Classroom lesson · Sport · 🇲🇪 Montenegro

Basketball

A sport Montenegro takes very seriously — and plays brilliantly

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in Montenegro. For such a small country — with fewer than 700,000 people — Montenegro has produced an extraordinary number of excellent basketball players who compete in top leagues around the world. The Montenegrin women's national team has reached the semi-finals of the Olympic Games and the European Championships, making it one of the top teams on the continent.

Tell me more

Montenegro has a long tradition of basketball excellence that goes back decades. The country's players are known for their height, skill and determination. Because Montenegro is a small country, many of its best players go abroad to play in top leagues in Spain, Turkey, the USA's NBA, or other countries, returning to play for the national team in major tournaments.

Basketball is played everywhere in Montenegro — outdoor courts in towns and villages, school playgrounds and sports halls. The sport is particularly popular in the coastal cities where clubs have strong traditions and passionate fans. Young players dream of following in the footsteps of the Montenegrin stars they see on television.

What makes Montenegro's basketball success especially remarkable is the country's size. With a population smaller than most major cities, it competes against countries like France, Spain and the USA that have populations fifty or a hundred times larger. Montenegro proves that dedication, coaching and passion can help a tiny nation punch far above its weight in sport.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01Montenegro is tiny but excels at basketball. What advantages might a small country have in developing a great sports team? What disadvantages?
  2. 02Many Montenegrin players play abroad but return for the national team. Why might representing your country feel different from playing for a club?
  3. 03What sport is your school or town especially good at? Why do you think that is?
Try this

Classroom activity

Compare country sizes and sports success. Find out the populations of five countries that are top in a sport you like (e.g. basketball, football, athletics). Make a bar chart showing population on one axis. Does a bigger population always mean more success? Discuss what else might matter.