SKOPJE (North Macedonia) - Pero Antic had the sort of career that most sportsmen dream of. Now one of the most adored and admired players in the history of North Macedonia is going to do his best to help others reach for the sky after being elected president of his country's basketball federation.

The 36-year-old has two decades worth of experience, a high profile in his homeland, Europe and even North America and numerous contacts in the sport to help him fulfill and North Macedonia's objectives.

Antic had many incredible moments on the basketball court. What endears him to fans at home and abroad perhaps more than anything else was his leading role in the North Macedonia national side that rocked FIBA EuroBasket 2011, a tournament that saw Antic and Co beat hosts Lithuania in the Quarter-Finals.

“THERE IS TALENT HERE (IN NORTH MACEDONIA), BUT PEOPLE NEED TO WORK WITH THAT TALENT. IT’S LIKE YOU HAVE DIAMONDS, BUT YOU NEED THE PEOPLE TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE PRECIOUS”- Antic

"The magic moment," Antic recalled. "For me, it's the highest point of my career. When you come back (to North Macedonia) and see all these happy faces, different religions, different political parties.

"With something that you love, something that you work on to make everyone happy, that’s the biggest goal. Overall, I hope that now we’ll make it one step further, but we have to take it step by step.

"I'm always optimistic."

Antic and the Macedonians were inspirational at FIBA EuroBasket 2011

The Skopje-born star launched his career with Rabotnicki Skopje in the 1999-2000 and went on to feature for various clubs in Europe.

His star rose so high that Antic, a sweet-shooting and slick-passing power forward, even made it to the NBA. He suited up for the Atlanta Hawks from 2013 to 2015 before returning to the old continent for the last few years of his career.

“WORKING WITH THE YOUTH IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR US BECAUSE IF YOU WORK WITH THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS TO MAKE GOOD BASKETBALL HABITS, SHOW THEM HOW TO GROW UP ... WE HAVE TO START PRODUCING KIDS. WE HAVE GOOD MATERIAL BUT NO PATIENCE. WE NEED TO HELP THEM RISE UP”- Antic

"I hope not to be the only one in the NBA," he said.

"There is talent here, but people need to work with that talent. It’s like you have diamonds, but you need the people to make it even more precious.

"Working with the youth is the biggest challenge for us because if you work with the younger generations to make good basketball habits, show them how to grow up ... we have to start producing kids. We have good material but no patience. We need to help them rise up."

FIBA EuroBasket 2011 is permanently etched in the memories of everyone in the country. It helped basketball become the number one sport in the country. The results haven't been as good since for the senior national team and the game's popularity has probably dipped since, leaving it as the "No. 2 or No. 3 sport" in the country, Antic says.

"(But) For me, 2011 wasn’t that long ago," he said. "Let’s hope we can repeat the happiness and the ranking of the sport. Everybody remembers."

North Macedonia will this summer launch its qualifying campaign for FIBA EuroBasket 2021. Antic says no one should count his team out.

"Everybody has a chance," he said. "Basketball is an intelligent sport. We have a good team. We have to not interfere with the coaching staff rather support them so they can do their job. We have to give them motivation and the conditions they need. From my point of view, to have good chemistry in the team, success will come."

FIBA