Bayern builds around its superstar: Season Preview

FC Bayern Munich has built around All-EuroLeague superstar Vladimir Lucic with plenty of frontcourt power and experience from Augustine Rubit, DeShaun Thomas and Othello Hunter. 

Panathinaikos, hungry to bounce back: Season Preview

Always proud and ambitious, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens relies on Ioannis Papapetrou, Nemanja Nedovic and Georgios Papagiannis to bounce back - it ranked 16th in the 2020-21 campaign.

A new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is upon us, but ordinary it is not.

Already, as opening day arrives, one shining reward is at hand:

The return of the world's best fans to their rightful place as sixth men and women in the stands of pulsating arenas in Europe's most vibrant cities.

Their renewed presence, at long last, reminds us that the EuroLeague is all about overcoming adversity, all about getting up after falling down, all about believing against all odds.

Just ask the reigning champions from Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

This competition is as full of adversity as any in sports. In the EuroLeague, like nowhere else in basketball, every game truly matters.

Just ask the 15 teams who fought into April last spring, six months after opening day, for playoffs spots or home-court advantage.

Now, again, the road that awaits them is full of challenges, demands and hurdles that must be overcome by effort, determination and tenacity.

Just ask Cory Higgins of FC Barcelona, Nicolo Melli of AX Armani Exchange Milan, Tornike Shengelia of CSKA Moscow and MVP Vasilije Micic of Efes.

They helped lift their teams to the Final Four teams in Cologne, Germany last May, but they rep their hundreds of peers on EuroLeague courts whose daily persistence and striving make this brand of basketball uniquely authentic.

And now, all are at the bottom of the same long, uphill road, with 320 games to be played, thousands of rebounds and loose balls to be lunged for, countless steps to be climbed.

This is the quest that they live for, the crucible they thrive in, the legacy they seek.

It's not just about winning it all. It's about getting up and making that journey again, starting over with one thing in mind: to push even higher.

Just ask their fans.

They are stretched out across nearly 5,000 kilometers from Russia in the east to Spain in the west, from Israel in the south to Lithuania in the north. All are ready to make their arenas – indeed, their whole cities – bounce again to the rhythm of this game.

They, too, are poised to push even higher. Than ever.

Welcome to the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

#EveryGameMatters

CSKA adds fire power, keeps core: Season Preview

CSKA Moscow kept a core of players led by Will Clyburn, Nikola Milutinov, Daniel Hackett and Toko Shengelia, adding fire power with two great scorers: Alexey Shved and Marius Grigonis.

Champs from Efes aim for a repeat: Season Preview

Led by the superstar backcourt of Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin, reigning champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul is seeking to follow up its first EuroLeague title with a rare repeat.

The EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy is a coveted one as past winners have gone on to greatness in our game. The list of previous winners includes EuroLeague great such as Luka Doncic, Nikola Mirotic, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Ricky Rubio, among many others. In order to be eligible to win the 2021-22 EuroLeague Rising Star trophy, a player must have been born on July 1, 1999 or later. Here are 10 of the main candidates to join this impressive list of young talents by the end of the 2021-22 season.

### Carlos Alocen, Real Madrid

Carlos Alocen comes off a promising EuroLeague rookie season in which he averaged 3.9 points and 2.3 assists in 28 games – and starting 16 of those. Now that he knows the competition a little bit better, Alocen is expected to take another step. An athletic playmaker with outstanding court division and great driving skills, Alocen is a perfect fit for Real's transition, run-and-gun game. At age 20, Alocen has room for improvement. He also has the desire and work ethic to do so and Coach Pablo Laso has confidence in him.

### Tarik Biberovic, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

He may be 20, but Tarik Biberovic is set to start his fourth EuroLeague campaign with Fenerbahce. His role has increased over the year and now, with a new coach and several newcomers in the team, it is time for Biberovic to take a giant step forward. Biberovic is a good athlete who knows how to use his quickness and size to finish around the basket, but can also pull the trigger from downtown and is learning from experienced players on daily basis. It is only a matter of time before Biberovic has a breakout season.

### Malte Delow, ALBA Berlin

After seeing extended playing time in the pre-season, Malte Delow hopes to become an important player for ALBA in the EuroLeague. At age 20, Delow took part in 23 EuroLeague games last season (1.6 ppg. in 8.3 mpg.) and helped ALBA win its second consecutive German League title. He is aggressive on defense and reads the passing lanes well. If Delow can feed off his defensive intensity and contribute more on offense, it will be only a matter of time until he becomes a key player in ALBA's rotation.

### Rokas Jokubaitis, FC Barcelona

After finishing second behind Usman Garuba of Real Madrid in last season's EuroLeague Rising Star voting, Rokas Jokubaitis will have a new role on a different club as he looks to grow even more. Jokubaitis joined FC Barcelona where he will learn at the feet of Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, who he played for at Zalgiris, too. Jokubaitis is a physically gifted combo-guard who handles the ball well, goes hard to the basket and has a good outside shot. With Saras pushing him, Jokubaitis should have a prominent role for the EuroLeague runners-up.

### Leftherios Mantzoukas, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

Leftherios Mantzoukas may be only 18 years old, but he already has four years of professional experience under his belt. He is a product of the Promitheas Patras systema and played in the EuroCup in each of the past two seasons – including a 24-point outburst on 6 for 6 three-point shooting last year against Gran Canaria. The 2.07-meter swingman has the confidence and accuracy in his shooting to carve out a key role already this season – and he will have several more years of candidacy for the Rising Star Trophy, too!

### Sergi Martinez, FC Barcelona

Power forward Sergi Martinez did not see much playing time last season but when he did, he showed what he is capable of. He had 7 points and 9 rebounds in 31 minutes against Real Madrid, 10 points and 8 rebounds in 23 minutes against Valencia Basket and also posted a PIR of 11 against CSKA Moscow. Barcelona fans love him because of his fighting spirit: there is not a rebound he does not fight for nor a loose ball he would not dive for. That blue-collar mentality should lead to a bump in playing time.

### Filip Petrusev, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Filip Petrusev was chosen as the Adriatic League MVP last season after posting some big numbers - 23.5 points on excellent shooting percentages (61.6% 2FG, 41.9% 3FG) and 7.6 rebounds in 21 games with Mega Belgrade. He is now set to make his EuroLeague debut with the reigning champs and has already shown in pre-season what he is capable off. Petrusev is a strong big man with great rebounding skills who can score in many ways - in the paint, in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop situations, in transition... Keep an eye on him!

### Matthew Strazel, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

Still a teenager, Matthew Strazel enters his third EuroLeague campaign with 36 games of experience in the competition. He is a great shooter with unlimited range and is never afraid to pull the trigger when ASVEL needs to open the floor. Strazel is slowly but steadily learning to attack the basket, making the most out of his one-on-one skills, and can pass the ball with great effectiveness when double-teamed. On a team full of young talents, Strazel should do his part to make ASVEL a fun-to-watch team!

### Tristan Vukcevic, Real Madrid

Last season, Tristan Vukcevic became the first player in more than two decades to make his EuroLeague debut in the playoffs. His father, Dusan Vukcevic, was also a Real Madrid player and played for five more teams in the EuroLeague. They are very different players, however, as Tristan Vukcevic is a stretch power forward with deep shooting range and great mobility. Real has a reputation for developing young talent and Vukcevic should be ready to step up and make the most out of the playing time he earns.

### Victor Wembanyama, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

Victor Wembanyama made quite an impact in limited minutes last season in the 7DAYS EuroCup and will look to handle a bigger role in his EuroLeague debut. The 17-year-old center had 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocks in 17 minutes for Nanterre 92 against Cedevita Union Olimpija – and he was still 16 at the time! Standing 2.20 meters, Wembanyama has incredible size and length, which he combines with quick feet and a shooting touch that extends to the three-point line. His package of skills makes him one of the elite prospects in basketball.



Alocen-010623.jpg

Awards preview: EuroLeague Rising Star

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv fortified its frontline by signing center Mathias Lessort to a short-term deal, the club announced Monday. The contract is for two months. Lessort (2.06 meters, 26 years old) will take over the role of Ante Zizic, who will miss the start of the season through injury. Lessort arrives from AS Monaco, which he helped to win the 7DAYS EuroCup last season. He averaged 12.5 points on 58.7% two-point shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 23 EuroCup games and was named to the All-EuroCup First Team. It was his second All-EuroCup selection after being named to the second team in 2019 with Unicaja Malaga. 

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🛂.<a href="https://twitter.com/ThiasLsf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThiasLsf</a> <a href="https://t.co/tCkuYjwONW">pic.twitter.com/tCkuYjwONW</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabitlvBC/status/1442378298454118402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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"We are very happy that we bring one more player to help us now that we start the season," Coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos said. "Mathias Lessort is a player that comes to add power to our frontline after the injury of Ante Zizic. Mathias is an experienced EuroLeague player that will adjust fast to the needs of the team. I want to thank our owners that one more time they did their best for the club."

Lessort has two seasons of EuroLeague experience – one each with FC Bayern Munich and Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. He has also suited up for Unicaja in Spain and JSF Nanterre and Elan Chalon in France. He helped Nanterre win the French Cup and FIBA Europe Cup in 2017. A native of the island of Martinique, Lessort has also been a member of the French national team. 


Maccabi inks Lessort to short-term deal

One of the most prolific players of the last decade will join his seventh Turkish Airlines EuroLeague team with the announcement late Friday that LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne has added James Gist to its roster until December 31 to alleviate injury concerns with just a week left until the 2021-22 season tips off.

Gist (2.04 meters, 34 years old) arrives from FC Bayern Munich, a team he helped lead to Game 5 of the playoffs last season, which was his 11th consecutive in the EuroLeague. Since his debut in 2010, Gist has pulled the sixth-highest total of rebounds in the competition, 1,142, and the seventh-highest blocks total, 151, while scoring 2,316 points. thrilling fans in six countries with his high-flying dunks and determined defense.

All told, Gist has played in 269 career EuroLeague games and has averages of 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds. He has national titles along the way in Serbia with Partizan Belgrade, and in Greece five times with Panathinaikos Athens.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">❗ Effectif 2021-2022 👉 James GIST en renfort !<br><br>L’intérieur américain aux 269 matchs d’EuroLeague vient étoffer l’effectif de LDLC ASVEL jusqu’à la fin de l’année 2021, et ainsi pallier les soucis de blessure de ce début de saison. <br>✍ <a href="https://t.co/WWtmVAy00m">https://t.co/WWtmVAy00m</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LDLCASVEL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LDLCASVEL</a></p>&mdash; LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL/status/1441491550995816454?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

ASVEL brings in Gist until new year

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's starting center in 30 games last season, Ante Zizic, will miss the first month or more of the new one with a hamstring tear, the club announced on Saturday. Zizic was injured in the Israeli League's preseason cup tournament semifinal game against Maccabi Rishon LeZion on Friday night. Zizic was a top-30 per-minute performer in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague last season with 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per night in less than 20 minutes of action on average for a prorated 22.8 PIR over 40 minutes.

Zizic did not miss a game of Maccabi's 34 last season in what was his return to the competition after debuting with Darussafaka Istanbul in the 2016-17 season. With Maccabi during the regular season last year, he pulled more total rebounds (182) than all but four other players and was one of just 11 players to average more than 2.0 offensive rebounds. If he stays out the full, projected six weeks, Zizic will miss Maccabi's first eight Euroleague games.