His coaches and teammates call him Bobi. Some fans call him ‘The Bobinator’. All in the basketball world know that the 7-foot 3-inch, 290-pound Goliath from Serbia is a wonder to watch. ‘Boban Mania’ is upon us and, much like his dunk, there is little anyone can do to stop it.
I can remember the first time I witnessed his large frame entering a preseason game at the AT&T Center against Houston in mid-October. There was a buzz that quickly built up in the stadium and a feeling akin to “OMG! We got this guy on our team?!” silently running through every Spurs fan in the arena. Then we slowly watched his game develop. In the beginning, it was much like a baby taking its first steps – awkward and error prone. However, the Spurs family held a collective confident aura that ‘Baby Bobi’ would start to figure it out and show his true potential. Then it happened – a stellar pass here, an emphatic slam dunk there, a smooth elbow shot out of nowhere and a block that would be more accurately described as a smothering of the ball. With every improvement, Spurs fans cheered louder. After his first points, a few of us stood up and clapped. By the end of the exhibition, hooting and hollering were in full effect.
Those who get to play with him say Boban Marjanović is a thoughtful teammate who works hard to understand a system, city and language as foreign to him as a Serbian winter is to his local fan base. He has a work ethic that fits the Spurs culture, as well as passing and footwork skills unique for a man his size. Those who get to interview him say he is extremely polite and easy to talk to. He has a contagious smile and a playful personality. Those who are part of his small circle call him husband, dad and good friend. He sports the glasses of an intellectual when traveling and can be heard rapping to his favorite music in the locker room. In short – despite his intimidating size, Boban is nothing short of approachable and likable.
Boban is also humble. He accepts his role as a third-string center, despite being an All-Star, champion and multi-year MVP in a very competitive ABA League. Sometimes he is allowed to suit up for a game, which doesn’t guarantee him any playing time. So far his talents are relegated to garbage time (except the Denver game he started for six minutes in place of LaMarcus Aldridge).
In a typical Spurs move, Coach Pop transferred Boban to the Development League to work out any rust he may have accumulated. In his D-League debut, ‘The Bobinator’ crushed the competition with 34 points & 13 rebounds in a win against the Reno Bighorns.
Quickly, he returned to the NBA in time for the game that would produce his first ESPN highlight reel. In Philadelphia, with 7 minutes left to play in the third quarter of a game that was practically over at halftime, Boban went up against this year’s third overall draft pick and made short work of him. The best part, however, was the incremental volume of cheering from the Sixers crowd after each bucket made. They too felt the allure of ‘Boban Mania’ and it was beautiful to hear.
So don’t say I didn’t warn you about the giant who has invaded Spurs Nation like a British 1960’s rock ‘n roll band. Watch Boban play and you’ll be compelled to twist and shout!
