Huge confidence is one of the things that define Olympiacos Piraeus swingman Shaq McKissic. And that immense amount of faith extends to both his own capabilities as well as the potential of his team in the upcoming EuroLeague season.

“All respect to the other [EuroLeague] teams because a lot of teams got better, but… I think we’re already the best and it’s yet to be known if we’ll remain the best,” McKissic told Eurohoops. He was asked if he believes that Olympiacos, the 2023 EuroLeague finalist and top-seeded team in the regular season, is still a contender given the departures of MVP Sasha Vezenkov (to the Sacramento Kings) and star contributor Kostas Sloukas (to Olympiacos’ archrival Panathinaikos Athens).

“I see the same team in the locker room,” McKissic said. “Of course we miss Sasha. You can’t replace something like that. Him as a person and him as a player. That’s hard to replace. But we’re going to get them from other places.” He also sent a warning to other teams regarding the defensive prowess of Olympiacos, especially considering the presence of big men Moustapha Fall and Nikola Milutinov.

“I think we bulked up on defense in ways I don’t think anybody’s prepared for,” MacKissic added.

McKissic also talked about being now a veteran of Olympiacos who will serve as a guide to newcomers and whether there’s a necessity to add new elements to his game as the years pass and the athleticism that characterizes him as a player begins to wane. He also commented on archrival Panathinaikos making a parade of impressive signings.

Eurohoops: First thing’s first. This is a thing many Olympiacos fans are wondering about because you haven’t been active in the preseason so far. How’s your health situation now that we speak?

Shac McKissic: According to me my health is perfect. I’m just trusting the process. A lot of early mornings in the weight room. Just getting prepared for this upcoming season.

EH: You haven’t played in any preseason game of Olympiacos. But the SuperCup is next. First title of the season. Also probably against Panathinaikos as well so it’s a big deal.

Right now, do you feel ready to play in the SuperCup?

S.M.: Do I feel ready. I always feel ready. Whether

EH: What I meant by ready, is if you feel physically ready.

S.M: Ah, physically ready. I would say so.

EH: I don’t know if you were aware of that. After Kostas Papanikolaou you are the longest-standing member of Olympiacos. Have you realized that? Thought about it?

S.M.: Yeah, man. I’ve had a lot of teammates over the years. Some I miss, some I don’t. I think right now we’ve gone to that point where there’s a lot of returning players. Year, year. Hopefully we’re going to keep that tradition of me not having many teammates. I like to be familiar with the guys around me.

I’m aware of that.

EH: There haven’t been many years that you are on the team but you are a kind of veteran on the team, considering what I said about you and Kostas Papanikolaou. Do you feel that also your role is changing in that department?. Do you feel that maybe you are becoming a veteran and also one of the leaders that have to be more vocal on the locker room. Saying something extra things other players?

S.M.: I get it. I’m 33 now, I’m getting older. I still feel young though. But when you got guys like Brazdeikis that come in, I think that’s really my job kind of explaining the ropes, taking them under my wing and letting them know how things go around here. You know, I think that’s my job as a veteran.

EH: You gave me a pass, in a sort of way to ask you this question. You said you are getting older. You are a player who’s using his athleticism, his speed. You have been the best slasher of Olympiacos, one of the best slashers and maybe the best in-game dunker in Europe this last couple of years. But it’s natural for this athleticism and speed to be waning as the years pass.

How do you handle this as a player? Do you feel that there are some kind of elements that you need to implement in your game?

S.M.: That’s a really good question. For me, I think every year I run into new problems with people’s perception of me. ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do that’. I don’t go out there to prove them wrong, I just go out there to be the best version of myself. I think until my body betrays me, I’ll just keep getting better and better. Even from the first year that I got here, I’ve got better over the last seasons. And I plan this to be one of my best years.

So to answer your question, the athleticism… I hope it’s still there but even if it’s not… good luck to everybody.

EH: What I meant basically with this question is if there are any specific elements you put in your game. For example last season – that’s the way I saw your game at least –  I was watching you pass the ball a lot more after doing the drives to the basket, I saw you looking for your teammates.

S.M.: I think if you go back to my younger years I had a bigger role. For whatever reason now over the past two years my role has been limited due to us having certain players, certain big-time guys. You know, the roster has turned over, flipped over, we’re adding new pieces so I don’t know what I’ll have to add to my game that the coach will need me to do this season. But I’m sure, I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to fulfill the role that he places upon me.

EH: How important was it for you to renew your contract before the offseason?

S.M.: For me, it was important just for the comfort of living in Athens. Honestly, I think this is the best any family can live. For me, I didn’t want to play anywhere else. A lot of players are shy about saying that. But for me, I have amazing coaches, amazing presidents, amazing teammates, amazing city, amazing friends. If I asked anything, it’s almost being greedy.

EH: Last season Olympiacos was widely considered one of the best if not the best offensive team in EuroLeague. You made the Final Four, lost the championship because of one shot that did go in, one shot that didn’t go in. Last-second details. In Greece, you rolled over all competition.

Given the departures of Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas, two very important players for this team, do you think you can such retain such a highly successful level of basketball? Are you still a contender in EuroLeague?

S.M.: I see the same team in the locker room. Of course, we miss Sasha. You can’t replace something like that. Him as a person, him as a player. That’s hard to replace. But we’re going to get it from other places. I think we bulked up on defense in ways I don’t think anybody’s prepared for. When I look in the locker room I see guys like Moustapha Fall, Nikola Milutinov. I don’t know the game plans of other teams. I’m pretty sure there will be some strategy there.

But I would be afraid to go against either one of them. Knowing that if we stay healthy, you’re going to have to face one of them every single night. That’s going to be very difficult for teams. I don’t know why is this looked over.

I have extreme faith in this team. It’s unbelievable how much faith I have in this team. I called it the last two years. First year, when Sasha and Sloukas came, we got [Thomas] Walkup, Fall. I said that this is a Final Four team. Last year, I said that we’re going to finish first in EuroLeague. This year, hopefully we’ll win the EuroLeague, that’s the plan. We got as good chances as anybody else.

All respect to the other teams because a lot of teams got better. But I think we’re already the best and it’s yet to be known if we’ll remain the best.

EH: You first became a favorite with Olympiacos fans because in one of your first appearances you had a fantastic game in a win over Panathinaikos and that matters a lot as you are well aware now. It was thanks to your performances consistently against Panathinaikos that you became a fan favorite. Now, the Panathinaikos that you and Olympiacos are going to face this year will be a lot of different.

S.M.: They are always a lot different.

EH: Now they are stronger, at least on paper – they made some big signings, quality signings. How do you feel about that and about this new challenge that the archrival is going to pose on Olympiacos?

S.M.: Man, that’s a good question. There’s so much uncertainty. Every year when Pana makes a new team, we make a new team and you never know what to expect. In our minds we think we’re the best. In their minds, we think they think that they are the best. With that being said… I just hope it’s fun. Give the fans what they want on both sides. The last two years, I don’t think it was a representation of what that club means to Greek basketball. But I think we raised our profile and we put all of Europe on notice. That we’re here and we’re here to stay.

As far as the rivalry, I’m excited. I still think we’re the better team. I still think we should win the majority of the games. Nobody in our locker room is scared of them. Every time I go to the PANA arena, I love it, I feed off it, I embrace it. So, I hope the first game is sold out,. Completely.

The post Shaq McKissic believes Olympiacos is already the best EuroLeague team appeared first on Eurohoops.

From a child, he loved to copy many of his father’s movements and behaviors. They were, after all, alike in many ways. A stout chest, long arms, and a look that even if it didn’t qualify as frightening, was at least impossible to pass up.

One thing was different about them. Sigis Brazdeikis, father of new Olympiacos player, Ignas Brazdeikis, remains usually expressionless. His 24-year-old son rarely hides his smile. The former University of Michigan, Knicks, Sixers, and Magic player in the NBA as well as Zalgiris Kaunas, was perpetually smiling in his first appearance in the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

He may have said, before he sat down in front of the Eurohoops camera, that “I’ll pretend I know where to go and what to do!”, but the important thing for him and his new team is to know what to do on the court.

Brazdeikis spoke about the new challenge of his career and how his experience helps him stay unaffected by any big change in his life and career.

Just like he used to change his life and places as a kid, five days ago, although he arrived in Cyprus for the “Neophitos Chandriotis” tournament with Zalgiris, the plane brought him to Faliro, from the green to the red and white. Although he confided a nickname that has a direct color association with his new team, but avoids being associated with it…

Ignas Brazdeikis explained how the deal with the Greek champions happened, pointed out the role of family in his character and “warned” that “I can defend players in many positions”. He has already “ticked” the desired “boxes” that coach Giorgos Bartzokas is looking for in his players’ resumes…

Giorgos Bartzokas on adjusting to new season: “Basketball is a team sport”

 

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Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη Ignas Brazdeikis (@_iggy_braz)

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Jakarta, Indonesia – Raul Neto and the Brazilian national team had just completed one of their final practices ahead of their 2023 FIBA World Cup debut against Iran on Saturday (26/8). For Neto, this is his first appearance in his country’s colors after seven years and the 2016 Olympics.

“I’m excited. I haven’t played for the national team for a while, so I’m happy to be back,” Neto told Eurohoops. “I’m particularly excited about the group we have.”

Neto’s comeback with Brazil takes place during a very interesting summer for him and his career. After spending eight years in the NBA with four different teams (Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, and the Cleveland Cavaliers), the 31-year-old guard is returning to Europe with Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce Beko to make his first-time EuroLeague trip.

Why now?

“I had two years with the Washington Wizards when I was playing a lot of minutes. I was hoping to get a multi-year deal. That didn’t happen,” Neto said, recalling when a moment he became a bit bewildered with the NBA. In his debut year in Washington in 2020-21, he averaged 8.7 points and 2.4 rebounds, spending 21.9 minutes on the floor – by far the most in his NBA run.

Watch the upcoming World Cup on the official streaming service of FIBA! Join Courtside 1891 and never miss a second of the action! 

Neto re-signed that summer but next year he was a free agent once again since he didn’t get the contract he expected from Washington. He joined the  Cleveland Cavaliers on a veteran’s minimum deal.

“I just think that the NBA season… It’s very hard if you aren’t a role player,” Neto commented. “It’s hard on you. You don’t play much.”

While Neto provided the Cavaliers with positive minutes, especially when Ricky Rubio was absent due to his injury, he ultimately averaged a mere 10.6 minutes. When the summer arrived, he took the decision to make to return across the pond and sign with Fenerbahce.

“I’m at an age that I still have a lot of basketball in me and I think it’s the right time to go and play and compete with Fenerbahce Beko, one of the biggest teams in Europe,” Neto said. “I’m very happy with my decision.”

Neto was signed to essentially replace former All-EuroLeague guard Nick Calathes. That means that he will assume leading playmaking duties and take the mantle of conductor of the team’s offense. It’s a far more significant role than the ones he ever had in the NBA.

The opportunity to be one of the “main players,” as he specifically mentioned,” was one that Neto couldn’t couldn’t turn his back on. “That’s the challenge,” he said.

Neto has already realized that his resume isn’t an automatic guarantee of retaining a leadership position and getting fat minutes on the court. He knows that every game and every practice are an ongoing test and that he will have to prove again and again that he deserves to be a main floor general on an ambitious team that looks to win titles.

Fenerbahce, the most popular club in Turkey, comes off a season that ended with zero trophies and an elimination to Olympiacos Piraeus in the EuroLeague playoffs.

“I know that I still have to perform,” Neto said. “Just because I played in the NBA or because of who I am, I’m not going to get there and just have minutes handed to me. That was one of the conversations I had with coach Dimitris Itoudis. I know that I have to go there and perform. It’s a great challenge and opportunity for me.”

What Neto has already received is the blessing of the Fenerbahce loyal crowd. He’s been showered with messages from fans who have shown him their support and asked him to get the team back on track to success.

“Even before I signed I had a lot of messages,” Neto said. “A lot of love and a lot of passion coming from them. Which I think is going to be exciting. There’s the pressure of course, but also there’s a lot of passion and love for Fenerbahce among Turkish people.”

There’s only one way to reciprocate this kind of love he’s already receiving from the Fenerbahce faithful. By putting on the maximum effort every time he steps on the court.

This is a common thread that connects European fans, especially ones from the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Of course, they will adore the player who will get their favorite team trophies and titles. But first and foremost, they want to see, hustle, grit, laying it on the floor. They will appreciate and cheer for those, even if they don’t necessarily bring results.

Neto is fully aware of it.

“Just playing hard,” he said. “I feel like representing the team as best as you can. I feel like that’s something I have naturally in me. Wherever I am, I always give 100 percent. Basketball is basketball. Things are going to happen. You are going to lose games. You aren’t going to play well in some games. But I feel that if I give 100 percent every time I’m on the court, that’s all I can do to reciprocate the love from the crowd.”

By the end of the next season, Neto will be 32 years old. He’s already got a taste of the NBA business. Does his return to Europe at this moment in his career mean that he’s done with the NBA?

“I don’t want to close doors anywhere,” Neto admitted. “I feel that I still have a lot of basketball in me. Of course, I’m going to focus on Fenerbahce. I’m going to focus on where I am right now, that’s what I always do. But I don’t want to close doors. If there’s an opportunity and I feel it’s right for me and right for my family I’ll consider it. But right now I’m happy where I am and I’m excited to play for Fenerbahce.”

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

The post Raul Neto doesn’t take Fenerbahce for granted and doesn’t close the door to an NBA return appeared first on Eurohoops.

A world of limitless possibilities opens up for Italian basketball great Gigi Datome as he’s hanging his shoes after the completion of the 2023 World Cup. There’s just one future option that he has already crossed out and is not considering.

“This is the only thing that I’m pretty sure that I won’t do,” Datome said after Italy’s preparation win over Greece (10/8), referring to possibly becoming a coach like several of his peers once they decide their playing days are over. “I won’t do any coaching because I know it’s very tough. I had great coaches and I know how difficult it is. I’ll try to learn something else. Never say never of course, but I don’t feel I’ll be a coach.”

Eurohoops just had to half-jokingly ask Datome if the reason coaching is off the books for him is that viral NSFW moment with Zeljko Obradovic during a Fenerbahce timeout. “No. Me and Zeljko? We love each other. I love Zeljko forever and ever. It’s exactly because I had great coaches like him and Ettore Messina that I know that it’s not easy to be a coach. I feel lucky I had great coaches like Zeljko.”

Watch the upcoming World Cup on the official streaming service of FIBA! Join Courtside 1891 and never miss a second of the action! 

Starting a band or embarking on a musical career with his guitar (he can definitely play some tunes) doesn’t seem to be a scenario either. “For fun? Sure. As a job? Unfortunately, I’m not so good. Now it’s the moment to start from zero again. To learn. Because I was a good basketball player but I need and want to be good at what I do next. To be good, you need to be humble, to start from zero and to learn. That’s how I’m going to approach my next year.”

The game against Greece marked Datome’s last visit to the grand OAKA arena as a player. A place that instantly brings him flashbacks of the start of Fenerbahce’s sweep over Panathinaikos in the 2017 EuroLeague playoffs before the Turkish side won its first-ever championship title.

It has been like that overall for Datome this summer since he announced that he’s retiring from basketball at 35 years of age and following his third season with Olimpia Milano. A sort of farewell tour to places he created memories in, a prelude to his last dance and final performance with Italy on the World Cup stage of the Philippines.

“It’s a weird feeling,” Datome said. “I try to enjoy every moment. I know that everything that’s happening is ‘last.’ Last game here, last practice there, last time in OAKA tonight for example and so on. I had a beautiful career, I’m very happy about it. But now I’m enjoying every moment because now everything is even more special.”

Datome amassed an enviable collection of club and individual accolades since he began playing professional basketball in 2003.  He won several league titles in both Italy and Turkey while claiming multiple MVP trophies in knockout Final games or series, a firm showcase of his ability to decide and define big-time clashes and crucial moments.

There’s one crowning achievement he distinguishes among the rest.

“All the moments are important,” Datome said. “Also, the moments when I was struggling because these moments gave me a lot of character. But if I had to choose one picture for sure that would be winning the 2017 EuroLeague championship with Fenerbahce. I think it was the peak of my career.”

For a second straight year, Italy is coached by Gianmarco Pozzecco. An Olympic silver medalist with the “Azzurri” in 2004 as a player, Pozzecco is a person who carries an unapologetic and inspiring fiery passion as a coach similar to the one that drove him when he balled.

In both the 2022 EuroBasket and during the preparation period ahead of the 2023 World Cup, the players of the Italian national team have been visibly emboldened by Pozzecco’s coaching style and spirit.

“For sure he [Pozzecco] gives us a lot of freedom, responsibility and confidence,” Datome said. “But it’s also on us to earn this because we are a group of good guys that we care a lot about the national team and we care a lot about each other. We live together day by day very good. For what Pozzecco gives us we need to earn it every day. I think the group is doing what we want to do. These two games we could lose, or win but I think we are building identity and that’s the most important thing.”

Before the tipoff against Greece, Datome received quite the ovation by the Greek crowd in OAKA when he was recognized for his career by the Greek Basketball Federation. He admitted to being pleasantly surprised that fans welcomed him so warmly.

“I want to thank say thank you to the Greek fans and the Greek Federation and the organization that gave me this recognition,” Datome mentioned. “Coming from a country like Greece that has incredible knowledge and history in basketball in a historical arena. I was really moved and I didn’t expect this. I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The post Gigi Datome explains why he won’t ever become a coach appeared first on Eurohoops.

A couple of weeks ago, Philadelphia 76ers center Filip Petrusev was vacationing on the island of Rhodes in Greece with his girlfriend, shortly before joining the Serbian national team training camp ahead of the FIBA World Cup. What was an idyllic summer break turned into a nightmarish ordeal when wildfires broke out on the scenic and highly popular tourist destination.

While the inferno was blazing through forests, devastating the island’s nature, around 20,000 people, holidaymakers mostly, were forced to flee from hotels and homes to escape danger. Many of them had to walk for miles in a suffocating atmosphere from wildfire smoke, amid also an intense heatwave.

Petrusev was among them.

“It was like in a movie honestly,” Petrusev told Eurohoops during a Q&A session after Serbia’s preparation loss to Italy. “It was an experience, a different kind of experience. Stuff like that happen in the world and now you see them happening to you. You need to be ready to react.”

“It wasn’t naive at all. If I wasn’t really talking to some people [I don’t know what would’ve happened]. It wasn’t really organized well. Nobody told us to evacuate until I asked them if we should actually evacuate.”

Eurohoops: The official word here was that there was an organized evacuation plan.

Petrusev: “No. Not at all. At least, not in our situation. Maybe somewhere else because I did see some people evacuate a lot earlier. I don’t know whose fault it was but it was not a good situation to be in. But, you can always learn from stuff like that. Now, I understand better how some people are in bad situations all over the world. I’m just glad we got out of it.

It was really tiring. I was walking maybe two hours on the beach with both of our bags. I was just carrying them for two hours. It was the hardest workout ever for me. But, as I said, you got to do what you got to do.”

ΕΗ: Were you scared?

“Maybe a little bit. It was a fire after all. In the beginning yes, a little bit because it happened on an island where you can’t really escape if the whole thing gets really crazy you know. But I knew I could always just leave my bags and run and be alive at least.

It was something new for me but I got into a mindset I use.. kind of when I play basketball. That I just got to do whatever I got to do. Use my natural instincts to stay alive and get out of this situation.”

EH: To basketball: Serbia lost its first preparation game ahead of the FIBA World Cup, falling to Italy. Do you think that this result maybe highlighted some problems you were unaware of before.

Petrusev: You are right. We know what kind of team Italy is. They just play fast and, today we didn’t slow down when we had the advantage and we played like they play, which isn’t really our style (editor’s note: Petrusev didn’t play in the game for rotation reasons). It’s fine. It’s just preparation. We’ll look to get better game by game and be ready when the World Cup tips off. We showed some progress today, like yesterday. Some things aren’t that good and we’re going to work on them. It’s that simple.

EH: What do you expect from yourself in this World Cup? Especially after the season you had with Crvena Zvezda and considering that there’s a need for some players to step up in light of two significant absences of Nikola Jokic and Vasha Micic.

Petrusev: Everyone needs to step up. Me, personally, I just want to basically help the team. I had a great season [with Crvena Zvezda] but when it comes to the national team… you just do whatever your team needs. Everybody’s goal is to win a medal. And whatever your team goal is, you just do whatever needs to be done for the team to accomplish that goal. If it’s making shots, then it’s making shots, if it’s something else then it’s something else It doesn’t matter. It’s about what your role is. Because when you come to the national team, that’s what’s expected from you. You need to sacrifice yourself for the team’s needs.

EH: How important was it for you to resolve the matter of your free agency before the World Cup? To get it out of the way.

Petrusev: It was really important. I knew that I’ll be signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for quite some time before it actually became official. So it had been a while and I wasn’t worrying about my situation for the next season that as the national team training camp was approaching.

Of course, it definitely feels good that I won’t be worried about anything else and instead focus on the national team and the World Cup.

EH: How do you feel about being a Sixer?

Petrusev: I just feel really great about finally being an NBA player. For sure I’m glad this happened with the Philadelphia 76ers because that’s the organization that drafted me. I feel it’s the logical next step for me and my career. I showed how I can really play on the EuroLeague level. And I’m young so I think it’s better to try now instead of years later when I’m older.

I’m just going there, not really hoping for anything. Just doing my work and trying to work for every opportunity I can get. We’ll see how it goes. I have no expectations but I’ll try to have fun. I need to go there and show I can play, at first. Work and fight for my opportunities. It’s a long way I’m just taking it step by step.

I didn’t really watch any NBA. I watched some games in the playoffs but I really watched more EuroLeague. I even watched more college basketball than NBA through the year. Of course, I need to start watching more NBA now.

EH: Sixers president Daryl Morey made multiple mentions of you throughout the years, talking about how the club monitors your situation. How was your contact with him?

Petrusev: I didn’t really speak personally with him much but every time I went to play in the Summer League I met with the staff, I met with him. They [the Sixers] were following me obviously. They had some people coming to watch me playing in some EuroLeague games. We’ve been in touch. Now, it’s probably the right time for them and me to make this happen and we’ll see how it works out.

The post Filip Petrusev followed his basketball instincts to escape wildfires in Greece appeared first on Eurohoops.

Neboja Covic is a divisive figure. You either love it or hate him. And there’s a good reason for both since Covic’s personality is bigger than life.

Since 2011 he is the president of Crvena Zvezda, however, before that, he was even the acting Prime Minister of Serbia, a political figure, the 66th mayor of Belgrade, a businessman, and a basketball executive. That’s a path that it’s bound to create a lot of supporters and also a lot of enemies.

The 65-year-old Covic, however, was always a basketball executive at heart, having a key role in the Serbian basketball federation and an input on things like building the Stark Arena, as he explained to Eurohoops.

In a long interview, the always outspoken Covic, who prefers to be a little quieter from now on, addresses pretty much everything, from the alleged threats to Nikola Mirotic from Zvezda fans pushing him to deny a deal with Partizan, to former EuroLeague CEO Marshall Glickman, the return of Milos Teodosic, Zvezda having an A EuroLeague license, money spent by Serbian clubs and more.

You have said that you might be stepping down from Zvezda’s presidency due to health issues. Is this a true concern?

It’s very possible, I had a major operation during the fifth game of the ABA league finals, which couldn’t be postponed. If I had been healthy and just been there – the fifth game would not have happened because of some things that have nothing to do with sports. Ok, that’s in the past, and to some who are “concerned” about my health…

I’m fine, and we’re ambitiously entering a new season in which we want to achieve good results. By good results, you know what I mean when it comes to Crvena Zvezda, but this time we want to take the next step in the Euroleague as well.

What’s your vision for Zvezda in the next 10 years?

When I took over Crvena Zvezda as president, the club had large deficits in the millions of euros, exactly 15.6 million, and I believe that the readers that follow your well-known media know it well. And what we went through, and where we are today. Crvena Zvezda is today a respected European club, a member of the Euroleague family, which has been able to sell out the Belgrade Arena for 10 years and has won 22 trophies in 12 seasons.

I will remind you that the club that brought basketball to Serbia through Nebojsa Popović, Bora Stanković, and Professor Nikolić… won a total of 21 cups in the period from 1945 to 2011. And that speaks for itself about what we are doing and how much we have raised the club at all levels. I see Red Star as a stable Euroleague club, with an A license, a stable budget, and a clear idea of the direction it is going.

Are you moving to Stark Arena for all games, gearing up for an A license in the EuroLeague?

Yes, it is our determination to return to the Arena where we set a Eurocup and Euroleague record 10 years ago in the match with Budiveljnik. One of the reasons is the A license because we simply have to play in the best hall available to us. Many people have the wrong idea that this gym is available to one club.

The Belgrade Arena is a city arena that I built as the mayor of Belgrade 27 years ago, and Crvena Zvezda will have at its disposal all the resources for the first team, junior selections, and club management. We know Beogradska Arena well, we played there for 10 years and I expect our fans to fill the Arena during the next season.

How do you feel about reuniting with Milos Teodosic after 15 years, when he left for Olympiacos?

Miloš Teodosić is my kid, a fantastic player who was “born” in the FMP basketball program, the club I run about 20 years ago. We have been in contact since the period when he moved to Athens. He kept his promise to me last year that he would close the circle at Crvena Zvezda, a club of which he is a big fan. He has a great career, but he still has a great desire, which is now mixed with emotions because he wears the jersey of the club he loves. I expect a lot from him, on the court, in the locker room… in every sense – because he is a great player in every sense.

Do you think this year’s Zvezda will be the strongest roster ever of the team?

We are working to make it so. For now, we are very satisfied with the work we have done, especially because the market is small, it is what it is, and there are not many players on the market and on the move. I publicly said that we plan to spend around 12 million euros on the players’ salaries for the next season, by Euroleague standards this is not too much.

However, because of everything we have done in the past, the players know that they are coming to a club where they will be respected, they will be led by the experienced coach Duško Ivanovic, and they will have huge support from the stands, and an atmosphere that few clubs in the Euroleague can offer. We plan to bring in two more players in positions two and four, and we’ll be picking those players carefully because we really feel like we’ve put together a strong team this summer.

Who is your favorite non-Serbian player after all those years?

When I was running FMP, it was definitely Reggie Freeman, in Crvena Zvezda Marcus Williams and Stratos Perperoglou.

Why Campazzo and Vildoza left?

Facundo Campazzo has chosen to return to Real and we respect his decision, he is an extraordinarily great man who has received a lot of love from Red Star fans for his commitment to the club, the team, and his teammates. I think that this decision to return to Real is not only related to the economy but to the comfort and happiness of his family. And we respect that. The fact that we have established a very strong relationship that will perhaps be renewed one day, is also shown by the fact that he received an incredible financial offer to play for the city rival, which he turned down a couple of days ago. Immediately and without hesitation. I wish him a lot of happiness, health, and success in Real.

As for Luca, he had a turbulent season in every sense, with a great start, after that, he run through injuries to some problems that took away his focus, not related to the basketball court. Luca is a passionate Argentinian who left his mark at Crvena Zvezda, he received an incredible offer from Panathinaikos that we couldn’t match, and that’s it. Crvena Zvezda has also built the image of a club in which players can increase their value multiple times, or refresh and raise their careers. I will remind you of Lorenzo Brown, Billy Baron, and many others. A similar case is with Luca. I would like to wish him all the best in Panathinaikos.

Do you still feel strange about the way EuroLeague handled the Campazzo case?

Yes, I feel very bad about that, I think our arguments were not fully listened to, but we respected that decision. What bothers me much more is the personal animosity that the now former Euroleague CEO Marshall Glickman had towards Crvena Zvezda, and only he knows the reasons for that. He is a man who was completely wrong for the position and he did not understand anything. Not even the importance of Facundo Campazzo playing in Crvena Zvezda, or playing in the Euroleague. In the end, we all suffered the damage! Euroleague, clubs, competition, and finally, most of all Crvena Zvezda. I’m sorry that he will be remembered only for that scandal.

Why there’s such tension in the ABA League, the Serbian League, and your games with Partizan?

I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the people from Partizan. Calming tensions is solved with concrete actions and not with words. You know, before the fifth game of the final, they lit candles for me in front of the Belgrade Arena while I was undergoing complicated surgery. Do you think it’s normal?

Or to put pressure with disinformation on Euroleague clubs through Zoran Savić, and many many other things, like what’s happening now with the Mirotic saga, where lies and spin are being made to the detriment of Crvena Zvezda? Nikola is an extraordinary man, a philanthropist, who deserves the best, and we wish him all the best. But to say that someone is threatening him not to go to another club? This is madness. We are for normal relations, and rivalry but only on the basketball court.

Zeljko Obradovic addressed the issue saying that things in the 80s were totally different. Do you feel that he is right? Is it time for a change in the way Serbian fans of both sides approach those games?

I will have to repeat myself. We should not ask questions but need to work to find answers and solve the problem. You know, Željko and I know each other well and for a long time, I was the president of the national basketball association when I appointed him as the coach of the national team after Athens in 1995 when Duda Ivkovic was the coach. We had fantastic results in Atlanta and Barcelona in 1996 and 1997.

But, if you cite as a concrete example that a child in the company of his mother shows you the middle finger on the way to the game, which is very ugly, then you must know that this has happened many times before to coaches and players of Crvena Zvezda, and immediately another 50 pictures appeared in the public with that type of examples. And we know all of that – what is the solution? To begin with, let’s be honest. Let’s not say one thing, and do completely another!

Even as we speak now, in theory, Zvezda is in danger of being voted out of the ABA League for noncompliance with the rules. Do you feel that there’s a chance for anything like this to happen?

We are very comfortable with our position because we have the law, bylaws, and all possible regulations of the ABA League behind us. Information leaked to the public that Crvena Zvezda wants to destroy something. No, Crvena Zvezda is fighting to save that league because we all need that league in the region, but not as a league where two or three individuals want to run that league and make deals.

There are a lot of questions about the money spent last year and this year from the Serbian clubs. Can you give us an explanation for this change in financial resources?

Serbia is a basketball country, and it is truly a privilege to have two clubs in the company of the 18 best clubs in Europe. The President of the Republic of Serbia is a great fan of basketball and sports, and through basketball, he also sees a way to promote Serbia in the best way, regardless of the rivalry that currently exceeds the limits of normal sports rivalry.

As I already said we plan to spend around 12 million euros for the team for next season. It is not a huge amount of money, looking at some other investments and the effect we get with full Arena in Belgrade and the image we send to the world. We have great support from the president, the government, and the city of Belgrade we represent, and we also earn part of our budget through sponsors, season tickets, merchandise…

After all those years what makes you proud as the president of Zvezda and what would you have changed if you could?

Extremely proud, this is not an easy job, I have been president of Crvena Zvezda for 12 years, and in my humble opinion, I have succeeded with people from the management, and with everyone who has been part of Crvena Zvezda, coaches, many players in these 12 years, to transform a big “sleeping” giant into a respected member of the Euroleague and a club where even the biggest European players want to come and be part of this story.

It also makes me proud that on the 100th anniversary of Serbian basketball, I have behind me, the house of national basketball, the return of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia national team on the international stage in Athens in 1995, as well as the construction of the functioning system of the National Basketball Federation until 1999, 2001 and 2002 when I helped our basketball a lot as the Deputy Prime Minister, and of course all that I did with the KK FMP from the 90s of the last century.

Could I have done something different – I had a little room/space to do something different. You know how it goes, there were a lot of ideas, but the realization of those plans is something else…

How do you like to be remembered as Zvezda’s president by friends and foes?

As a workaholic, someone who has invested everything he has in the progress and development of Crvena Zvezda. Finally, the surgery I had at the end of June is the product of the great efforts I made to make Crvena Zvezda a big club.

Many have forgotten that Crvena Zvezda was the avanguard, and founder of Yugoslav and Serbian basketball, but also a club that won 21 trophies until 2011, and 22 since I became president 12 years ago. The numbers speak for themselves. After all, we are talking today about Crvena Zvezda, well known, Euroleague club that has returned to where it belongs.

The post Nebojsa Covic: “We transformed a sleeping giant into a respected EuroLeague member” appeared first on Eurohoops.

Sacramento Kings forward Sasha Vezenkov realizes that his new team wants to take it to the next level after finishing third in the Western Conference last season and making the playoffs for the first time in 16 years.

“I knew coach Brown from when he came to Greece,” Vezenkov told Eurohoops. “For sure, they show me that they are glad [with me] and that they believe in me. The front office, the coaches, everyone. That doesn’t say anything on its own. I can’t wait to start working [with the team]. Right now I’m working out individually in Bulgaria. I’m going to a team that had a winning season year. The bar is set really high. The team was suffering in the previous years, they couldn’t get into the playoffs. So for sure, the bar is high. I know that nothing will come immediately. Every new place has its peculiarities until you adapt. But I’ve experienced similar circumstances throughout my career. I’m having a positive mindset and I’ll keep working and doing my thing. With a little luck, I hope that everything goes well.”

In a lengthy interview with Eurohoops, Vezenkov, the 2023 EuroLeague MVP, also talked about his new beginnings in the NBA with the Kings, the departure from Olympiacos Piraeus and more.

Here’s what the Bulgarian forward said: 

On leaving Olympiacos: 

I received only respect and love. I talked with most of the people in the club and they respect my decision. Everyone wanted me to stay with Olympiacos. But everyone knew that it [signing with the Kings] was the best for my future, to pursue my dreams. I had made it clear that no matter what happens, I want to hear the offer the Kings will make. It was a difficult decision but ultimately, it was the right decision. What I’ll miss is the everyday life with Olympiacos. Especially in the last two years. The environment in Sacramento is similar to the one of Olympiacos. On every level. They seem to have a family atmosphere and I like that.

On joining the Kings: 

It’s a dream and a potential. Because I’m not doing this just for living the NBA dream. In any dream, I see potential. A potential that can teach me something and evolve me. I’m not going to the USA to come back soon. I want to be tested in the NBA. 

I’m thinking about everything positively. I’ll start at zero. Now, the work I’ll do will be even bigger. I know what I’ve been through and how much I’ve worked. You can’t buy experience. I think the circumstances are the best. When I was 19 I wasn’t even ready for the Greek League. When I left Barcelona, I didn’t even have confidence. I was just different. 

They don’t care about age and how young you are [in the NBA]. Obviously, when you are experienced they see that and see what kind of level you have in your game. I think experience is something important and that EuroLeague brings me something extra. Luck also plays a part. You can be great on a team and not be able to play on another team.

My first goal is to become better and better and have continuity. This is what I learned at Olympiacos, as long as the team wins, everyone is important and everyone contributes to that. I have weaknesses that I need to improve. I go to the NBA with confidence. I may be a rookie but I have experience and through my hard work, my confidence increases. I’ll do what I’ve always done. The pressure may not be the same as the one at Olympiacos. I put pressure on myself to get better. 

On what will be his position on the Kings system:

We haven’t talked about that yet. You go in and you play, no matter your position. They play pretty basketball, fast basketball. They are a team that I think suits me and helps my own strong characteristics. We’ll focus on what I can do well. It’s different to go on a team that finished a season in third place in its Conference. I’m competitive and I want to win. The adjustment will be a bit tough for sure, time will be needed. Here you have to do the basics right while focusing on your strong points to have luck for something bigger.”

On his former teammate Kostas Sloukas’ decision to jump from Olympiacos to archrival Panathinaikos:

“I won’t lie, I wasn’t expecting this. Kostas is my friend and he’ll continue to be one. Memories can’t be erased. Every man takes decisions according to what he wants for himself and his life. My position is delicate. I can’t say anything but one thing: Let’s avoid extremities. That’s bad. Everyone enjoys what they want and, in the end, is judged by it. Everyone walks their own path”

The post Sasha Vezenkov sets the bar high for himself and the Sacramento Kings appeared first on Eurohoops.

Crvena Zvezda was present in Kaunas, with the club being represented in the ANGT junior tournament and Nikola Topic being among the member of the Top5, stealing the show with his scoring abilities.

However, the Final Four is much more, a chance to meet with decision-makers around Europe and plan for your future, at least unofficially. And that’s also the case with Zvezda. In theory, the Serbs, neither Partizan nor Zvezda, have secured a spot in next season’s EuroLeague, but they are preparing to be part of the competition and as interim CEO Marshall Glickman admitted, pretty much they are in.

Eurohoops talked with Zvezda’s GM Nemanja Vasilejevic about this matter and also about the Campazzo incident, the planning for a club which is EuroLeague material but has to wait until July to be officially part of the party, and also the budget of the team, an issue that raised a lot of eyebrows around Europe.

Outside your presence here for the Junior tournament is there any other indication so far from the EuroLeague about their intentions for Crvena Zvezda next season?

No, officially no. Unofficially, I think it’s what we all hear that probably the same teams from this season will play next season also, but until it’s official for us there’s only one way to win the ABA League to be sure that we are going to play in the EuroLeague next season.

Are you still a little bit concerned about the way that EuroLeague treated you in the situation with Campazzo?

Well, I think this situation could be handled differently because from the point of, let’s say, punishment, we did what they wanted us to do and what they wanted to achieve with the punishment. We made all the payments, and all the agreements, and everything was settled. So I think that they could allow him to play before the last day of the deadline for adding new players.

I think it hurt us a lot, but also it hurt the competition because if you as a competition don’t want a player like Facu to play, or any other player I mean, in the end, it turns out that player was punished. The club was sanctioned, we pay the fine, and we did all we had to do. So yeah, I think it could have been handled differently and hopefully in the future somebody will have a similar situation and it will be handled in a different way.

Did you also learn something about how to handle things better, because EuroLeague is not crazy, they had a reason to proceed like that…

Yes, of course, I mean we said that we understand we made a mistake. It’s not a problem to sanction us. During the whole process and the communication with the EuroLeague, we said the same. There were many fines imposed during the season, but just let us play. Because at that moment, if you remember, we had a lot of injured players, our roster was depleted and we needed a player. Of course, we learned and hopefully, we will never be again in any similar situations in the future.

Considering that you are not on A licensed club, are you happy with your season in the EuroLeague, there is a huge difference between having an A license and not having the security of staying more than one season in the competition…

That is what bothers us a lot, because it’s, let’s say, a vicious circle. We have to win the ABA league in order to play in the Euroleague and then for example you have a situation that we play a game against Real Madrid, it’s on Thursday, and then on Sunday, we play against Borac in Cacak. And that game in Cacak is more important for us than the game against Madrid. That doesn’t make sense.

We are here with the Euroleague for – I don’t know – 10 years and we grew as a club and honestly, I think we deserve a spot and to have this certainty of knowing that we’re going to play for some years. We should have a guaranteed place for some time.

Do you feel that this is urgent for all the teams that are in the same situation? You must have if not a closed league, then the security of playing in the EuroLeague long term in order to plan like this.

It’s hard to plan anything otherwise. If you want to sign a player and I call his agent, the first question is “Where are you playing next year”. When the final decision is made is usually in July, we are already late on the market then you have to overpay the players to come but we don’t have a huge budget. There are so many things that this uncertainty put us in a not good position and in the end we need to be competitive and we are competitive but I think that things can change as you said to have some security. Not a close league, but let’s get standards on the clubs. If you are like this and that, then you’re inside. Things can be improved on that front.

So the licenses should maybe be more long-term? Maybe not for one year but for three years?

From our side we’re going to do everything we can, we will try to increase the budget. Next year we will move to the bigger Stark arena and we will do whatever to show that we deserve the permanent place. And I think this year showed everybody that Belgrade deserves two teams.

Speaking about your budget, because that was talked about a lot all over Europe, first of all, I guess you are bound by the Financial FairPlay rules, you follow them and you consider them a fair system and secondly, what’s your explanation to the public asking how a team like Zvezda and also how a team like Partizan suddenly got this boost in their budgets?

From our side, speaking about the increase in the budget, when you look at it last year or the year before, we used all the money that we earned and that was the case for the last 10 seasons and we’re going to do it again.

At the end of the season and you will see that increase is not that huge, because when you look at our roster from the beginning with a rookie coach and everything it was nothing. Then people forget that we signed a new naming sponsor, Meridianbet, and we also kept our old sponsor (ed. note: mts) with the same amount of money. So this money helped us a lot and it didn’t fall from the sky.

You will see, we will go out with the numbers same as every year and you will see that our budget is at the low level of the EuroLeague teams. We just had luck in the situation with Vildoza and Campazzo, we reacted at the right time. And both of them had roles they never had. Facu never had this freedom, playing 40 minutes. Same with Luca. So it was also a good fit for them.

Right now which competition are you preparing for next season?

For EuroLeague. Everything that we do has to do with this. In our mind we are preparing for the Euroleague, we are planning to move to Stark Arena, we are already working on a different ticketing approach and then the players that we want to bring are going to be good, experienced players and of course with a core of Serbian players as always.

This is for us the most important part to have the core of the team, the heart of the team being domestic guys. It was also evident in this year’s Final Four, Real Madrid with a local core, Olympiacos also with the local players. I think that those players make a difference in the end because they feel the club. they feel the city. They feel everything in a different way than foreign players, which is normal in the end.

The post Crvena Zvezda GM Nemanja Vasiljević: “We are preparing for the EuroLeague” appeared first on Eurohoops.

The Kaunas Final Four is on the books, but as the event of a new era – and despite some hiccups related to the size of the city – it opened the door to a tone of new possibilities.

That’s why before leaving Lithuania, Eurohoops had to meet Zalgiris general manager Paulius Motiejunas who hosted the event in the Zalgirio Arena. The Final Four ended up being profitable in every aspect and that topic turned out to be just a start for a long conversation that included the project of Zalgiris, which in some aspects has become bigger than Kaunas, and also the production of young talent in Europe.

However, the most interesting part came to the idea of going to Dubai, an expansion option clearly aligned with Zalgiris’ ambitions, and also the “new normal” of EuroLeague.

Give me your assessment of the Final Four…

Should I take into account that you are Greek?

You should take into account mainly the business aspect…

We are happy with the way it went. We are very happy.

Do you feel that Final Fours are not only bigger and better than ever but they can now be profitable both for the EuroLeague and the organizers?

I know that especially this Final Four is profitable for the league, I know that. For the organizers, it depends on the way you look at it. It’s really important to have a municipality and government on board. Because who makes money? Not the guys who rent their arena. It’s the hotels, the restaurants, transportation, everything around here. So you cannot go to each hotel and ask to share their exact info. You have to look at this as a tax return and as a sports tourism advertisement. So if the government understands that, and in our case the municipality of Kaunas did it, it’s profitable for the city and for the country, I’m sure.

Do you have an assessment in numbers?

The government has paid 1.5 million euros, so we know that they will get a return in taxes of a minimum of 1.1 euros So we’re taking away advertisement, we taking away Vilnius, which also good a boost this weekend, and so on and so on.

From this point for sure you are breaking even and probably there will be a measurable profit…

Yes, EuroLeague does the survey after every Final Four of the people who are here. More than 50% of them will return to Kaunas. That’s what happened with Vitoria and with the other Final Fours. So we are sure that it’s not only something that happened and then everybody just left. We know that people will come back because the weather was great, and everything was good, so I’m pretty sure that you know people will want to come and experience Kaunas and Vilnius again.

Lithuania’s team

In my opinion, the Final Four as an event has outgrown certain cities just because of its size. We have seen it in Vitoria, we had seen it in Kaunas, and outside the arena the logistics were a bit problematic. But do you feel also that Zalgiris itself as an organization has outgrown at least on certain points, has outgrown Kaunas?

We never say we are Kaunas’ team, we always say we are a Lithuanian team. So if you look at us this way I would say no. I want to be polite, I don’t want to sound cocky. We are a small city, we are a small country and we always have to be better than anybody else in order to achieve good results. And we want good results.

It’s theoretical, I don’t know if that would be the case, but always theoretical you think that if we were in a bigger market with the same percentage of fans, we could be much bigger. But again we are what we are and where we are and we understand this. This is something you can’t change.

Do you feel that you are Lithuania’s team?

Of course, we do the surveys, we know our advantages, and we organize shuttles from different cities to come and watch EuroLeague games. This is what we have put on our agenda more than six, seven years ago and this is what we’re working for. So we’re not here to create rivalries inside Lithuania, we are here to compete with European teams.

Do you think that, because you are having record budgets for the last few years, this trend will continue and go upwards?

Again it’s depending on if we have another crisis, if you know everything goes according to the plan but again it should go up, but it’s not going to be significantly different. I think we can expect a 10% increase in a couple of years, step by step, but not a 100% increase, I would not expect that.

Do you think that this is now the new era of the EuroLeague where in order to be competitive your budget floor can’t be less than 8, 9, 10 million euros?

In our case, we say it’s not only about the money. Obviously, we have to have a strong organization in order to be competitive, you have to invest. But I always say it’s not only about the salaries, it’s not only about the money, but it’s also about character.

We have this Lithuanian character or national character that we drive on and we hope to continue on that. Other teams have different mentalities but I think there’s always space for that Cinderella story or always space for that somebody who has a different view because not everybody can win the jackpot and expect to sign anyone no matter how expensive they are.

We have to adjust and we have to go that way.

Were on-court results this season a surprise also for you?

I always expect the maximum as a GM. You have to trust the team, I trust the team, I sign the guys, I put them on the paper, I put the coach there and every season I go, expecting that this year we’re going to work for sure.

I know it sounds stupid but that’s how you look at it and we never talk about it even publicly but we go step by step, each game is the most important one and you don’t expect or dream about something else. I would say again, I kept telling everyone I wanted the team to be competitive till the very end of the playoffs. That’s what happened, we made the playoffs and again I wanted us to be more competitive in the top eight, obviously. I wanted at least one win no matter if the opponent was Barcelona or anybody else.

Losing talents to the NBA and the way to produce more

There’s a lot of talk about young talents in Europe. If they are too good they go straight to the NBA and then the talent pool suddenly strings to a level that was unprecedented in recent years. Do you agree with this approach?

Yes, the NBA is doing it now, the NCAA is doing all those things to get young guys, and so on and so on. There are so many things there. They have good conditions and they don’t care about the sporting result. Here in Europe, I always have this problem and we say “ok, we want young players”, but then you go to the coach and you say “Why are you not using this player”. I understand the coach, because people, and even me, we can fire him if there are no sporting results. As a coach and as a manager you don’t get this two or three-year “lifespan”, saying” Okay, no matter how you could play, you will bring up the young talents”. So I think that’s where we are different a lot from the US.

They also have good financial resources for young players, even better than we can get, so it’s a huge, huge competition and I would say it’s a big threat for us in the EuroLeague.

Do you feel there can be a solution to that? A junior league that’s stronger? Maybe using more young players in the domestic leagues and having a second different roster? Can there be a compromise that can really help or this is a losing battle because of the assets that the NBA and the NCAA have?

For me, if you look from the NBA side, I understand them but we still had so many good talents that they took from us. So I don’t see a problem letting us do the job that we were doing as Europeans, growing players like Luca Doncic.

I think that there could be a solution but we need to sit down and talk about the product of the game. Not see who does it better, because I think we value talent more as Europeans simply because we don’t have so many players of that level.

In the US, they have a lot of players and if you have one out of 100, it’s ok. Here, we have to have one out of the five who can play, so we care about them more. As for solutions, obviously, second teams can be used. I think we don’t have in Europe the teams who would say we will just grow young players, no matter the results. Misko (ed. note: Raznatovic, agent of Nikola Jokic) has a team where he’s developing players, Mega, and that’s one. Tell me another one… maybe in Italy, “Stella Azzurra” on a different level.

However, where are the teams which will play in the EuroCup and constantly be competing with young guys? We don’t have this mentality and I think that’s something that could be valuable. But in that case, what I’m saying is that we have to have some kind of deal, there has to be some financial income after the players go. Because right now we can have a player for three years and he leaves and that’s it, you don’t have anything.

Do you believe that this can be a key for a potential between the EuroLeague, FIBA, and the NBA?

This is what we talked about many times. I was never in the discussions room, but for me, it looks logical and we always say this. We care about basketball and we need to make basketball better worldwide not just in Europe. So we should all sit down and discuss.

Ok, we know who’s the driver, who has the most revenues and most potential but we all have a role to play and the duty to do it and if we can agree on who does what and collaborate together I think would be better for basketball.

Expansion and Dubai

What’s your view on the potential expansion of the Euroleague?

Again I think it’s inevitable. I think we will get there, the problem is now the calendar which we keep talking about, and also the national competition which we also are talking about.

Right now we are playing 90 games during the season. This is not the first season this happens, the coaching staff and everybody else is adjusting to having these different practices, to prevent injuries but still, we see that there are a lot of games.

We have to find balance. Business-wise I’ll say “Hey, let’s go expand” but if you look at the players, at the coaches, even at the fans… You have so many games, one day it’s the EuroLeague, then the next day it’s a local league, so we need to expand because we have a great great product. but we need to also see how not to hurt each other and help the players and the fans, cause we are doing it for them.

It has to be something that you don’t see four times a week because that will be not interesting.

We have seen Grand Canaria having second thoughts about competing with the EuroLeaague due to its geographical position. Taking into account this aspect, do you feel that the expansion should be centered in Western Europe or the opportunity of Dubai is something that can’t be overlooked?

Like I said many times, I liked it when we had the trip to Dubai. They showed the arena, and we saw who is behind the project and it looks normal, stable, and looks like it has potential. So we have to analyze it and we are analyzing it.

If you fly charter for us is just a couple of extra couple hours so I don’t see a problem going to Dubai because they have a great facility, they have great accommodations, they will take great care of the teams, so there are many advantages and to say no to them because you have to spend two extra hours back and forth on the plane, it doesn’t sound like a reasonable argument for me.

The “new normal”

Do you feel better after two years of turbulence inside the EuroLeague because of the change of management now things are back to normal?

They are not back to normal and they will never be and I want a new normal!

I want us to improve and we need to improve. What I really feel is that we as clubs are getting more involved and what is better now is that we are communicating much better between ourselves and this is key.

All 13 of us need to stay united and we need to understand what kind of product we have and we all agree that we have a great product. We need to improve so I keep we’ve been improving but there’s still so much we can do and and so many things we can do better.

So I think this new normal is coming and we should focus on that.

You said that clubs should communicate better. Do you think that until recently the main problem of the EuroLeague was that the clubs themselves didn’t communicate a lot?

It’s a sports team’s business, we are still competitors with each other, we all want to win and we all want to show that we are better. I don’t know the NBA from the inside from what I see, they are more business structured, helping each other, and then when you have those rules that you’re helping each other, it’s easier.

In EuroLeague, we are still working on that and this competitiveness comes out. So I wouldn’t say we don’t communicate, I would say we do communicate but we can have more open discussions and sometimes like I say agree to disagree but be able to sacrifice something for the common goals of the league. I love this league, I think we have a great, great product and I really care for us to grow we all have to have the same mentality but sometimes we mostly focus on winning.

It’s completely normal to have this mentality, so I think winning plus making the league so much better and everybody’s stronger. it creates a better product for the fans and this is the key.

The post Zalgiris GM Paulius Motiejūnas on the Kaunas F4, Dubai, and the EuroLeague “new normal” appeared first on Eurohoops.

KAUNAS, Lithuania – Among other teams during his 17-year European career, Rimantas Kaukenas wore the jerseys of Telekom Baskets Bonn and Real Madrid, respectively in the 2003-04 and 2009-10 seasons. Waiting for the EuroLeague Final between Olympiacos and the Blancos, there’s the possibility these two former teams of his will both be champs in European competition.

Talking exclusively with Eurohoops, the 46-year-old legendary former shooting guard expressed his hope hours before the last game of the season for the Spanish side. “I’m cheering for them, hoping they can come out with the victory and become the EuroLeague champions once again. I’m more than happy to see the organization and the fans do well, having once again the chance to win”, he said.

Going on about Real Madrid, emotion can be seen through his eyes. “There’s emotion in my heart talking about Real Madrid. I’m still in touch with them. Amazing history, and a lot of talented players. The organization has vastly invested in basketball, and they are continuously showing the results”, the former Montepaschi Siena player added.

If Chus Mateo’s team will still need to wait until the final buzzer in the Zalgirio Arena to know its faith, Telekom Baskets Bonn has already found gold success, beating Hapoel Jerusalem to lift the 2023 Basketball Champions League trophy. “Amazing”, Kaukenas said about the German team’s first-ever trophy.

 “Everybody in the city I think is losing his mind out of happiness. Bonn is such an amazing place. I had one of my best times there, and I improved a lot. I’m so thankful to them for everything they have done for my growth as a player. Seeing a couple of years ago that they had a tough year and then doing this, it’s a Cinderella story. I’m really happy and proud of them. It’s sport: one year you’re down, and you never know how it’s gonna go. You have to continuously work, and be very professional, and this is what Bonn has done. They’ve been very hardworking and humble, and there is your result”, the Lithuanian veteran also said.

Rimantas Kaukenas will obviously have the opportunity to watch Real Madrid going up against Olympiacos in his own country, and he expressed his satisfaction with Kaunas hosting the Final Four, just like Paulius Jankunas. “It’s amazing”, he said. “Lithuania is a basketball country and having an event like this only helps to raise the level of basketball: more interest, more attention. It motivates the youth to continue to grow and improve”. Talking about youth, he also touched on what Georgios Bartzokas spoke about in the Championship Game press conference. “Unfortunately, there is a shift of International players towards the NBA. It’s quite hard to find a lot of young potential players who would rather stay here to improve and grow. There’s always big potential, but the shift toward the NBA has been growing. It’s harder for everyone”, Rimantas Kaukenas said.

To get to the EuroLeague Final, both Olympiacos and Real Madrid had to come back during their semifinals against AS Monaco and FC Barcelona. That brings back some painful memories for Rimantas Kaukenas, who experienced a similar situation with Siena in the 2008 Final Four in Madrid.“We experienced the same thing with Siena, in the Final Four in Madrid”, he said about the semifinal against Maccabi Tel Aviv, which they lost 92-85 after leading 45-33 at halftime.

“It’s so difficult in the beginning, because you come with a huge expectation that it will be very loud, but the atmosphere is really particular. You have four groups of fans, so sometimes it gets loud, and sometimes not. You have to come really focused into the semifinal because you can’t relax for a single second. Sometimes the team gets burned, or they overstress that. These comebacks are a normal thing, because the team that suffers the blowing, in the beginning, picks it up”, he said.

“All the teams in the Final Four are big teams, so they will do whatever it takes to come back into the game. When you build up your lead, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you win the game. It’s life, and that’s the beauty of the game. This is what the game is all about. It’s about the fight until the end for forty minutes, without any loss of attention. You have to be very disciplined, and concentrated”, Rimantas Kaukenas added.

Finally, before leaving the Kaunas Sports Hall following U18 Real Madrid’s win in the ANGT, the president of BC Wolves took some time to speak on the new Lithuanian side. “We had quite a difficult year to put everything together. We were hoping to participate in some Cups last year, but we had to wait for the decisions of the EuroCup and Basketball Champions League. We tried to get into both competitions, but that didn’t go through: that changed the roster and the coaching staff. We were taking a huge risk. We tried to come up with and go achieve high results. However, I think the team got a little bit burned at the end because some of the players couldn’t handle the attention and expectations”, Rimantas Kaukenas said.

After failing to qualify in the FIBA Europe Cup, finishing 2nd in the European North Basketball League, and being eliminated in the LKL Quarter-Finals by Jonava, the Lithuanian side will start again from the 2023-24 campaign. “It’s a painful lesson for us. We need to continue building, make some adjustments, regroup, and go forward. We have to move the team from Alytus to Vilnius, which requires a lot of work around it. We start from scratch“, BC Wolves’ president commented.

However, Rimantas Kaukenas doesn’t know if they will be able to make it to the EuroCup or the Basketball Champions League, joining Zalgiris Kaunas, Rytas Vilnius, and Lietkabelis as another Lithuanian side in the major International competitions. “As of now, we don’t know anything. We have to wait until the Lithuanian league is finished, trying to speak, to understand the situation with the federation regarding how the rules will be. The year before there were only 11 teams, now they are 12. What changes regarding the sporting results? How the LKL will be perceived by others? That’s what we would like to understand. Right now, we try to evaluate our season, have meetings, understand what we can improve, and go from there”, he finally stated.

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KAUNAS, Lithuania – It’s time for the EuroLeague Finals, first with the 3rd place game between AS Monaco and FC Barcelona and most importantly with the clash between Olympiacos and Real Madrid. Kaunas is enjoying the best weekend of European basketball, and so are its legendary figures.

Interviewed by Eurohoops while he was attending the ANGT game between the U18 of Zalgiris Kaunas and Petteri Koponen’s Next Generation Select Team, Paulius Jankunas expressed his satisfaction with the Final Four being hosted in his city. “I enjoy it a lot, I’m happy that the Final Four is finally here in Kaunas. The fact that EuroLeague finally made the decision to let us host the Final Four, I think this is a big sign of respect and a big honor for us”, he said.

“Full town of basketball fans, people from different countries who all live the same idea and passion. I’m very happy that when I go for a walk I can see and talk with different people to ask them how they like Kaunas. It’s a big thing for us”, the current assistant of Paulius Motiejunas also commented.

After retiring from basketball at the end of the 2021-22 season, the former power forward stepped up to enter the management of Zalgiris Kaunas, which always relies on a big core of Lithuanian players. This year, for example, players like Edgaras Ulanovas and Arnas Butkevicius probably found the best season of their careers under coach Kazys Maksvytis.

Commenting on what Georgios Bartzokas said about the lack of new domestic and local players coming to the EuroLeague landscape, the 39-year-old agreed. “I think that’s what’s happening because there are teams where there are only one or two local players, very young and not playing at all. I don’t think it’s good, but I’m very happy that in Lithuania there’s a different approach. We have good Lithuanian players, and they are important just like the foreigners. Having good local players is crucial for every team”, Paulius Jankunas commented, following the position of Dzanan Musa and Fabien Causeur.

Talking about how the Lithuanian players excelled at their level this year, the whole Zalgiris organization was extremely satisfied with the team reaching once again EuroLeague Playoffs, ending its European campaign with a 3-0 defeat in the series against Sarunas Jasikevicius’ Barcelona. “The season was amazing, considering that at the beginning of the season, we had a new head coach coming, many new players”, Jankunas said.

Despite losing an important asset in Keenan Evans right at the start of 2023, they still managed to pull it off. “How they fought from day one is amazing because Zalgiris fans come to the arena wanting the players to fight. We’re not a very talented team, we can’t win by talent: we have to fight, and I think the players understood that early in the season, starting to do so”, he added before talking about the newcomers like Polonara and Taylor. “The new guys came and put their impact on the team’s results, helping us as well. The season in Lithuania isn’t over yet, but if we talk about EuroLeague it was amazing because we knew how good the season was last year (he laughs, ed). We made a big step forward”, Paulius Jankunas also commented.

Finally, the former Zalgiris Kaunas captain took some time to talk about the first day of the EuroLeague Final Four, with two huge comebacks. “The semifinals were very intense. Two teams got the lead in the first two quarters, but their opponents came back in the second part. I think Olympiacos just showed how good they can play defense, and we knew that they can be very good on offense. Real Madrid used their experience from previous Final Four and they let more experienced players step up, doing their job”, Jankunas said before commenting on the big final. “It looks like Olympiacos is ready to win, but we are talking about Real Madrid, and those guys know how to play finals, and how to win. I can’t pick one”, he stated.

PHOTO CREDIT: Zalgiris Kaunas

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KAUNAS, Lithuania – On the first day of the 2023 EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, FC Barcelona lost once again to Real Madrid after last year’s defeat. The team manager of the Catalans and legendary figure Juan Carlos Navarro took some time to talk to the media before today’s practice, ahead of the 3rd place clash against AS Monaco.

“Without a doubt, it’s an option. Like he already said, we will talk at the end of the season about which are the feelings. From tomorrow on, we will have our eyes set on the ACB, which is super important. When this ends, we will talk”, Juan Carlos Navarro said about Sarunas Jasikevicius’ future.

“It’s a game, there are nerves. It could happen. We thought we came here in much better shape, with more expert players, and we had a horrible second half: without control, with a lot of mistakes, also at the free throw line. Real Madrid knows how to play these moments”, he added about the lack of concentration of the Catalan side.

Juan Carlos Navarro also talked about Nikola Mirotic, who only scored 3 points. “Niko has a contract. We want the best Mirotic possible from tomorrow on. He’s professional and he’ll do it in order to help us win the so important ACB after what happened here”, he said about Nikola Mirotic’s poor performance before moving on to the tactical side of things. “I think not everything was related to the tactical side, surely there were mistakes on our game plan, but we made more mistakes on a mental note”, he finally stated.

The post Juan Carlos Navarro on Saras Jasikevicius staying in Barcelona: “It’s an option” appeared first on Eurohoops.

KAUNAS, Lithuania – The day has come, and the Zalgirio Arena is ready to welcome first Olympiacos and AS Monaco, and then FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Next to the fans of the Final Four teams – analyzed by Sergio Scariolo here – there will be thousands of supporters from Kaunas.

One of the guys who has gotten to know more closely the passion spread by the green heart that beats every time there’s a dribble on a basketball court is surely Achille Polonara, who joined Zalgiris Kaunas mid-way through the season following an underwhelming start with Anadolu Efes.

“Playing here is beautiful, it’s an amazing sensation, and I feel very good. It was not an easy start for me here in Kaunas, because it is the first season in which I change teams in mid-season. But I settled in slowly, and now I feel very comfortable. In addition, there is a great passion for basketball, Zalgiris is a religion in Kaunas: it is really beautiful”, he said in an exclusive interview with Eurohoops.

The commitment by the city of Kaunas and its inhabitants toward Zalgiris can be also seen in how they received the Italian forward following signing the contract mid-way through the season. “Ever since I signed up, I’ve gotten a lot of welcome messages, and that’s when I knew where I was going”, he said before underlining how important his decision was to share the locker rooms with Lithuanians. “Having played with several Lithuanians like Rimantas Kaukenas, the Lavrinovic brothers, Rokas Giedraitis, and Tadas Sedekerskis, I have always talked about Lithuania as a small country where basketball is definitely more than a sport. That’s all for them. I’ve played several times against Lithuania and I’ve always noticed huge fanbases when they play. I knew where I’d end up”, the former Baskonia player commented.

 

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Un post condiviso da Achille Polonara (@ilpupazzo33)

Losing 3-0 in the EuroLeague Playoffs following an outstanding run to make them, Achille Polonara and Zalgiris can’t play in their home court, occupied by the EuroLeague Final Four in which previews like the party of the season in Zalgirio Arena. “It is a great honor for them to host four of the best teams in Europe. Jasikevicius here in Kaunas is almost a god, so they respect him a lot and they will surely be rooting for him and for Barcelona, which also has Jokubaitis. They’re so happy they’re doing it here, and I think it’s going to be electrifying”, Achille Polonara said.

The 31-year-old went on to give his predictions over the most anticipated weekend of the year. “It will surely be a Final Four with the four teams that most deserved to get to the top. Olympiacos has been upfront since day one; it’s useless to emphasize the greatness and presence at the top of Real Madrid and Barcelona, and Monaco has made a great season with talented players, physicality, and athleticism difficult to stem. They could trip the Greek team right away, who knows”, he added.

As said earlier, Achille Polonara believes one team, in particular, will have the most support out of the four participants. “I think Barcelona will have more fans, but Real Madrid is a super-experienced team. Many players have been there for a lot of time, and its additions have been absolute level. They know how to play these kinds of games but between the two I’d go with Barcelona. Honestly, I expect two very close semis. They will certainly be games where the details make the difference, point to point, and with those who have more experience favored for the last tense minutes of the match”, the Italian forward commented.

After leaving Baskonia, Achille Polonara got stuck in a limbo between Fenerbahce and Efes, without finding environments where he could have shone again. Signing up for Zalgiris Kaunas, he got back joy and satisfaction, but he’s unsure if he will continue with the Lithuanian green-and-white side next year.

“I don’t know yet. I signed for six months from January to June, I’ve been finding myself well and I am still very well. Our goal is to win the Lithuanian championship, and we still have a few games left. My focus is on taking gold, and then we will see. After the end of the LKL, I will have the opportunity to talk to my agent and evaluate what will be the best situation”, he finally said. Eyes on the prize for Achille while the city will enjoy the 2023 EuroLeague Final Four. As he said, Kaunas lives for basketball.

PHOTO CREDIT: Zalgiris Kaunas

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Shaquille McKissic was familiar with cameras, flashes, and direction, but not on the basketball floor. That is why at last year’s Final Four in Belgrade, he admits that these lights “blinded” him. However, they did not blur his sight on this year’s trophy.

While talking to Eurohoops, the US guard of Olympiacos called the 2022-23 season a “redemption” year for Olympiacos, and three days before the Final Four of the Euroleague in Kaunas (19-21/5), he did not hide that he has “a premonition that this the tournament will bring glory.”

Shaquille explained the confidence in the locker room and the court that embodies the basketball desired by coach Bartzokas, he confided in who he would give the last shot in Kaunas and highlighted what elements may decide the semi-final with Monaco.

And after appearing in one film and two documentaries his choice for a title that would fit this season is simple:  “Personally, I would say “redemption”, for the taste left in our mouths last year, by Micic’s buzzer-beater. We had a chance to understand what it feels like to do a lot of things right and a few things wrong and come back to win the title.”

Here’s what Olympiacos’ Shaq had to say to Eurohoops for the upcoming Final Four, his team, and winning the trophy.

The post Shaquille McKissic: “I have a feeling that this is what will bring us glory” appeared first on Eurohoops.

Rokas Jokubaitis has recently been to Kaunas, beating his former team Zalgiris and making it with FC Barcelona to the Final Four.

And now, he returns to his home country having his sights on the EuroLeague trophy.

It will not be easy, but Barcelona, after falling short in the previous two Final Fours, want the third time to be a charm and Jokubaitis feels that this time around, Sarunas Jasikevicius’ team is more than ready.

Eurohoops: Kaunas, and many other big things, are coming. How would you say the team is right now, the most important moment of the season?

Rokas Jokubaitis: The team and myself are feeling very good and in good shape. We made it to the Final Four 3-0, which is, compared with last year, a good result for us. But the job is not finished, in general, we are feeling great, good emotions.

EH: As you said, you managed to eliminate Zalgiris and make it to the Final Four the fast way. Did you enjoy these extra resting days that you had? 

RJ: Yeah, it’s always nice to have a little rest and not go to game 4/5 and not get more tired physically and mentally. It’s always better to finish the series earlier, for a better recovery and rest some players in the domestic league. I think that we hoped for that result, it’s better for the team and everybody, to get more time to prepare for the final stage.

EH: We are talking about how important was to eliminate Zalgiris 3-0 but every other series was decided on the fifth game. Do you think that given how close the regular season has been, the fact that you managed to make it to the Final Four so ‘easily’ should be celebrated more?

RK: When we finished the series, we had one day to enjoy that victory but we have to forget this. The job is not done. For sure, all other series went to game five and the level of this year’s Euroleague is incredible, but we can’t be happy about it. There is no time to celebrate or feel good about ourselves. We have a trip to Kaunas and we have to forget how or who we beat, it’s a whole new story.

EH: You just mentioned how competitive and amazing this Euroleague has been. Even though you are young, you have been in the league for some years now. Do you have the feeling that this season has been even more competitive and equal?

RJ: One hundred percent I agree with you. This is my fourth season playing in Euroleague. We can see on the standings how competitive this regular season and playoffs were, we could say 100% that the 2022-23 season of the Euroleague has been the most competitive in history. The numbers don’t lie.

EH: Against Zalgiris you had some really good games, averaging 10 points and being vital in some crunch-time moments. But things didn’t go that well for you the whole season, as you had a rough patch that lasted some months. How do you manage, on a mental level, these weeks when everything seems to go wrong? 

RJ: To tell the truth, in November and December my shape was really bad. Everybody saw that and I felt it too. It’s not easy to get in shape again, I would love to. One or two bad games, next game you are in a good rhythm… but this game didn’t come for almost two months. I couldn’t reach my potential, what everybody felt I could give and do on the court. It was frustrating, I wanted to help the team more. The coaches and teammates believed in me, I got chances but in most games, I didn’t use them well. These months were very bad but I am happy that right now I’m in the good way again, after New Year everything went up. This was my first situation like this, I didn’t know how to manage everything, to be honest. It’s good for the young players: just keep grinding, keep working. The most important is to believe in yourself and have people around you who believe in you. Step by step, you can come back, there is no secret formula on how to come back, it took longer than expected but I’m happy that everything is good now.

EH: You are arguably on your best moment of the season and is after facing Zalgiris, your former team. Saras joked about getting a lot of calls from friends and family, has your phone been busy these last few days?

RJ: Yes, a lot of messages, some good and most bad (laughs). Nobody from Lituania in the Barça wanted to play against Zalgiris in the playoffs. We didn’t choose them, they didn’t choose us, this is life. In playoffs there is no room for ‘I don’t want to play against that team’, we got Zalgiris and we had to do our job.

EH: This Barça has a strong Lithuanian presence, with you, Saras, and many other members of the coaching staff coming from that country. Do you think that Zalgiris fans will support Barça because of that, even though Barça eliminated their team? 

RJ: In the beginning, I thought that it would happen, but something happened with the Zalgiris fans in Barcelona. The club only allowed 150 Zalgiris fans to go to the game and Barça gave back money to Zalgiris fans for the tickets, so they were a little bit mad at Barça as a club. But I hope they do, it will be one of the biggest events in Lithuania’s history, so I hope we can get as much as possible from them.

EH: Your first Euroleague title could arrive in your home country. How much would that mean to you? 

RJ: That would be incredible. I can’t imagine what it would feel like. It could be one of the greatest things in my career.

The post Jokubaitis: “Winning Euroleague in Lithuania would be one of the best things in my career” appeared first on Eurohoops.

An emblematic player of the Roca Team, in his 7th season at the club, Yakuba Ouattara grew up with Monaco, from the club’s debut in the French ProA to the heights of the Euroleague Final Four.

Captain and talisman of Sasa Obradovic’s squad, Ouattara looks back on Monaco’s historic qualification for the Final Four, and all the emotions that intertwine. And a reunion with Olympiakos that is looming.

After qualifying for the Final Four, at the end of this match 5, emotions were flowing.

“I feel pride, a lot of pride. Validating our place among the four best teams in the Euroleague is something huge. We celebrated a lot with the supporters, it was great. It was the objective announced at the start of the season, and we succeeded. But we still want more. Let’s enjoy, let’s enjoy a little more, but we will have to quickly turn the page and project ourselves on the Final Four. We go there to win,” Ouattara said in an interview for the club’s website.

As captain and historic player of the Roca Team, this feat is even more special for him.

“Clearly. This is the biggest achievement with Monaco so far. It’s just extraordinary. The club continues to evolve, and I evolve with it. Season after season, we manage to have a lot of success and to enhance the club’s objectives. First the Pro A, then the Champions League, then the Eurocup, and now the Euroleague… It’s a daydream, honestly.”

The club evolved in recent years, and with the renovated gym, the goals are getting bigger with each season.

“Seeing all the years of work rewarded is a lot of happiness. Each year, we move forward, and we climb even higher. Our objectives are higher and higher over the seasons, and above all, the club gives itself the means to achieve them. The hall is magnificent, and I hope that we can continue to make the supporters happy.”

Along with the team, Ouattara evolved as well.

“You have to know how to adapt to the group to find your place and serve the collective as well as possible. Sometimes you have to take on a major role on the pitch, sometimes you have to be able to give everything in a more limited playing time, which is also very important. It’s not just the minutes. You also have to be able to mobilize the guys and have a defensive impact on the best players on the opposing team. Having managed to adapt my role in the team is something I’m proud of.”

Another big meeting with Olympiacos

In the semi-final in Kaunas, Monaco will once again face Olympiacos, which kept them out of last season’s Final Four.

Ouattara explains that this time things are going to be different: “They are the best team in Euroleague, they finished first in the regular season. It’s a team that we rather enjoyed playing this season since we won out and back. They have quality in all positions, the danger comes from everywhere. Vezenkov, Sloukas, and Fall, to name but a few. Since we have beaten them twice this season, I hope that the expression “never two without three” will take on its full meaning!”

And of course, the French player had a message for the fans.

“They played a crucial role, providing a voice to push us for 40 minutes. With their enthusiasm, we even heard very little from the Maccabi supporters, who tried but our fans always outbid them. It was amazing for us on the pitch. A historic match, but also a historic atmosphere here, at Gaston-Médecin. This game 5, was the best atmosphere we have known in recent years. The supporters played their part with flying colors,” Yakuba Ouattara concluded.

The post Monaco’s Yakuba Ouattara: “We are going to Final Four to win” appeared first on Eurohoops.

Nikola Kalinic was a EuroLeague champion in 2017 with Fenerbahce. Since then a lot has happened, he left Fenerbahce in 2020 and joined FC Barcelona last summer. The end goal however, remains the same.

Kalinic at his 31 years of age, more mature and ready than ever, wants to win his second EuroLeague and he welcomes the anxiety that comes with being near your ultimately goal. “At the end of the day, fear makes you run faster, jump higher and be stronger”, he explains, that’s why he is not sure if that his team had some extra days of rest after beating Zalgiris Kaunas three times in three games.

Still, the point is simple. There’s no recipe for winning, but the Serb forward believes that Barcelona after a season with ups and downs finally found the right formula and the team is ready for the challenge in Kaunas.

Eurohoops: Kaunas is finally here. How would you say the team, and yourself, is feeling right now?

Nikola Kalinic: I think we are in a good, in a good moment right now. Although, we didn’t have such a tough series as the other teams so that can be good or bad, we will see on the Final Four. Some times is good to stay a little bit more fresh and healthier, but some times is good to be full shape and full alertness, so we will see. In general we are in a good mood and healthy, except for Cory Higgins everybody else is healthy so I think we are in a good moment.

EH: For the first time in a lot of weeks you didnt play on Euroleague for a “long” time. Did you enjoy these couple extra days off you guys got because of sweeping Zalgiris?

NK: Of course, but we didn’t have much rest, I don’t understand why. But we are preparing for Final Four, we have the goal in front of us and we will do everything to be ready. It’s always nice to have extra time to rest, work on your tactics and shape, but some times it’s better to go to a state of panic and alertness. At the end of the day, fear makes you run faster, jump higher and be stronger. I think it’s good, after so many games, to have extra resting days, but we will see.

EH: Like you just said, the main goal is right in front of you. All these months of competition will be decided in just two games: do you think the team has evolved and improved compared to the beginning of the season? 

NK: Yes, it was a little bit of a strange situation as always with people coming from the national teams, immediately for the beginning of the season without practicing. We didn’t have preseason, some injuries like Mirotic, who was away for a long time and when he came back the roles changed… But now we managed to find the formula that is working for us and it’s two games, one plus one, and it’s important to be the most focused in the whole season.

EH: This has been, and the numbers prove it, the most competitive Euroleague season. Do you, as a player who has been playing for a long time now, feel that it has been indeed more equal than ever? 

NK: Yes, I think those first three teams were better than the rest because of the length of their bench and roster. There were many teams in the mix for the playoffs, which is great, as it should be. We saw really great teams like Red Star, Efes or Milano who didn’t make it to the playoffs. I think this has been a really good season for Euroleague, hopefully we will win and it’s going to be even better.

EH: Forty minutes, two games. Everything will be decided in Kaunas but you are one of the few players in this Barça team who actually know what it feels like to win the Euroleague. What would you say the key on this kind of scenarios is? 

NK: If I knew the key I would already have four Euroleague titles, I only have one (laughs). I think it’s just to stay calm, approach it game by game. Everybody was saying “Two more, two more”. It was the same in Fenerbahce. The goal is to stay calm and play it minute by minute, try to do it like that. Play the first game as hard as you can and after that, not lose your head celebrating, and 40 minutes more.

EH: This is your first year here but Barça has made it to the Final Four three times in a row now. Even tough there is this feeling of obligation, for Barça and for every other big team in Europe, do you think that people don’t realise how hard this already actually is?

NK: Of course it’s hard but the big teams have the big rosters, the big and expensive cars and they can drive them. Of course it’s hard but in the end of the day, when you have 15 or 16 players it’s much easier to go there. That’s the thing that separates teams. CSKA, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Fenerbahce… They were almost always on the Final Four because they had the longest rosters and the most players. It’s hard but its easier because you have many players.

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Alongside Kostas Sloukas and Sasha Vezenkov, Kostas Papanikolaou stepped up big against Fenerbahce in Game 5 of their best-of-five series, leading Olympiacos to the Final Four in Kaunas. The 32-year-old veteran had a double-double of 14 points (6/9 FG) and 11 rebounds in the 84-72 victory.

Following the victory, the Greek expert talked to Eurohoops about reaching the Final Four.

“It was definitely a very difficult series. One of the hardest series I’ve ever played. Fener had a difficult season with injuries and ups and downs, which brought them to the eighth seed. It felt more like a punishment for us than a first-eighth fight. We had the will, we found the way, we managed to bring the series to the fifth match and there we all put our little effort into the qualification“, he said about the matchup with Fenerbahce.

The Peace and Friendship Arena was on fire against Fenerbahce, and Papanikolaou acknowledged that.

“We played our game to a very high degree. The crowd’s push helped us a lot too. They gave us great energy, they supported us, and they shouted. They pressured our opponents with their voices and all of that created a nice situation for us. The crowd was awesome, supportive, and had a great turnout“, Oly’s captain added.

Finally, he commented on his personal performance which helped Georgios Bartzokas’ team get the win. “Thankfully it was a good game, but whoever did it, we wouldn’t care. The point is for the team to win and to achieve beautiful situations for the club by winning titles. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy series. We showed character and we succeeded”, Kostas Papanikolaou concluded.

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“If only this convo could’ve lasted 140 minutes instead of 14,” was my first thought after exiting the Zoom call with Pau Gasol. Don’t get me wrong, 14 minutes can be a solid amount of time for your usual interview.

But listening to Pau Gasol is like tapping into a massive pool of information, stories, and interesting views. So 14 minutes just don’t seem to be enough when you talk with the Spanish giant, international trophies/medals hoarder, World Championship/EuroBasket MVP and two-time NBA champion, picking his brain and indulging in his eloquence about anything basketball.

During a Q&A session with Eurohoops, Gasol talked about the upcoming 2023 World Cup while looking back at the 2006 tournament when he and Spain were crowned world champions. It was done with a blowout win in the Final over a Greek national team that had just triumphed over mighty Team USA in the semifinal.

Spain actually played the Final without its best player who was – as you can easily guess – Pau Gasol. After a superb run (that ultimately earned him MVP), Gasol hurt his foot in the semifinal against reigning Olympic champion Argentina and was ruled out of the championship game. As he reminisces about these events now, he sees that injury as kind of a blessing in disguise. “Unfortunately, I got injured,” he said. “Unfortunately or fortunately. Because at the end of the day, I think that emotionally it could’ve affected our team negatively. But instead, it just gave us a kind of… I don’t know… level of strength, toughness, togetherness, and unity that really propelled us in the Final.”

“One of the games I enjoyed the most watching on the bench without being able to play.”

Gasol also gave his opinion on the usually controversial subject of the use of naturalized players by national teams, addressing the examples of American guards Lorenzo Brown (who was one of Spain’s leading performers in the EuroBasket 2022) and Thomas Walkup (who may play for Greece in the 2023 World Cup). He also shared his thoughts on the 2023 NBA MVP race and why the debate around it was perhaps so unprecedently heated.

– Eurohoops: The 2023 FIBA World Cup, with you as a Global Ambassador, is coming so I want to start with this: As a fan of basketball and lover of the game, what are the individual/team battles you are most eager to see in the World Championship? 

– Pau Gasol: As a fan of the game I just want to watch good basketball. In every tournament, I like to see the teams that stand out and separate from the rest. It’s always interesting because now with certain names and certain players, it has become so big. So there are always teams who become favorites, right? But, we’ve seen in some of the last championships that doesn’t translate into victory. I’m just excited to see first if Spain continues to play at such a high level and continues to be the No. 1 team in the world. Which is pretty remarkable and pretty exciting.

And, then again, see which is the team that gets hot get, who’s the team that competes better or plays better. Who give themselves a chance. And honestly, to be able to beat the American team right? Ultimately, they always come in as the main favorites. You always wonder what type of team they’re going to bring, what type of players they’re going to bring. Obviously, they’re all going to be talented players. But will they play collectively at the highest level?

So, that’s kind of always the exciting thing for me. I think having the championship in different parts of Asia and the last part taking place in the Philippines is also an exciting thing for me as a fan and a lover of the game. And now as an ambassador of the World Cup. So yeah, I’m excited to experience it and to see the game continue to grow.

EH: Back in 2006 you went all the way with Spain and won the World Cup. You didn’t participate in the Final vs. Greece due to injury but had already played great in the tournament to put Spain in a position to compete for the gold medal. What are the most intense memories that you carry from winning the gold and doing it against a Greek national team that had just beaten Team USA and maybe were considered favorites at that point?

P.G.: It was very, very special. We played very well throughout the championship. We won most of the games comfortably early on. We played at a high level. Then we ran into Argentina and that was such a top matchup. The Olympic champion at the time, of 2004 in Athens. So it was a very demanding game. Unfortunately, I got injured. Unfortunately or fortunately. Because at the end of the day, I think that emotionally it could’ve affected our team negatively. But instead, it just gave us kind of… I don’t know… a level of strength, toughness, togetherness, and unity that really propelled us in that Final game against Greece. From the beginning to the end, it was an amazing display of basketball on both ends of the floor.

Greece, obviously, they came up from winning in the semifinal. They were allegedly favorites playing at a very-very high level but the way we came out… it was just great. I really enjoyed that. One of the games I enjoyed the most watching on the bench without being able to play. Because of how well we played. I think it was a great show of basketball and winning our first World Cup. Because we won two now, so it’s pretty great.

Again, I’m very proud of what we’ve done and what we’ve contributed as a national team, as a country to the growth of the game.

EH: Last year Spain brought American guard Lorenzo Brown on board for the EuroBasket and the team won the gold. It was considered a controversial decision by many. Now Greece may have American guard Thomas Walkup on the lineup for the upcoming World Cup and there are several other cases of teams with naturalized players. There’s an overall feeling that the meaning or essence of “national team” begins to lose itself with the use of naturalized players that also have no apparent links to the country they represent. What are your thoughts on this?

P.G.: Rules are there for a reason. The rules allow to have this. To add naturalized players with no apparent or real roots to the country itself. For some reason, it’s there. I would think there would have to be more ties in connection. I don’t know, if playing a certain amount of years in the country allows you to do that. Having resided in the country for a certain amount of time. I don’t know exactly what the parameters should be but I think that would make sense to me. What I do know is that in our [Spain] case we’ve had a few naturalized players, or non-Spanish-born players on our team. But players who grew up in the system. Like Nikola Mirotic or Serge Ibaka. That makes a little more sense, right? You speak the language, you have grown up in the country, you have spent a certain amount of time there.

With Lorenzo, there was a lot of controversy as you said, because of that. If the rules allows it and that player actually adds a significant value to your team and gives you a better chance to win.  It worked out really well for Spain and for our team in the European championship last year. He played really well. I think our culture and identity that we can ourselves a family (editor’s note: “La Familia”) really embraced him and I think he really felt that and that allowed him to elevate his game and contribute in a meaningful way. It really worked out for us. Ultimately, I think the fans also obviously love your national team to play well and if let’s say Greece and Thomas Walkup play and they win the World Cup, I think they would be happy about that right? And they would be happy to call him Greek as well even though he’s not much of a Greek player.

Again, I don’t know if the rules will change at some point. That’s something that FIBA has to consider. You have a board, you have a a team of people that think of these things and you have to trust that it’s there for a reason. Because the majority of national teams and countries agree and don’t oppose that. As long as it adds value and those feelings in the country and those players who come in understand what they represent… It’s a responsibility too. If I was from a country and I played for another country, to me it’s a responsibility of defending that country’s name and colors and pride and history. So that also should be into consideration.

It’s a debatable subject. But at the same it’s there for a reason and sometimes it works better than others as we’ve seen in the past. We’ll see how it goes forward.

EH: This year the discussion, debate or even “TV drama” around the NBA MVP award were probably bigger than ever before, and maybe even went too far since it involved things that didn’t have to do exclusively with basketball. As a European who didn’t grow up in the USA and has another background and way of seeing things, do you find it any strange or weird, even after your long experience in the NBA, that the MVP debate was so heated?

P.G.: I think that the discussion was different than other years is because [Nikola] Jokic was a winner of the trophy two years in a row. Giannis [Antetokounmpo] was two years prior to that in a row. Now you got Joel Embiid who has played at a high level and who’s also a worthy candidate and, as we’ve seen now, a winner. It seemed like: “Can Jokic be three years in a row the MVP?”. He has the best record in the West, he’s played at the same – or better –  level with the previous years. Giannis also has the best record in the East. He’s had an incredible year and played at an incredible level this season once again.

So, should Joel Embiid win the MVP or should one of the other two who are just as worthy and done just as much – or more – than they did in previous years when they won the award? To me, when you have the best record that should be the “difference factor”. I mean the Sixers were 3rd which is obviously a great position but it’s not first. Usually the teams with the best record have that.

But again, it’s a bunch of media people that vote. And it’s up to them to vote and decide who’s the winner. And this year they decided that it’s Joel. Obviously I’m happy for Joel. I’m happy and proud because these three players are international players and that just speaks so highly and powerfully of the growth of the game and the power, impact and dominance of international players.

For me it’s great to see Giannis doing what he’s doing and how he carries himself and what he represents for Milwaukee, for Greece and for international basketball. How Nikola Jokic just does what he does. So unassuming. He doesn’t do it for the individual recognition, he doesn’t do it to get a bigger status. He just loves the game, plays the game at such a high level and makes such a big difference. We’ll see if this year that comes along with a championship which would be incredible for Denver and for him and his legacy.

Congratulations to Joel. We saw the video when he was communicated that he won it. It was really emotionally impacting for him and rewarding. I’m happy for him. You just got to be happy for whoever wins and whoever gets that.

At the end of the day it’s important but it’s not the most important. We’re in a team sport and I think that any of those players will trade the MVP for a championship. That’s the ultimate goal.

Photo: FIBA Basketball

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How do you respond to a defeat in Game 2 of a best-of-three Quarter-Finals series which could potentially bring you to your first-ever Basketball Champions League Final Four? Well, Hapoel Jerusalem decided that the answer was “By crushing our opponents with a 40-point margin”. And just like that, the Israeli team took down AEK, advancing to the Final Four in Malaga.

Next to big-time players like Levi Randolph, Speedy Smith, and a lot more, Zach Hankins has been the most consistent throughout the whole season with the red-and-black team coached by Aleksandar Dzikic, and he’s now focused on the big goal, scheduled on 12-14 May. “I’m very excited about the trip to Malaga for the Final Four. It’s a big accomplishment for us to be this far along, but we have our eyes set on winning it all”, he said in an interview with Eurohoops.

The American center, who moved to Israel in the summer of 2022, has been one of the most valuable centers in all of Europe, averaging 13.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per night, shooting 69.1% from the field, and being valued the third most impactful player of the Basketball Champions League with a percentage rate of 11.96%, only behind TJ Shorts and Akil Mitchell. By becoming the first player in the competition’s history to pick up 10 or more rebounds in five straight games, he contributed to Hapoel Jerusalem’s 3-0 run in March, earning the MVP of the Month Award.

In the Quarter-Finals against AEK, he had to face one of the toughest matchups in the whole competition, going up against February’s MVP Akil Mitchell, who dragged the yellow-and-black all the way there. “The Quarter-Finals series was a tough one. Akil is one of the most physical and talented matchups I’ve had to face, their team plays together exceptionally well with a lot of experience, and playing away in a… chaotic environment was a challenge. But that third game our fans showed out in an unbelievable way, and every member of our team locked in together and produced one of our best games of the season so far. I had to really focus on physicality and defense but winning with those guys in that way was amazing”, Zach Hankins commented on Mitchell and AEK’s players.

𝗣𝗢𝗣𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘
MVP of March v MVP of February in front of 10,000 fans #BasketballCL I @JerusalemBasket pic.twitter.com/l1IWHLujsB

— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) April 4, 2023

Despite shining on a personal note, he doesn’t take for granted the effort and support of his teammates during the whole run in the Basketball Champions League so far. “I’ve really enjoyed playing with experienced, smart players and with a coach that pushes us to be our best. The mixture of intensity and basketball IQ both from the coach and the players all the way down the bench makes every practice competitive and fun, and games even more so. We fight together every night”, the 26-year-old said.

That “chaotic experience” Hankins talks about recalled the accident that occurred in Athens during Game 2 when Hapoel Jerusalem fans were hit by fireworks and objects. In the decisive do-or-die Game 3 with the series on the line, the Israeli supporters replied in the best way possible, pushing their team to the first Final Four in the team’s history.

“Our fans have been spectacular this season, and I don’t expect any less from them at the Final Four. We’ve already heard a lot about them making arrangements to show out, so it’s going to be a great atmosphere for us. We as players need to be able to dig in and bring energy on our own wherever we go, but having a fan base like Hapoel behind you makes it a lot easier”, the former Nymburk player commented on the fans in Jerusalem, who have been featured in the latest “Humans of BCL” episode.

Hapoel Jerusalem beat AEK 91-51 in Game 3, and it surely was one of the most exciting performances of the year, with Zach Hankins contributing with 8 points and 6 rebounds. He had a similar stat line in the most meaningful encounter of the year, winning the Israeli State Cup against the EuroLeague side Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli powerhouse and way favorite on paper on the eve of the competition.

“Winning the State Cup was a great experience. Our group really pulled together and dug into doing what we do best in order to win. Beating Maccabi on our home court in front of our amazing fans was a huge highlight of the season so far”, the American player recalled that game, where he had 10 points and 4 rebounds before highlighting what made the team so special since this group was put together. “If you’ve looked at how we’ve played and won both in the Basketball Champions League and our domestic league, I think it’s easy to conclude that our defensive game and intensity on the floor are absolutely our ticket here, and hopefully to a trophy”, Zach Hankins added.

Heading to the final part of the season, the Xavier product could put another trophy in his cabinet. The same thing can be said about one of his college teammates, which will face Gran Canaria in the EuroCup final with Turk Telekom Ankara. After being named to the All-EuroCup Second Team, Tyrique Jones could be ready to make the jump into the EuroLeague, either with the blue-and-white team or elsewhere. “I have been keeping up with Tyrique this year and it’s been awesome watching him succeed. EuroLeague is a great place to play and is usually a goal for a lot of Americans. I think he and I are some of the best centers out there and it’d be awesome to match up against him in any competition”, Hapoel Jerusalem’s center spoke about Tyrique Jones.

In the 2023 Final Four, Hapoel Jerusalem will go up against the reigning champions of Lenovo Tenerife, with the winner of the semifinal facing the winner of the clash between Unicaja Malaga and Telekom Baskets Bonn. Despite facing the team from the Canary Islands could be a dangerous situation for Hapoel Jerusalem in terms of experience and quality-wise, Zach Hankins is happy with the results of the draw. “I think some great teams and players have made it to this point. Each team having different styles and combinations on the floor makes the matchups very interesting to look at. I’m happy we got Tenerife because having a challenge like Shermadini in the post and Huertas off the pick-and-roll is why I play. To go against some of the best and win. I’ve played them in my rookie year and I’m excited to play them again”, he finally commented on his team’s first opponents in Malaga.

Eyeing his first-ever Basketball Champions League Final Four, Zach Hankins is ready to make a statement and give his team another trophy after the Israeli State Cup won against Maccabi Tel Aviv. With thousands of fans coming from Jerusalem and an experienced and high-IQ basketball roster, that could be more than a possibility. Fighting together every night, with Malaga surely not being an exception.

Great battle y’all tough for sure. Things could be handled better both ways but the competition on the floor was elite https://t.co/Iy0TeRPHWF

— Zach Hankins (@hankymckspanky) April 20, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League

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