I am going to tell you about a rising new star you probably haven’t heard of: Marko Arapovic of Cedevita Zagreb, which has advanced to the Final 16. But first, a few words on some familiar names who could be missing out. Maccabi Tel Aviv won its sixth European Basketball title in 2014 (under David Blatt, you may remember.) Then last year, Real Madrid shook off a 21-year drought to win their ninth title, the most of any team in Europe. With losses next
It would be fitting if the man who helped lead the Sacramento Kings during their most prosperous years could help guide them back after a decade of mediocre irrelevance. You may recognize Vlade Divac’s smooth European voice from your Waze navigation system, but most know Divac— aside from being traded for Kobe Bryant— for being the center of the turn-of-the-millenium Kings team that nearly reached the NBA Finals and turned Arco Arena into the loudest building in sports. With a new arena
On Friday, four of Europe’s top teams head to Madrid to compete in Europe’s premier basketball competition, the Euroleague Final Four. Several NBA scouts and GMs will get a live look at the action to see if they can find some new international talent. Which future NBA players will make their name known this weekend? Which former NBA players will shine with the pressure on? Here is a guide for the casual NBA fan on what to watch for in NBATV’s broadcast of the
In a rematch of last season’s Euroleague Championship, Maccabi Tel-Aviv narrowly edged out previously undefeated Real Madrid 90-86 for an important Top 16 victory on Thursday night. Greek center Sofoklis Schortsanitis (known as Sofo in Europe), stood out for Maccabi Tel-Aviv, scoring 11 of his 17 points in the opening period, and drawing eight fouls to go along with his eight rebounds. Former Memphis Grizzlies guard Jeremy Pargo also put in a strong performance for the winning side, going for 11
The Euroleague, European basketball’s top level of competition, just finished the first half of the 4th round of the Top 16 round. With some of Europe’s top teams taking the floor, we take a look at some of the top performers around the league through Thursday night in this week’s Eurohoops update. [Read more…]
When the offseason began, all the talk around the Chicago Bulls was regarding the acquisition of veteran All-Star forward-center Pau Gasol and how he would work in a three-man big rotation with Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Then the focus shifted to former MVP point guard Derrick Rose and his arduous comeback from a pair of debilitating knee injuries as he played for Team USA in the World Cup and arrived in training camp. Once the first two months of the season
After a fantastic season of Euroleague basketball, one weekend of mayhem in Milano will decide the champion. While the seven-game series format leading up to the Final Four has proven undeniably exciting (and profitable), there is a special charm to the Euroleague’s one-and-done Final Four format that gives off a very comparative feeling to the NCAA Final Four. For the first time since 2006, neither of the Greek powerhouses – Olympiacos and Panathinaikos – will be represented in the Final Four. Instead,
Monday brought with it the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 Award Ceremony, where the world’s greatest football (soccer) player is honored. No different than the rest of the world, many NBA players are avid soccer fans. Prior to the award being announced a couple took to Twitter to express their anticipation for the award’s announcement. Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol seemed exuberant about the closeness of the competition for FIFA’s top honor. Very tight race this year but we will know pretty