A coffee break is often about more than just a few minutes of rest – sometimes it reveals the stories behind our colleagues.
Today, we sit down to chat with Attila, a cornerstone of the Back Office, known in his daily life for his precise work and reliability. Fewer people know, however, that he was previously an NB1 basketball player in Paks, where teamwork, discipline, and competitive spirit defined his life on the court.
Now, instead of the ball, background processes are running, but the mindset brought from sports is still felt today – let's talk about where he started, why basketball became his path, and what professional sports gave him on and off the court.

Clarity How and when did you start playing sports?

Attila I started playing sports as a young child; like many at that time, I naturally played football, during which it quickly became clear that I had a good feel for the ball and was quite skillful at it. During my primary school years, I tasted many other sports too, such as kayaking, a bit later volleyball, and there was also a short period of athletics, where I excelled mainly in long jump and sprinting. It became clear relatively early that ball sports were closer to me.

Clarity Was there someone in your environment (family member, friend, teacher) who guided you towards sports?

Attila My parents have always been sports enthusiasts. My mother did athletics and played handball. They always supported me in playing sports. The person who set me on the path of basketball was my primary school physical education teacher, Zsuzsanna Brunn.

Clarity What was the moment or influence when you decided that basketball would be your path?

Attila In the 5th grade of primary school, my physical education teacher at the time, Zsuzsanna Brunn, started basketball training sessions within the school. I was very curious, so I went to a training session and fell in love with the game immediately. It quickly turned out that I also had a knack for it, so I started attending training regularly. At that time, we were just "playing around" with basketball within the school framework, getting familiar with the game. The big breakthrough came in the 6th grade (at age 12) when we were entered into the Paks regional mini-basketball championship. In addition to our school (Tolna Primary School No. 2), basketball players from 9 other schools entered this championship. I will never forget that, coming almost out of nowhere, we won the autumn round, defeating the Paks team in the final. I became the top scorer, and I was also the scorer of the winning basket. It was considered a very big surprise back then that the "small" regional team defeated the "big" Paks team, which was the center of the district. It was a damn good feeling… Just to illustrate the difference, we had only 1 training session a week back then, while they had many more. We didn't even have proper jerseys yet; the Paks team already had beautiful uniform jerseys back then, while we had our well-known "gym plimsolls" and the Paks players had the coolest basketball shoes. Of course, it didn't depend on that… With this team victory and my individual good play, I drew attention to myself. So much so that the Atomerőmű Sport Egyesület (ASE) invited me and signed me to their team. From then on, other doors opened as well, because with ASE, we participated in the Budapest National Championship on a weekly basis. So this is where I count that basketball became my path.

Clarity What did basketball mean to you back then – freedom, competition, community, or something else?

Attila First and foremost, I would highlight the community. We had a very good little team; we loved going to training, and to matches on weekends. We learned to fight for each other and function as a team, but meanwhile, we also developed a lot individually. A healthy competitive spirit and a love and respect for sport grew within us.

Clarity Was there a player or role model who inspired you in the beginning?

Attila At that time, there was a crazy Chicago Bulls fandom, and of course, it reached me too. The star of the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan, was a favorite of many of us back then, and not by chance. I think it can be said without exaggeration that he knew everything on the court, and it was a joy to watch him play.

Clarity When did you first feel that there could be "something more" in this sport, even at a professional level?

Attila Everyone dreams of reaching a higher level one day. Naturally, I was the same. To make these dreams come true, one had to put in a lot of energy and make many sacrifices. The lots of training sessions, the countless matches, and the desire to improve bore fruit. A lot happened between 1991 and 1998; this was the period when my career was on such an upward trajectory that by the summer of 1998, an NB1 contract came within sight.

Clarity What stages led to you getting into the NB1?

Attila As I mentioned in my previous answer, a lot happened between 1991 and 1998 that led to getting into the NB1. It would be difficult to list everything, but I will try to explain the path that led to ASE signing a contract with me for the 1998-1999 championship season. So, after the primary school successes came my high school years, one of the defining moments of which was that Gábor Nagy became my coach, to whom I owe a lot. Gábor Nagy moved from Budapest to Paks and was one of the most well-known faces of youth development, winning national championships with his teams several times, and in 1991 he was also elected youth coach of the year. (A little fun fact that many don't even know about him: He discovered and invited Kornél Dávid to the national team, who later became the most famous Hungarian basketball player and also played in the NBA). So with Gábor's arrival, I could learn from one of the best coaches. This period was spent with a lot of training, and thanks to Gábor's methods, my development was exponential, so much so that in October 1993, I was even invited to the training camp of the youth national team. Thanks to the many specialized training sessions, my defense, my jump shot, and my 3-point shots improved significantly, as well as my vertical leap, thanks to which, despite my short stature (I was not considered tall in basketball😊), I was quite good at dunking. In my age group, I became one of the top-scoring players in the national championship. We played in many basketball tournaments, where I was often voted the most valuable player. Numerous newspaper articles, diplomas, and awards bear witness to the progress of this period, of which I am very proud. Because of my success in my own age group, my coach threw me into the deep end and had me play in the NB1 Youth Championship in the age group above (this was back then the gateway to the adult men's NB1). So I was no longer training only with my own age group, but also with youth players who were older, stronger, faster, and more experienced than me. According to my coach, this was what was needed for my further development. I experienced this period as a bit of a failure at the beginning because I was impatient with myself. While I was a leading figure in my age group, I was only a substitute among the youth players. Then my coach turned out to be right; I caught up quickly and slowly became a key player in the NB1 youth team as well, and thus I got the opportunity to train at a higher level again, with the NB1 adult team. In the beginning, I only trained together with the adults, which, needless to say, was a huge experience and an opportunity for development, because at that time quite a few big names played in the team. My unbroken development and persistent work bore fruit, as they offered me a contract for the 1998-1999 season, which I naturally happily accepted. Thus, at the age of 20, I entered the NB1 Hungarian men's basketball championship, meaning I became a professional player.

Clarity Was there a defeat that taught you more than a victory?
Attila It would be difficult to highlight one in particular; I would rather say that one can learn a lot from every defeat. To sit down after a match and, with a cool head, think it through, analyze, and discuss what and where we went wrong on a team level, but I think it is just as important for a person to look inside themselves and run through what decision they should have made in which situation to best help their team.

Clarity Did you have a match-day ritual?

Attila I didn't; I always tried to go to matches rested and motivated.

Clarity Which skill that you learned in basketball still helps you today in your work or daily life?

Attila Perseverance, humility, and the will to win

Clarity If you were to give advice to young people starting out now: what would be the 3 most important takeaways?

Attila They should dare to dream big and also make those dreams come true. For this, of course, a lot of training will also be needed, because nothing is given for free.

This coffee break showed that behind every precisely functioning background process, there is a story. Attila's NB1 past is reflected today in the back office in stability and teamwork. The coffee is gone - the momentum remains.