Book Launch: "The Smile" at the Croatian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

The Croatian Embassy in Washington, D.C. hosted the launch of The Smile. An event that, by many accounts, was one of the most emotional the Embassy has seen in recent memory. Throughout the evening, guests recalled the life, work, and legacy of Krešimir Ćosić.

Interest exceeded the capacity of the hall. When word spread across Washington that the event was about Krešo, everyone wanted to come, the room would have been fuller still with more seats. Two speakers flew in from Utah especially for the occasion, while Toni Kukoč and his wife Renata traveled from Chicago.
Ambassador Pjer Šimunović, host and Croatian Ambassador to the United States, opened the evening: "Krešo means a great deal to us here. He is part of this building, and his life is like a lighthouse, by the magnitude and light it radiates, it serves as a guide for others."

Sydney L. Jones, who served in the administrations of Presidents Nixon, Reagan, Ford, and Bush, and a close personal friend of Krešimir Ćosić, spoke about the importance of integrity in the world of politics: "When I met Krešo, I recognized integrity immediately. When you work in politics long enough, you learn quickly who has it and who you can trust. Dear Croatians, we trusted Krešo, and because of him, doors opened for you while he was in America. And believe me, we are always skeptical at first. But not with Krešo."

Lidija Dokrin Grahovac, whose name alongside that of her husband Jure appears on one of the donor plaques at the Embassy entrance, among the diaspora members who helped fund the building's restoration and purchase, recalled: "Krešo brought us all together. He spoke to us as if he were coaching a game. He loved being a coach, and he carried that into everything he did for Croatia at the Embassy. Every instruction he gave was full of sporting symbolism and motivation. He won at everything he touched, from basketball to representing Croatia to the restoration of this very building. His spirit lives in every wall of this room."

Brian Santiago, Athletic Director at Brigham Young University, Krešimir Ćosić's university, the same university attended by his daughter Ana, author and editor of this book, spoke about how BYU keeps his memory alive every time they walk into the arena where his retired jersey hangs: "I want every one of our athletes to look up to him. He truly represented the very best a sportsman can be, especially today, when a contract figure matters more than wholehearted devotion to a club or a country. For as long as Brigham Young exists, he will never be forgotten. You cannot imagine what he means to us and to Utah."

Santiago then turned directly to Toni Kukoč, seated in the audience: "I remember 1985, when Krešo brought you, those young national team players, into his arena, the Marriott Center. And even though I'm a die-hard BYU fan, I found myself cheering for you in a building that to this day people say was made for him."
Toni Kukoč recalled the moment Krešo saw something in him: "He said to me, 'Do you want to be a player?' I started to answer, 'I think...' He cut me off immediately: 'No. You don't think. You listen.' I'm sorry he didn't stay with us longer. Everything in basketball would have been different. He was a coaching genius, a visionary. He saved Jugoplastika, put us in the national team, and opened the doors to the NBA. All we had to do was listen."