Throughout the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, one constant has been the terrific work done by One Team. The Final Four, which this year was in Kaunas, Lithuania, acts as a celebration of basketball for all fans of the EuroLeague, but it also provided an opportunity for a light to be shined on what One Team does and how it impacts communities.
The weekend's events began on Thursday, May 18, with a One Team session at Kaunas Sport Hall for Final Four volunteers, in which five stations were set up as they began to take part in the program drills. The purpose of this session was to get the volunteers to understand the goals and methodologies used as part of the One Team program, while also getting them familiar with Final Four ambassadors Joe Arlauckas and Ramunas Siskauskas, as well as the One Team representatives from Zalgiris Kaunas, before the One Team events got underway with the participants.
The next day, Friday, May 19, the public was able to witness One Team for the first time at the 2023 Final Four. During a session with the Final Four ambassadors – Ramunas Siskauskas, David Rivers, Igor Rakocevic, Jonas Maciulis, Patrick Femerling, and Paulius Jankunas – at the FanZone at Unity Square, fans were able to watch on as the event saw some One Team activities take place, in addition to some 3x3 games. It was not just the Final Four ambassadors present, however, as there were 12 participants from Special Olympics Lithuania who joined in the fun.
