The Serbian powerhouse is ready to embark on its third consecutive EuroLeague season – and seventh in the last eight years. Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade has a reputation and a proven record as a tough opponent, home and away, for any team. This season should be no different as Zvezda aims to return to the EuroLeague Playoffs for the first time since its lone previous postseason trip in 2016. Along the way, some games will be especially intriguing as the team, and its faithful fans, get ready for another season.

## Round 11: Conquering the kings

The last two times Zvezda traveled to play Real Madrid – it won. Zvezda first waited for nearly 45 years to claim a road win in Madrid before a memorable 83-87 triumph in December 2017 against that season's eventual EuroLeague champs behind a club-record 17 three-pointers. Then, in January of last season, Zvezda stunned Real on the road once again, 77-79 behind 18 points from Cory Walden. There will be no counting out Zvezda when it visits Madrid this season.

## Round 18: Fan favorite's homecoming

Jordan Loyd quickly became a fan-favorite in Belgrade when wearing the Zvezda uniform last season. Loyd set the Zvezda single-season club record in scoring by averaging 17.3 points per game and helped the team win the domestic triple crown. Billy Baron is another favorite of Zvezda fans, having spent two seasons there. Both now wear Zenit's uniform and will be treated to warm welcomes in the Serbian capital.

## Round 21: Kaunas trip

Aaron White was one of Zvezda's biggest signings this summer and this high-flying forward has a special status in Kaunas. White spent two seasons with Zalgiris, from 2017 to 2019, and helped the team reach the 2018 Final Four and make the EuroLeague Playoffs a year later. Add to the mix that Zvezda has had its share of success in Kaunas, winning two of its last four visits there, and it will be a matchup circled on the calendars of many fans from both teams.

## Round 29: Keeping the streak alive

Maccabi is always a big draw in the Serbian capital and Crvena Zvezda is proud that it has enjoyed plenty of success in recent years against the Israeli champions. Zvezda beat Maccabi in each of the last five meetings at home. That streak, which started back in 2015, consists of four wins of 12 or more points, including an 83-58 drubbing in 2016 as well as a 76-64 victory last season.

## Round 34: MVP in the house

Vasilije Micic is a former Zvezda player who spent half a season with the club. Micic stated several times how important in his career the opportunity he got as a 22-year-old with Zvezda was and he helped the team make history by reaching the 2016 EuroLeague Playoffs. He now returns to play Zvezda for the first time as the reigning EuroLeague MVP leading the reigning EuroLeague champions. That will be a fun night in Belgrade.



As Crvena Zvezda aims to return to the EuroLeague Playoffs for the first time since its lone previous postseason trip in 2016, some games will be especially intriguing. 

Games to Watch: Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 

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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz became the first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague team to officially open practice for the coming season on Tuesday. After conducting physical examinations for its players over the weekend, the team held its first joint practice on Tuesday under the watchful of head coach Dusko Ivanovic. In the morning, the squad had worked on conditioning and strength before hitting the hardwoods in the afternoon.

More clubs will join Baskonia and get their preparations officially started soon; more than half-dozen other EuroLeague teams have started their players' medical tests and will be begin on-court practices later this week.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Motivated. <br>Determined. <br>Hungry.<br><br>🗣 <a href="https://twitter.com/Sedekerskis_11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sedekerskis_11</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PreseasonBKN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PreseasonBKN</a> | <a href="https://t.co/muQFVjhx9g">https://t.co/muQFVjhx9g</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y07pbiWUEW">pic.twitter.com/Y07pbiWUEW</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1427612993299357706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz became the first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague team to officially open practice for the coming season on Tuesday. 

Baskonia hits the floor for first practice

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Panathinaikos OPAP Athens and defensive ace Howard Sant-Roos have come to terms on a two-year contract extension, the club announced Monday. Sant-Roos (2.01 meters, 30 years old) averaged 7.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 32 EuroLeague games last season, his first with the Greens. He ranked fourth in the league in steals per game.


Sant-Roos became the first Cuban native to play in the EuroLeague this century when he joined CSKA Moscow during the 2019-20 campaign. He has also played for Bernareggio, Broni and Casalpusterlengo in Italy, Braunschweig in Germany, Nymburk in the Czech Republic and AEK Athens in Greece. He helped AEK win the 2019 Intercontinental Cup and led Nymburk to Czech League crowns in 2016 and 2017.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sant-Roos 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ ☘<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/panathinaikosbcopap?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#panathinaikosbcopap</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GreenOurHome?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GreenOurHome</a> <a href="https://t.co/ehcwPOYFNI">pic.twitter.com/ehcwPOYFNI</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1427239664067432450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Panathinaikos, Sant-Roos announce 2-year extension

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LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne bolstered its frontcourt by adding center Youssoupha Fall on-loan from Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, the French powerhouse announced Monday. Fall (2.21 meters, 26 years old) averaged 7.0 points on 62.8% two-point shooting and 3.2 rebounds in 32 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games with Baskonia last season. He ranked fourth overall in PIR per 40 minutes (27.7), sixth in rebounds (10.9) and eighth in scoring (24.0) in the 2020-21 EuroLeague campaign, his second in the competition.

Fall helped Baskonia win the Spanish League title in 2020. He started his career with Le Mans Sarthe Basket and also played for two other French teams, Union Poitiers Basket 86 and Strasbourg. He helped Le Mans win the French League title in 2018 and lift the French Cup trophy in 2016. Fall also won the French Leaders Cup crown with Strasbourg in 2019.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">❗️ Effectif 2021-2022 👉 De la taille dans la raquette ! <br><br>Le pivot international sénégalais Youssoupha Fall (26 ans, 2m21) vient renforcer le secteur intérieur de LDLC ASVEL ! <br>✍️ <a href="https://t.co/WXwfMrzy8v">https://t.co/WXwfMrzy8v</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/1427266316675817475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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ASVEL completes roster with big man Fall

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AX Armani Exchange Milan was back on the big stage last season as it reached the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for the first time since 1992. Once there, it fell in semis, but Coach Ettore Messina and his roster full of talent and experience made a statement that they will seek to back up in 2021-22. Like every season, Milan will have a few stops that will catch the eye of the fans across the continent. These are the five that stand atop the list.

## ROUND 6 - Cementing a new rivalry

The duels between Milan and FC Bayern Munich only go back to 2014. Since then, however, they have faced each other 13 times and seven of them were in 2020-21. Milan was one of the two only teams to sweep Bayern in the regular season and later they squared off in a five-game playoff series that Milan won 3-2. There is no doubt that last season took the rivalry between these two teams, both of them coached by Italian bosses, Ettore Messina and Andrea Trinchieri, to another level. The rivalry resumes when they meet in Round 6.

## ROUND 8 - Avenging Cologne
## 

After the longest regular season ever and a similarly long and tough playoff series, Milan finally was back in the Final Four in Cologne. The problem was that its opponent in the semifinals was FC Barcelona, the regular-season champ. It was a tough battle that was decided down the stretch when Cory Higgins hit a memorable jumper. Even though Milan fell in the semis, the team and its fans will be eager to welcome Barca to the Italian fashion capital and try to make up for that painful loss.

## ROUND 15 - Getting back at the Greens

A game between Milan and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens is always a marquee duel. The former is a three-time EuroLeague champion while the latter lifted the trophy six times. Despite the big picture rivalry between these two classics, there's also the issue that last season the Greens managed to sweep Milan in the regular season. And not only that, but Panathinaikos won the two games by 3 points each. So expect Milan to be ready to get back at Panathinaikos as it tries to go as deep, at least, as it did last season.

## ROUND 22 - Messina, Hines return to Moscow
When Milan visits the Russian capital, two of the most important men for CSKA Moscow in the last two decades will be returning to what used to be their former home. Coach Messina lifted CSKA back to the European elite; he guided the team to the 2006 and 2008 EuroLeague titles. Kyle Hines was a cornerstone on the CSKA teams that won in 2016 and 2019. Messina coached CSKA for a total of six seasons, while Hines played there one more. CSKA fans will surely receive them with a standing ovation.

## ROUND 29 - As classic as it gets

The duels between Milan and Real Madrid had filled lots of pages in the history books since they first faced each other in 1963. Their duels even include finals and semifinals and in 2021-22 their history together will add another chapter. In 2020-21 Coach Messina and his team managed to sweep Real in the regular season with a 78-70 win at home and a 76-80 success in Madrid. Of course, one must not forget that Messina and Sergio Rodriguez were also on Madrid's side a few years ago, the latter even winning a EuroLeague title and season MVP honors with Los Blancos. The return of Milan to Madrid is as classic as it gets.



2021-22 Games to Watch: AX Armani Exchange Milan

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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz bolstered its frontcourt with the addition of center Landry Nnoko for the coming season, the club announced on Sunday

Baskonia gets bigger with Nnoko

Nnoko (2.08 meters, 27 years old) played for Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade last season. After missing the first part of the season due to health issues, Nnoko appeared in 10 games in the second part of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season and averaged 7.1 points and 5.2 rebounds. He also posted 7.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in the Adriatic League to help Zvezda win the title. Nnoko had spent the previous two seasons in Germany with ALBA Berlin. He helped ALBA reach the 2018 EuroCup Finals and made his EuroLeague debut in the 2019-20 campaign when he ranked ninth in the league with 5.8 rebounds per game. Earlier in his career, Nnoko played professionally for Grand Rapids in the D-League and Sakarya in Turkey.



<div style="display: grid; place-items: center;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🏀✍ ¡Oficial!<br><br>Baskonia refuerza su juego interior con 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝘆 𝗡𝗻𝗼𝗸𝗼.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoazenBaskonia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoazenBaskonia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LoEchabasDeMenos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LoEchabasDeMenos</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1426923105373597697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz bolstered its frontcourt with the addition of center Landry Nnoko for the coming season, the club announced on Sunday.

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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz will have a different look this season as it rebuilds on the fly after losing fundamental pieces to other teams. However, the tried-and-true Baskonia character that the club, Coach Dusko Ivanovic and their fans effuse will make for excitement every time Baskonia takes the floor – and for a tough night for all of its opponents. Here are some of the must-see games that the team from Basque country will play during the regular season.

## Round 9: Another Spanish classic
As years have gone by, the duels between Baskonia and FC Barcelona have become a new Spanish classic in their own right. Their countless clashes in domestic competitions have included title games and that rivalry has permeated to the European stage. Last season Baskonia was swept by Barca in the regular season. To that, include that Coach Dusko Ivanovic spent almost three seasons in Barcelona as the bench boss and you get the perfect ingredients for a must-watch all-Spanish League affair.

## Round 12: Facing a homegrown ace and his charges

Baskonia and Real Madrid go back a long way. Of course, they have faced each other countless times in domestic games. But their rivalry goes one step beyond that. Real coach Pablo Laso is a Vitoria native who played many years for Baskonia and this season, Los Blancos will have Thomas Heurtel, a player who had his breakout in the Basque club, as one of its star guards. As if that was not enough, Baskonia swept Real in the regular season in 2020-21, so expect the winningest club in European history to come back to Vitoria looking for revenge.

## Round 23: Dusko meets the Greens again
Since Baskonia stole a playoff series in Game 3 in Athens in front of a packed OAKA in 2007, the rivalry between the Spanish team and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens has been a thing. Last season, Baskonia managed to sweep the Greens in the regular season, including a painful 82-97 road win in Athens that the Greek team will surely want retribution for. Not to mention that Coach Dusko Ivanovic fronted the Greens' bench in 2014-15. The duel between these classic EuroLeague sides will be as interesting as ever.

## Round 31: Playing with Henry, this time on opposing sides

An argument could be made that the most decisive player for Baskonia in the last couple of seasons was guard Pierria Henry. Last season he averaged 10.5 points and led the team with 7.3 assists in 34 regular-season games. He could not accomplish the goal to take the team to the playoffs but became a fan-favorite nonetheless. When this summer it was announced that he would join Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, it was clear that the duel between these two teams would become a focal point as Henry will be sizing up against his old teammates.

## Round 34: The eternal foe in European grounds

Baskonia and CSKA Moscow have developed a continental rivalry these last two decades that could stand up against any of the classics in the sport. Since 2002, these teams have played each other 43 times in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague alone with many playoff contests, including Final Four games twice. Last season, Baskonia and CSKA split wins in the regular season and in 2021-22 that European-forged rivalry will surely live new exciting chapters.



2021-22 Games to Watch: Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

Zalgiris Kaunas legend and the EuroLeague's all-time leader in rebounds and games played, Paulius Jankunas, will remain with his hometown team for another season after signing a deal for the 2021-22 campaign. Jankunas (2.05 meters, 37 years old) debuted with Zalgiris in 2003 and has played for the club in all but one season since. In that time, he has been party to all of Zalgiris's greatest triumphs and collected a series of personal accolades, too.

Jankunas leads the career EuroLeague standings with 1,965 rebounds and 375 games played. His place atop those tables is safe for now with the closest active players trailing him by 499 rebounds (Kyle Hines) and 35 games played (Georgios Printezis). Jankunas is also ranked third in performance index rating (3,993), fifth in both free throws made (738) and two-pointers made (998), sixth in scoring (3,178 points) and 14th in steals (241). Last season he averaged 3.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 34 EuroLeague games.

He was a driving force behind Zalgiris reaching the Final Four in 2018 when he earned All-EuroLeague honors and was EuroLeague MVP for December. Jankunas has also helped Zalgiris to 15 Lithuanian League championships and nine Lithuanian Cups. As a long-time member of the Lithuanian national team, Jankunas won a bronze medal at the Basketball World Cup in 2010, a silver medal at EuroBasket 2015 and a bronze at EuroBasket 2007.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The captain&#39;s illustrious career in Kaunas continues! <a href="https://twitter.com/P_Jankunas13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@P_Jankunas13</a> has officially extended his contract with Zalgiris. ✍️<br><br>📰 <a href="https://t.co/YVP4iBSfC4">https://t.co/YVP4iBSfC4</a> <a href="https://t.co/3EVTwNCTiK">pic.twitter.com/3EVTwNCTiK</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1425815499074465796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Zalgiris, Jankunas sign up for 18th season together

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In the blockbuster move of the summer, superstar guard Alexey Shved is returning to CSKA Moscow, with which he made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut almost 15 years ago, the club announced on Thursday. Their contract is for one season with an option for 2022-23. Shved (1.98 meters, 32 years old) is an offensive tsunami who has won the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy twice, including last season, when he averaged league-highs of 19.8 points and 7.7 assists for Khimki Moscow Region. As such, he was the first EuroLeague player ever to lead the competition in both of those statistical categories, let alone in one season.

"We have talked with Alexey several times already. He has expressed great motivation and a big desire to come here, help the team win more titles, and play good basketball. Alexey has obvious respect for CSKA's organization," CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis said. "He understands what it means to work in the CSKA environment, to work alongside our important players who brought many titles to the club, who have played here for many years. He is ready to add his skills to the team equation, to work on the common goal. We welcome Alexey and wish him health and success together with our team."

Shved was crowned a EuroLeague champion as a 19-year-old with CSKA in 2008 after contributing in eight games that season, one of five at the start of his career in which he played part-time with the club. In his first full-time role, Shved averaged 10.6 points in the 2011-12 season, which ended in disappointment when Olympiacos Piraeus upset CSKA in the championship game on the season's final shot. Shved moved to the NBA for stints with Minnesota, Philadelphia, Houston and New York before returning home in 2015 to Khimki and averaging 15.9 points in EuroLeague play. The next season, Shved led the 7DAYS EuroCup in scoring with 22.1 points per game, then he and Khimki returned to the EuroLeague for the last four seasons. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ru" dir="ltr">Алексей Швед возвращается в ЦСКА! ⚡<br><br>Лучший бомбардир Евролиги минувшего сезона, защитник <a href="https://twitter.com/Shved23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Shved23</a> (32 года, 198 см) подписал с нашим клубом контракт по схеме «1+1». <a href="https://t.co/qCRKYmep6o">pic.twitter.com/qCRKYmep6o</a></p>&mdash; CSKA Moscow (@cskabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/cskabasket/status/1425713934145835009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </center>

During his latest EuroLeague span from 2017 forward, Shved has averaged 21.3 points per game, more than any other player, and 6.3 assists, second behind only Nick Calathes. In 2017-18, he set the EuroLeague record for total points in any season, 643, while averaging 21.8 for his first Top Scorer Trophy. The next season, Shved averaged the fifth-most points in EuroLeague history, 23.4 over 14 games, but was ineligible for another Top Scorer Trophy due to his season being shortened by more than half due to injury. He came back with 21.4 points per game in 2019-20 making him the only EuroLeague player to average 20 points or more in three seasons, which he did consecutively. His 19.8 points last season, however, were good enough for Shved to become just the second multiple winner since the award debuted in 2005.