It's an end of an era in Valencia with Friday's announcement that the club and team captain Bojan Dubljevic are parting ways after 11 years together. Since arriving to Valencia in the summer of 2012 from Buducnost VOLI Podgorica of his native Montenegro, Dubljevic has been front and center in club's every success.

Valencia parts ways with club legend Bojan Dubljevic

It's an end of an era in Valencia with Friday's announcement that the club and team captain [Bojan Dubljevic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/bojan-dubljevic/002742/) are parting ways after 11 years together. Since arriving to Valencia in the summer of 2012 from Buducnost VOLI Podgorica of his native Montenegro, Dubljevic has been front and center in club's every success.

Dubljevic led the team to winning 7DAYS EuroCup in 2014 and 2019, each as an All-EuroCup selection, and he led the club to its lone Spanish League crown in 2017 as the playoff finals MVP. A team captain the last four seasons in Valencia, Dubljevic scored more points and had more rebounds than any other player in club history. Dubljevic has spent more season with the club than any other non-Spanish player, and has played second-most games (629) in Valencia's 36-year history.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">No es un día fácil<br>No es un vídeo fácil<br>No es un adiós fácil<br><br>Hoy, que ponemos el final a una relación que tantas alegrías nos ha dado, queremos empezar a hacerlo con este vídeo.<br><br>Gracias por estos 1️⃣1️⃣ años de locura, Dubi 🧔🏻🧡 <a href="https://t.co/gYmDrIqaHk">pic.twitter.com/gYmDrIqaHk</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1674794929921613827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Making his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut in 2014, Dubljevic made a total of 114 appearances in the competition, averaging 11.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. No player played or started (86) more games for Valencia, had more points (1,352), two-pointers (343), three-pointers (143), rebounds (617), steals (78) or PIR (1,657) in the EuroLeague than Dubljevic.

He also has 119 appearances in the EuroCup where he was a two-time EuroCup Rising Star winner (in 2013 and 2014), and earned four of his five All-EuroCup honors while with Valencia (2014, 2017, 2019 and 2022).

The club announced that it will name one of L’Alqueria courts after him, and that once Dubljevic retires, his jersey number 14 will be retired by the club.

Meanwhile, Valencia fans at La Fonteta will need some getting used to not seeing on the floor a man who left a massive mark during more than a decade wearing the orange jersey.

Players becoming strongly attached to their Euroleague Basketball clubs is not rare, but the connection between Kyle Weems and the fans at Virtus Bologna, the team he left this week after four seasons, is truly special.

Kyle Weems sends emotional 'so long' to Virtus fans

**Players becoming strongly attached to their Euroleague Basketball clubs is not rare, but the connection between** [Kyle Weems](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kyle-weems/006592/) **and the fans at Virtus Bologna, the team he left this week after four seasons, is truly special.**

Not only did they win a EuroCup title together and return Virtus to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, but well before that, [Weems was forever moved by the support he received from fans in Bologna after his father passed away](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/news/kyle-weems-virtus-its-been-a-crazy-crazy-ride/) shortly following his arrival to the team.

After winning the 2022 7DAYS EuroCup title together and qualifying for the EuroLeague for the first time in 15 years,

"I have to say I am especially happy for our fans," Weems wrote in a EuroCup blog. "I'm not sure if I have told you, but I have told a lot of reporters in the past: Virtus fans have a special place in my heart. When I lost my father to lung cancer a couple of years ago, they were super supportive – signs, messages on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. They flooded my inbox, no matter how they could do it, and the support and the cheers are something that I can never pay them back. Playing in front of them, wearing a Virtus jersey, I always want to play to the best of my ability, play to the best of my energy, enthusiasm, because they are truly great fans."

The unique emotional bond between them can be seen in the video of a heartfelt "so long" letter that Weems penned to the city and the fans this week.

"I am so forever grateful for you embracing me and my family, and I will love you forever," Weems says. "Myself, my wife and my two boys will forever have Virtus in our blood. This is not a goodbye, simply a see you later."

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Kyle ha deciso di scrivere una lettera a tutti noi: non crediamo ci sia bisogno di aggiungere niente.<br><br>GRAZIE DI TUTTO BATMAN, CI MANCHERAI! 🤍🫶🏼🖤<a href="https://twitter.com/Kjw3434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kjw3434</a> <br><br>La lettera integrale ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/0ToYPeHyzh">https://t.co/0ToYPeHyzh</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmoreInfinito?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmoreInfinito</a> <a href="https://t.co/oDU0ayoe2n">pic.twitter.com/oDU0ayoe2n</a></p>&mdash; Virtus Segafredo Bologna (@VirtusSegafredo) <a href="https://twitter.com/VirtusSegafredo/status/1674669459947020290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Anadolu Efes Istanbul announced on Thursday that is parting ways with its cornerstone piece for nearly a decade, veteran center Bryant Dunston.

The end of Bryant Dunston's tenure at Efes

##### Anadolu Efes Istanbul announced on Thursday that is parting ways with its cornerstone piece for nearly a decade, veteran center Bryant Dunston.

The man who had the honor of lifting the EuroLeague trophy as team captain at Belgrade's Stark Arena in 2022, 37-year-old [Bryant Dunston](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/bryant-dunston/003048/) leaves Efes after eight years with the club.

Through his time in Istanbul, Dunston was a leader in the paint and in the locker room as a team that had often come up short of expectations, let alone reaching the Final Four, went from the bottom of the standings in 2018 to play in the next three championship games.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Bir lider, bir kaptan, bir efsane...<br><br>Kırdığın rekorlar, başardıkların, adanmışlığın ve mücadelen için sana minnettarız. <br><br>Her zaman ailemizin bir parçası olacaksın BLOKLARIN EFENDİSİ🙏<br><br>Thank you for everything, Cap! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HouseOfBlue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HouseOfBlue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/a7dWCuW5zB">pic.twitter.com/a7dWCuW5zB</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1674357276474507264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

During his time with Efes, Dunston not only helped the club attain continental glory, but managed to overcome the final hurdle on the way to the EuroLeague championship on individual level.

Dunston joined Efes from Olympiacos Piraeus in the summer of 2015, arriving as the reigning back-to-back EuroLeague Best Defender, and coming off a championship game loss against Real Madrid. With Efes, Dunston suffered through a Game 5 playoff loss in 2017 and a championship game defeat in 2019.

But his belief in the club and the goals never wavered, which was rewarded with winning back-to-back EuroLeague crowns in 2021 and 2022.

He appeared in 236 games in an Efes uniform, scoring a total of 1,952 points, making 733 two-pointers, pulling down 1,067 rebounds and delivering 252 blocked shots.

More on Bryant Dunston

Celebrating Bryant Dunston's tenure at Efes

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade has brought back a familiar face, signing Dejan Davidovac on a three-year deal, the club announced on Thursday. 

Zvezda brings back swingman Dejan Davidovac

##### Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade has brought back a familiar face, signing [Dejan Davidovac](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dejan-davidovac/007960/) on a three-year deal, the club announced on Thursday. 

Davidovac (2.02 meters, 28 years old) is a versatile and big swingman who is a fan favorite in Belgrade having already played five years with Zvezda, from 2017 to 2022. He spent last year with CSKA Moscow where he averaged 7.1 points on 45.5% three-point shooting and 3.6 rebounds in the VTB League.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Reprezentativac Srbije, dosadašnji igrač CSKA iz Moskve, Dejan Davidovac vratio se u svoju Crvenu zvezdu! 🔴⚪️<br><br>Welcome back, Deki! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeCan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeCan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://t.co/GkcFfw79TV">pic.twitter.com/GkcFfw79TV</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1674419419706183682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Davidovac has made 109 appearances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, including 31 starts, and has career averages of 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds. Before joining Zvezda, Davidovac started his professional career with his hometown Proleter Zrenjanin and has also played for Vrsac and FMP Zeleznik, all in his native Serbia. Davidovac is also a member of the Serbian national team.

Dejan Davidovac Top Plays of the 2021-22 Regular Season

Dejan Davidovac returns to Zvezda

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play-In Showdown, designed to add to what is already a dramatic annual playoff race, will debut in the upcoming 2023-24 season. The Play-In Showdown will see teams ranked from seventh to 10th at the end of the regular season compete for the last two tickets to the EuroLeague Playoffs. 

EuroLeague introduces Play-In Showdown

**The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play-In Showdown, designed to add to what is already a dramatic annual playoff race, will debut in the upcoming 2023-24 season. The Play-In Showdown will see teams ranked from seventh to 10th at the end of the regular season compete for the last two tickets to the EuroLeague Playoffs.**

Under the new format, the seventh- and eighth-place teams will face off in a single game to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals against the regular season's second-ranked team.

Likewise, the ninth- and 10th-place teams will play a single game whose loser will be eliminated. The winner will challenge either the seventh- or eighth-place team, whichever has lost their play-in game, to decide the final playoff spot and be paired with the top-ranked regular-season team.

Each game in the Play-In Showdown will be hosted by the team with the better regular-season finish.

In essence, the seventh- and eighth-place teams that would have been playoff-bound under the previous format have a significant advantage in the Play-In Showdown as each needs to win only one game to reach the quarterfinals. The teams in ninth and 10th place game must win twice or be eliminated.

At the Assembly of Syndicated Shareholders of Euroleague Commercial Assets meeting on Thursday, June 29 in Barcelona, the makeup of the team list for the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was confirmed. All 18 teams from the previous season will remain in the competition.

 ECA Assembly approves 2023-24 EuroLeague team list 

**At the** [Assembly of Syndicated Shareholders of Euroleague Commercial Assets meeting](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/news/assembly-of-syndicate-shareholders-of-eca-approves-teams-lists-format-changes-for-2023-24-euroleague-eurocup/) **on Thursday, June 29, the makeup of the team list for the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was confirmed. All 18 teams from the previous season will remain in the competition.**

This means that for the second year running, there will be clubs representing 10 different countries competing in Europe's premier basketball competition. This marks the second time under the current competition format that all 18 teams will return to the EuroLeague for a second season. The previous instance was in the 2020-21 campaign following the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 edition.

The assembly also approved a new competition phase, the [Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play-In Showdown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-introduces-play-in-showdown), to fall between the regular season and the playoffs.

ECA Assembly approves 2023-24 EuroLeague team list

All-EuroLeague swingman Kevin Punter has come to terms on a deal that will keep him with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade for two more years, the club announced on Thursday.

All-EuroLeague swingman Kevin Punter re-signs with Partizan

#### All-EuroLeague swingman [Kevin Punter](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-punter/009862/) has come to terms on a deal that will keep him with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade for two more years, the club announced on Thursday.

Punter (1.93 meters, 30 years old) first joined the club in 2021 and has shined in the Serbian capital. He averaged 16.1 points on 44.3% three-point shooting, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal over 37 EuroLeague games last season during which he led the team to within one game of the Final Four. He also helped Partizan win the ABA League championship. In his first season with Partizan, Punter was named to the All-EuroCup Team after leading the club to the EuroCup Playoffs.

The Partizan star talks about the adversity he has had to overcome, the importance of never giving up and staying true to the game.

Kevin Punter: Letter to Myself

A college basketball star at the University of Tennessee, Punter began his professional career in Greece with GC Lavrio. He has also played for AEK Athens and Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece, Antwerp in Belgium, Rosa Radom in Poland, Virtus Bologna and AX Armani Exchange Milan in Italy and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade in Serbia. Punter’s trophy case includes winning respective national cups with AEK in Greece in 2018 and in Italy with Milan in 2021. He also captured the Basketball Champions League title in back-to-back seasons with AEK in 2018 and Virtus in 2019. This season will be Punter’s fourth in the EuroLeague.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Kapiten ostaje u crno-belom dresu.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KKPartizan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KKPartizan</a> <a href="https://t.co/KS5rpNIr9X">pic.twitter.com/KS5rpNIr9X</a></p>&mdash; KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC/status/1674346250697621504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

After three years in charge at Palau Blaugrana, Sarunas Jasikevicius leaves FC Barcelona with his status as a club legend firmly intact.

Despite no EuroLeague title, Jasikevicius remains a Barca icon

**After three years in charge at Palau Blaugrana, Sarunas Jasikevicius leaves FC Barcelona with his status as a club legend firmly intact.**

The Lithuanian coach is bowing out on a high, having led his team to the Spanish League title in a 3-0 final series sweep of archrival and recent Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Real Madrid. That took Jasikevicius's total tally with Barca to an impressive four trophies in three seasons, including two domestic crowns.

There is, however, an obvious and significant 'but' to the story. While Saras enjoyed great success with Barca, he fell just short of achieving the main goal of restoring the team to the summit of continental basketball, as he did during his playing days with his and the club's first EuroLeague title in 2003.

Jasikevicius and his players did come close to that heady objective, however. Very close.

In his first season on the bench, Barca went all the way to the 2021 championship game. They topped the regular season standings, edged Zenit St Petersburg in the playoffs and then downing AX Armani Exchange Milan in a thrilling semifinal thanks to a dramatic game-winner from Cory Higgins.

But the title game went against Barca as Anadolu Efes Istanbul instead claimed the first of its back-to-back crowns with a tight 81-86 decision after Jasikevicius's men ran out of steam and scored just 1 field goal in the final 3 minutes.

The next two seasons saw Barca again confirm its position among the continent's heavyweights with first- and second-place regular season finishes, along with playoffs victories over FC Bayern Munich (in 2022) and Zalgiris Kaunas (2023), making it three Final Fours in as many seasons under Jasikevicius.

But the last two of those, including the latest in his hometown of Kaunas, only yielded more frustration for Jasikevicius in the form of consecutive semifinal losses to Real. This season's setback was particularly disappointing as Barca squandered a nine-point lead just before halftime by scoring only 24 points in the second half, ultimately fading away without much of a fight as its dreams of title glory once again disappeared.

This time, it felt like the end of a chapter not only for Jasikevicius and his expensively assembled team, which has proven to be the case, with the club's football-induced financial crisis already leading to the departure of star player Nikola Mirotic and other high earners likely to follow. The upheaval likely made it an opportune time for Jasikevicius to leave. He certainly won't be short of offers, both in Europe and on the other side of the Atlantic, but wherever he pivots, the already successful 47-year-old will surely take stock of what worked and what didn't in his time at Barca.

 

In particular, Saras's old-school, ultra-disciplinarian approach, including regular sideline screaming fits, may have worn down his players or caused them to feel extra pressure at key moments. Even the usually diplomatic Nick Calathes, who had played with Jasikevicius early in his career, expressed this sentiment when he left the club a year ago, commenting: "As a player, you want to have some freedom. I'm not 20 years old; I know how to play."

 

Still, the overall balance from Saras's time at Barca remains overwhelmingly positive. Despite falling short of the EuroLeague title, he certainly succeeded in making Barca competitive again among the continent's elite after the club had missed the Final Four for seven years in a row. The fans certainly appreciated that resurgence. Palau Blaugrana habitually reserved its loudest pregame noise for the 'Ja-Si-Ke-Vicius!' chant that always rang around the arena when he emerged from the locker room to take his place on the bench a few minutes before tipoff. In the end, there was never any sense that fans blamed the coach for the team's failure to take the final step in the quest for another EuroLeague crown.

 

Whether the standards set by Saras can be retained is a big question. His replacement, Roger Grimau, is unlikely to be backed with the same kind of tried and tested talent that Jasikevicius was able to call upon, and the new coach's experience with the club's youth ranks suggest that homegrown talent will become more prominent next season and beyond.

 

But for now, as Jasikevicius makes his third departure from Palau Blaugrana – twice as a player and now as a coach – the message from the fans to their idol is simple: *moltes gràcies.*

Real Madrid and Gabriel Deck have agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with Los Blancos through the end of the 2027-28 season.

Real Madrid, Gabriel Deck pen extension

##### Real Madrid and [Gabriel Deck](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/gabriel-deck/009005/) have agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with *Los Blancos* through the end of the 2027-28 season. 

The player was already under contract for another season and committed his future to the club by signing a four-year deal. The deal is one of the longest-reaching extensions for an established player in league history. 

Deck (1.98 meters, 28 years old) comes off one of the finest seasons of his career. He averaged 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 26:02 minutes over 31 games and his performance index rating of 15.7 ranked 13th in the league. Deck's season from an individual standpoint did not end well as he suffered a ruptured internal collateral ligament in his left knee in the playoffs. The injury meant he was unable to take part in the Final Four and had to watch from the sidelines as Real won the championship.

Gabriel Deck's best plays 2022-23

Last season was Deck’s fifth with the club and in that time, he was won the Spanish League twice, the Spanish Cup once and the Spanish Super Cup four times. Deck began his career with Asociacion Quimsa Santiago del Estero in his native Argentine and also played for San Lorenzo de Almagro before he first signed with Real in 2018. Deck also played parts of two seasons in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🤍 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DECK2028?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DECK2028</a> 🤍 <a href="https://t.co/ty6hdoVdb9">pic.twitter.com/ty6hdoVdb9</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1673996585481404416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A three-time national champion in Argentina, Deck has also captured five medals for the Argentinean national team, including gold medals at the 2019 Pan American Games and the 2022 AmeriCup. He was the MVP of the latter of those events.