fired in Zagreb, was later at Panathinaikos and even in the NBA, making one of the best careers in Europe. His start was really tough.” Miralem Halilovic shared this funny story with us.
Derrick Rose in Croatia and the anectode with T.J. Ford
During the 2011/2012 season, Zagreb was competing in the EuroLeague. Coincidentally, there was an NBA lockout at that time. Consequently, many players used that period to play in Europe.
“It was madness with the names that were there. We took one step too far, where the club couldn’t keep up financially or in terms of infrastructure. There was even talk once during the NBA lockout that Derrick Rose might come to Zagreb. At that time, he was the NBA MVP. We joked that he would come to Trnsko, sit on that wooden bench with us, and shower with the seven of us, which T.J. Ford actually did.”
There are also anecdotes with Ford, who came to Zagreb after playing eight years for the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and Indiana Pacers in the NBA. They were playing the ABA League game in Kragujevac against Radnicki.
“Kruno Simon also talked about it when we were going to Kragujevac and how we parked in front of the hotel, and a Yugo car stopped next to us. On the back seat, there was a roasted pig they brought for a wedding. T.J. Ford getting off the bus, and the first thing he saw in the Yugo was the roasted pig. He went through a lot, but I think he never forgot that scene.”
The journey through his career
Halilovic played for Zagreb on three occasions. He also played for Dzukija, Krka and Sibenik before heading to France. There, he spent five years playing for Orleans, Metropolitans and Nanterre.
“The Croatian second division is even crazier than the first, I mean athletically. There’s less basketball knowledge there and even more athleticism, but the players are a bit shorter. It’s really a pure form of play, kind of a run and gun style, not much tactical play.
I spent two years there, and in the second year, we managed to win the championship with Sibenik and get promoted to the first division, which was a fantastic step. The fact that I was the best player in the Croatian League, the best defender, and a champion with Sibenik until the age of 26… And then I went to the second division in France.
I tell this to the younger players; nothing happens overnight. Now, someone wonders why they can’t find a club even with an average of 10 points in the Bosnian League. I just wanted to open up a new market because I saw that nobody serious in Croatia wanted to sign me, and it worked out perfectly.
And that came quite late. I played my first year in the French second division at the age of 27, the second year at 28, and it was only at 29 that I played my first year in the French League and immediately became the league’s top scorer, which is a bit absurd. France really helped me a lot, and I felt good there, adapted, learned the language, and made an effort to give back to them since they gave me a chance. That’s how I saw it.”
The national team
Miralem Halilovic is the captain of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, which consistently manages to upset some major teams in big competitions, but there hasn’t been a significant breakthrough in terms of results.
In Poland, they lost in the final of the pre-qualification tournament for the Olympic Games. The team boasts names like Dzanan Musa, Jusuf Nurkic, and now Luka Garza.
“I thought that winning this in Poland would be the turning point. I saw the entire nation was excited about that final, but it’s sad that so much depends on that result. If we had won, maybe we would have attracted even more public attention and sponsors. Now everything has faded away, and no one will mention us until February when the Eurobasket qualifiers begin.
We tried with that press conference to do something to wake it up, to give people hope, but it’s a tough process, a tough system. We were talking about those friendly games. Okay, if the country doesn’t help us, how can the Federation not organize a friendly games, like Slovenia does, where they bring and play a few preparatory games, and people come to see Luka Doncic and buy tickets? I don’t understand that part, that the Federation can’t do that.
They have their explanations, but I’m sure that since I hang out with Musa and Nurkic on a daily basis, wherever they go, 50 people approach them for a photo. So, that should be utilized. It’s impossible not to put up some posters in May, announcing that the preparations will be in July, and that ‘Skenderija Hall’ can’t be filled twice and money earned. That’s my idea; now, whether it’s possible, I think it is.“
Luka Garza’s debut with the national team
Luka Garza has integrated well with the national team. He played for the first time in the pre-qualification tournament for the Olympic Games.
“Yes, he really is, a true warrior. He has that character. He’s not intrusive at all, not someone who disrupts the atmosphere or demands anything, and he has really fit in well. We all commented on it, as if he had been here all along. He didn’t ask for any plays to be drawn up for him. Really, all the praise for him.” – Miralem Halilovic said.
Recovery process
As an athlete, Miralem Halilovic takes extreme care of his nutrition, rest, and recovery.
“If you were to ask my teammates, I’m a bit extreme about it. When I went to France, I saw that it was given great importance. I’m extreme when it comes to nutrition, rest and recovery. Somehow when you’re younger, you take your career for granted, but when you’re older, you want to prolong it. Especially now, in recent years when my career is on the rise, coming to Galatasaray, the entire organization, how they treat you, how big it is, and how important I am. Then I wonder what it would have been like if I had come at 28.
When I came to Zagreb, Kruno Simon was a top guy from Zagreb. He’s one of those players who had a tough life until the age of 27, and then towards the end of his career, he started doing things differently. I see him eating salad, losing weight, it’s incredible. Everyone goes through that transformation. Those who understand it at the age of 20 make great careers.
Like Bogdan Bogdanovic, for example, and others. Sometimes, when I sit down with Corey Walden after practice, I remember certain things. When Bogdanovic was winning the ABA League, I was playing in Krizevci. When I think back to that period, it’s unimaginable, but I know what I’ve invested to get to where I am now, and I can say that I’m satisfied.” – concluded Miralem Halilovic at the end of the extensive interview with Basketball Sphere.