*The annual One Team Awards will be presented during the September’s Annual Workshop, and between now and then we will be telling a short success story from each of the six shortlisted clubs. We begin today with AX Armani Exchange Milan.*

One Team teaches its participants that every day we can learn something new that will provide us with the tools to confront future challenges both on the basketball court and in real life. There is always something to learn, no matter how old or how talented you are, and the art of training is one we must all learn.

When Marco first joined Milan’s One Team program, he was not used to following the demands of practice. He did not like being instructed what to do, being told no, or being given strict guidelines to follow. Every mistake made him very angry, every difficulty was followed by a cry and an escape to the garden.

Marco was enthralled with basketball, the sound of the swish of a basket; yet he was so frustrated by the effort it required to be successful. However, with the support and dedication of his coach, Marco began to push past his fears, test his limits and find that equilibrium between frustration and satisfaction.

The One Team program gave Marco direction and structure. It boosted his resilience and developed his determination. Finding a coach who was constantly supportive, challenging and driving him to greater achievements was the very making of Marco, who has now also transferred the skills he learned from basketball into his everyday life, knowing that he can push past failure and keep on trying.

Milan’s One Team coach Marilisa Zanini said: “If you are able to make a basket after a thousand attempts, then there are no goals that you will not be able to achieve with commitment and dedication, which will make you arrive before the others.”

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of ‘community integration’ that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

Milan teaches persistence through One Team

Six clubs from the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup have been shortlisted for the annual One Team Program Awards, highlighting the outstanding work carried out by clubs to support vulnerable members of their local communities.

Shortlist unveiled for 2021-22 One Team Program Awards

The awards will be presented during the One Team Annual Workshop in September, with Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes up for grabs. The six shortlisted clubs are:

**AX Armani Exchange Milan**: The Italian club has worked alongside Laureus Sport For Good Italia Onlus to create an ambitious program focusing on community cohesion, supporting a greater number of youngsters at risk of social exclusion by using high-quality basketball drills with strong planning and excellent organization.

**Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz**: Baskonia teamed up with the Gizarterako Association to run a varied series of events throughout the year, including workshops and camps, promoting community cohesion in many different ways throughout the club's infrastructure.

**Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul**: Alongside TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School, Fenerbahce showed a great improvement in its program creation based around social inclusion and achieved significant social media coverage.

**Mincidelici JL Bourg En Bresse**: The only EuroCup club on the shortlist, Bourg worked with AFIS 01 IJS to create a program supporting children with physical disabilities. The activities were had clear objectives and were closely aligned with the needs of the group, also featuring fantastic Ambassador involvement.

**Olympiacos Piraeus**: The Reds ran a program for youth with intellectual disabilities alongside 1st Elementary School of Agios Dimitrios, and succeeded in empowering the participants through innovative and well-constructed drills and sessions.

**Zalgiris Kaunas**: Partnering with Special Olympics Lithuania, Zalgiris supported youth with intellectual disabilities through a great long-term program which closely involved club sponsors and gained strong social media coverage.

Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball's Chief Business Development Officer, said: "The last 12 months have seen a fantastic contribution from our clubs all over Europe to their local communities, delivering most sessions on-court despite the limitations imposed by COVID restrictions. It has been particularly great to see our One Team participants once again enjoying face-to-face contact with coaches and ambassadors, learning how the values of basketball can be applied to daily life. Many more teams could easily have been shortlisted for the awards but these six stood out just a little bit more, and we are looking forward to honoring the winners at the One Team Annual Workshop in September, the tip-off of One Team's second decade of community delivery."

As they were in last season's awards, sustainability consultancy thinkBeyond is again involved in the 2021-22 judging process, with the programs assessed according to program planning and delivery, ambassadors' involvement, marketing and communications activities, and the involvement of commercial partners.

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of "community integration" that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 (on reduced inequalities).

One Team celebrates 10th anniversary 

A wide of different activities were organized to celebrate the anniversary, including the annual One Team Games celebration, a legacy project with social partner BKT, special events at the competition finals, and the creation of digital content to celebrate the role of club ambassadors and highlight the program's milestones since 2012.

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under a theme of "community integration" that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

One Team celebrates 10th anniversary

Each participating club develops a specific One Team project tailored to its own community needs to benefit groups in danger of exclusion due to problems such as substance abuse and gender, physical or intellectual disability. Since its founding in 2012, the One Team program has already reached, directly and indirectly, more than 23,000 participants through its various team projects.

The 2021-22 season in both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup marked the 10th anniversary of One Team, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program which uses the power of basketball to make positive change in communities all over the continent.

The highlight of the collaboration came in April, when two newly-refurbished basketball courts were opened at the public TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School, the social partner of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's One Team program.

The court opening was attended by institutional representatives of Euroleague Basketball, BKT and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, including players and One Team Ambassadors Pierria Henry and Ismet Akpinar, who joined the event to run a special activity with a group of 15 teenage students from the school as they enjoyed their new facility.

The refurbishment process had been supported by One Team participants from Fenerbahce, who volunteered to help with the court paintings.

One Team and BKT celebrate successful first year together

Fenerbahce was able to use these new courts to hold two special sessions dedicated to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 13 (Climate Change), giving One Team participants the opportunity to learn important tips about these vital themes.

Same as in Cologne, BKT's presence was also felt at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, with the donation of 40 bikes to social entities from the City of Belgrade. The initiative served not only to support local One Team programs, but also to promote healthy habits and sustainable mobility in the city.

Similar donations were made across the continent, with BKT providing five bikes to all of the One Team programs from both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup.

Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball's Chief Business Development Officer, said: "The last few months have been a great way to strengthen even more our relationship with BKT, which shares the values of social inclusion and sustainability that lie behind our One Team program. We look forward to continuing our collaboration next season with many more activities in support of our local communities all over Europe."

Lucia Salmaso, BKT's Managing Director, added: "Euroleague Basketball does so much fantastic work to use the power of basketball as a positive force for social change, and we have been proud to offer our support. BKT wants to go beyond the role of sponsor – our real goal is to leave a mark – and this collaboration is a wonderful example of business and sport working together to support communities. The greatest reward has been seeing the happiness of the children as they play basketball in the refurbished courts and use their bikes in their day-to-day routines."

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities.

Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program One Team and BKT have concluded a successful first season of working together, following a number of great initiatives to support local communities.

Top photos 2022 Final Four - One Team Final Four review

One Team Welcome Session for Final Four volunteers - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Joe Arlauckas and Dusko Savanovic with the volunteers - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Stefan Lazarevic of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade with the volunteers - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Joe Arlauckas - One Team Welcome Session for Final Four volunteers - Final Four Belgrade 2022

One Team Session & Ambassadors Unified Tournament at the FanZone's main court - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Ibrahim Kutluay - One Team Session & Ambassadors Unified Tournament in the FanZone - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Final Four Ambassadors - Joe Arlauckas, Ramunas Siskauskas, Matjaz Smodis, Ibrahim Kutluay, Dusko Savanovic, David Rivers, Dejan Tomasevic and Patrick Femerling during One Team Session & Ambassadors Unified Tournament - Final Four Belgrade 2022

David Rivers - One Team Session & Ambassadors Unified Tournament in the FanZone at Savski Square - Final Four Belgrade 2022

One Team Session & Ambassadors Unified Tournament - Final Four Belgrade 2022

One Team session in the FanZone - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Dusko Savanovic - One Team Session & Ambassadors Unified Tournament - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Patrick Femerling - One Team Session & Ambassadors Unified Tournament - Final Four Belgrade 2022

David Rivers during the One Team session - Final Four Belgrade 2022

As part of the partnership between BKT and One Team, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul held two special sessions dedicated to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 13 (Climate Change). 

Fenerbahce, One Team and BKT support UN Sustainable Development goals

One Team-BKT legacy project: Gender Equality Session

The sessions were held at the recently refurbished indoor court at TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School in Istanbul, and gave Fenerbahce’s One Team participants the opportunity to learn important tips about these vital themes.

The meeting on gender equality was attended by four special guests: Fenerbahce star and One Team Ambassador Ismet Akpinar, the club’s Director of Basketball Operations Defne Patir, and Turkish boxers Busra Isildar and Evin Erginoguz.

Several different activities around gender equality were staged and world champion boxer Isildar thought it was a very worthwhile discussion as she said: “I gained new feelings and thoughts about gender equality in every sense in a very nice conversational atmosphere.”

One Team-BKT legacy project: Climate Change Session

The next session was dedicated to climate change, with the objective of using the power of basketball to create awareness among the children about the importance of looking after the planet – and the consequences if we don’t.

Fenerbahce’s One Team coaches – who supported both sessions – were joined by two guests: Baran Aslan, Fenerbahce Loleji Safiport player, and Bilge Han Kahraman, Marketing Director of Fenerium, a company that is working with Fenerbahce to transform waste into basketball jerseys through a plastic recycling process.

The club’s One Team Manager Manager Mert Ahmet Gunduz said: “This week’s theme was climate change, sustainability and ecology. The children had a lot of fun both this week and with the whole program. They also had the opportunity to improve themselves by raising awareness of all the subjects we cover. Children are our future, and especially this age group is important to us.”

Both the Atasehir Anatolian High School and the Fenerbahce representatives were very happy with the outcome of the sessions, and thanked Euroleague Basketball and BKT for this amazing opportunity.

One Team and BKT support UN Sustainable Development goals

As part of Euroleague Basketball's commitment to sustainability, last weekend's Final Four incorporated a number of environmental and social activities and initiatives.

Sustainability at the Final Four in Belgrade

The Final Four volunteers were introduced to the One Team program [in a special session on Wednesday, May 18,](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/one-team/news/one-team-welcome-session-for-final-four-volunteers/) led by the local One Team Managers and Ambassadors from Partizan NIS Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at Ranko Zeravica Sports Hall. Two days later, [the Final Four Ambassadors met with participants from both Partizan and Zvezda at the FanZone at Savski Square](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/one-team/news/one-team-session-ambassadors-unified-tournament/) to participate in different One Team activities on the court. And, as a part of the One Team 10th anniversary celebration, the One Team participants from local clubs and the Final Four Ambassadors took the Stark Arena court for an emotional moment during Saturday’s championship game.

On the environmental side, Euroleague Basketball joined forces with the City of Belgrade to create awareness of the need to recycle by activating a recycling waste management system around the different event venues to collect plastic and organic waste separately. In addition, all staff members, volunteers, ANGT and media accredited groups were given free access to public transportation aimed to promote more sustainable mobility in the city. Moreover, as part of Euroleague Basketball's commitment to reforestation projects, [trees were donated and planted](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-basketball-and-city-of-belgrade-join-forces-to-plant-trees/) at the Friendship Park of Belgrade.

Final Four in Belgrade: Community impact

One Team program took the center stage at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone once again with the One Team Session & Ambassadors Unified Tournament at Savski Square in the Serbian capital.

One Team Session & Ambassadors Unified Tournament

Friday afternoon in Belgrade with a One Team event that brought to the same basketball court young participants from local One Team programs together with a host of famous names serving as Final Four Ambassadors.

Joe Arlauckas, Ramunas Siskauskas, Matjaz Smodis, Ibrahim Kutluay, Dusko Savanovic, David Rivers, Dejan Tomasevic, Igor Rakocevic and Patrick Femerling met two dozen participants of the Partizan NIS and Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade One Team programs at the FanZone's main court.

Together they celebrated the great positive impact that One Team is having in local Euroleague communities by participating in a typical One Team activity that encourages teamwork, commitment and decision-making, before running a Unified Tournament with inclusive rules, all in celebration of One Team's 10th anniversary.    

"I'm really happy to be here again after a three-year break. Those activities are very important for all the community, all the kids, and everybody," Siskauskas said. "I hope this will continue another 10, then 20 years. A long time."

Filled with laughter, smiles and the occasional scream of joy, it was one of those special events that leaves a lasting impact on the lives of young people.

An exciting weekend of festivities in the Serbian capital continued on 

"I think it shows unity, especially in situations and times like this, when it's very important to include anybody and everybody in activities like this to show togetherness," Femerling said. "I think that's the most important part. It's just fun. The kids had fun. We had fun. Nobody got a sunburn, so everything is perfect. If it wouldn't have been so hot, we would have played for another hour."

It was also a chance for youngsters from Special Olympics Serbia and care center Jovan Jovanovic ZMAJ along with the Final Four Ambassadors to showcase hundreds of fans in attendance what a typical One Team session looks like.

"The name says it all: One Team. Everybody is united here," Savanovic said. "You're joining a lot of ex-basketball players, the legends, with the kids, with the people who love the sport, with the volunteers, who really help, they make 50% of the success of every tournament, especially this Final Four in Belgrade. So, the message is positive, sharing good thoughts. The city lives and breathes basketball."

This season One Team, celebrates its 10th anniversary, a celebration supported by all the clubs and players from both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup.

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities. 

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of ‘community integration’ that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

Each participating club develops a specific One Team project tailored to its own community needs to benefit groups in danger of exclusion due to problems such as substance abuse and gender, physical or intellectual disability. Since its founding in 2012, the One Team program has reached already, directly and indirectly, more than 23,000 participants through its various team projects.

A special welcome session for the enthusiastic Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four volunteers tipped off a busy week for One Team, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program, on Wednesday evening in Belgrade.

One Team Welcome Session for Final Four volunteers

The volunteers were officially welcomed to the Final Four with a One Team Welcome Session, a dynamic activity-filled event at the Ranko Zeravica Arena, which is also the home this week for the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament. 

This year, a total of 142 volunteers from 17 different countries have been chosen among a record number of 742 candidates that applied. All of them will ensure that everything runs smoothly during the Final Four activities taking place around the Serbian capital.

The volunteers official welcome took place on Wednesday with a fun session led by the One Team local Managers and Coaches, the Euroleague Basketball Ambassadors Dusko Savanovic and Joe Arlauckas, as well as special appearances by One Team Ambassadors from two local Euroleague Basketball clubs: Stefan Lazarevic of Crvena Zvezda mts and Aleksa Avramovic of Partizan NIS Belgrade.

"Joe and I had a lot of fun with groups of young and some not-so-young people. The majority of them are here for the first time with One Team, and it is beautiful," Savanovic said. "You can see on their faces they are enjoying this. It is maybe a unique opportunity for them to be in touch with professional athletes, and for us sharing our thoughts; it boosts us with energy. It brought me back to my beginnings when I was starting with basketball. It was beautiful."

Volunteers aged from 18 to 60 had a chance to take part in a fun series of activities promoting the importance of teamwork, while talking and sharing experiences with the ambassadors and players.

Just like the volunteers, the local players who spent this season competing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup, also had a wonderful time.

"It was really fun hanging out with them," Lazarevic said. "They were full of questions and it was great to share the moment with them, and to share my thoughts about basketball and the One Team organization. There is no bigger competition in Europe than the EuroLeague and I am honored to be part of the project."

Avramovic agreed: "EuroLeague is like one big puzzle and we are all the pieces, from the volunteers to the organizers, as well as the players and ambassadors, to share and show good emotions and good vibes and energy to the people. I will always be happy to be available for these kinds of events. I am very honored to be a One Team Ambassador."

This season One Team, celebrates its 10th anniversary. A celebration supported by all clubs and players from both competitions: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup

One Team, supported by Turkish Airlines as the One Team Founding Patron and with the collaboration of Special Olympics as Proud Partner, uses basketball to achieve real social impact in our communities. 

With an innovative model of interconnectedness across an entire continent, Euroleague Basketball and its clubs have developed a complete CSR program that brings together activities from each team in an integrated, impactful way, working under the theme of ‘community integration’ that actively addresses targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities.

Each participating club develops a specific One Team project tailored to its own community needs to benefit groups in danger of exclusion due to problems such as substance abuse and gender, physical or intellectual disability. Since its founding in 2012, the One Team program has reached already, directly and indirectly, more than 23,000 participants through its various team projects.