Partizan, a powerhouse of Serbian and European basketball, gathered a whole host of former renowned NBA players at the start of last season, stocking its roster with high-profile former NBA talent.
Expected to dominate the EuroLeague , the team was anchored by Jabari Parker alongside Cameron Payne, Shake Milton and Bruno Fernando, among others.
Leading them all from the bench was Zeljko Obradovic, the most decorated European coach with nine EuroLeague titles and five medals from FIBA competitions, including three gold medals as well as a silver from the 1998 Olympic Games.
On paper, all the ingredients for success were there, but it quickly became public that Obradovic and the players were not on the same page. Reportedly, Parker was among the first to disagree with the coach's philosophy, leading to the coach's resignation, which sparked rage among the fans who then decided to take matters into their own hands.
"When the coach left, we had a practice. It was after the first FIBA international window, in November. All the neighborhood kids, as well as people who know where our practice facility is located, knew that we usually train in the morning. Our practice starts at 11 and finishes around one. Kids would wait outside after school and ask to take photos with us. But that day we had practice at a very unusual time, around six in the evening," Parker said for "Sportklub".
"What surprised me the most was when we saw around 2,000 fans in front of our practice facility. 2000 people had bricks, ran in and broke into the practice facility and directed threats at us," he added.
"It almost felt to me like the whole thing was set up. Because who could have given them that information? Who could have told them when we would be there? It was very strange and suspicious to me that people who are not part of the team knew when we were coming to the gym, especially since we usually practice in the morning."
Partizan played terribly, Obradovic was visibly furious after every game and decided to sideline certain players, including Parker, but at one point, even he decided it was best to step down before things went any further.
With the arrival of new head coach Joan Penarroya, things remained unchanged. The former No. 2 overall pick of the NBA draft stayed glued to the bench and as he now claims, the different culture simply affected him poorly.
"I come from a different background. When someone breaks into someone's house, when violence breaks out, when weapons appear, those kinds of things can trigger post-traumatic stress. That's why it was a very intense experience for me."
"I didn't know what to do because the whole situation brought back certain traumas and past stress. And from that moment, the question arises of how to play when people are so angry. I come from America and this is Serbia. Serbian culture has gone through many wars and people here are much tougher. Maybe they didn't intend to endanger us in that way, but I'm not used to that kind of workplace violence," Parker concluded.
This situation simply must be connected to recent events in the NBA. One of the hottest topics is how Denver Nuggets fans are booing their players after just three games into the season, which particularly irritated Nikola Jokic.
Many were quick to point out Jokic's past comments, claiming U.S. crowd hostility couldn't phase him because he played in Serbia. Parker's experience underscores just how intense fan culture in that part of Europe can be, yet Jokic still lost his composure over early-season boos at home.
It leaves one to wonder how the Serbian superstar would react if he ever faced an environment anywhere near as volatile as the one Parker described.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
