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The breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s not only reshaped political maps; it also affected sports and, significantly, basketball. With Slovenia and Croatia declaring independence in 1991, the subsequent conflicts led to one of the bloodiest periods in modern European history, fracturing a once-unified national team known for its extraordinary talent. The Yugoslavian national team triumphed at the FIBA World Championship and EuroBasket before being banned from the 1992 Olympics due to sanctions, forcing many talented players into isolation.