The capital of Serbia showed its passion for basketball once again, but this time in an unusual setting as Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade hosted Spanish side Fuenlabrada for a preseason game on the outdoor court at Tasmajdan Stadium in front of a 7,500-strong sell-out crowd on Wednesday night.
It was Partizan's only game in Belgrade before the new season starts, an occasion made even more special by holding it at an open-air venue in the same park where basketball was first played in Serbia nearly a century ago.
On a warm, beautiful evening, the action tipped off in daylight but was already being played under a night sky by the start of the second half, by which time Partizan had switched from white to black jerseys, so the fans on hand could be the first to see the team's new home and away uniforms.
"Growing up we always played outside so being able to actually play an actual game, as a professional, outside, kind of give you the childhood feel again," Partizan newcomer PJ Dozier said of his first taste the atmosphere at a Partizan game. "It was amazing. I feel like half of the time I was paying attention to the fans rather than what's going on in the game."
