Croatian basketball player and coach Krešimir Ćosić grew up in Zadar, where he started his basketball career in the club “Zadar” in 1965. Later, he also played in “Cibona”, helping them win the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1982. He played for foreign clubs in Slovenia and Italy, and from 1969 to 1973 for the Brigham Young University in the USA.

Krešimir Ćosić was the first European in the NBA draft in 1972 and the first foreigner selected to the “All-American” team. He was declared MVP of the European championships in 1971 and 1975. He holds the record for the number of appearances, having played 303 games for the national team of former Yugoslavia, which he joined on the winners podium several times. At the Olympic Games in Ciudad de México (1968) and Montreal (1976) he won a silver medal, while at the Games in Moscow (1980) he won a gold medal.

In 1996 he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield (USA) and, in 2006, his number 11 jersey was retired by the Brigham Young University. The Croatian basketball Cup competition and the sports hall in Zadar are named after Krešimir Ćosić.