The 2023 FIBA World Cup was completed with Germany getting the right to be called World Champions (pun intended), two and a half weeks of great basketball, amazing storylines, and a classic sense of fulfillment.

To get back at the start of it, it was like a great taste of vanilla ice cream like the one Jordan Clarkson got, and as it happens in many cases, vanilla leaves you wanting a little bit extra.

Don’t get this wrong. No matter how you measure it, this was so far the biggest ever FIBA World Cup with the digital growth is mindboggling.

The event proved beyond any doubt that basketball is on the rise especially in Asia, something that the FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis underlined by calling the Japanese league one of the Top 10 domestic leagues in the world (and he is absolutely right on that).

On top of that, there’s no doubt that the players’ experience was on another level this summer, not comparable with anything provided before.

Especially entering the quarterfinals, this was also translated on the court with almost every knockout game being an instant classic.

So why does this ice cream, no matter how tasty it was, seem to be missing a little bit more?

First and foremost, empty seats, while limited, took away from the whole experience, and only in the games of the Filipino national team, the sheer basketball-loving madness of the hosts was on full display.

Zagklis admitted that the prices on some tiers were simply too much for the average Philippino fan, so while in total the attendance brook another record with more than 700,000 tickets sold, the final experience in the arena was not always the one expected.

Plus FIBA has decided that the World Cup will serve also as a direct qualification tournament for the Olympics, creating high-stakes classification games in many cases.

That move, however, clearly comes at the cost of many top-level NBA players skipping the tournament, since they aim to play next summer in the Olympics. The upside of this tactic is that the USA is bound to present vulnerable rosters in the World Cup, something that takes away from the marketability of the event in North America, but on the other hand, gives one more incentive to the rest of the world to watch, since beating the US has now been almost a World Cup tradition.

Compared to last year’s Eurobasket buzz when Giannis, Jokic, and Doncic played, this year things were relatively tamer on star power, even if Doncic was present again with Slovenia, Austin Reaves has a fan club in Manila and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved beyond any doubt that he is more than elite.

But those two issues are just some sprinkles missing on the top. And there’s a notion that in four years in Qatar, due to the fact that the whole World Cup will be contained in one location with all arenas of all four groups being just 15 minutes away from each other, things can only get better.

Still, the Philippines – plus co-hosts Japan and Indonesia – delivered the best yet tournament, which created new record numbers on every metric and also introduced new on-court global powers in Canada and Germany.

After all, you can’t go wrong when ordering vanilla ice cream, a taste that leaves pretty much everyone satisfied…

PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA

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MANILA, Philippines – The FIBA World Cup of 2019 in China set the bar too high. It was the biggest ever World Cup and that was enough to make it the best yet.

As a result, this year’s tournament didn’t have the benefit of breaking new ground and has already a record-breaking event to surpass. It’s not an easy task, however, the first signs are more than encouraging.

The choice of a second straight World Cup held in Asia raised many eyebrows, however now it makes total sense. Japan, Indonesia, and first and foremost the Philippines are countries where the sport is either on the rise or close to a religion.

While speaking about bastions of basketball around the world, you simply can’t leave out the Philippines and the new record of 38.115 fans in a World Cup game proves this beyond any doubt.

However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

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

Already there has been a solid number of first-round games with more than 10,000 spectators on the fans, a sign of things to come in later stages of the competition, and the results just four days into the tournament are mindboggling.

France is out of the Top 16 teams, Japan managed to beat Finland, South Sudan is stealing the show, the Dominican Republic seems to be an emerging powerhouse thanks to Karl Anthony Towns and suddenly the 32-team format makes sense.

Yes, there will be some dull games decided by huge differences. But on the other hand, mid-level countries will have the chance to compete and maybe create a “moment” that will propel the sport even more on them. That already happened with Japan after their win over Finland, which was led by NBA All-Star Lauri Marrkanen.

Plus the ramifications of such a result, due to the format, have a real impact on the competition. Suddenly Finland is fighting for their lives, while there’s a huge interest in Japan for the results of China, which is considered their main opponent in the race for a spot in the Olympic qualifiers.

So getting more teams involved can be only beneficial and just in the second 32-team World Cup this is already proven despite the “cost” of some unavoidable one-sided contests.

Beyond that, FIBA is making important improvements in the living conditions of the teams that are competing. The team hotels are top class, the facilities are great and the players don’t have to share a double room, a very usual practice in international basketball until recent years.

Of course, nothing is perfect – especially the wi-fi of the press in some arenas – and there’s not a final verdict yet, but things are looking good and, as they say, the best is yet to come…

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MANILA, Philippines – This is not the first time that the Philippines have hosted a FIBA World Cup, even if back in the day it was called Mundobasket.

However, in the year 2023, everything is different in international basketball. That’s why the absences of international stars like NBA champions Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo looms large, despite some impressive returns to the tournament.

After last year’s Eurobasket which made headlines because of the NBA stars who competed – and pretty much everyone did – this time around the field of the competition is unpredictable and unexpected.

That’s why, even if the USA is impressive so far, you can’t really put your money on any sure bet. Who can underestimate Serbia, France, and Spain despite their missing stars? Who can say that the Australian boomers, hot from their Olympic medal in 2020, can’t finally get to the podium? Last but not least, is it time for Canada to make their long-awaited splash in international competition?

Add some spice from Marrkanen’s Finland and Karl Antony-Town’s Dominican Republic, and the grit of traditional powers like Lithuania and Greece, and in the end, you can understand that for many teams, this tournament is a golden chance to do something special and produce high-quality basketball.

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

But as it’s already mentioned, this is 2023 and you expect high quality from international competition. The US can vouch for this, coming off a disappointing 2019 campaign in China, where they finished in the 7th spot of the final standings.

However, while some megastars are missing, this is also a golden opportunity for the last one of them who stayed standing and is present in the World Cup.

Luka Doncic is without a doubt the biggest name in the tournament and with Slovenia missing out on the 2019 World Cup and not qualifying despite being at the time European champion, this is the first time that Doncic is playing in this competition.

While he is not alone in star power, Doncic is defacto the face of the tournament and has a huge challenge ahead of him, as Slovenia’s roster due to injuries is really shorthanded.

That’s why he remains the central storyline of this World Cup – especially after not making it to the medal round in last year’s Eurobasket – and everyone will be watching!

Do it too (and get a 10% discount) and prepare for a 15-day basketball celebration in the Philippines which will make history one way or another.

Photo credit: FIBA

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Victor Wembanyama is not just hype. Yes, the NBA publicity machine is working overtime, but it’s also obvious that the French phenomenon has a real chance to go down as the best basketball player of all time.

A unique blend of mentality, abilities, and work ethic created the most coveted player since LeBron James and since last summer the NBA is eagerly waiting for him.

And here’s lies the problem. Arguably the best prospect in ages comes from Europe and European basketball gets very little in return.

Of course, everyone wants to see Wembanyama thriving on the biggest stage like he is destined to. But his presence and career, outside the global appeal of the sport and a renewed interest in the NBA and the national team in France, give back very little.

It’s not the first time this happens, as the NBA has already practically expanded in Europe being a solid market competitor to the EuroLeague and domestic competitions.

But this time around, what happened with Wembanyama is troubling for the future of European basketball.

Groomed for the NBA

The initial plan for Wembanyama was to be part of the top level in Europe, playing for LDLC ASVEL, owned by Tony Parker, after leaving Nanterre.

Playing in the EuroLeague, however, is not easy for a teenager, even if he is phenomenal, and the wear and tear of playing two or three games per week wouldn’t be helpful to Wembanyama’s preparation for the draft.

So just after one year in which he averaged in the EuroLeague, clearly the best competition in the world outside the NBA, 17,6 minutes per game and 6,5 points per game – great numbers for a teenager but not sexy enough for a top draft pick – a whole project was built around him in Metropolitans 92, owned by Boris Diaw who enlisted French national team coach Vincent Collet to help Wembanyama reach his potential.

Against much easier competition in the French league and by playing only one game per week, Wembanyama shined. Even if losing the Finals with a sweep to EuroLeague contenders Monaco wasn’t his brightest moment, the job was done. After all, the consensus about Wembanyama being the no1 pick was decided at the start of the season, after his games in Las Vegas against the G-League ignite.

French clubs getting back just one million euros

EuroLeague is all about winning, the pressure on anyone involve for results is high, so it’s very hard for a young player to develop his game and have a starting role. And even when this happened with Luka Doncic, there were huge doubts about his abilities leading to the draft until he arrived in the NBA.

The next big thing in French basketball, Zaccharie Risacher, who was expected to be part next season of LDLC ASVEL’s main rotation, moved to EuroCup club JL Bourg for reasons similar to Wembanyama’s choice.

And while you can’t stop Wembanyama from competing in the top stage in the world, it’s obvious that a pattern is created for young European players which doesn’t include the EuroLeague.

Things can get even worst if the talks about a salary cap in the EuroLeague end up reducing the salary ceiling, which currently with just three exceptions is two million euros net per season – practically the equivalent of a four million contract in the NBA – with all the clubs at least thinking about cutting expenses.

A salary cap not accompanied and directly tied to a rise in revenues is simply not a good idea if you want to grow and this approach may cripple even more EuroLeague’s ability to keep top European talent in the competition.

So the bottom line is simple. Wembanyama will conquer the NBA, he will go down as one of the best ever in the sport, he will inspire a lot of kids to play basketball not only in his native France and French basketball will get back a national team star on major FIBA tournaments.

However, French club competitions and even the teams he played for will get the 850.000 euros buyout permitted by the NBA CBA plus the reportedly laughable sum of 138.000 euros which went to the league for the streaming rights of his game. This should not be enough…

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The story was already well-known in Europe and after his longtime agent Misko Raznatovic presented it to the “Extra Smoke” YouTube show, it became known to the US.

Playing in Sombor, teenage Jokic was under the radar even in Serbia and his amazing stats, printed in the local newspaper on a little column made Raznatovic notice him.

And this story is also totally ironic. Stats permitted the most successful agent in Europe to notice Jokic and at the same time, it’s more than obvious that stats are the last thing that currently interests Jokic, even if he was accused without any real reason about stat-padding.

Meanwhile, Jokic is a marketing department nightmare. The notorious “Joker” nickname was given to him by accident when Mike Miller, his teammate at the time, had difficulties pronouncing his name. So he just called him Joker.

Jokic’s personality doesn’t have anything to do with the iconic Batman villain, but the nickname is still in use because nobody had a better idea and the Serbian center is simply not into those things.

He is into horses, Serbian folk music, and winning.

And here comes the really interesting part. Out of the top three European stars of the NBA, Jokic has a less interesting background story.

In Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic’s cases, their on-court genius is backed up by interesting off-court narratives.

Luka Doncic is a basketball prodigy, destined for greatness, groomed in Real Madrid, and doubted even in the NBA Draft before taking the league by storm.

Giannis grew up in Greece as an illegal immigrant, being stateless until he reached 18 years of age and ended up becoming an NBA champion, having already his life made into a movie.

Jokic is… well, an amazing basketball player who worked, grew his game and he is on the verge of winning the title, doing everything the right way. A two-time MVP who has three straight phenomenal seasons and probably the best playoffs run in history by the numbers.

That brings things full circle.

Jokic hates talking about stats and doesn’t really care about numbers, because they are just a by-product of his unique basketball qualities. He is not super-athletic, but he is in his best condition ever, clearly a top performer with notable endurance and also a basketball IQ off the charts.

That’s why Jokic winning the championship title will be a triumph for the game of basketball. Jokic doesn’t jump higher than others, doesn’t run faster than others, and doesn’t dunk with his elbow.

However, he is always making the right play, giving what his team needs, and – pretty much like Giannis did during the Bucks championship run – he is there in crunch time.

He is first and foremost a basketball player with a unique feel for the game and secondly an athlete. And ultimately basketball is a sport that rewards not only athletic abilities but also team chemistry, grit, and wit.

Jokic has it all and that may be the only thing that backs up the “Joker” nickname. The joke is on those who underestimated his game just by looking at his athletic abilities and – how was that possible? – ignoring the stats.

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Kaunas, a “bastion of basketball” as EuroLeague interim CEO Marshall Glickman called it, deserved and got a Final Four, which was more than successful. Meanwhile, the Final Four will be profitable not only for Kaunas but for Lithuania in general, as Zalgiris GM Paulius Motiejunas explained to Eurohoops.

Still, with Vitoria, the city of Baskonia, getting also a Final Four in the past and experiencing the same issues in logistics, it’s evident that at this point the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four is a premium event that can be hosted in a relatively small number of cities around Europe, as it happens with the football Champions League Final.

Simply put, the host city must have the facilities to accommodate not only all those working in the event but also at least 10.000 visiting fans. The number is not mentioned randomly. This was pretty much the number of visiting fans, mainly Greek, who made the difficult trip to Lithuania. And while Real Madrid and Barcelona fans were a minority, they also traveled from Spain to Lithuania facing the same issues. There were no direct flights with very few exceptions and Lithuania’s capital Vilnius was the main final destination. There were not even enough charter flights to Kaunas airport, and very few hotel beds were available in the city. A lot of fans arrived by plane either in Poland or Latvia and continued their trip by car to Lithuania.

The solution of putting the bulk of fans and even EuroLeague guests in Vilnius, 100 km away, was the only workaround for this issue – like it happened with Bilbao in Vitoria’s Final Four – and it didn’t really work. A one-hour drive turned out to be a two-and-half hours trip during gamedays, and getting a spot to eat in Kaunas’ restaurants was rare during rush hour. To be exact, in most cases, Kaunas facilities, either bars or restaurants, weren’t really prepared for this number of visitors and didn’t welcome the extra clientele, simply because they couldn’t serve it.

That’s why, the basketball party in Kaunas faded away at the end of the games. Very few people stayed in the city, the majority of the fans returned to Vilnius or nearby cities like Alytus, and the vibe was lost. With Olympiacos winning the semifinal, nobody was there to celebrate in the city either on Friday night or on Saturday, and even the EuroLeague parties were hosted in Vilnius.

The open concerts in Kaunas Fan Zone of Lithuanian pop star Beatrich and DJ Jovani were a roaring success, confined however to just 3.000 spectators, since for security reasons, there was no room for any more crowd and the doors were closed.

Yes, Kaunas lives and breaths for basketball, but the numbers are stacked against the city.

According to Eurohoops sources, Luka Doncic wasn’t able to attend the Final Game, because there was no room in the local airport for his private jet to park due to charter planes arriving from Greece. Kristaps Porzingis arrived in the city for the final, but he was in Latvia, just 300 km away, and his trip to Kaunas was doable.

That’s why it seems natural that the Final Four returns to Berlin, for the third time in 15 years, and after that, there’s a long line of cities where new arenas are being built, including Munich, Valencia, Bologna, Paris, Barcelona – if and when the new “Palau” will be ready – and Madrid with the new Bernabeu being able to host indoor events.

According to Glickman, there should be a balance between smaller cities with basketball tradition and European metropolises. However, nobody can’t deny that the Final Four belongs to the biggest European stages…

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When the Basketball Champions League decided to become a competition that will give the chance to every team to get a higher distinction in the European level, it was obvious that clubs which wanted to advance step by step, using their domestic league as a stepping stone, while having moderate financial assets, had a golden opportunity.

And while you can argue that this was also a chance for already established club like Malaga, Tenerife and even more Virtus Bologna and AEK to get back to the forefront, the cases of San Pablo Burgos and now Telekom Baskets Bonn stand out.

Those two clubs managed to create a unique legacy and turn the European spotlight on them without even having an equal domestic success. The Basketball Champions League become their main platform, creating underdogs stories that everyone can relate to and after all even it’s of course a cliché, that’s a big part of modern day sports.

Plus, their on court excellence was rewarded with the prize money of one million euros, a sum which is a crucial percentage of their budget, as BCL CEO Patrick Comninos explained on his meeting with the press in Malaga.

There are in total more than 150 clubs in Europe competing in their top tier division on their own countries. Out of all those clubs, there are more teams like Bonn which deserve to have something more than just local interest and need a bigger platform to shine on. That’s what the Basketball Champions League provides to them and ultimately it might end being much more valuable than the prize money.

It’s obvious that this formula for those clubs works fine and if they manage to get at the end of the road there’s a clear reward for their effort.

The Basketball Champions League also creates one more argument for the Final Four, since this is a format that multiplies interest and creates an event, which can be much more marketable than a playoffs series, which pretty much concerns two fan-bases.

So after seven years the BCL has delivered what it was expected to and the only question surrounding the competition is what next? What more can Bonn expect other than getting better results in their domestic league and also defending their title? And how a club like Burgos after two BCL titles somehow managed to get relegated?

That should be the next step that not only the Basketball Champions League, but European basketball in general has to address. For now, Telekom Baskets Bonn is on the map and can enjoy the moment…

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MALAGA, Spain – When Chima Moneke came to the EuroLeague signing with AS Monaco, we interviewed him, and asked him about TJ Shorts, since they played together in UC Davis. “He’s my favorite player to watch in the world, my best friend. It makes me happy. I want him to win the BCL MVP more than I wanted to win it for myself. That’s how much I care about him“, he said. 109 days later, his wish came true, and even more.

If you haven’t seen how Telekom Baskets Bonn has lifted the first-ever Basketball Champions League won by a German team, then go see the whole 40 minutes against Hapoel Jerusalem. But if you have seen it, you may have missed what happened following the end of regulation. TJ Shorts, the absolute dominator of this weekend in Malaga, ran to the stands, behind Tuomas Iisalo’s bench.

“Before the game, you’re just in a whirlwind of emotions, I know my parents were probably more stressed out than me. I know my dad couldn’t eat, my mom’s probably freaking out… But after the game, when you get to embrace those emotions just let them out. I told her: ‘Happy Mother’s Day!’ and she said it was the best gift that she ever received, just seeing me happy”, he said in the post-game press conference, after receiving the Final Four MVP honors.

The tears of joy that were on their faces on the stage of the Ceremony Awards went to a whole other level after the guy who received 0 scholarship offers and had to create his path to the International scene dropped 29 in the BCL Final, the most-ever by a single player. The heart of hundreds of people in the Martin Carpena started to beat magenta as soon as the buzzer sounded. In two days, Bonn is back at it, starting their BBL Playoffs as 1st seeded team in the Regular Season. Cinderella? No more.

PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League

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MALAGA, Spain – The Andalusian Tourism and Sport Office welcomed us around 10:00 but the real surprise came later. Following the fan footage that came out on Twitter where the assistant coaches of Tuomas Iisalo seemed to be watching Unicaja Malaga’s timeout, the Finnish head coach – awarded as the Best of the Year later on – made sure everything was clear on the table.

“That’s a very interesting question because it’s a statement and not a question. So you should probably frame it as a statement and not as a question, first. But I’d excuse you for that”, he said referring to the Spanish journalist who brought out the matter during the press conference involving the Finals, before explaining that yes: they have been using it forever, and they don’t have anything to hide.

Kendrick Perry expressed his delusion first via Twitter and then talking to Eurohoops at the entrance of the Unicaja Concert Hall María Cristina, where the Ceremony Awards Gala took place. Almost an hour of big celebration for Sadik Emir Kabaca, the Best Young Player of the Year, Alberto Diaz, the Best Defensive Player of the Year, the already said Tuomas Iisalo, and most importantly TJ Shorts II.

His walk towards the stage reminded everybody of the one involving Chima Moneke last year, and not only because they shared the court together in UC Davis and they’re still best of friends to this day.

It’s the painting given to him, the cries of happiness of his parents, the smile on his face. Which can be wider tomorrow, if Hapoel Jerusalem doesn’t take care of those German businesses.

PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League

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MALAGA, Spain – Entering the airport in Milan and seeing Hapoel Jerusalem fans waiting for the opening of the gate with flags and scarves everywhere, in the middle of the night, made me realize that Malaga was about to witness once again the craziness of those types of supporters.

But today in the Martin Carpena Arena, the show was brought by another man from Hapoel. He answers to the name of Aleksandar and the surname of Dzikic, and he completely stole the show in the Holiday World Polynesia. Not in front of the captivating Mediterranean Sea, but at floor -1, dropping the mic when asked about Hapoel’s potential.

“Listen, guys. It’s kinda obvious: Tenerife and Unicaja are EuroLeague teams. Quality-wise, coaching-wise, experience-wise, logistics-wise. Come on. Everybody in this room knows that”, he said. And it doesn’t really matter if he meant that, or if “everybody” in that room agreed or not: that was by far the best part of this Day 1 in the city of Malaga, which is not as draped with Final Four banners as last year’s Bilbao.

While both the quality of the teams and the gentlemen’s outfits of the head coaches – except for Aleksandar Dzikic, what could you have expected differently? – are on the table, I missed some excitement throughout the city. The Martin Carpena Arena is quite far from the heart of the city center, but that doesn’t seem like an excuse. Let’s see if that changes tomorrow when the real deal will be sealed.

Last but not least: it’s hot in Malaga, really hot. But wait for the start of the first semifinal between Lenovo Tenerife and Hapoel Jerusalem, with something around 3.000 Israeli fans expected at the arena, and the second one between the home-crowd heroes of Unicaja and Bonn. It will be way hotter…

PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League

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Lenovo Tenerife won the first-ever Basketball Champions League trophy back in 2017, they did it again last year and now they have the chance for back-to-back titles which will seal their dominance in the competition.

It’s already the seventh season of the Basketball Champions League with Tenerife hosting and winning the first-ever Final Four. Since then, the Spanish club has established itself as one of the pillars of the competition, and this year, they have a huge challenge ahead of them.

They will have to defend their title at Malaga against Unicaja, which recently won the prestigious Spanish Copa Del Rey and has the chance to win more at home.

And yes, San Pablo Burgos has already won back-to-back titles in the Basketball Champions League, but this happened when the 2019-20 season ended due to COVID with a Final8 in September, with a tournament that was practically the start of the 2020-21 season.

Burgos did win both trophies and also an Intercontinental Cup in between, it was a great team, but you can also argue that they practically won all those titles in one season.

For Tenerife, the stakes are higher and the path is much more difficult. You can even make a case for the level of the competition reason, especially in this year’s Final Four with Bonn having the German BBL MVP in their ranks, in TJ Shorts, and also Hapoel Jerusalem under coach Aleksander Dzikic winning recently the 7th Israeli Cup in their history.

Yes, Tenerife seems to be the favorite, mainly because of the continuity and the experience of the roster, especially of the duo of Marcelinho Huertas and Giorgi Sermandini, but they will be tested.

And even if an All-Spanish final seems inevitable, facing the hosts who are having an amazing season will make Tenerife, in case they prevail more than what they are already, the golden standard of the Basketball Champions League.

The post Lenovo Tenerife can become a BCL dynasty at Malaga appeared first on Eurohoops.

For many years, European basketball was trying to emulate in many ways the NBA, creating a constant debate between the European sports model and the American idea of a closed sports league, the – pretty much failed in Europe – adoption of the All-Star Game and also the financial aspect of the basketball business.

For a number of reasons, a ton of different taxation systems and policies between countries, some things like a collective bargaining agreement are still too far away, or even inapplicable in Europe. And while the idea of a salary cap makes sense at some point, right now would be the death sentence of any European domestic league.

Simply put, the NBA salary cap is a mechanism that ensures some kind of parity and also a redistribution of income via the luxury tax from the richest to the poorest, while preventing the big spenders to get all the top talent. In theory, it’s a great idea, however it’s totally tied to the league revenues.

As the NBA revenues are skyrocketing, the same applies to the salary cap, giving back to the players what they are worth, making them on average probably the highest-paid athletes in the world.

In Europe, the revenues are not exactly skyrocketing and in some cases in the domestic leagues, they are minimal. So how can you implement a salary cap, when as a league you don’t have the ability to create substantial revenues to help yourself and the clubs grow?

That’s why in the really huge business of European football a salary cap was never examined and the idea of financial balance was introduced via the financial Fairplay, which frankly doesn’t do much to prevent financial inequalities. However, this is the model that seems to be more fitting in Europe and first and foremost, doesn’t really prevent anyone who wants to put money even from his own pocket to invest it, or just spent on sports.

The LNB reportedly will implement a form of a salary cap and also add a form of “luxury tax”, aiming mainly at Monaco. This doesn’t ensure any kind of growth. On the contrary, in this way, the parity of the league will be achieved by pushing down the level of competition and making it harder for teams who want to spend money for whatever reason, to do so.

Even if the intention is noble, the end result will be even more mediocre teams in the league with the administration not really doing any conscious effort to get revenues, but happily accepting the idea of being a sustainable farm league to the NBA, getting very little back even whenever a phenomenon like Wembanyama appears.

The plan of the salary cap might have been more interesting if the LNB had a proven track record of creating revenues. The reality, however, is that French basketball is struggling financially, the league until recently didn’t have a television contract and what’s even more shocking was the reveal that the streaming rights for Wembanyama’s games were sold to the NBA just for 133.000 euros. Yes, that’s right 133.000 euros.

This price is absurd, especially considering the recent announcement from the NBA itself, that Wembanyama was the 8th more watched player on the NBA social media channels.

So the league, that practically gave Wembanyama’s rights for free, without any proven ability to create decent revenues, is making it even harder for anyone to spend money, which ultimately will improve the “product”.

And yes, there must be financial stability and accountability but you have to burn money in order to get out of a slump. And this is exactly where the French league had been in recent years with the basketball audience in France being focused almost exclusively on the NBA.

One very prominent European coach once put it bluntly: “We are not football, we don’t have sponsors lining up to get advertised so why when an owner wants to spend money, money that you will not have from any other source, you want to stop him?”

It’s not a coincidence that the British BBL finally became heard around Europe when this summer they decided to abolish the salary cap, which until last season limited the teams to a 250.000 pounds budget.

Of course, the numbers in France are not expected to be that low, but when the LNB finally achieved getting some EuroLeague stars in their domestic competition like Mikes James, Nando De Colo, and Jordan Loyd, it seems that they are unwanted because the rest of the league can’t keep up.

And it’s funny that this measure comes from France, where PSG became a major football brand all over the world thanks to Qatari money…

As for the EuroLeague teams which compete in France, while this situation will create some issues, there are a lot of ways to sidestep this situation with the most obvious being creating a different roster for the EuroLeague, something that has already happened in the past with Olympiacos.

Of course, the reasons behind the decision of the Greek club were totally different but the end result for the French league will be the same and the LNB will practically shoot their own leg.

The post Why the salary cap in any European competition is a stupid idea appeared first on Eurohoops.

The Basketball Champions League quarterfinals start this week and this time around, things are already more tense than usual.

The unexpected stand of Murcia creates an unprecedented situation. Speaking about the referees is not something new, however openly accusing a whole competition of favoritism is a first for the BCL.

And while this is not a shock, considering everything that usually goes into a showdown between clubs from the same country, obviously creates a different kind of context.

On the other hand, AEK is expected to travel with Greek fans to Israel for the game against Hapoel Jerusalem in what’s expected to be a memorable game.

Tenerife hosts Manresa on a repeat of last season’s final and so far the “quietest” series seems to be the coupling between Telekom Basket Bonn and SIG Strasbourg, with the fireworks expected on the court, especially by Bonn’s star and MVP candidate TJ Shorts.

That’s why Murcia’s reaction is puzzling, to say the least, or a very blunt attempt from an underdog to create extra pressure on the favorite or even on the referees.

So, it was about time. There has been always a feel-good factor in the BCL from day one and most teams were just happy to have a chance to compete at a continental level. Pretty much everyone considered participation itself as the main reward for having a good season in their domestic leagues.

This time, things are a bit nasty at least in this particular case. And, strangely enough, that’s one more proof of the growth of the competition. You don’t get petty and nasty about something that you don’t care about…

The post The Basketball Champions League quarterfinals are coming with a bang appeared first on Eurohoops.

In the past few seasons, a number of pleasant surprises were registered even in the second round of the Basketball Champions League. Teams from countries that don’t have a strong league made their case and stole the show.

However, in the 2022-23 season with the level of the competition arguably stronger than ever, the countries represented in the Round of 16 are more than expected. Greece, Germany and Lithuania have one team each, Israel has two, Turkey has three, France has three and Spain has five (!).

And in reality that doesn’t shock anyone. It’s not only about the clubs themselves, even if UCAM Murcia, Surne Bilbao, BAXI Manresa, Unicaja Malaga and of course the defending champions Lenovo Tenerife are great teams.

After all, four of them started the Round of 16 with Murcia being the only one which got a defeat, but from a fellow Spanish club, Tenerife. And in Group L, three out of the four teams is coming from Spain with Darussafaka being the only exception.

However, in the case of the Basketball Champions League this is not only a testament to the competition level of the teams themselves, but also a proof about the level of the domestic league they are competing.

There’s no question that Liga Endesa is the strongest league in Europe and in the last few years this remains the status quo. The fact that seven domestic leagues are represented in the Round of 16, also proves that in order to have strong teams, you have to have a strong league. The number of teams from each country pretty much proves this with Italy being a huge questionmark for the result of their teams, despite on paper having a very improved league this season.

What can’t be denied is the fact that Spain is dominating also in this competition field and the others countries and the other clubs must follow their lead on the domestic front in order for things to get better for the sport in general.

The post Τhe Spaniards are coming in the BCL appeared first on Eurohoops.

When Facundo Campazzo signed with Crvena Zvezda a lot of eyebrows were raised. It was an unexpected move, the money spent shocked everyone and there was a ban placed by EuroLeague on Zvezda, preventing the player from registering in Europe’s top league.

Per Zvezda’s officials, the ban was “just a formality“. According to the EuroLeague’s Finance Panel, it was not and there’s no doubt that the punishment which may sound strict is justifiable.

And then all hell broke loose. Since yesterday there’s only speculation in the air about what “really” happened and why such a sanction, which was never used before, was placed on Zvezda, a club that doesn’t have a long-term license and no right to vote as a league shareholder.

That’s why this is a very delicate situation that created more issues than those which in theory solved.

This is just a personal opinion, but right now, the issue is not to argue if the punishment fits the crime, or if Zvezda or Campazzo are victims. They are not and the punishment is compatible with the rules.

The real point which is not really been mentioned until now is the integrity of the league on the court with one playoff contender not having the ability to register its star player for two months after settling their debts, while the league as a whole loses the chance to profit from the presence of a well-established name like Campazzo.

As CEO Marshall Glikman stated: “This is disappointing to us as we always want the best players on the court”.

So the clubs/shareholders and Glikman himself who has as the CEO the right to suspend the decision of the financial panel based on Article 20 F of the Euroleague Disciplinary Regulations – something that Zvezda already asked – should really think about what will benefit themselves first and foremost in the long term.

Yes, an “amnesty” to Zvezda may open pandora’s box for the future and every club in financial trouble will ask for preferential treatment based on this precedent. On the other hand, in an effort to uphold the rules, the first major public crisis in the post-Bertomeu era was created and if the EuroLeague wants to grow stronger by it, a bold decision should be made.

The post There’s a rule that can pardon Zvezda and may end up benefiting the EuroLeague appeared first on Eurohoops.

The progress of the Basketball Champions League is undisputed and after experimenting with the Final Eight format, mainly due to the COVID pandemic, the Final Four was back with a vengeance in Bilbao, creating one more memorable event.

This year, the BCL wants to continue to build on the tradition that they have already created. The end goal is to have enough time to promote the event and make it as attractive as possible to basketball fans that may even not have direct links to the competing clubs.

It’s a bold and noble ambition and Bilbao was the first “neutral” site for the Final Four, even if the presence of two Spanish teams, Tenerife and Manresa, made it an ideal destination for fans of both teams.

And this season, the Basketball Champions League has set its eyes on Turkey. This is not a coincidence. One of the biggest brands of the competition is the until recently sleeping giant of Galatasaray.

And when you have a club of this magnitude which also has the highest of ambitions, it’s a no-brainer to try to take full advantage of the potential. And that brings us to the Final Four.

The initial intention of the BCL was to announce the site of the Final Four in December, however, this wasn’t possible yet. And it’s not a secret that Istanbul is a very attractive destination for a number of reasons.

That’s why you shouldn’t be surprised if there’s soon announcement on the issue after traveling to Spain and to Greece, two of the biggest European basketball markets, the BCL finally lands its Final Four to Sinan Erdem Dome.

And even if that’s not the case and the BCL surprises once more, the motto remains “bigger and better” no matter what.

The post The Basketball Champιons League aims for newer highs in 2023 appeared first on Eurohoops.

Victor Wembanyama is taking the basketball world by storm and before getting drafted, he is also saving the November and February FIBA Windows in Europe, giving more than local interest to the qualifiers.

It’s well-documented how the FIBA windows help the sport in underdeveloped basketball countries. Fans are flocking to see their national teams playing in their country and Eurobasket winner Sergio Scariolo explained how he used the windows for building the new version of the Spanish national team. Meanwhile in FIBA zones, where the NBA players missing are not that many, the national team qualifiers are a roaring success.

However, there are huge concerns during the winter FIBA Windows about the potential burden that EuroLeague players, coaches, and clubs must suffer, as highlighted by coaches Dimitris Itoudis, Giorgos Bartzokas, and Zeljko Obradovic.

And while all three are EuroLeague coaches with Itoudis having a double role as also the head coach of the Greek national team, even German national team coach Gordon Herbert who doesn’t have any EuroLeague connection talked about the fact that maybe one window during the winter accompanied by a “real break” of action in the EuroLeague would be enough.

Meanwhile, we have the example of the rescheduled EuroLeague game (9/11) between Milan and Virtus in order to accommodate better for everyone involved the national team game between Italy and Spain (11/11). It remains to be seen if it’s just a unique case or a sign of things to happen since at this point there are talks but not any kind of deal between EuroLeague and FIBA on the issue.

This change was made because of the will of both Milan and Virtus and of course, the presence of Sergio Scariolo on the bench of both Virtus and the national team of Spain played a huge role in that.

However, this is just the small picture.

This summer European basketball enjoyed its best-ever Eurobasket and FIBA qualifiers in terms of global interest. The presence of Giannis, Doncic, and Jokic made all the difference.

The national teams were the vehicle and not the focal point. Everyone loves their national teams and also loves winning. But the metrics say the truth and people want to see the biggest stars.

Greece played against Belgium in the capital city of Athens on a sold-out 18.000 seat arena with US media being present. Just two months later, the national team will play again in a sold-out arena, but on the island of Crete with a 5.000 capacity against Latvia, in a game that outside the two countries has minimal appeal.

That wouldn’t be the case if that was a duel between Giannis and Porzingis.

So it’s as simple as that. The recent Eurobasket proved the importance of NBA players competing for their national teams and provided a blueprint for making basketball mainstream all over the world by taking advantage of the NBA’s popularity.

And that should be ultimately the goal, to make the sport mainstream and put it once and for all in 18.000 seat arenas.

That’s why especially outside Europe, the news of the November window is centered only on Victor Wembanyama. His debut with the French national team in the game against Lithuania will make headlines all over the world and in the biggest basketball markets on the planet.

At this point, the rest is just noise…

The post Victor Wembanyama saves the winter FIBA Windows appeared first on Eurohoops.

The fact that Vassilis Spanoulis is coaching in the Basketball Champions League created a buzz even before the start of the season. With his team, Peristeri, starting the season with a 2-0 record including a win over the defending champions Lenovo Tenerife, he proved that the hype was right.

As Peristeri is preparing for its first road game, in Lithuania against Rytas Vilnius, Spanoulis and his players will be tested, but at this point nobody bets against them. And it’s not only because of the fact that Rytas has not registered a win yet.

When legendary players make the transition to coaching, there’s no guarantee about the result. On the contrary, it’s very hard for the former players as coaches to measure up to their own legends.

Still, Spanoulis has lowkey avoided those kinds of comparisons and put his focus on the floor.

Peristeri has the third-best offense in the competition and the fourth-best shooting percentage. They are second in assists, seventh in steals, and fourth in efficiency. Yes, the sample is just two games, however, they have already faced arguably the strongest opponent there is, playing the defending champions.

And while you may see here and there an explosive reaction, that reminds you of the fire Spanoulis had as a player, he is usually in total control, having a well-prepared game plan and usually all the answers to the possible questions of his players.

This is not a surprise.

Spanoulis lives only for basketball and that’s why everyone expected him to become a coach almost directly after deciding to call it a day as a player.

He is a hoops maniac, watching videos constantly, and rarely he talks about anything else, even when he is in the company of friends.

This kind of obsession partly explains everything he has achieved as a player and also it’s more than handy when you want to become a head coach of legendary status.

Make no mistake: Spanoulis will not settle for being just a “good” coach and will nobody admit it yet, Peristeri is already thinking big.

That’s why this storyline is one of the most intriguing in the competition. And imagine what will happen if Spanoulis makes it to the Final Four in his first season as a coach…

The post The Spanoulis factor in the Basketball Champions League appeared first on Eurohoops.

Adam Silver spoke on the issue at Abu Dabhi as eloquently as he could: “I know that many of our NBA teams are salivating at the notion that potentially, through our Lottery, that they could get him– so they should all still compete very hard next season”.

“Him” is Victor Wembanyama, the biggest prospect to hit the NBA draft after LeBron James, a player that can potentially create a contender overnight and one more European top talent that everyone will get to enjoy on the biggest stage of the world, without European basketball getting back much in return (but that’s another story).

So if you are not already an NBA contender, you can be cynical and tank – a.k.a. don’t care about losing – in hopes of getting to pick first in the 2023 NBA draft.

Having said that, the worst record in the NBA translates only to a 14% chance to get the top pick. Still, it’s totally worth the risk.

While the top teams of the league will fight for the ring, the worsts have already decided in the summer to blow their rosters up and hope for the bottom, which can instantly propel them back to the top.

The Jazz pretty much cleared their roster in the summer and with the personnel they have, they know that making the playoffs are not a priority, to put it mildly. The same applies to the San Antonio Spurs which practically gave away Dejounte Murray. The Oklahoma City Thunder are doing the same for years and this is not expected to change with Wemby on the line.

Add Detroit to the list, while depending on how the season starts the Rockets, the Pacers, even the Magic, the Hornets, and the Kings might join in.

With the notable exception of Houston, those are pretty much small market teams and Victor Wembanyama will simply change their value drastically.

As Woj said one NBA executive told him that drafting the French phenomenon may add as much as $500 million to the value of that NBA franchise, so you do the math.

The post The race for the bottom and Victor Wembanyama begins appeared first on Eurohoops.

The 2022-23 EuroLeague season has a special significance no matter how you look at it. You have a new president in Dejan Bodiroga, a new CEO in Marshall Glickman, interest from Arabs and Australians for the league, but first and foremost, a perfect line-up of competing teams.

No matter how you measure it, with Russian clubs out of the competitions because of the ongoing war, all the European clubs that are EuroLeague ready are part of the competitions this season. And this is both good news and bad news.

On one hand, there’s no club that could have been considered EuroLeague material and it’s out of the league this season. On the other hand, unless the Russian clubs somehow return, there are no more teams of this level left all around Europe. Even the clubs which are EuroCup contenders don’t seem ready for the EuroLeague level like it usually happened with a couple of EuroCup teams.

And all teams which have not locked their spot in the competition for next season – Monaco, Virtus Bologna, Crvena Zvezda, Partizan, and Valencia – are more than deserving EuroLeague participants.

So while the focus right now is on the potential money from Arabs, or on the experiment of the Paris and London clubs in the EuroCup, which in both cases have a long way to go, the real big issues that the EuroLeague has first and foremost to settle our two.

The obvious elephant in the room remains the ongoing debate with FIBA, which despite the contact between the two sides doesn’t seem near a possible resolution. And on a business level, this might not even be the priority of the EuroLeague.

The other is the expansion, which obviously has been delayed by COVID. Necessity is the mother of invention and in the near future, EuroLeague may need more than 20 teams in order to keep all top clubs under the same umbrella.

However, for the next nine months, things are set and on the court, a “perfect” EuroLeague line-up will produce the best basketball show in the old continent. So sit back and enjoy.

The post The perfect EuroLeague line-up (and the inevitable expansion) appeared first on Eurohoops.