A number of activities took place in Berlin, Germany
One Team left its mark at the 2024 Final Four
News
7 Mins read
The EuroLeague Final Four is the perfect place for One Team to demonstrate the way in which it impacts lives all year round. Between Thursday, May 23, and Sunday, May 26, One Team hosted a series of events that positively impacted the community and good causes.
To kick things off, One Team put on a session for the Final Four volunteers on Thursday to help them understand just what the program represents while creating a bond between one another ahead of the event. The volunteers took part in a typical One Team session, which included five stations in which different activities were carried out by ALBA Berlin’s One Team Coaches and Manager, in addition to three Final Four Ambassadors in Joe Arlauckas, Patrick Femerling and David Rivers.
“Of the weekend that I spend here, we do so many things,” reflected Joe Arlauckas. “I always work with the volunteers on the first day and [the Final Four Ambassadors session] is always the last day. They’re two special days, really. [The Final Four Ambassadors session] is the most special for me because this is the way I started with the EuroLeague, with One Team. Every time I hear that they started in 2012 and I joined in 2014, it makes me feel more of a part of it. The most important thing is it’s a way for us to give back. Everybody talks about giving back, but sometimes there’s not a way to give back. One Team gives us that opportunity.”
The following day, Lisa Tetzner Schule elementary school took center stage as One Team and BKT came together to unveil a refurbished court. Once the unveiling was done, it was time for the fun to begin. The schoolkids, who are socially disadvantaged children in a socio-economically challenging environment, were able to witness a spectacular breakdancing display, before joining in for some One Team activities featuring Final Four Ambassadors Femerling and Heiko Schaffartzik. There were so many smiles on the kids’ faces, and they now have an improved basketball court that they can make the most of.
“The most important thing is that the kids feel great,” commented Patrick Femerling. “I think they had fun, and we always have fun. Every year we do it, every time we do it, it’s something special. We are one society and One Team.”
On Saturday morning, One Team took over Kraftwerk, the location for the Final Four FanZone, by putting on a session for ALBA’s One Team participants that featured players from all four Final Four clubs. Present at the event were: Juancho Hernangomez and Kostas Antetokounmpo from Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Eli Ndiaye from Real Madrid, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul duo Nigel Hayes-Davis and Georgios Papagiannis, and Olympiacos Piraeus pair Kostas Papanikolaou and Giannoulis Larentzakis. They joined in with the on-court activities, which were led by ALBA’s One Team Coaches, then the session came to a close with an exhibition game for fun that saw the players and participants mixed together across two teams.
Championship game day saw another One Team session at Kraftwerk, only this time it featured the Final Four Ambassadors and participants from Special Olympics Germany. ALBA’s One Team Coaches once again prepared the on-court drills, with the Final Four Ambassadors and participants getting familiar with one another before an exhibition game closed the session. The playful nature of the exhibition game led to some laughs, too, as Joe Arlauckas – playing for the team in the black bibs – tried to steal any player who was making shots for the orange team, leaving Femerling and Felipe Reyes’s side shorthanded. Nevertheless, the orange team came out on top and everyone came together one last time in a circle before shouting “One Team”. Once the session had come to an end, the Final Four Ambassadors posed for photos and signed autographs for the participants from Special Olympics Germany. The Final Four Ambassadors who were present were: Joe Arlauckas, Patrick Femerling, Felipe Reyes, Ramunas Siskauskas, Jonas Maciulis, Igor Rakocevic and David Rivers.
“This is what it’s really all about at the end of the day, giving these kids a moment of joy where they can be active and express themselves with the ambassadors of EuroLleague One Team,” said David Rivers. “This is really what’s most important during this week, really. The games are great, but what One Team does is immeasurable, the impact it has on local communities and projects and events like this.”
“These types of events are very nice for us former basketball players that can play a little with the guys from Special Olympics Germany and One Team,” noted Felipe Reyes. “We are very happy to be here to spend some time having fun and, above all, seeing them so happy.”
“I always say that it’s a very good session, a very good event,” stated Ramunas Siskauskas. “It’s very important for everybody – for the kids, for Euroleague [Basketball], for us. We all are One Team, so I think these words say everything.”
“This participation in Euroleague [Basketball]’s One Team is very important,” said Jonas Maciulis. “It’s important for the kids. It’s very nice to be part of it for us as ex-players because we understand that this participation is needed. We have to give our contribution to communities.”
A few hours after the Final Four Ambassadors and Special Olympics Germany participants took over the court on the upper floor of Kraftwerk, another collaboration between One Team and BKT saw a bike donation event take place. The joint venture saw 30 bikes donated to ALBA Berlin’s One Team program and to Special Olympics Germany, with the aim being to encourage healthy habits and promote sustainable mobility for communities in Berlin.
“Thank you so much for this four-year collaboration with One Team,” said Marco Santin, sponsorships specialist at BKT. “And a special thank you to ALBA Berlin and Special Olympics for accepting the BKT bikes. We love the fact that together we are able to foster a positive and concrete change with this donation."
“All of this is thanks to BKT,” added Abigail Martin, Director of Sustainability and Development Projects at Euroleague Basketball. “We’ve been in partnership for four years and it’s all built on communities and everything One Team stands for. So the fact we have a partner like BKT that deeply supports our goals is amazing.”
Basketball fans from all over the world were able to see a couple of One Team activities during the two showpiece events on Sunday, too. First, during halftime of the ANGT Championship Game at Uber Eats Music Hall, Euroleague Basketball invited ALBA’s One Team participants to take part in a One Team drill, accompanied by one player from each ANGT participant team apart from the two finalists. They participated in an activity in front of the crowd, which allowed for a powerful and inclusive experience. The main purpose of this activation was to show to these young players the importance to be close to their local communities and become not only a professional player but also a role model.
Then, between the first and second quarter of the EuroLeague Championship Game at Uber Arena, ALBA’s One Team participants and athletes from Special Olympics Germany went onto the court alongside Final Four Ambassadors for an unforgettable moment of recognition and a family picture.