Bosna

The club was founded in 1951 as a member of the University Sports Society Bosna (Bosnian: Univerzitetsko sportsko društvo Bosna). The club's first chairman and coach was doctor Nedžad Brkić, with the roster composed mostly of students enrolled in the University of Sarajevo. The first four years of the club's existence were spent in the lower-tier Sarajevo city league, which the team went on to win in 1955, earning a promotion to the SR Bosnia and Herzegovina league. The team roster in these early years included the likes of Brkić, Marušić, Takač, Bise, Bjelica, Cindrić, Bilić, Đurasković, Fetahagić, Uzelac, Džapa, Pilav, Hofbauer, Lovrenović, Beganović and Dimitrijević.

For the next 17 years the club competed in the regional SR Bosnia and Herzegovina league, steadily building a team with which it could enter the Yugoslav First League.

On 28 April 1972 a win against cross-town rivals KK Željezničar Sarajevo would promote the club to the top-tier of Yugoslav basketball, where it would compete for the next 20 years. They were led by their coach, Bogdan Tanjević. The players that managed to achieve the promotion to the top national league were Jovo Terzić, Mirsad Milavić, Zdravko Čečur, Milan Pavlić, Aleksandar Nadaždin, Dumić, Bruno Soče, Žarko Varajić, Slobodan Pejović, Svetislav Pešić, Rođeni Krvavac, and Anto Đogić.

The future European championship winning roster was completed with the arrival of legendary Mirza Delibašić in 1972. The first 6 seasons in the Yugoslav First League represented a coming of age process, with the team eventually going on to win its first title in 1978, led by star players Ratko Radovanović, Žarko Varajić and Mirza Delibašić. A year later KK Bosna became the first team, aside from CSKA Moscow, to win the European championship without a single foreign player on its roster. Namely, on 5 April 1979 the team, led by the late Delibašić and game MVP Varajić, defeated Italian Powerhouse Emerson Varese 96-93. The club started its EuroLeague season in the Quarterfinal group stage, finishing first in its group. Once in the Semifinals, the side sent a message to contenders by edging the defending champions Real Madrid 114:109 in overtime, in Sarajevo. KK Bosna would eventually win all of its home games and would advance to the title game by edging Greek side Olympiacos 83–88, in Piraeus. Bosna's opponent in the final would either be Emerson Varese or Real Madrid, who faced each other off in the final game of the round. The Italian side beat Madrid 82-83. The aforementioned game will be remembered for Prada's misses: Namely, Luis Maria Prada famously missed 3 consecutive free throws with no time on the clock, forever changing European basketball history. Once in the title game, KK Bosna downed mighty Emerson Varese 96:93 in front of 15,000 fans in the Palais des Sports, Grenoble, France. Varajić led the team in scoring with 45 points, while Delibašić followed with 30. The former is still the record holder for most points in a Euroleague final. Radovanović added 10 more points, while Americans Bob Morse and Charlie Yelverton scored 30 and 27 points respectively for Varese. In the next four seasons KK Bosna would go on to win two more Yugoslav championships (1979-80; 1982-83), as well as a silver medal in the 1980 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, which it hosted. In the 1982–83 season, Šibenka defeated Bosna 83–82 in the deciding game of the playoff final after 18‑year‑old Dražen Petrović hit two free throws in the final seconds to secure the victory on the court. However, the decision proved controversial because the foul called on Bosna’s Sabit Hadžić, which led to the free throws, was adjudged by referee Ilija Matijević to have occurred after regulation time had already expired. The Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia reviewed the game the following morning and, citing irregularities in officiating and the timing of the call, annulled the result and ordered a replay of the match at a neutral venue in Novi Sad. Šibenka refused to participate in the rematch, effectively boycotting the replay, and as a result the championship title was awarded administratively to Bosna. The referee Matijević was subsequently banned from basketball for life in connection with the incident, and the original Šibenka squad did not return their championship medals. A second Yugoslav Cup triumf followed a year later. In the 1983–84 season, the team finished fourth in the European Cup. The squad included Sabahudin Bilalović, Žarko Varajić, Sabit Hadžić, Predrag Benaček, Emir Mutapčić, Boro Vučević, Mario Primorac, Dragan Lukenda, Anto Đogić, and Miroljub Mitrović, with Svetislav Pešić as head coach. Although the team won every home game that season, including victories over major European clubs such as Barcelona, Maccabi, Virtus Roma, and Limoges, their failure to qualify for the final was ultimately sealed by an away defeat to Limoges in the penultimate round. Limoges had already been eliminated from contention for the final, and this was only their second win in ten matches, finishing last overall. Bosna had a final opportunity to reach the final in an away match against Banco di Roma (Virtus), in a direct duel that decided the second finalist. The score was tied 30–30 at halftime, but the match ended in a 66–55 victory for Banco di Roma.

After nearly a decade of continuous success, most of the star players transferred abroad in the mid‑1980s. Namely, Mirza Delibašić, Žarko Varajić, Ratko Radovanović and Anto Đogić, along with coach Bogdan Tanjević, moved to foreign clubs, with Tanjević taking over at Italian club Juventus Caserta. After retiring prematurely, Delibašić later served as coach of Bosna on several occasions in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In the final season before the outbreak of the Bosnian War, Bosna achieved a notable result in the national knockout competition. In the 1991–92 Yugoslav Cup, the club finished runners‑up after losing 105-79 to Partizan in the final held in Niš, with Partizan going on to win the Euroleague title that same year. The outbreak of hostilities in 1992 abruptly curtailed the progress of this new generation, scattering players and staff and bringing top‑level competition in the country to an end.

With the start of the Bosnian War in 1992 competitive basketball was halted in the newly independent country for nearly four years. A talented generation on the verge of success was forced to transfer to foreign sides, and in doing so the club was forced to fight for bare survival. The side's star prospect, Nenad Marković, joined Italian side Stefanel Trieste, while the likes of Avdić, Firić and others left to Spain, Italy and Turkey. In 1993, under the helm of legendary Ante Djogic and his assistant Mladen Jojic, a talented group of youngsters, who stayed in Sarajevo under the siege, was selected and which continued with trainings and competition organized in difficult war environment. Those youngsters, aged btw. 15 and 19, were: Konaković, Moratić, Bradić, Tihić, Mirković, Džafo, Isaković, brothers Damir and Vedran Vukotić, Branković, Tinjak. In the 1997–98 season, a playoff competition was organized for clubs from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the final, played over three matches, Bosna was defeated by Široki with a score of two games to one. One year later, the team consisting of Mirković, Terzić, Subašić, Konaković, Kurtagić, Halimić, Lerić, Isaković, Bukva, Džuho, and Radović, led by head coach Sabit Hadžić and his assistant Miralem Zubović, finished first in the reorganized league competition that included teams from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and won the championship title. The club’s participation in the following season in the FIBA Saporta Cup was considered successful despite strong competition. However, the seasons that followed were marked by personnel and squad changes, which resulted in a lack of expected results and the failure to achieve the planned objectives.

KK Bosna was one of the initiators of the regional basketball league, which was established in 2001 under the name Adriatic League. In this competition, as well as in the newly formed unified league of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the team was led by the new head coach Draško Prodanović, with an entirely new roster, but without notable results or achievements. This prompted the club management, headed by president Nihad Imamović, to draw up a plan for the reorganization of both the club and the team. The young and promising coach Mensur Bajramović was appointed head of the coaching staff, while former Bosna players Samir Avdić and Elmedin Konaković took over the positions of director and sporting manager. Matches were once again played at the club’s traditional venue, the Skenderija Arena, and a major attraction for spectators was the return of Nenad Marković, regarded as the best Bosnian and Herzegovinian basketball player of the previous decade. The squad was further strengthened by the experienced players Siniša Kovačević and Dejan Parežanin, as well as the country’s most promising young basketball player, Kenan Bajramović. These changes resulted in full stands at Skenderija, a first-place finish at the end of the first half of the season, the top position heading into the playoffs, and qualification for the final stage of the national cup competition in the previous season. In the championship final series, Bosna was narrowly defeated by Široki Hercegtisak after three closely contested matches, with the deciding game being settled only after overtime.

In the mid‑2000s, KK Bosna established itself as a stable competitor in the regional ABA League, reaching the quarterfinals in both the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons. During this era the club featured several notable players, including Lance Williams, Saša Vasiljević, Goran Ikonić, Jasmin Perković and Edin Bavčić. Bosna also enjoyed domestic success, winning the Bosnian Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and the Bosnian Cup in 2005. The club's biggest domestic rival during this period was Široki Hercegtisak, spearheaded by star players such as Martin Vanjak, Josip Sesar and Josip Vranković. During the 2005–06 season, Bosna also hosted the ABA League Final Eight tournament in Sarajevo, with matches played at the Skenderija arena, where the club lost in the quarterfinals to Crvena zvezda. In the 2007–08 ULEB Cup, coached by Jurij Zdovc, Bosna made one of its most memorable European campaigns. In the group stage, they played a historic match against Alba Berlin, losing 141–127 after five overtimes, in what was then the longest and highest‑scoring game in the competition’s history. Later in the group stage, Bosna secured a 91–76 victory over Alba Berlin in Sarajevo, a result that provided a sufficient points advantage to qualify Bosna for the knockout stages of the ULEB Cup.

Throughout this period, Bosna’s performances in both regional and European competitions helped attract strong support and sponsorship, reinforcing the club’s presence on the Former Yugoslav basketball scene and contributing to its continued competitiveness in domestic and international play.

In the years following its domestic and regional relative success, KK Bosna entered a period of severe financial and organizational difficulty. After competing in the ABA League until March 2010, the club’s fortunes deteriorated rapidly due to mounting debts and unstable management, resulting in withdrawal from the competition and the departure of both players and administrative staff, leaving the club’s future uncertain. In May 2011, FIBA imposed sanctions on the club due to outstanding debts to player Nikola Vučurović, restricting its international participation until the matter was resolved and the sanctions were lifted in 2017.

Financial stress culminated in 2014 when severe debts prompted a decision to merge the historic club with KK Royal. An agreement on business and technical cooperation between the two was concluded which, according to individuals who were involved with the club at the time, was assessed by auditors as the only possible legal and lawful course of action to prevent the former European champion from entering liquidation. The agreement provided that, in order to preserve the name and emblem of KK Bosna, KK Royal would be granted the right to use the name and crest of KK Bosna. The Assembly of KK Royal and its founders accepted this arrangement and proceeded with the signing of the agreement, as did the management of KK Bosna. The agreement has been in force since 24 October 2014. Under its terms, KK Royal was granted the right to use the name and crest of KK Bosna and, in return, any surplus funds remaining at the end of the calendar year were to be transferred to the blocked accounts of KK Bosna.

From 2014 to 2019, the club managed on several occasions to return from lower levels of competition to the top tier. In 2016, Bosna faced a renewed threat of bankruptcy and relegation. Former star players Saša Vasiljević and Goran Ikonić returned to the team to help stabilize the club, and a victory over Sloboda in the final league match of the season, played in front of a sold-out Skenderija Arena, ensured its survival.

Under new management headed by club president Dubravko Barbarić, Bosna won the 2023–24 Bosnian Cup, defeating favourites Igokea in the semi-finals and HKK Široki 83-73 in the final. The team was coached by Aleksandar Damjanović, who guided the squad through the competition. Standout performances in the final were delivered by Vojin Ilić with 26 points and Dontay Caruthers with 15, alongside notable contributions from Haris Ćurevac and team captain Muhamed Pašalić. The title marked the club’s first national cup triumph in 14 years.

In the 2024-25 season, also under head coach Aleksandar Damjanović, the club participated in the ABA League Second Division and won the championship after defeating KK Ilirija in the finals. Jarrod West, playing for KK Bosna, was named the Finals MVP. As champions, the club qualified for the ABA League for the 2025–26 season, marking its return to the competition for the first time in 15 years.

In the 2025-26 season, Bosna defeated Kangoeroes Basket Mechelen in the qualifiers to secure their place in the FIBA Europe Cup regular season. Bosna qualified for the Top 8 of the 2025–26 ABA League on 31 January 2026, securing fourth place in Group B a round before the end of the regular season and ensuring progression to the next phase of the competition. In the 2025–26 FIBA Europe Cup, Bosna advanced to the quarterfinals by finishing among the top two teams in Group L; the club clinched its place after a 76-63 home win over CSM Oradea on 21 January 2026 in Sarajevo.