Ever since its founding in 2012, One Team has been proudly supported by all of the clubs competing under the Euroleague Basketball umbrella. Each year, the teams in both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup find a way to take their programs to the next level, and the One Team Program Awards is a great way for these clubs to be recognized for the outstanding work they are doing in their communities.
Just like last year, there will be three prizes up for grabs: the awards for the One Team Gold Program, the One Team Silver Program and the One Team Bronze Program. The winners will be announced during the One Team Annual Workshop.
The judging process for the 2022-23 One Team Program Awards will also include thinkBeyond, a social impact and sustainability consultancy that supports leaders and organizations to make a positive impact on the world. The clubs will be evaluated on their One Team program planning and delivery, the involvement of ambassadors during the sessions, the marketing and communications activities that were implemented, and also the involvement of commercial partners.
"We are delighted that the clubs from both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup have continued their fantastic work when it comes to One Team, and particularly the way they are making a positive contribution to their local communities," said Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball's Chief Business Development Officer. "Over the course of the 2022-23 season, the One Team participants were able to benefit from the sessions put on by the clubs in many different countries, so I would like to express my gratitude and congratulate everyone involved in this year’s programs for their huge efforts and the great results achieved, especially to the eight teams who were deemed to have gone above and beyond."
Anadolu Efes Istanbul: The Turkish club worked alongside Hayal Gucu Merkezi and ANKA Sports Club for its One Team project last season. Throughout the year, Efes made sure to shine a bright light on its program by including a media partner, which ensured the maximum possible visibility in terms of digital platforms. The club's partners were there to support the project, too, while Efes ambassador Erten Gazi was regularly involved throughout the sessions. There was also an educational aspect to the program, as those involved learned about the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz: Once again, the Spanish club partnered with Gizarterako Association for its One Team program during the 2022-23 season – and once again it has been shortlisted for the One Team Program Awards, having secured the One Team Bronze Program trophy last season. As has been the case in previous years, the partners and volunteers were heavily involved with the participants, while Baskonia did an excellent job of monitoring and evaluating those partaking in its One Team project. The club also put on fundraising events at Buesa Arena involving the children and their parents. Baskonia was a reference in terms of enjoyable drills for the participants, too.
Dolomiti Energia Trento: One of the two BKT EuroCup clubs nominated for this award, the Italian side had a partnership with the Spini di Gardolo Detention Center throughout last season. It was a challenging program in many ways, but what it demonstrated is a great example when it comes to overcoming difficulties. The program was able to grow in popularity as participants were able to bring along friends, which subsequently led to more people getting involved thanks to word of mouth. There were good drills implemented by Trento's One Team coaches, with strong objectives that were linked to life skills.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan: Together with Laureus Sport for Good Italia, the same organization Milan paired with last season and received a nomination for the One Team Program Awards, the Italian club was able to put on awareness sessions for more than 100 participants. This not only created a big impact on the school but also in the local media, with 22 articles being written about the project. One of the ways that Milan was able to create further growth with local partnerships was by setting up different events, such as auctions and activities around its One Team program. What's more, Milan's One Team ambassadors, Kyle Hines and Gigi Datome, regularly demonstrated their commitment to the program by attending sessions.
