Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce that Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens president Vassilis G. Parthenopoulos has been chosen as the 2023-24 Gianluigi Porelli EuroLeague Executive of the Year.

Vassilis G. Parthenopoulos named EuroLeague Executive of the Year for 2023-24

Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce that Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens president Vassilis G. Parthenopoulos has been chosen as the 2023-24 Gianluigi Porelli EuroLeague Executive of the Year.

Parthenopoulos played an integral role behind the scenes in helping Panathinaikos end its 13-year wait to win the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championship, while the club also reached the Final Four for the first time in 12 years.

The Executive of the Year award honors the person and club whose management decisions have best exemplified the EuroLeague's commitment to excellence in all facets of club direction during the previous season. Among the categories considered before casting votes are sporting merits, game-day revenues, fan experience, and marketing and communications.

Last summer, Panathinaikos had come off a season in 2022-23 that saw the Greens finish in 17th place in the EuroLeague with a 9-23 record. A complete reset was needed, and Mr. Parthenopoulos was the person tasked by Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos to bring the Greens back to the top.

Panathinaikos’s revolution started as early as June 2023 by appointing a serial winner as head coach, as Ergin Ataman – winner of back-to-back EuroLeague titles in 2021 and 2022 – left Anadolu Efes Istanbul to join the Greens. Then the next big dominoes to fall were the signings of All-EuroLeague First Team center Mathias Lessort from Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Kostas Sloukas, who decided to depart Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos’s biggest rival, after finishing as a runner-up in the EuroLeague.  Panathinaikos Sports Area, managed by Basketball Director, Dimitrios Kontos and Technical Director, Sani Becirovic brought a total of 12 new faces who brought back optimism to OAKA.

That was reflected in Panathinaikos averaging 14,526 fans per home game, the fourth-highest average attendance in the regular season in 2023-24 and an increase of 45% compared to the previous campaign. The good results were a big driving factor, with the various improvements made by the directorate having a positive impact not only on the roster but also with the activations put on by the club before, during and after the games. Together, this helped the Panathinaikos fans stay engaged all season long.

Parthenopoulos, who formerly held the position of CEO at Panathinaikos, is the current president at the club and has an impressive background with experience in various industries and roles. His tenure as CEO of Ferrari Greece & Cyprus, General Manager of Panathinaikos FC, and membership on the Board of Directors of major private sector companies highlights his extensive leadership experience. Additionally, his involvement in entrepreneurial ventures and co-founding of companies in communication/international business advisory and environmental EU projects showcases his diverse skill set. Furthermore, his involvement as a member of the SAS regiment special forces as a major highlights his exceptional leadership skills and experience in high-pressure environments. His educational background, including a BA in Economics Business Studies from Melbourne University, Australia, and a Diploma in Marketing & Management from Royal Melbourne College, Australia, further underlines his qualifications.

The Gianluigi Porelli EuroLeague Executive of the Year has been awarded annually since 2005 and is handed out once the season has come to an end. The executive award recognizes those whose efforts build Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs into success stories. Mr. Porelli, who served as president of Virtus Bologna for more than two decades, was among the founders of ULEB and later its president. He passed away in 2009. This is the second time that a Panathinaikos executive has earned this honor after Pavlos and Thanasis Giannakopoulos secured the award in the 2010-11 season.

The Gianluigi Porelli EuroLeague Executive of the Year has been awarded annually since 2005 

FC Bayern Munich, Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Zalgiris Kaunas were honored during Wednesday's 2024-25 EuroLeague Marketing & Ticketing Directors Meeting as this year’s winners of the Devotion Marketing Awards

This year’s Devotion Marketing Awards go to Bayern, Efes and Zalgiris

The clubs were selected for their excellence among their colleagues based on marketing initiatives they had carried out in areas such as digital strategy, sponsorship activation, brand development and game presentation, among others.

### Golden Devotion Award: FC Bayern Munich

Bayern was rewarded for its successful [LED GlassFloor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQEH_x76rgk), which it used to raise awareness of the club’s new partnership with BMW and to promote a positive and emotional perception of the German automobile manufacturer. Via the LED GlassFloor, Bayern generated content for online and TV distribution.

The LED GlassFloor was one among many successful marketing projects undertaken by Bayern. The club also launched the “Dunks for Tomorrow” fundraising campaign for SOS Children's Villages; used influencers and content creators to raise its reach on social media; installed an AR Photobooth at BMW Park; and distributed VIP scarves, slapsticks and LED wristbands for spectators at BMW Park.

The stands at BMW Park were sold out for a club-record 13 times out of the club’s 17 EuroLeague home games. All told, 95 percent of available tickets were sold for the highest ticketing revenue ever in club history.

### Silver Devotion Award: Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Efes repeated as the silver devotion winner after placing first in 2022. The club was celebrated for its “Not One Day For Equality” campaign to promote gender equality.

As part of the campaign, Efes increased the number of female employees in the club, ensured equal pay for women and men working in the same positions, raised the rate of female employees at agencies working for the club from 27% to 40%, raised the number of female security personnel working on game days from 10% to 25 %, raised the number of female ushers from 50% to 60%, and raised the number of female ticket inspectors from 25% to 35%. Moreover, the Anadolu Efes Fan Club reached its target of 50% female membership.

Efes also prioritized brands conducting special activities for women in their sponsorship agreements and maintained a 50-50 gender rate among One Team participants and special projects and activities focusing on gender equality.

At the March 7, 2024, game against FC Bayern Munch – the day before International Women’s Day, Efes publicized its effort with a video featuring players and coaches, with visuals on the arena’s LED screens, entertainment area and in the event announcements and through a televised message via the official broadcaster. At halftime of the game, female members of the Anadolu Efes Sports Clubs were honored on the court and a jersey signed by female fans was presented to team captain Shane Larkin.

### Bronze Devotion Award: Zalgiris Kaunas

The 2019 Golden Devotion Award winner, Zalgiris’s marketing department brought home bronze this year for its successful[ rebranding campaign](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63hDeZfFl_w). Zalgiris changed its logo, introduced a new custom font (Zalgiris Sans) and established new brand identity milestones.

The campaign achieved 5 million direct impressions and mentions in 30 media outlets for a media value of 100,00€. The club’s online store saw a 110% increase in sales from September to March. Zalgiris also sold out 16 of its 17 EuroLeague games with 350,000 fans in attendance, a 10% increase from the previous season.

Together with Lithuanian hip-hop celebrity OG Version, the club introduced the Zalgiris Timeless merchandise collection. The new products and rebranding campaign attracted more fans than ever to the online store for a 38% growth in revenue and a 600% increase in app users.

Euroleague Basketball congratulates the three winning clubs and the many other clubs who also carried out excellent marketing projects during the season.

Euroleague Basketball to expand creators network with WSC Sports partnership

The continent’s two premier men’s basketball competitions, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup, will make available fully licensed footage through the WSC Sports For Creators Program, collaborating directly with creators to increase the online brand presence and engagement, while helping to reach new audiences outside of the existing fan base.

The WSC Sports For Creators Program launched last year as an innovative solution that provides value to both media rights holders and creators, allows the latter access to indexed video library and creation tools, which makes the creation and publishing of content easy and seamless while avoiding copyright infringement"

Now, utilizing WSC Sports’  AI-powered platform, creators and influencers from across the globe will be able to access selected moments from the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup in seconds to automatically create and publish high-quality content, localized and customized by the creator for their audience, with the goal of helping to grow Euroleague Basketball’s overall fan base and revenue streams.

Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Euroleague Basketball Marketing and Communication Senior Director said: “Euroleague Basketball is always looking for opportunities to innovate and expose more people to our outstanding and unique game experience. WSC Sports with their technology and innovations allows us to do this in a way that safeguards our content, whilst opening up new distribution channels and helping content creators expand their platforms, which is a win for basketball fans.”

“Our goal is to see both Euroleague Basketball and a host of hoops creators take their content and make it available for the fans to watch, interact with and experience in the most engaging way for them, wherever they consume it ,” said Aviv Arnon, Co-Founder and Chief Business Developer Officer at WSC Sports.

“The Creators Program is a unique model that provides clear benefits to all. It enables rights holders to maximize the full value of their content by tapping into creators' highly engaged audiences, allowing them to easily generate and monetize more of the content fans want without the risk of copyright infringements,” he adds.

Through the WSC Sports Creators Program, content creators around the world are already accessing footage of some of the most valuable sports leagues and competitions. These include Bundesliga, Serie A and Argentine Primera División football, Top Rank Boxing events, One Championship combat sports, and now basketball with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup.

Content creators can apply to join the Creators Program for Euroleague Basketball by visiting [wsc-sports.com/wsc-for-creators](http://wsc-sports.com/wsc-for-creators).

Euroleague Basketball (EB) is joining forces with WSC Sports, the pioneer in AI-powered sports content technology, to provide digital creators with access to fully-licensed footage of its elite competitions

Euroleague Basketball is proud to announce unprecedented growth in key business metrics, demonstrating the league's rising popularity and expanding global reach. Key indicators including TV audience, digital audience, and in-arena attendance have all reached new heights, underscoring the league's successful engagement strategies and the growing enthusiasm for Euroleague Basketball.

### [Record-Breaking In-Arena Attendance](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/es/euroleague/news/euroleague-regular-season-attendance-reaches-new-highs/)

The end of the regular season marked a historic milestone for Euroleague Basketball with over 3 million spectators attending games in person, a 19% increase from the previous season. This surge in attendance set a new record average of 10,383 spectators per game, highlighting the league's growing appeal and the fans' unwavering support.

### Surge in TV Audiences

Television viewership experienced a significant rise, with a 27% increase compared to last season. A total of 1.126 billion spectators tuned in to watch Euroleague content, whether live, delayed, or through highlights. This growth was especially notable in several key markets:

Turkey: +155% 

Serbia: +35% 

Greece: +32% 

Spain: +13% 

Lithuania: +12% 

Italy: +11%

Additionally, the league's dedicated OTT platform, [EuroLeague.TV](http://EuroLeague.TV), saw a remarkable 46% growth, reaching an all-time high of 85.9k subscribers.

### Unprecedented Digital and Social Media Engagement

Digital platforms have witnessed record engagement levels, with double- and triple-digit increases across all industry-standard indicators:

Impressions hit a record of 1.836 billion across all social media platforms, representing a 79% increase compared to last season's numbers. Euroleague fans were more active than ever, with engagement numbers experiencing an outstanding 89% increase, demonstrating their continued interest in Euroleague content.

Video content has been one of the key growth drivers, with video views growing by 101% to a total of 747.4 million.

### Website and Gamification Success

[Euroleague.net](http://Euroleague.net) has seen a substantial increase in traffic, with 5.1 million users (a 30% increase) generating 97.9 million page views (+8%). The league's gamification strategy has also flourished, with the Euroleague Fantasy Challenge, the official fantasy game for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup, attracting 307 thousand fans, a staggering 176% increase from last season, actively trading players each round.

Euroleague Basketball is thrilled with these achievements and remains committed to delivering exceptional experiences for fans worldwide. This remarkable growth across various platforms highlights the league's dynamic presence and the ever-growing passion for Euroleague Basketball.

Increases of 27% in TV audience, 19% in attendance and 79% in social media impressions

Euroleague Basketball achieves record-breaking growth across all business metrics

The 16 chosen startups will compete at the 2024 Euroleague Basketball FanXP Online Qualifier on July 10

Euroleague Basketball’s FanXP innovation program announces selected startups

Euroleague Basketball is thrilled to announce the completion of the selection process for the [2024 Euroleague Basketball FanXP](https://fanxp.euroleague.net/), a pioneering initiative in partnership with SPORTBIZ EUROPE. This global contest seeks to redefine the basketball experience by attracting innovative solutions from startups worldwide. Out of 34 entries, 16 exceptional candidates from 12 different countries have been selected to compete in the next stage.

The [Euroleague Basketball FanXP](https://fanxp.euroleague.net/) competition focuses on enhancing various aspects of the basketball experience, including Content Creation, Fan Engagement, Fantasy Sports, Gameday Experience, Digital Solutions, Venue Management, and New Businesses. The selected startups will strive to align with these criteria and showcase their expertise.

The 16 chosen candidates will compete in the 2024 Euroleague Basketball FanXP Online Qualifier on July 10, aiming to secure a spot at SPORTBIZ EUROPE: Barcelona Edition in October. This event will provide a global stage for recognizing innovative solutions and offer the winning startup a €10,000 prize to invest in implementing their solutions within the esteemed environments of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup.

Past editions of Euroleague Basketball FanXP have highlighted successful startups such as [Content Stadium](https://www.contentstadium.com/), [Piing](https://www.piing.events/), and [MindFly](https://www.mindfly.live/), inspiring the next wave of innovators.

List of 16 Candidates:

[Alphaa.io](https://www.alphaa.io/) – USA: A tokenized platform connecting fans with teams, removing friction, building trust, and unlocking new value within the fan base.

[AthleticsView ](https://www.athleticsview.com/index.html)– France: Offering virtual advertising on billboards, allowing brands to associate their name with impactful moments of the game.

[Aucxis with STAR Project](https://rfid.aucxis.com/) – Belgium: Leveraging RFID technology to manage reusable cups sustainably at events, enhancing efficiency, customer experience, and compliance with environmental regulations.

[Deeptimize ](https://www.deeptimize.com/)– France: Offering precise, real-time sport performance analysis for audience engagement through AI, automatically tagging actions of interest in real-time.

[DIBZ ](https://www.dibz.com/)– Canada: A startup backed by Comcast, enhancing upgrade experiences at sporting venues through text messaging, helping teams sell unsold seat inventory to existing ticket holders.

[GOAT ](https://www.bethegoat.io/)– Canada: Transforming sports marketing through augmented reality sports gaming, offering immersive experiences and global opportunities for brands.

[Lowr ](https://www.lowr.co/)– UK: A platform for sports clubs to measure and mitigate the environmental impact of their fans, promoting sustainability and rewarding eco-friendly behaviors.

[Mycrocast ](https://www.mycrocast.com/es/inicial/)– Germany: An audio platform providing plug-and-play commentary inside and outside arenas without special hardware, enhancing accessibility for visually impaired fans.

[Neoma ](https://neoma.ai/)– France: An innovative guest management solution for major sports events, integrating data across systems to create a seamless, personalized guest journey.

[Pick-Roll ](https://www.pick-roll.com/)– Italy: An app connecting basketball players through a geolocated map, allowing users to find and add courts, check in, organize games, and evaluate other players via a gamification system.

[Pivony ](https://www.pivony.com/)– Turkey: Gathering data from public streams and internal sources to enhance understanding of public conversations and capture fresh insights for customer experience professionals.

[Sportsynctech with AKA Ecosystem](https://www.sportsynctech.com/) – France: Utilizing Big Data, AI, and Blockchain to empower amateur athletes, offering a digital passport for sports statistics and an AI-based interface for managing sports organizations.

[Retize ](https://retize.com.br/)– Brazil: An AdTech platform turning sports fan engagement into exclusive audiences and effective media activations, solving performance issues caused by third-party cookie deprecation.

[Sceenic ](https://www.sceenic.com/)– UK: Hosting EuroLeague Celebrity Watch Parties on the EuroLeague OTT platform, enabling celebrities and influencers to engage with fans while watching live games.

[Wehave ](https://www.wehave.io/)– Belgium: A data collaboration platform providing commercial value to sponsors by adding data to sponsorships for measuring conversion and online activation.

[ZATAP ](https://zatap.io/)– Switzerland: Connecting physical merchandise products with the digital dimension to create direct-to-consumer interactions, helping brands and sports teams better monetize their customer base.

We congratulate all the chosen candidates and look forward to seeing their innovative contributions to the basketball community.

Assembly of Syndicate Shareholders of ECA approves 2024-25 teams lists, season calendar and new Financial Fair Play new regulations

During the first session of the two-day assembly, the attending member clubs reviewed and approved the Bylaws for the 2024-25 season and the 2023-24 financial report. Clubs were also informed about the on-going conversations with the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA) for the renewal of the EuroLeague Framework Agreement (EFA).

Additionally, the following decisions were taken:

**2024-25 Participating Teams**

The lists of the participating teams for the 2024-25 season of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup were approved.

**EuroLeague list of teams (alphabetically):** ALBA Berlin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, AS Monaco, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos Aktor Athens, Paris Basketball, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Real Madrid, Virtus Segafredo Bologna, Zalgiris Kaunas.

**EuroCup list of teams (alphabetically):** 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, Aris Midea Thessaloniki, Bahcesehir College Istanbul, Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, Dolomiti Energia Trento, Dreamland Gran Canaria, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, JL Bourg-en-Bresse, Joventut Badalona, Ratiopharm ULM, Trefl Sopot, Turk Telekom Ankara, U-BT Cluj-Napoca, Umana Reyer Venice, Valencia Basket, Veolia Towers Hamburg, Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius.

**2024-25 Season Calendar**

The shareholders also approved the 2024-25 season calendar for Euroleague Basketball competitions. The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague will begin on October 3 and the BKT EuroCup will see the first balls bouncing on September 24.

The Assembly members agreed to avoid calendar overlapping of national team and club competitions in February, for the second season in a row. The clubs value the conversations with FIBA very positively, which have been ongoing for the last 11 months, and have reinforced that reaching a wider agreement that includes other important outstanding topics will be essential to keep this commitment in the future.

Download the full season calendar from [HERE](https://ftpserver.euroleague.net/media/2425_EB_Full_Season_Calendars.pdf)

**Financial Stability & Fair Play Regulations** 

Member clubs also approved a new set of rules that will expand the scope of the existing Financial Sustainability & Fair Play Regulations (FSFPR), which are a first in European sports. Further details about the new regulations will be released in the coming days.

The decisions made at the Assembly of Syndicate Shareholders will be submitted to the ECA General Assembly on July 4, 2024, for formal approval.

The Assembly of Syndicated Shareholders of Euroleague Commercial Assets met in Barcelona, on June 17, 2024.

ECA assembly approves 2024-25 team lists and calendar

Financial Fair Play disciplinary sanctions and settlements

#### •	Anadolu Efes and Buducnost fined by the Finance Panel 

#### •	Settlement agreements reached with, AS Monaco, Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, FC Barcelona, London Lions and Real Madrid

 Acting on a referral by the Euroleague Basketball's Management Control Commission (MCC), the Finance Panel, an independent regulatory body, has issued the following decisions: 

- Anadolu Efes has been sanctioned for infringements of the Article 3(e) of the FSFPR that refers to exceeding 65% of the total budgeted expenses of the club on players' remunerations. The sanction also takes into account recidivism, as this marks the club's third infringement, following two previous settlement agreements with the MCC.
- Buducnost VOLI Podgorica has been sanctioned for infringements of Article 3(e) of the FSFPR that refers to exceeding 65% of the total budgeted expenses of the club on players remunerations. The decision is based on on the breach of the previous settlement agreement reached with the MCC. 

The Management Control Commission (MCC), an independent commission that reviews the financial performance of the clubs and their compliance with the relevant regulations, has also reached the following settlement agreements:

- A settlement agreement with AS Monaco in breach of Article 3(f) of the EuroLeague Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations.
- A settlement agreement with Crvena Zvezda Belgrade in breach of Article 3(e) of the EuroLeague Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations.
- A settlement agreement with  FC Barcelona in breach of Article 3(f) of the EuroLeague Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations.
- A settlement agreement with London Lions in breach of Article 4.3 of the EuroLeague Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations.
- A settlement agreement with Real Madrid in breach of  with Article 3(e) of the EuroLeague Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations.

 All sanctions and settlement agreements refer to the 2022-23 season, except the in the case of London Lions, which refers to the current season.

Euroleague Basketball President Paulius Motiejunas and President Dejan Bodiroga speak to the media in Berlin

**Dejan Bodiroga's, Euroleague Basketball President opening remarks**

Welcome everyone to the EuroLeague Final Four here in Berlin. One of the unique strengths of the EuroLeague is our close relationship with you. We share a passion for basketball and thank you for your hard work in covering our sport. We look forward to answering your questions. But before we start, I’d like to give you some insights into the status of the Euroleague and our plans for the future.

This has been another record-breaking season. We continue to grow in all aspects. We had record attendance. We doubled our digital audience and fan engagement. And we continue to significantly grow our TV audiences globally.

One new addition that has contributed to this growth is the Play-in Showdown. With the Play-In Showdown, a little more than half of the teams in the EuroLeague get to extend their season, with the best six assured of direct advancement to the playoffs. This adds value to both the clubs and our fans. We will continue developing our sports products to ensure a premium experience for everyone.

I’d like to thank the clubs, players, and coaches for their commitment and hard work. The success of the EuroLeague is based on close and respectful cooperation between all our stakeholders. And this season proves that we are stronger and more united than ever.

We are also taking important steps to improve and grow our EuroCup competition. We believe there is a lot of unlocked potential that we will continue to work on and invest in.

For EuroLeague management, this has also been an important season. The transition phase is over and Paulius and I have received the backing and foundation needed to take our organization to the next level.

As we look forward to celebrating the end of this fantastic season with an unforgettable final game, we already have our eyes on the future.

The EuroLeague is a unique sports product. We are a hybrid of the European and American sports models. This structure gives us the possibility to create powerful partnerships that will strengthen our position all over the world.

As previously discussed, we continue to examine investment opportunities and geographic expansion. The interest in the EuroLeague is higher than ever, from commercial entities, host cities, teams, top players, and a global fanbase.

The critical task for us now is to set the right strategy, create a robust structure, and manage all these opportunities with respect for the integrity of our sport and stakeholders. We also continue strengthening our position in the basketball ecosystem while maintaining good and respectful relations.

Ahead of us in the 25th season of the EuroLeague. This is an important milestone that we will use to launch our new plans and initiatives.

To succeed we must be united and loyal to the common vision of becoming a global leader in the sports and entertainment business.

And just as our players enter the court full of courage and dreams of winning, so must we in the management enter our offices. I can assure you that from my side, I am, as always, ready to win!

I’d like to give the word to Paulius before we open the floor for questions. Thank you.

**Paulius Motiejunas, Euroleague Baskeball CEO**

Thank you, Dejan. Hello, everyone. Nothing much to add. Very happy to see you. Hope you still have energy. I hope you get some rest tonight and ready for tomorrow.

I will start probably with the elephant in the room about yesterday. Not the start that we wanted. To give a little bit explanation, I saw you covered it really well. Before opening the doors, you saw that a group of fans tried to storm the arena, which they managed to do, and that's when the whole process stopped to go out of hands and what we expected.

So as you saw, the police got in the way, they got everything under control, but it took time. After that, we postponed the game one time, second time. But I need to say that the main priority for us was the safety of our fans, which we managed to guarantee with the help of security and police and everybody here in Berlin. So not the start that we wanted.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a much easier and much better day and many things to learn for us as a management and we hope we can avoid these things in the future and it will not not be the subject of the Final Four.

#### Q:  About weighting the historic clubs against new markets when planning for the future

Motiejunas: I wish I could lay out the full plan to say simply we keep talking that the league has a lot more potential. When I was in a club, I kept hearing this and I want to see what's that potential and when we talk about investment, we're looking for strategic partner to help us grow and by grow we mean there are ways to grow. You've heard the story so many times. We want Paris we want Berlin we want UK. So these still remain the key markets we want to grow in. We have potential from the Middle East that we are trying to untap. So we want to grow in size of sponsorship, TV deals then new events that we want to include and organize not only the Final Four but something else as well.

So we want to untap that. And in the investment process that we're doing, so it would be two ways. Some investment to help the clubs improve their arenas, improve their revenues from merchandising, catering, whatever individually they need to do. And the other side is that we grow as a league and take more things in-house, which includes digital and other productions, not only the live games, ANGT and junior system. So I don't want to go into the details because this is something that's a work in progress, but these are the key areas.

####  Q: About the cooperation with FIBA

Motiejunas: We signed an agreement. It was the first agreement properly I signed last year. And it was a one-year deal. We stopped for the February windows. The clubs had to have another double week to be able to let the players go for the national competition. We had many talks with FIBA. We still have a meeting in the start of June. So this is a work in progress. The way I look at it, we haven't had such a close relationship for I don't know past 10 years maybe. So we did a step forward. We know what they want. We know what we want from them and we are trying to find a balance and how we grow the product because that's the intention when we sit at one table. We want to grow the product so that you can enjoy, the fans can enjoy and it would be better for basketball. So it's a work in progress. We are optimistic. We're happy to continue talking. And obviously, like I said, improving the product for the fans is the key thing we want to achieve.

Bodiroga: After so many years, we had in the last year, I think, seven or eight meetings together, and we want to find the best solution for both sides. The relation is very good with them, but from the other side, we want to protect also our shareholders, and we want to try to find the best solution for all.

#### Q: About 20-year licenses and potential club stagnation

 Motiejunas: You know me. We will not leave the teams alone. The league improves only if the teams improve. We mentioned this 20-year period only to have stability and to have certainty that we are sticking together. Like Dejan said, unity is the key issue between the clubs, but improvement is the mission of the management. So we need to improve as a league. We will improve, we will change as league management. And the clubs will have to follow and I'm sure they will follow because it's not in our interest. It's an interest on the product. It's an interest to, like I mentioned, for them to be making more revenues. So it's not to get them and say, okay, now you're here and enjoy the show. No, we have to row this boat together with the clubs and the management. And this is what we will do.

#### Q: About moving from Final Four to series

Motiejunas: We read the news. We know there is a lot of discussion. We like the model that we can come to different cities. We like the model that we see a sea of red, a sea of green, and something that we cannot get if we play at the same places that we are. So the EuroLeague Final Four is the tip of the iceberg. It's the cherry on the cake that we have. We love the product. We don't want to change. And I know there's a lot of discussion about the competition, but if we take the playoffs, Fenerbahce won, fifth game, so last game, after overtime, by 1 point. Olympiacos won the fifth game by 4 points. So we can continue to give them best of 11. But it will still be decided by the last game. But this is the beauty of EuroLeague. That's why we do it. So we really believe that with the Final Four, we can get the chance for different cities that would normally not have a chance to have even the ones who don't have the teams can have this wonderful event. So it's something that we don't want to change.

####  Q: About the police dogs near the benches on Friday

Motiejunas: We are aware of the situation that you are talking about. It's something that we discussed today and it will not happen tomorrow. Again, it was the reaction for the safety after what happened in the first place. Sometimes it's an overreaction. I wish we had overreacted at the beginning, so maybe it would not have been the situation that we were in with all the delays. But it will not happen tomorrow. 

#### Q:  About finalizing EuroLeague team lineup earlier in the year

Motiejunas: I wore the hat of the club for many years and this is what we are talking and we understand that this is the situation that is not favorable to the clubs. This uncertainty is definitely not good for the clubs because of it. They don't know how to talk to the sponsors, they don't know how to talk to the players, they don't know how to do the ticket sales. Next year, unfortunately, we will not change things. It will still be a one-year license to these clubs. But we are looking at the opportunity to have longer wildcards, let's say, not for one year, but maybe three to five years, which could bring some stability to the clubs that need to invest and grow.

#### Q:  About young players developing in Europe and clubs not benefitting from the investment

Motiejunas: The second question, it's FIBA, it's NBA. What is happening now in the sport. It's completely turning upside down. You see what the NCAA is doing and how they are changing with the salaries. Again, I know the salaries that the players make because I've been in this business and what they're offering now is completely nuts and it breaks the market and there's no motivation for the clubs to keep growing the young players.

But this is something on the table with FIBA as well. It's not easy to find a solution. NBA and NCAA, we all have to find a way. But I would say now it's like a Wild West trying to understand who wins and which direction it goes. I don't think it's really good for the young players to get these salaries and this money at the age of 18, it's always a risk. Only the really strong emotionally guys can handle this popularity and all this money and everything. So I hope the storm will go out and we will try to figure out how we keep growing really good European young players.

#### Q: About the possible relationship with Dubai

 Motiejunas: Dubai, we just read that they're going to play ABA League next season. We've been in touch, we are in touch, but everything is currently on hold. Because like Dejan mentioned, we're looking for investors, we're trying to make our own way of defining the future for the league with licenses, with investors and so on. It's more or less our issue as a league, so we continue to talk to them. We really value Mr Abdullah Al-Naboodah, who came with the proposal and the people around him. There's no certainty now for next season, but for sure we want to keep talking and analyzing this opportunity. 

#### Q: What’s next to intrigue the fans?

 Bodiroga: Like we mentioned before, I think that this Play-In brings something. What we have is positive feedback also from the clubs, fans and I think for the next years we will not change, we will not do something new. I think that in the next 3-4 years we will continue to stay with this Play-In. But we are also looking to maybe introduce in the future or we expand maybe some other competition. We will talk about this then. For the moment we will keep this, for the next seasons.

#### Q: About the viewership in the USA on ESPN

Alex Ferrer: We started last season with the playoffs very late. They have been broadcasting all the games this season as well. The numbers will come at the end of the season, so we still don’t have. We know it's been working better and better as the season progressed and people have noticed that the EuroLeague was there. We have one more year with ESPN, but still there's a lot more we have to do. ESPN is a great brand and it's great to have our games there. They have a huge basketball fan base, but there's a lot of work we have to do to promote the games and to promote our stories there beyond just having the games live on ESPN, where there's another thousand live events every week. We are figuring out what we can do in that regard to better promote that and lead people to watch. There's many more and more people watching, not only ESPN, but all the content that we produce around these games. You know that many times some of the content that has gone out has become viral and a lot of people from the States, more players are watching and it caught the attention of a lot of people. We just need to amplify that and make sure we accelerate that growth.

#### Q: About potential merger between EuroCup and BCL

Motiejunas: This is also on the table with FIBA. I don't see a quick solution. I'm not saying we want to take a long time to do it, but the thing that we agree is it's too many competitions, international competitions. That's what we agree on. How do we get them to work together? This is the next step. Honestly, I don't believe it will be solved in the next meeting that we have that I mentioned to you, but it's work in progress and it's, like I said, it's on the table of discussions.

#### Q: About hosting a Final Four in Athens

Motiejunas: We're really happy because finally the clubs have the arena so it's a huge boost. We really believed when I said about the investors that we could send part of the money to make this upgrade much faster. There were no talks but maybe after you post something. We can get in touch with the government and approach and have a discussion. Happy to do it, lovely place would love to move the Final Four there.

#### Q: About finance reality of EuroLeague clubs

Motiejunas: It's a good question. We're working on it and when I say working on it, we already have a full project presented to the clubs and discussed with the clubs. As you know, we had implemented the percentage that the owners are allowed to put in, let's put it this way, and the percentage is going down. So this is still in progress and we are still monetizing on it and controlling it. But the second step is that it's not only the top clubs have to go down and will have a luxury tax like let's say copy NBA. It will not be called luxury tax, but if you overspend you will have to pay out a compensation to the other clubs. So that's one and the other with the bottom clubs also have to invest more. So this is this is the project we are working on and we put everything on hold because we want to discuss this with investors. But I would say it's difficult to imagine that we will start to implement and approve it this year. But for next year, season 2025-26, I would like to push the go button that we start following it. Because clearly our goal is the same. We don't want to risk. We love that the owners are so passionate and they continue to invest, but we want these brands to continue even if they are tired of investing themselves. Sustainability is the future of the league for sure.

#### Q: Is an All-Star game being considered?

Motiejunas: Yeah, an All-Star game, a cup, pre-season tournaments, maybe a regular season game somewhere not in the European market. All these are on the table. And we're doing the calculations. Again, I'm not a big fan of the all-star games, but if it helps the fans, if it helps the product, we for sure would analyze and do it.

#### Q: Why do you think Spanish fans fill arenas in Spain, but don’t come to the Final Four?

Bodiroga: It's a good question. From what I've seen in recent years, I think there is a very good atmosphere in pavilions in Madrid and Barcelona. But I think that in the last few years more and more fans have come from Spain. And we believe that we will see them in the future as well. So I think that it is also a process. And I think that in the future we will be able to see more fans. But I think that this number has grown a lot compared to the last years.

#### Q:  About a license for Virtus Bologna 

Motiejunas: We should look at it as short term and long term. So as mentioned short term, we have to decide. We have five clubs and we have Paris, who want to kick out one of the clubs. And this is for one year. After that, of course, we are looking at, like I explained, maybe a longer wildcard. We are not analyzing now to have more fixed places, more shareholders. The model of three-to-five year wildcards is more appropriate to monetize and to keep us growing. This is the idea that we are sharing with the clubs. And regarding Virtus, we had a meeting, I saw the full project of the arena. Amazing what they're trying to do. Great ownership behind, great people running the club. So it's really, it's proving to be a EuroLeague level club and they deserve a chance to continue. Saying that, so do the other four clubs that I mentioned.

##### Q: About reducing the number of EuroLeague games to improve the product

Motiejunas: We need to get a beer and talk about it. It's quite a long discussion. Listen, I ran the club for almost 16 years. If you ask me, it's so easy to sell out the arena for EuroLeague games. It's so difficult to sell out the arena for domestic league games. So the question is, how do we get the fans to enjoy the best basketball? EuroLeague is the number two league of basketball in the world. Our goal is not to make less games. Our goal is to make more games because that's where the best product is. That's where the fans come to see and that's why the clubs are doing it. So I cannot address domestic leagues. I cannot address windows because this is something that we are trying to solve. But as a league, we are the best product. I'm saying it so confidently because I know we are the best product in Europe and there's no way we're going to back down and say we want less games. This is not economically good for the clubs, like I said, for the ticket sales, for the sponsorships and not good for us as a league. We want to play more. We want to have more competitions. 

#### Q:  Do you know the EuroLeague teams for next year?

Motiejunas: No. We decided that, again, as always, beginning of July, we will approve. We are meeting all the clubs. And it's clear. It's two Serbian, Virtus, Valencia, ALBA. Sadly, somebody will have to go if Paris comes in, when Paris comes in. So it's easy as that. You all know this. There's no decision. We're getting the information. We're talking to all the clubs. I can say clearly it's sad that we have to take this decision because all the teams are worthy to play in EuroLeague, but Paris is something that we always wanted and they're ready and they earned the chance, so it is what it is and it will be a hard decision for the clubs to make because this is what we will present and they will have to vote.

#### Q: About encouraging clubs to play younger players more

 Motiejunas: These are the million dollar questions. I wish I would have the answer. Easy would be if they stop paying in the NBA, stop paying in NCAA, lower the salaries in Japan. Australia would take a timeout and then everybody stays and we’re happy. I don't know if it's possible, but I see this direction. Sorry, I cannot answer in a more smart way. It's quite a problem. I know everybody is trying to solve, but I don't have a magic recipe that would help.

#### Q: About the report that Paris is struggling to raise the minimum budget for the EuroLeague

Motiejunas: We're in talks with David Kahn, trying to help discussing everything 

Alex Ferrer: The minimum budget is 7 million. That applies to all clubs.

#### Q: Why aren’t more young players getting minutes with big clubs?

 Bodiroga: Thank you for remembering these moments. Yes, I was, in that time, 92, it was my first season in Italian championship, it was very strong and also I, in that time, played Korac Cup. And, yeah, in that time I had as the coach Bogdan Tanjevic, who was also a great coach, but who always had courage to give to young players and to believe in young players. In the recent years, I saw also example, maybe because of some coaches and some clubs, because of pressure, they don't have courage to put young players and to give them more minutes in the court. Also we have example of Doncic, how Madrid and Pablo Lasso did with him and Doncic made great with 18 years. And after he got to the NBA; he has an amazing career.

I think that if somebody has talent and quality, I think they need a coach and a club that can support this idea. And for sure, I think this will also be a benefit for the clubs, because I think also fans want to see young players and quality players. We have, you know, this example, as I mentioned, that Doncic, and I think sometimes before we had more courage in Europe to put young players, and I think that now, you know, I think that we have a lot of quality in Europe and they need and deserve the minutes in the court.

#### Q: What's the criteria to define what teams make it to the EuroLeague?

Motiejunas: The criteria is simple. We run the league, we want to make as much financial contribution to the clubs. That's how we present to the clubs. So, key is the markets, key is the TV deals, key is the sponsorship, key is obviously the arenas and the spectators that they bring and the attention that we get. So these are the criteria that we will present to the clubs.

#### Q: About presenting detailed budgets for the league

Motiejunas: You mean us as a league? That's a good idea. Not next season, but the season after that. Let's try it.

#### Q: About plans to improve customer experience

Motiejunas: Like I said in the previous answers, we will take more in-house. I think previously we trusted a lot on the consultancy and hiring companies to do this stuff that we can do ourselves. So we will open that and grow in the team. Me as a CEO, I'm nobody without the team behind me. So me and Dejan can look nice and still we cannot solve all the issues because we're not the experts. We're working on the team, analyzing the team, improving the team. We will grow, like I said, we will grow all together, we will grow separately. That's why I'm here. That's what I did in the club. That's the kind of management system I believe in and I will try to implement it in EuroLeague. I hope you will see the good results in the near future. I wish it would happen faster. It's quite different running the league than running the club. So I'm also trying to smell and see, sadly, but learn from the incidents like yesterday with my own skin. So that's the long answer.

#### Q: About losing players to the NBA

Bodiroga: I think that at the moment, as Paulius mentioned before, they can offer not only in the NBA but in other leagues. I think that many players from EuroLeague can go there and play easily. I think that we have in Europe, the players who stay in Europe, they play for and compete for the trophies. And we are, you know, I think in all our clubs. We have very good players that are playing in Europe and some of them, they are back from the States and they give more quality to our league. But I think that in the future, I think the situation will be even better that we can have much more players that stay in Europe.

#### Q: About final between clubs Bodiroga played for

Bodiroga: I think that we’ll have tomorrow a great final. The two teams who in the regular season, Madrid has during the whole season was the first place and incredible continuity. During the whole season Panathinaikos is something that this year made also great season, great playoff and I expect tomorrow a great final. It will be two teams who take first position after regular season and we expect a great game.

Euroleague Basketball President Dejan Bodiroga and CEO Paulius Motiejunas speak to the media in Berlin

The three-year deal aims to protect players with equipment to prevent and heal injuries

McDavid joins Euroleague Basketball's family of partners

Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce that McDavid has become its Official Sports Protection and Sports Medical Partner. Having signed a three-year contract that includes the remainder of the 2024-25 season, McDavid will provide support to players, trainers and staff in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup.

Thanks to this partnership, the broader market will be able to benefit from high-performance official Euroleague Basketball products which are available to players worldwide. McDavid will engage with fans, supporters and athletes through special activations and events, solidifying its position as the Official Sports Protection and Sports Medical Partner of Euroleague Basketball.

"The health and safety of our athletes is a key factor of Euroleague Basketball's philosophy and we are very proud to team up with McDavid, the global leader in unique and innovative protective apparel," stated Gawain Davies, Euroleague Basketball Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships & Licensing.

Patrick Cloots, the Senior Vice President International and CEO of United Sports Brands Europe, emphasized McDavid's commitment to athlete welfare: "At McDavid, our priority is the well-being of the athletes. Our advanced compression products and innovative HEX™ protective gear are designed to ensure the athlete can perform at their peak. In the end, it's the player that creates the show and we're trying to make sure that the show can go on."

McDavid's campaign "Protect Your Body" sums up its mission, which should prove to be of great benefit to the clubs competing in the two top basketball competitions on the old continent, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup.