Croatians, giants as they are, are both accomplished players and passionate followers of basketball (here called košarka). Much as they love to follow the progress of their tennis stars on the circuit and their footballing heroes in the big European clubs, so they watch their countrymen take on the best in the NBA, whilst netting huge amounts of cash, model girlfriends and eventual hamstring injuries. Krešimir Ćosić is perhaps Zadar’s best-known player – a mammoth statue in his image stands guard over the entrance to the Old Town, basketball held in meditative awe. He was the first European in the NBA.