I don’t know. I also don’t know it was 1972. Red Auerbach must have thought

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Nov 30, 2021
3:57:34pm

gwalker All-American

I don’t know. I also don’t know it was 1972. Red Auerbach must have thought

there was a chance. I did stumble on another account today where Auerbach tried to entice a guy from Czechoslovakia a few years earlier. The guy had struck a deal with the Celtics, bought a plane ticket and was headed to the airport in a country where he wouldn’t have been stopped before fears of the troubles his defection would bring to friends and family caused him to back out.

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gwalker

Bio page: gwalker
Joined: Aug 8, 2001
Last login: May 4, 2024
Total posts: 55,345 (7,385 FO)

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Messages

Author

Time

The great Kresimir Cosic was offered $1 Million by Red Auerbach to play for the

gwalker

11/30/21 11:50am

Do you have the link to that story? Not calling you on it. I would like to get

BYU'01

11/30/21 11:53am

I’ll look for it. I was thinking about where I had read it and I may have heard

gwalker

11/30/21 11:55am

Yeah I question that a little. Sounds like Mormon folklore to me.

pink22

11/30/21 12:00pm

I'd say Truman Madsen was a pretty good source. Not some random guy

gwalker

11/30/21 12:08pm

And I would say Mormon folklore is real and passed on by nearly all members.

pink22

11/30/21 2:05pm

True. But this is a guy that knew Cosic well. He heard his info directly from

gwalker

11/30/21 2:23pm

In the particular case of Cosic, the folklore is very understated for whatever reason. The $1M offer doesn't tell half

roseyscenario

11/30/21 2:28pm

I’d just like a source. I guess 2nd hand word of mouth will do.

pink22

11/30/21 2:32pm

Watch this, I think it mentions it here about 13:00 mark… but watch the whole

King of Y

11/30/21 8:19pm

That’s a great video!

gwalker

12/1/21 12:24pm

There is a documentary on Kresimir Cosich that was on the Mormon Channel that

King of Y

11/30/21 8:14pm

But why not play for 4 or 5 yrs then go spread the good word? That kind of money would have really helped him spread the

HarlemCoug

11/30/21 11:54am

Maybe he wasn't a greedy CBer

TNT

11/30/21 12:03pm

My point is... take the $5M or so he could have made in those 5 years and then give it all away for his cause. I'd bet

HarlemCoug

11/30/21 12:27pm

I knew Kresh just a little bit at Y. I had roommates that knew him better.

Bluforever

11/30/21 7:13pm

this makes sense... sometimes it's not about the money. If you're homesick, then you're homesick....

HarlemCoug

11/30/21 7:28pm

Krešimir Ćosić Cup

ParentingNotForSissy

11/30/21 9:41pm

I’ve never understood why we have never used the Cosic story to recruit.

Bluforever

11/30/21 9:47pm

Maybe. He ended up being revered, and continues to be, in all of the countries

gwalker

11/30/21 12:08pm

Cosic seems by all accounts to have been a truly wonderful and special person. I am proud he was a Cougar.

CDV

11/30/21 12:25pm

there's no doubt he's a real life hero... a true disciple of Christ worth emulating... I'm just trying to wrap my head

HarlemCoug

11/30/21 12:29pm

Why have I literally never heard anything about him post-BYU?

Hotlanta

11/30/21 1:27pm

1980 Gold Medal, Moscow games. He was the unequivocal star of the team.

11/30/21 9:47pm

RE: Maybe. He ended up being revered, and continues to be, in all of the

Adascocar

11/30/21 3:07pm

Worked with a guy from Bosnia, and he said Cosic is like Michael Jordan there

Hang10

11/30/21 4:20pm

If the story is true, one reason could be these were eastern bloc…

ChadFromCougarTown

11/30/21 2:48pm

Cosic wanted to go back home to Croatia. He did pretty well there, in and out of basketball.

roseyscenario

11/30/21 2:59pm

Maybe God was telling him and he was just listening and not overthinking it

SoBlueitHurts

12/1/21 9:55am

He was a great human being. And I must brag that I got to speak with him briefly by phone once.

Brisco

11/30/21 12:07pm

My sense watching highlights is that Cosic = Larry Bird

Socrates Johnson

11/30/21 12:28pm

When would this have been? Looks like he was the 84th pick in 73 by the lakers

LiveCoug

11/30/21 12:41pm

His draft pick was low because he made his intentions known. Sort of like how

gwalker

11/30/21 1:08pm

I assume it as after ‘73 since the Celtics hadn’t drafted him either time.

gwalker

11/30/21 1:12pm

It's just weird to me too that if he really wanted to stay with his home land

LiveCoug

11/30/21 1:23pm

He was drafted a third time in the NBA in 1976 (by the Celtics that time).

gwalker

11/30/21 2:26pm

Ok, so if that was the time he was offered 1 mill, it's even more bizarre he

LiveCoug

11/30/21 2:32pm

Perhaps it got that high because he kept on saying no.

yahoo1211

11/30/21 3:20pm

And Auerbach thought he was that good.

roseyscenario

11/30/21 3:24pm

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but in 1972 I don't think Yugoslavian players we

oldrugger

11/30/21 3:40pm

I don’t know. I also don’t know it was 1972. Red Auerbach must have thought

gwalker

11/30/21 3:57pm

I was a freshman the fall of 1971. He was on the team, but I can't remember if

oldrugger

12/1/21 10:18am

Auerbach had a history of trying to get them to defect.

gwalker

12/1/21 2:17pm

Okay, thanks.

oldrugger

12/2/21 4:05pm

I am prone to believe gwalker's story

mtnbiker

11/30/21 5:22pm

I knew Kresho at BYU and after. I know he turned down a huge offer to play in

TrueBlue58

11/30/21 7:00pm

100% True. I ran into KC at O'Hare Airport in Chi-town while returning from...

LEDSFW

11/30/21 7:25pm

He has a fascinating life story, should be made into a movie honestly.

Mitty

12/1/21 3:46pm

It seems this would be a plum for an LDS filmmaker to do...

runnincoug

12/1/21 3:53pm

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