The EuroLeague FanZone was the place to be early on Saturday with EuroLeague stars from the Final Four teams visiting and interacting with basketball fans from all over Europe, who have been flocking in big numbers to Unity Square in Kaunas.

The FanZone's main court [hosted a One Team Session with Final Four players](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/one-team/news/one-teams-impact-seen-through-sessions-with-euroleague-stars-final-four-ambassadors-at-fanzone/), a traditional event that has taken place for more than a decade during Final Four weekend, and it was no different in Kaunas.

One Team Ambassadors from the Final Four teams – EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov and his Olympiacos Piraeus teammate Kostas Papanikolaou, FC Barcelona's Oscar da Silva and Oriol Pauli, Real Madrid's Adam Hanga and AS Monaco's Yakuba Ouattara – shared the basketball court with Zalgiris Kaunas One Team participants for a session that included some One Team drills, and a 6-on-6 game between EuroLeague stars and the children.

What made this even different than most of the others was that the kids in Kaunas had a chance to share the court with a freshly crowned EuroLeague MVP.

"I think this is above everything," Vezenkov said with a smile, trying to sign as many autographs and take as many photos as time allowed after the event.

"I think it is amazing just to have an opportunity to share our experience with the kids and to give them smiles", said Ouattara, who admitted it is also a perfect opportunity to forget about last night's semifinal loss. "For 45 minutes here, you just get away from the frustration and forget what happened \[last night\]."

Sunny Saturday morning also brought to the FanZone the Reds' Thomas Walkup, Barcelona's Sertac Sanli, Real's Carlos Alocen and Monaco's Kaunas native Donatas Motiejunas.

"Motiejunas is a big star, we are happy for him to be here in the Final Four, and it is great that you can meet players like Motiejunas here at the Fan Zone", said Pijus Daukas who had his father Donatas take a photo of him with Motiejunas.

They watched the game at home, but have been spending a lot of time at the Fan Zone, where Pijus is participating in the 3-on-3 tournament.

"For us Lithuanians, basketball is a second religion, so that explains it all", Donatas Daukas added as they moved to try to catch Walkup, a former Zalgiris player.

"I think this is a perfect place for a Final Four", Walkup said while talking to the local youngsters and their parents as he was moving through the Fan Zone.

There will be plenty more events coming up later on Saturday, including a slam dunk contest and a pair of concerts by Beatrich and DJ Jovani, and throughout Sunday.

Final Four players meet fans in EuroLeague FanZone

One Team, Euroleague Basketball's Corporate Social Responsibility program, was front and center at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone with a pair of sessions that included some of the EuroLeague's biggest stars. 

On Friday, May 19, the afternoon of the EuroLeague Final Four semifinals, a group of Final Four Ambassadors, which included past greats of the game, met athletes from Special Olympics Lithuania at the FanZone main court for a session open to the public. The session was led by Zalgiris Kaunas's One Team coaches with the support of Euroleague Basketball and consisted of several activities focused on life skills, culminating in an animated 3-on-3 inclusive game. 

"Zalgiris Kaunas is a club that is strongly meshed with the community and through One Team we have found more ways to strengthen that connection with families," Final Four Ambassador and Zalgiris assistant general manager Paulius Jankunas said. "Not only does the One Team program have such a strong positive impact on the participants, it is incredibly rewarding for the players, too."

"Events such as these are among the highlights of the Final Four," Final Four Ambassador and Kaunas native Jonas Maciulis added. "It brings me personally great pleasure to see smiles on the faces of these children and I am very proud to be able to take part in it."

The following morning, One Team Ambassadors from the participating Final Four teams congregated at the FanZone for a session with the Zalgiris Kaunas One Team participants. 

“I am very honored to be part of this organization and try to develop and try to give some special moments to these kids," Adam Hanga of Real Madrid said. "I have kids of my own, so I know how important this is. It takes us out of thinking about basketball and thinking about the most important thing in our life, which is the kids, their lives, and how they are going to approach life. And how we can help them. Especially like this today, it can give them a lot of hope and some positive energy. One Team does an incredible job throughout the years."

Together they celebrated the positive impact the One Team continues to have on Euroleague club’s local communities. The sessions saw the One Team Ambassadors take part in several activities and games alongside the local participants. 

"I think this is above everything," concurred EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus. "The last couple of years One Team gave Kostas \[Papanikolaou\] and me an opportunity to have this interaction throughout the season with the kids. I think it is the most important for the kids to have fun, to smile, to find motivation through us and with us, to play this sport and we are very happy to give them this joy and happiness. One Team does a great job, and I am sure it will be even better and better and more and more in the next years."

One Team's impact seen through sessions with EuroLeague stars, Final Four Ambassadors at FanZone 

"If you live in the past, you cannot live anything new. Basically, I don’t live in the past." Olympiacos Piraeus head coach Georgios Bartzokas said when asked about the first time he faced Real Madrid in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game. It was May 2013 and Bartzokas remembers it well. 

"I have great memories from this final because we won the title and it was a kind of dominating basketball in the semifinals against CSKA and against Real Madrid in the final for three quarters because we were losing by a 17-18-point difference and finally we made 90 points in three quarters," Bartzokas recalled during the Saturday afternoon press conference looking ahead to the 2023 title bout between the same teams. 

"I cannot say that I am feeling it's destiny. I cannot say that. Basketball changes every day," he continued. "Nowadays it is completely different. If you see a game from 2013 and a game of the same level in 2023, you will realize easily that basketball changes every day…

"We are 10 years older and we are kind of different persons. I want to really enjoy the momentum, the timing, this big battle against such a great club like Real Madrid."

Bartzokas is one of six protagonists from that 2013 game who will compete for the 2023 crown. With Bartzokas are Kostas Sloukas and Kostas Pananikolaou. For Real Madrid, Sergio Llull, Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez are with the team. 

Because of that, Bartzokas stressed that "we are talking about completely different situations, completely different teams."

"We are talking about big clubs in European basketball. Everyone knows what Real and Olympiacos mean. It going to be a "battle" but in athletic terms. I have a lot of respect for Chus Mateo and for Real Madrid, but we have faith in our work and our effort all season and it will be very interesting to see what happens tomorrow."

10 years after beating Real for the crown, Bartzokas is focused on the present

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2023-05-21T17:00:00.000Z)

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four Championship Game Press Conference took place at Zalgirio Arena. Real Madrid was represented by star center Walter Tavares and head coach Chus Mateo, both of whom great respect to Olympiacos Piraeus, its final opponent in the current Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season when the two teams dispute  the trophy on Sunday evening.

Both of them praised the fact that Olympiacos kept a core of players for many years as one of the big keys to be successful.

"It is an honor to compete against a team like Olympiacos, which is a basketball machine," Coach Mateo said. "They play amazing, they are very solid, and they know each other really well for a long time."

"I am going to try to enjoy every minute of this Final Four against a great opponent like Olympiacos," Tavares said. "They have been consistent throughout the whole year, we have followed them very well. They play great and have been together for so much time."

Coach Mateo went on to praise Olympiacos boss Georgios Bartzokas. "It is a pleasure and honor for me to be the opponent of Coach Bartzokas, someone who I think of as a reference in European basketball, a gentleman of the benches. For me, it is good to play against him."

Tavares and Mateo were asked about Moustapha Fall, and both had really positive words about him. It is a key matchup in the championship game and everyone is aware of it.

"Fall is an excellent player not just because of the way he scores and plays defense, but also for what he generates. He is a very good passer that knows the game really well. We are facing one of the best players in Europe, without any kind of doubt, and as big as Edy \[Tavares\] is, of course," Coach Mateo said. "For us, Edy is absolutely critical. It will be a great basketball game for fans watching it, and a good matchup. I hope it falls our way."

"I know Fall is a great player that will make things hard for me. I believe that more or less we have the same size," Tavares added. "I feel good against a player that players like me, that does things as I do them. It will be a pleasure to play against him, as always, and I will do my best to stop him."

Mateo also spoke well about Olympiacos's most experienced players, Kostas Sloukas, who was also present in the press conference room, and team captain Kostas Papanikolaou.

"Olympiacos is an extraordinary team with player with a lot of players with great character who have been competing together at a really high level," he said. "Sloukas, who is here, is an example of that, an extraordinary player with competitive nature. Papanikolaou and he played really well and perfectly know what this games are about."

Chus Mateo, Walter Tavares praise title-game foe Olympiacos

When Olympiacos Piraeus and Real Madrid meet in Sunday's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game, it will mark the fourth time that these teams duel for the continental crown. That will tie for the most repeated EuroLeague final ever. 

Varese and Real previously challenged each other four times for the EuroLeague crown. Varese made it to 10 consecutive finals from 1970 to 1979 and four of them were against Real. Ignis defeated Los Blancos in 1975 and 1976. Los Blancos prevailed in 1974 and 1978.

Real and Olympiacos first faced each other in the 1995 EuroLeague Championship Game. Olympiacos came off a heartbreaking loss against Joventut Badalona in the 1994 Championship Game and Real had made it to the 1993 Final Four as the heavy favorite before falling against Limoges CSP in the semifinals. Real topped Olympiacos 73-61 in Zaragoza, Spain behind 23 points from Arvydas Sabonis, who was named the 1995 Final Four MVP: Joe Arlauckas added 16. Aleksandar Volkov and Franko Nakic led the Reds with 15 points apiece. 

These two teams had to wait for 18 years until they met again in the EuroLeague Championship Game. In 2013, Real ran out to a strong start and led 10-27 at the end of the first quarter. *Los Blancos* were still ahead, 37-41, at halftime after holding superstar guard Vassilis Spanoulis scoreless up to that point. Spanoulis erupted for all of his 22 points in the second half to earn Final Four MVP honors. Acie Law added 20 as Olympiacos ended up beating Real 100-88 in London. Rudy Fernandez led Real with 21 points. It was Real's first appearance in the championship game since lifting the trophy in 1995. Olympiacos successfully defended the EuroLeague title it won in Istanbul a year earlier. 

Their third matchup for the EuroLeague crown came in Madrid. It was Real's third consecutive final and it had all it needed to challenge for the crown. Real led 35-28 at halftime but Olympiacos used a 0-12 third-quarter run to take a 40-41 lead. That's when Jaycee Carroll took over with 11 straight points and *Los Blancos* never looked back. 

Real outscored Olympiacos 38-18 over the final 14 minutes to claim the historic victory. Carroll led the winners with 16 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting. Final Four MVP Andres Nocioni contributed 12 points and 7 rebounds. 

The 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game should be another brilliant chapter in this already legendary sports rivalry that only gets better and better.

Olympiacos vs. Real Madrid: when greatness is a habit

While Saturday's activities at the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone featured plenty of jerseys of the four teams competing in the Final Four, one color could not be missed: the green of Zalgiris Kaunas. Kazys Maksvytis's team may have lost to FC Barcelona in the playoffs, but Zalgiris has enjoyed a strong presence throughout this Final Four, all thanks to its devoted fans.

Speaking with Euroleague.net at the FanZone, three fans who were proudly donning the green of Zalgiris – and one who had the green of Lithuania – discussed what it means to have the Final Four in Kaunas, as well as which teams the city has been getting behind.

"\[It's been\] amazing," said one Zalgiris fan, before his friend jumped in with: "\[It's been\] awesome. The whole city is alive. It's the first time that we are seeing this big event. It's super awesome."

Another Zalgiris supporter, who took part in the 3x3 tournament, also offered his thoughts on the Final Four and the FanZone: "It's amazing. I like it very much. All these entertainments, the 3x3 tournament, I like it very much. It's the first that it has happened in Kaunas, so that fact is just amazing. I just like to see the different teams' fans, how they support their teams, because we don't see that very much."

The atmosphere in Kaunas has been electric for some days now and, for one local Zalgiris fan, it has been a great experience. "Amazing, I really like it here \[at the FanZone\]," she noted. "I like the atmosphere and the people. Very cool. There's many more people here, lots of events, lots of changes in this square."

Given that Zalgiris didn’t make it to the Final Four, many people adopted Barca as their team, given that head coach Saras Jasikevicius – a hometown hero – and Rokas Jokubaitis are both Lithuanian and have their respective histories with Zalgiris. However, following Barca's defeat to Real Madrid in the semifinals, they have now switched their allegiance to Olympiacos Piraeus.

"We wanted Saras to win, Barca to win, but now, it's Olympiacos," said the Zalgiris fan. "Awesome Greek fans, a lot of noise. Super cool atmosphere," commented the fan in a Lithuania jersey.

So, will Olympiacos now be the team of Kaunas in Sunday's championship game? "Yeah, definitely, because we have a mutual hatred of Real Madrid," stated the fan in the Lithuania colors. "I supported Barcelona, so I'm a bit sad about that," commented the female Zalgiris supporter. "I think \[the people of Kaunas will support\] Olympiacos. "I will support Olympiacos, too."

Zalgiris fans at the Fan Zone

Kaunas (and Zalgiris) pride on show at the FanZone

Reaching the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania, has proved to be a rather tricky task for many fans with plenty of supporters having to get connecting flights or arrive in nearby Vilnius. Yet, very few will travel the distance that Pablo Zonis has travelled. He has come all the way from Gualeguaychu, Argentina.

From Argentina to Kaunas: One fan's passion for basketball reaches the Final Four

Reaching the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania, has proved to be a rather tricky task for many fans, with plenty of supporters having to get connecting flights or arrive in nearby Vilnius. Yet, very few will travel the distance that [Pablo Zonis](https://www.instagram.com/pablo__zonis/) has travelled. He has come all the way from Gualeguaychu, Argentina.

Pablo was seen proudly donning an Argentina soccer jersey at the EuroLeague FanZone and speaking with a wide number of fans, most of whom took photos with a flag that he brought that read: 'Racing Club, Gualeguaychu present'.

Later in the day, Pablo changed his Argentina jersey for a Racing Club de Gualeguaychu basketball jersey, the team he supports back in Argentina, as he got into the festivities even more. In potentially a first, Racing Club and Gualeguaychu are present at the Final Four.

Speaking with [EuroleagueBasketball.net](http://EuroleagueBasketball.net) at the FanZone, Pablo discussed what he knows about the Final Four. "It's my first Final Four, it's a tournament that I like a lot," he stated. "I've watched it for many years and, when I decided back in January to go on holiday to Europe \[this summer\], I thought that I'd come to the Final Four.

"It's a tournament that, at the FIBA level, is the best that there is. It's a very beautiful tournament. In Argentina, it's followed a lot, it's a beautiful tournament and, in our case in particular, it's to follow Nicolas Laprovittola in Barcelona, of whom I am a fan."

But, after speaking a little more with Pablo, it became clear that this is a guy who lives and breathes basketball. Perhaps a giveaway would have been his Racing Club jersey! When asked about which other basketball tournaments he had been to, Pablo began to reel off tournament after tournament:

"I've been to the World Cup in Spain in 2014, the World Cup in China in 2019, where Argentina tried to become the champion against Spain, but we lost in the final, as well as the NBA, the AmeriCup. I'm a big fan of basketball."

Yet, he was missing one major basketball event: the EuroLeague Final Four. Pablo commented afterward that he is surely the only person who has made this trip from Argentina to Kaunas, but this is what the Final Four does – it brings people together from all over the world.

The Adidas Media Game is a tradition at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. While the scribes who report on the games all season long revel in the chance to lace up their sneakers and compete at Zalgirio Arena on the same floor that will crown a continental crown the following day, the game is played before closed doors and their adoring fans are unable to follow.

Fortunately, we sent a scout to watch the game and share his thoughts on what became a one-sided game in which the Blue Team, coached by Sofoklis Schortsanitis, overpowered Coach Jonas Kazlauskas's White Team 27-42.

Dora Panteli is a beast on the boards and has excellent court vision, dishing a team-high 4 assists. She should not be underestimated.

Coach Schortsanitis's coaching methods may be unorthodox, but you cannot argue with the result. After leading the Blue Team to a convincing win, Big Sofo may be ready for a promotion.

Brian Bosche proved to everyone that there is still a place for underhand free throws in competitive basketball by going 2 for 2 from the line. He also missed 2 free throws later, but he looked good doing it.

David Rivers's defense has not improved with age, but he can still pass the ball.

Rupert Fabig is my choice for the Javier Gancedo MVP award for the game. He was outstanding with 15 points for the winners and made 1 of the game's 2 three-pointers.

Aleksander Lilov stood out for the Whites with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 6 minutes. He deserved more playing time.

Yann Ohnona has a fine jump shot and could have been more of a factor with a pure point guard alongside him. Keep an eye on this prospect.

Takeaways from the Adidas Media Game

For the second year in succession, Real Madrid beat FC Barcelona in the semifinals of the EuroLeague Final Four to advance to the championship game, where it will face Olympiacos Piraeus in a repeat of the 2013 final. Real won 66-78 after once again finding an extra gear in the latter stages of the game to come out with the victory. Los Blancos had to do the same in Game 5 of the playoffs against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, and after doing so again, it now has the chance to win its 11th EuroLeague title on Sunday.

Real Madrid wins El Clásico, reaches EuroLeague Championship Game

<incrowd-live-blog id="64677a27b22587e232320f6e" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

Real Madrid wins El Clásico, reaches championship game

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid (2023-05-19T18:00:00.000Z)