 The season began during June 1963 following the end of the 1963 FIBA World Championship in Brazil where the Yugoslav national team won silver, its first-ever medal at the FIBA World Championship.The national team success led to an increased level of interest in basketball throughout the country as the public eagerly awaited another showdown between the main title contenders — OKK Beograd led by twenty-four-year-old power forward Radivoj Korać and KK Olimpija whose on-court leader was twenty-five-year-old point guard Ivo Daneu.The season opened at the outdoor court in Zadar in front of packed stands with 3,500 spectators as the home team, KK Zadar, took on visitors Lokomotiva Zagreb and won 88-78 behind Željko Troskot's 30 points who thus managed to overshadow the Yugoslav national team members on the floor — his Zadar teammate Pino Djerdja as well as Lokomotiva's Džimi Petričević (29 points) and Dragan Kovačić (19 points).