Velibor Radovic was born in Serbia in 1972. The question of who you are can be daunting for many people to answer. Radovic answered it succinctly with, "I am the guy whose life is dedicated to basketball." If that is not a clear purpose statement, I don't know what is.He started playing basketball when he was 14/15 years old and just didn't stop playing. Radovic was an assistant coach of European giants Red Star Belgrade from 2014 to 2017 and helped them to the Serbian league title for three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017. In 2021, Radovic joined the Shanxi men's basketball team as an assistant coach. That was his first taste of China. After that, he moved to Ningbo to join the Ningbo Fubang Yongxing Securities Men's Basketball Club as the first assistant coach.

Life is nothing without passion. Most people spend their life looking for their passion and purpose. Those who find them are usually the better for it. After all, what could be better than finding the one thing you love and are good at? Is there a better feeling than finding something you can do every day and derive the same amount of pleasure from each time? I found writing; others cannot live without music. Velibor Radovic found basketball, and it has given him a sense of accomplishment, joy, and some of the proudest moments of his life.

We went to one of their two-hour practice sessions, and honestly, the first thing I notice is how very tall he is. I think the top of my head went up to his stomach. He was conducting practice at the time, so my first impression was this tall man with an intense concentration and eyes darting back and forth. He was a little intimidating, but then one of his players executed a perfect maneuver, and this smile of pure joy swept over his face.

Having only been in China for roughly a year, he admits his language abilities need some work. He is very grateful for his translator Lesley who helps him communicate with the players when showing just doesn't work. I watched them working together, and they seem to have a beautifully symbiotic relationship. Radovic, along with the Chinese coach, set up the drills. They then watch and give feedback. Lesley steps in to clarify any communication issue. Radovic is the first to admit that working through a translator can be difficult and requires patience and calm, but he is optimistic, saying we are surviving.

Moving to China has been a very positive experience, but he misses his family. He may miss his family, but he is thrilled to be in Ningbo. I asked him why he came to Ningbo. He chuckles and says that he didn't know anything about Ningbo when he got the job, but every job is an opportunity to work, represent yourself, and help others do their work, so he was happy to come here. He didn't know what to expect but was happily surprised to see the beauty of Ningbo when he came here. He uses the little free time he has to explore the city and feels the quality of life in Ningbo is very good.

Entering a new environment can be daunting; think about the first few days of starting a new school. As the only professional sports club in Ningbo, Ningbo Fubang Men's Basketball Club has completed all the procedures to regain the right to participate in the CBA in July 2021, and formed a team whose members has an average age of only 22 within just one month. It is a professional basketball team, with Chinese and foreign coaches. They found the playing schedules grueling but managed to get two wins, which is a good start.

He talks a bit about Serbian sports. His old team Red Star Belgrade managed to break the European audience record by filling a stadium with 24,500 people. They also took about nine trophies at the Euro League. Celebrating with the fans are some of his proudest moments. This was managed because of how good the team is and the love Serbia has for basketball and football. "In Serbia, we love team sports that include a ball." In fact, Radovic used to play football and chess when he was younger, but his one true love won out.

Radovic has many hopes for the future of the team. He believes with patience and sustainable growth, Ningbo will have a world-class team. He admits that it can take time and support from the greater community but is very optimistic. He believes the community is essential to make a team great and that a great team is made both on and off the court. Although the team is new, it carries the expectation of countless Ningbo fans and shoulders the glorious mission of promoting the image of Ningbo city. A team is built on the relationships between players. Their combined passion and love for the game and each other can make a team something truly inspiring and make the team back to the first echelon of CBA as soon as possible.