To put a ball in a basket with five sizeable and athletic opponents doing everything to prevent that from happening in the middle of the high-speed chess match that is a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague basketball game is a hard job to begin with. To do all that when 18,000 leather-lung fans making all the noise they can, in unison, makes concentration even more difficult.

Final Four stars know the fans will be a factor

But if you listen to the players who will take the floor at the Final Four in Belgrade, they wouldn't have it any other way.

This is the first generation of players to know what a EuroLeague game with no fans is like, and to a man they are thrilled to be present at the return of those fans to the Final Four, not least because all that noise actually helps them play better. 

"It brings you energy. It's like a standard answer, but that's what it is. It's like you come into the game, you feel the fans, and the adrenaline in your whole body goes to the top, " Fabien Causeur of Real Madrid says. "It's just more fun. You can have them with you or against you, but they will give you extra motivation and the extra energy to give your best. And I feel that now is the kind of moment, in your season or in your career, that you 

No one in Belgrade has played in more Final Fours than Kostas Sloukas of Olympiacos Piraeus, a late-game specialist who knows that his team's fans, who bought the most tickets of any team in Belgrade, will be a true sixth man for the Reds.

"You come into the game, you feel the fans, and the adrenaline in your whole body goes to the top."

"Our fans always give us energy, give us a boost," Sloukas says. "The opposing fans try to boo you, to make your life more difficult. It's always better to play in a full arena, and it will be an amazing experience here in Belgrade."

Last season's Final Four MVP and a native Serbian, Vasilije Micic of Anadolu Efes, prides himself in remaining calm, cool and collected on the court, but he knows that the atmosphere at a EuroLeague in his country's capital is second to none in the world and likely to influence the outcome.

"The fans make everything more beautiful," Micic said on the eve of the semifinals. "These fans are passionate people. They try to express their emotions in the games. They don't have to act good. They can be a little bit wild. They can be emotional and show their real energy, and we definitely feel that on the court. I have many friends on my team who like that boost from the fans, and tomorrow, whether it's our fans or other fans, they will get more motivated by that atmosphere."

"Last year, you could hear a pin drop... For every player, it's 100 times better to have the fans in the stands."

Nick Calathes of FC Barcelona was among the Final Four participants last year in Cologne, Germany, when the fans could not be present due to pandemic restrictions. Though his club's fans will be in the minority this weekend at Stark Arena, he doesn't mind that one bit.

"The fans are what makes the game exciting, if you're home or away, just to hear chants and feel their presence," Calathes said. "Last year, you could hear a pin drop and you didn't have the feel of the crowd, the emotion. For us, I think for every player, it's 100 times better to have the fans in the stands. It's great, either home or away, and for me away is even better, because you like to hear the crowd against you and try to take advantage of it."

One Final Four without fans was one too many. As a worldwide audience will behold on this weekend, the one-of-a-kind energy that comes from EuroLeague fans is back in the room!

A special welcome session for the enthusiastic Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four volunteers tipped off a busy week for One Team, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program, on Wednesday evening in Belgrade.

One Team Welcome Session for Final Four volunteers

The volunteers were officially welcomed to the Final Four with a One Team Welcome Session, a dynamic activity-filled event at the Ranko Zeravica Arena, which is also the home this week for the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament. 

This year, a total of 142 volunteers from 17 different countries have been chosen among a record number of 742 candidates that applied. All of them will ensure that everything runs smoothly during the Final Four activities taking place around the Serbian capital.

The volunteers official welcome took place on Wednesday with a fun session led by the One Team local Managers and Coaches, the Euroleague Basketball Ambassadors Dusko Savanovic and Joe Arlauckas, as well as special appearances by One Team Ambassadors from two local Euroleague Basketball clubs: Stefan Lazarevic of Crvena Zvezda mts and Aleksa Avramovic of Partizan NIS Belgrade.

"Joe and I had a lot of fun with groups of young and some not-so-young people. The majority of them are here for the first time with One Team, and it is beautiful," Savanovic said. "You can see on their faces they are enjoying this. It is maybe a unique opportunity for them to be in touch with professional athletes, and for us sharing our thoughts; it boosts us with energy. It brought me back to my beginnings when I was starting with basketball. It was beautiful."

Volunteers aged from 18 to 60 had a chance to take part in a fun series of activities promoting the importance of teamwork, while talking and sharing experiences with the ambassadors and players.

Just like the volunteers, the local players who spent this season competing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup, also had a wonderful time.

"It was really fun hanging out with them," Lazarevic said. "They were full of questions and it was great to share the moment with them, and to share my thoughts about basketball and the One Team organization. There is no bigger competition in Europe than the EuroLeague and I am honored to be part of the project."

Avramovic agreed: "EuroLeague is like one big puzzle and we are all the pieces, from the volunteers to the organizers, as well as the players and ambassadors, to share and show good emotions and good vibes and energy to the people. I will always be happy to be available for these kinds of events. I am very honored to be a One Team Ambassador."

This season One Team, celebrates its 10th anniversary. A celebration supported by all clubs and players from both competitions: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities. 

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of ‘community integration’ that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

Each participating club develops a specific One Team project tailored to its own community needs to benefit groups in danger of exclusion due to problems such as substance abuse and gender, physical or intellectual disability. Since its founding in 2012, the One Team program has reached already, directly and indirectly, more than 23,000 participants through its various team projects.

The stars of the ANGT Finals have reasons to dream big as several alumni from that competition will take the floor at the Final Four chasing the EuroLeague crown.

ANGT champ to EuroLeague champ? Here are your candidates 

Hundreds of young players have tested their skills at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals. Only a few dozen of them have excelled at the tournament and gone on the play at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Some of them are playing this season in Belgrade: Olympiacos big man Livio Jean-Charles, Real Madrid forward Alberto Abalde and  Rokas Jokubaitis of FC Barcelona.

Jean-Charles is playing in the Final Four for the first time 12 years after being chosen as the ANGT MVP. Jean-Charles played for U18 INSEP at the 2010 ANGT Finals in Paris, France, and shined with 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and a PIR of 18.0. He had 15 points and 7 rebounds in the championship game against U18 FMP Belgrade, in which INSEP prevailed 73-83 to lift the trophy. 

"It has been a long journey. It took me a long time to come back here as a pro. I keep that win as one of the greatest memories in my career, being on the court at halftime \[of the 2010 championship game, receiving the trophy\], being so young," Jean-Charles recalled. "It was special because it was the first year that we were doing this tournament and it was at home, in Paris. It was something different for us."

Jean-Charles is not the only player at the 2022 Final Four who has earned ANGT MVP honors. Abalde was the 2013 MVP with Joventut Badalona. Abalde completed a great tournament at the 2013 Final Four in London, averaging 17.8 points on 50% three-point shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and a PIR of 18.8. He had 18 points and 9 rebounds in the championship game against U18 FC Barcelona. Abalde went on to win the 7DAYS EuroCup with Valencia Basket in 2019 and looks for his first EuroLeague crown in Belgrade. 

"I have very good memories. We played in London and the arena was packed. When you are a junior, you are impressed. I remember that my sisters came to see me play and we experienced that moment together. I had no idea that I was going to get the MVP award," Abalde said. "Everyone in the team got along well with each other, were good friends and had a great time. We won and didn't think about these things, but when I got the MVP trophy, it was a surprise. They made me feel like someone important! It was a nice moment that I will always remember." 

Most recently, Jokubaitis shined at the ANGT. Jokubaitis, the 2021-22 EuroLeague Rising Star, played for U18 Zalgiris Kaunas at the 2017 ANGT in Istanbul, Turkey. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in three games. Five years later, he has the chance to lead Barca to its first EuroLeague title in over a decade. 

These players all played at the ANGT with different teams than the ones with which they reached the Final Four for the first time. Only four players - Jonas Maciulis, Nikita Kurbanov, Alexey Shved and Luka Doncic - have won the ANGT and the EuroLeague. Jean-Charles and Abalde could join this exclusive list.

Rokas Jokubaitis - Rising Star 2021-22 - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

A trio of EuroLeague stars of yesteryear shared their thoughts on how to handle some of the biggest stars in this season’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. 

Can the stars be stopped? Retired EuroLeague greats share their thoughts 

Nikola Vujcic, Felipe Reyes and Dusko Savanovic were not only standout players, but all three keep a close eye on the EuroLeague today. Vujcic is the most decorated center in competition history as a five-time All-EuroLeague champion. Today he is the general manager of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. Felipe Reyes retired last summer after a standout career with Real Madrid, with which he won a pair of EuroLeague titles and was a member of the 2015 All-EuroLeague First Team. Dusko Savanovic, an All-EuroLeague choice in 2011, runs the Akademija Vojvoda basketball academy here in Belgrade.

They shared their opinions on what must be done to win the matchups against the four All-EuroLeague First-Team members in the semifinals: Nikola Mirotic of FC Barcelona, Walter Tavares of Real Madrid, Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus.

### Nikola Mirotic, FC Barcelona 

"How to stop Mirotic is the biggest question and the answer is that there are no secret weapons. There is no such thing as that,” said Savanovic. “Usually, winning teams do collective stuff on defense. When I was playing it was like that and it was not a long time ago. Being able to stop a superstar, or someone who is dominating, you cannot do it with one player, or by changing one thing. European basketball is beautiful because teams approach defense as a collective effort. If Madrid wants to stop Mirotic, or Barcelona wants to stop Tavares, it will have to be as a team, adjusting. I believe it is going to be like that." 

“Mirotic has superpowers,” Vujcic said in summing up the Barcelona forward’s talents. “What you cannot do is worry so much about him that you open yourself up to getting beat by other players,” explaining that with a team player like Mirotic, he is happy to get pushed off to the side if it means his teammates are controlling the game. 

Savanovic, however, said he thinks limiting Mirotic could make all the difference: "If you hold Mirotic to 14 points, that would be good defense. That would be enough for Real to make it to the final."

### Walter Tavares, Real Madrid

More than any other player mentioned here, Tavares is a dual-threat as a two-time EuroLeague Best Defender who can protect the rim and a towering presence in the paint who can dominate with efficient touches in the post and great rebounding. 

Vujcic explained that the key for FC Barcelona to neutralize Tavares on defense rests in what could be a favorable matchup. “In Davies and Sanli, they have big men who can shoot and draw Tavares outside,” he said, which is where Barcelona wants him. 

"Tavares is going to provide a certain amount of points, for sure,” Savanovic added. “All team leaders will do that. You have to prevent a 20-20 game, but he will score 10-14 points.”

### Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus

"Sasha Vezenkov is a player with great shooting skills. It was very tough to defend him because you had to be very close to him, and that allowed him to drive inside more easily,” said Reyes, who has first-hand experience facing Vezenkov in recent years. “This is what you have to go through when you play against players like him, who can play both inside and outside."

“There are two approaches. You have to choose between two options,” Savanovic said. “Either you put all the effort to stop one player and not think about others, or stopping others and allow the star to score his usual points. Usually, when a player scores a lot of points, his team doesn't win the game. That's always going to be a doubt for coaches and teams preparing the game. Are we going to let a player like Vezenkov score 30 and focus on all other 11 players, or do we focus on stopping him, and not the rest of the team? That is the beauty of it.

"I guess that Anadolu Efes’s inside players will focus on attacking \[Vezenkov\] inside, as even if he can hold on inside, they could exploit some weaknesses.”

### Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

“It's crystal clear that you need the whole team to be very concentrated and stuck together to be able to defend him. I don't think you can stop any of these players with just one player. You can only stop them with good team defense, altogether,” Reyes noted.

"Shane Larkin is a very explosive player, who is very difficult to stop because of his incredible quickness. He knows how to play pick and roll very well, as well as playing great coming off the screen,” Reyes observed. “Olympiacos will have a hard time defending him, not only with good team defense, because you also have Micic by his side. If you focus too much on Larkin, Micic can harm you a lot.

"I think that, in the end, the team that plays better defense, plays harder, controls the boards better, will have more chances, but I see a very balanced matchup."

Nikola Mirotic - FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sasha Vezenkov - Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Shane Larkin, April MVP - Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Being raised in a sports family doesn’t always mean a successful sports career for the children. But in the cases of Alberto Abalde, Rokas Jokubaitis, Shane Larkin and Sasha Vezenkov, the father’s influence had a lot to do with the son’s achievements.

The legacy of the fathers at the Final Four

Barry Larkin, the father of Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s All-EuroLeague guard Shane Larkin, is considered one of the top baseball players of his era and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in January 2012. A Major League Baseball champion in 1990, he knows what pressure can mean in a tournament like the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four. 

"I have talked to him throughout the playoffs, throughout the season, and he just tells me to go out there and be myself. You know, never let the moment be too big for yourself and just be always aggressive,” Shane said. 

Baseball is a sport where the best hitters – and Barry Larkin was among the very best of his day – usually fail two-thirds of the time. Shane learned from that lessons that he applies to his career and pressure-filled situations like the Final Four.

"My father believes in me a lot. Maybe sometimes he believes in me more than even I believe in myself! So, I am glad I have this family and am really thankful to them."

“At the end of the day, it's still a game. You know, basketball is always going to be basketball regardless of where you are playing and who you are playing it against. So, you just go out there and play the game that you love and live with the results," Shane added.

Sasha Vezenkov’s father has also been a major influence on his career. The All-EuroLeague forward credits his family’s support, and his father in particular, for helping him get where he is today.  

"To stay humble, to be myself, to enjoy the moment, and to play the same as I play, me and my team, the whole season,” Sasha shared of the lessons he learned from his father Sasho Vezenkov, a former professional basketball player and coach. Sasho played for the Bulgarian basketball national team and participated in two European Championships (1989 and 1991) during his long playing career. 

"He is everything to me, along with my family. He, my mother and my sister, they are everything I have. They helped me from the first moment I started playing basketball. My father is my biggest fan, but also my biggest critic, you know, because he always wants me to get better,” Sasha said. “He always sees the bad moments, the bad things I did in the game, and he always wants me to improve because he believes in me a lot. Maybe sometimes he believes in me more than even I believe in myself! So, I am glad I have this family and am really thankful to them."

Sasha won’t feel alone in Belgrade; among the thousands of Olympiacos fans expected to support the team this weekend will be his dad.

Real Madrid guard Alberto Abalde’s father, also named Alberto Abalde, spawned a pair of basketball stars. Tamara Abalde played for Valencia Basket and the two were “club mates” when Alberto won the 7DAYS EuroCup in 2019. Even though Alberto Sr. played professionally in Spain’s top league, the family conversations at these times are more about emotional support than basketball.

"My first toy when I was young was a basketball. It was clear that I would follow in his footsteps."

"Since we were kids, they made me love basketball. Everything I do in my career, we enjoy it together,” Alberto Jr. said. "They are coming to Belgrade! My parents, my sister and my girlfriend. We haven’t talked about basketball. I believe that in the end, I disconnect more when I talk to my family, but I am happy that they can come and watch the Final Four. It is a dream for all of us.

The 2021-2022 Rising Star Trophy winner, Rokas Jokubaitis of FC Barcelona, was also raised in a family with strong basketball roots. His father Aivaras had a long professional career, playing for more than a decade in his home country, Lithuania, and Poland. He was one of the reasons Rokas fell in love with basketball.

"I think he made a big influence on me in choosing the professional way in basketball… My first toy when I was young was a basketball. It was clear that I would follow in his footsteps," Rokas said. "I remember in the summer, other boys of my age were playing outside during the school holidays and I remember myself going with my father to work individually. He put a lot of work into me.” 

Now that Rokas has earned the spotlight, he readily acknowledged that being pushed hard helped him to reach the place where he is now. 

“He was, I wouldn't say strict, but he wanted me to be better, never telling the good things about my playstyle, but only bad things to get me thinking about what I was doing wrong. He helped me a lot and I'm very thankful for that," Rokas said.

One of Rokas’s first thoughts after receiving the Rising Star Trophy was that he could not wait for his father to see it.

"I will call him later when I'm back in the hotel because I think he's waiting for it. I sent him a photo with my suit because I don't think he's ever seen me with a suit, Rokas chuckled. 

Those types of moments, sharing highs and lows, experiences, tips and motivation, are what helped propel these four young men into standout basketball careers. And their families will all be watching - some in person and some on TV - when they take the floor on Thursday in Belgrade.

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four will feature a series of spectacular pregame shows, aimed at setting a new level of live entertainment and providing a truly exciting spectacle for fans both inside Stark Arena and watching at home. 


Pregame shows aiming to set new level of live entertainment

The creative concept, designed and produced by award-winning agency Filmmaster Events, is SPACE 4 GLORY, developing the metaphor of deep space, cosmic forces and the ultimate ‘event horizon’ of the Championship Game. A cosmic tale of great challenges, powerful competition and the ultimate glory pursued by EuroLeague teams, the shows will convey an exciting, visually-driven story which also emphasises the role of music in creating bonds between the Final Four and fans.

Filmmaster Events also produced the pregame shows at the Final Fours in Vitoria (2019) and Cologne (2021), with both editions winning international Best Event Awards in the categories of Best Sports Events (Vitoria), and Use of Technology and Digital Transformation (Cologne, for the use of Augmented Reality).

Roser Queralto, Chief Business Officer of Euroleague Basketball, said: “After the success and recognition we have received for our previous Final Four pregame shows, we are very happy to continue our collaboration with Filmmaster Events. Last year’s event in Cologne was held behind closed doors due to the pandemic so we created a show specifically designed for broadcast. This year in Belgrade we are very excited to celebrate the return of fans, so the shows will be based on live elements and special effects that will contribute to an electric atmosphere for a spectacular celebration of basketball.”

Thursday’s two semifinals will be preceded by shows of 2 minutes 30 seconds, the Third Place Game will have a scaled-down 45 seconds show, and the main event of the Championship Game on Saturday evening will be opened by a 4 minutes extravaganza, featuring two motorised platforms hosting DJ consoles which will descend from the ceiling and soar above the court. 

The DJs will interact with video content and the on-court dance crew, transforming Stark Arena into a contemporary urban dancehall. Street culture inspires the choreographies, also featuring parkour-style acrobatic stunts, LED handheld bars, and the surprise reveal of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Trophy at the center of the court.

Lasers, lighting and flame effects will further amplify the impact of the music and dancing, and the DJs in action high above the floor will expand the scope of the scene to encompass the whole arena, both vertically and horizontally.

The technical setup includes more than 40 winches, 12 of which are smart kinesys models, capable of moving equipment up to 24 meters in 60 seconds. The video content will come alive through more than 30 million pixels surrounding the court in all directions, while the lighting equipment encompasses 150 fixtures within the arena and 70 more on the DJ platforms, with 150kw of total power absorption, as well as two 30w laser beams moved by smart kinesys winches.

Semifinal, pre-game quotes FC Barcelona

### Nicolas Laprovittola, FC Barcelona guard

"We were talking in the team that the last games against Real were very different from each other. One had overtime, another had a low score. Truth to be told, it is hard to foresee tomorrow's game but there will be a lot of physical contacts, a lot of adrenaline and emotions. We have to be aware of all that. Sergio Llull took them here and he is an important player. We have to be careful with him. We have to keep Real out of its rhythm. We cannot allow them to find the run-and-gun game, getting easy points. Being focused will be one of the biggest keys, avoiding distractions and fighting for every ball, 100%."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Nick Calathes, FC Barcelona

### Brandon Davies, FC Barcelona center

“It's Clasico. So you got to expect a tough game. As a competitor, these are the moments you wait for. Being a Clasico in the Final Four makes it even more special. We know them very well, but they know us very well. When you play each other so much in a year it comes down to fighting and sacrificing for your team. Hopefully, with that and attention to detail, we can get a win. They are tough at every position and right now specifically they are playing really well. Everyone seems to be fine-tuning their game so it is up to us to stop them collectively. Clasico brings more excitement, more energy and more meaning to the whole game, but we've been here before so hopefully, we can use that experience to calm some of those nerves to accomplish what we need to do."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Kyle Kuric, FC Barcelona

### Alex Abrines, FC Barcelona forward

"What I expect from us is to do the things that we have been preparing. We worked hard all season to get here, for this moment. Now it's time to seize the opportunity. The team has to come out to win and to give everything. We know Real Madrid is a great team. Even though we managed to get the last ones, I think there were no big differences between the two teams. It was a matter of one play or one shot that we beat them. I expect a tough game to be handled point by point. We'll see which teams take care better of the details to win the game. There are no secrets. We have indeed prepared some small details, but it's difficult to surprise a team which you have played so many games against. I'm sure they will also have something to try to surprise us, a defense, an offense, but these won't mean a lot of points for any side.”

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid (2022-05-19T19:00:00.000Z)

Kyle Kuric - FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Euroleague Basketball is taking its digital transformation to the next level with a series of exciting developments that will give fans unique new ways of enjoying the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, to be played in Belgrade, Serbia, from Thursday, March 19, to Saturday, March 21.

Semifinal, pre-game quotes Real Madrid

### Guerschon Yabusele, Real Madrid forward

“I would say to expect a lot of intensity in the semifinals. A physical game. The best team will win it for sure. We are going to try to play our best. Obviously, it is a really important game for us and, you know, it will be a lot of competition. I think the key will be to just play together. We played Barcelona so many times this season, we know their style. We just have to stay together, play together for 40 minutes, and do whatever it takes to win the game. The most important is to get a win, no matter how it goes. We always had confidence, even when we had tough times, we knew we have the strength to turn the tables around and we kept believing in ourselves.”

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Fabien Causeur, Real Madrid

### Anthony Randolph, Real Madrid forward

"I think the game is going to be tough from the start. I think we both are elite teams, we have a lot of history. We both understand how important it is to come out and play for the 40 minutes in order to give our team chances to win… We have to take care of the ball. We know they have great players, we have to measure it out, try to contain them and as best as we can, and finish every one of their possessions with a rebound."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Nigel Williams-Goss, Real Madrid

### Sergio Llull, Real Madrid guard

"It's a semifinal game against a great team. I'm sure it's going to be very tough, we will need to get ready to play for the whole 40 minutes, to play consistently for the entire game. We will try to do our best, to display our best version as a team and try to advance to the final… We need to stick to ourselves, to be ourselves. We face a big team, with great players, that play very physical but I think that if we are able to match that toughness, we play good defense and we control the boards, we will have chances to win."

Vincent Poirier - Real Madrid practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21