Basketball
Sponsorship, Final Four, Dubai club. How far will the Euroleague and the UAE go?
Euroleague basketball season continues at full speed. The best clubs in an uncompromising struggle compete for the title of the continent’s strongest team. But that’s not all that’s noteworthy for the current situation in the tournament. No less interesting events take place in high offices (more precisely, in expensive hotels during business meetings). According to its results, the competition can get a completely new vector of development and accept into its ranks a very unexpected participant. What idea are tournament bosses curious about now?
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Last summer, the Euroleague made some grandiose changes for itself. The Board of Shareholders has deservedly dismissed League chairman Jordi Bertomeu, who has held this post since the tournament was founded in 2000. The Spanish ruler remained at the top, but now plays the role of “wedding general” more. Dejan Bodiroga, one of the best basketball players in Europe in the second half of the 90s – the first half of the 2000s, became his successor and Marshall Glikman was appointed to the position of general manager, including in economic matters.
Haberci.rs Dejan Bodiroga and Jordi Bertomeu (right)
It’s no secret that one of the main complaints of A-licensed (guaranteed participation in the competition) clubs against Bertomeu is a small financial profit. The top teams in European basketball received relatively little money, which made no difference to their budgets, and the wins were utterly ridiculous compared to the NBA.
The new management quickly got to work and at the beginning of this season, quite unexpected information began to appear in the press, the gist of which was – Euroleague began to establish close contacts with investment groups from the UAE. In addition, the tournament administration itself confirmed the existence of negotiations with local businessmen.
Name sponsorship
Recent trends in world sports show an increasing turn towards the Middle East. The best evidence of this phenomenon was the holding of the last World Cup in Qatar, as well as the Formula 1 stages, the best boxing matches (for example, the rematch between Usyk and Joshua) and the long-running status tennis tournaments in Arab countries.
The reason for this is simple – financial gain. Arab sheikhs and Middle Eastern businessmen are ready to pay huge sums for integration into the structures of elite sporting events and the opportunity to simply watch world stars. It is difficult to give an exact assessment of this, you just have to accept this fact as one of the components of the picture of the modern sports world.
Representatives from the UAE started a dialogue with the Euroleague by presenting an attractive offer to the new tournament management to change the title sponsor. Recall that thanks to the close cooperation with a major Turkish aviation company calculated until the end of the 2024/2025 season, Europe’s leading basketball tournament is now officially named “Turkish Airlines Euroleague”. Thanks to this cooperation, Euroleague earns 10 million Euros per year.
Local businessmen suggested that the next title sponsor would be Emirates Airlines, a Middle Eastern airline that has long sponsored major tournaments and individual top clubs in a variety of sports. It should be noted that in this case the name of the tournament will change little – “Emirates Airlines Euroleague”. They backed their proposal with a very heavy incentive. According to various sources, the amount of a hypothetical sponsorship contract will be around 50-60 million euros per year. That’s five or six times more than now. Euroleague took a break to think.
For the Final Four – to Asia
Besides. If the change of title sponsor doesn’t greatly impact the tournament in the eyes of casual fans, many of whom never thought about it, the next step would be much more obvious. In mid-October, media began to appear that the Emirate of Dubai and the Euroleague were seriously considering the possibility of holding a Final Four at the 17,000-seat Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Various data were given that such an option can be considered a one-time action, and also that the Arab sheikhs want to sign a contract for three last rounds in a row. And they are ready to start this season.
By the way, this alignment looked quite realistic. A short mini-tournament of two or three days seemed like a very real piece of the European basketball pie to the locals. Moreover, they were prepared to pay a very good price for it. Considering that the current Euroleague champion earns 1.5-1.8 million euros (last season Turkish “Efes” received a half and the winner of the current draw is promised 1.76 million euros), you can only guess how much a person’s income is. The winner of the tournament and the other participants would advance to the Final Four.
We can say for some time that Dubai has been one of the favorites to host the final stage of the competition, but the sensational decisions did not come. As a result, the Final Four of the 2022/2023 season was awarded to Lithuanian Kaunas, and the decisive matches of the next tournament to Berlin. Only now should Europe’s leading clubs be ready for a potential trip to the Middle East.
euroleaguebasketball.net
BC Dubai – a myth or a near reality?
If a single Final Four in Dubai sounds unusual, but fits very well into the structure of a European tournament (as evidenced by the Spanish Super Cup held in Saudi Arabia recently), then the next step in discussing the cooperation program between Euroleague and the emirate has really surprised Dubai.
In December, Spanish media reported that a basketball club could be established in Dubai to participate in the Euroleague. And its future leadership is already in full contact with the leading European basketball tournament, so that the hypothetical BC “Dubai” is included in the number of participants in the tournament.
At first glance, this idea seems like something outside the category of science fiction. In fact, in this case, the name “Euroleague” will be weakly associated with reality. There are also more mundane things like the distance from Dubai to European countries (especially to Spain, where three to five teams regularly participate in each season of the tournament), an already inflated game schedule, different time zones that will affect your comfort. time TV broadcasts etc.
However, everything again depends on finance. The club is ready to pay solid money for its participation in the Euroleague, agrees to come to a number of away games in Europe and accept any competition schedule given, and does not even mind paying airfare for home matches. Other teams participating in the tournament.
In a set of quality players, there will be no problem. You can be sure that many European basketball stars will agree to change jobs when they see their current salaries suddenly 1.5 times or doubled. And the prospect of playing in the Euroleague will not go anywhere from them. Rumor has it that representatives of the team, which has not yet been formed, are already slowly monitoring the situation, communicating with the leading basketball managers.
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Until now, I do not believe too much in the rapid implementation of such plans. However, there is no doubt that the Euroleague leadership is working in this direction. Signs of this can be found in a recent communication with European media by tournament general manager Marshall Glickman. One of the leaders of the main European club competitions talked a lot about the need to expand the Euroleague (and enough attention was paid to the possible division of the tournament into two conferences on the basis of the NBA – Western and Eastern), and the development of new basketball markets.
There is no doubt that a lucrative market like the Middle East is showing great interest in the new directorate of the tournament. However, there are many questions regarding the integration of a new geographical region into European competition. At the same time, it should be noted that generous financial investments should reasonably help their potential solution. So far it takes patience, and soon the fans of European basketball will find out whether the east wind will open the sails of the Euroleague.
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
“Kharkov Falcons” announced his return to the team Vyacheslav Kiktev.
The 23-year-old basketball player spent the first half of the season on loan at BC Zaporozhye.
As part of the Kazakhs, Kiktev was on the field for an average of 14:42 minutes per game and recorded 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds.
“Due to the huge competition for the Pinterest position, I started loaning Vyacheslav to BC Zaporozhye in the summer. We had doubts about whether Slava would get enough playing time with the Falcons this season, especially considering the fact that he averaged only 10:41 minutes per game last year, even in the Major League. Under these circumstances, the loan from BC Zaporozhye was a consistent and balanced decision, and in my opinion, it was in Vyacheslav’s best interest. Luckily, the loan club was also in the interest of Vyacheslav.” BC Zaporozhye had almost no players in the center position and we knew that our player was guaranteed to get playing time.
A number of injuries in our squad necessitated the return of Vyacheslav Kiktev to the Kharkov Falcons. Due to lack of players, we have not been able to train five-on-five for more than a month. At the same time, the recovery period of players such as Dmitry Kleban, Nikita Bezima, Dmitry Martynov has also been postponed – at the moment we do not have specific information about when these players will fully return, at least to the training process,” Valery Plekhanov commented on the transfer.
Earlier, Valery Plekhanov summarized the team’s results for 2025 and talked about the preparations for the continuation of the season.
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
The NBA sent a memo to league teams proposing stricter rules on injury reporting and betting because of federal charges in gambling cases involving current and former league officials. The purpose of the changes is to reduce the value of insider information and prevent manipulation of results.
The league is considering measures to prevent intentional losing, more frequent updating of injury reports and restrictions on betting on individual match events. Specifically, teams will be required to submit injury reports updated every 15 minutes on match day. It is also planned to expand gambling-related education programs, strengthen the protection of players and staff against pressure from bookmakers and improve the monitoring of suspicious activities.
In addition, the league plans to introduce discounts and restrictions on betting on individual player statistics, highlighting the need for greater control over the types of bets offered by bookmakers.
Macau tries to move away from casino city image
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
Nine games were played in the NBA regular season on the night of December 27-28.
“San Antonio” hosted “Utah” and suffered a sensational defeat.
Spurs had a good first quarter, during which they made a 15:2 spurt to take an 11-point lead at 30:19, but failed to build on it or at least maintain it. In the second quarter, the Jazz responded with a 25:5 attack and took the lead 62:51 with the same 11 points. Utah then kept the opponent at bay for more than 10 points until the middle of the fourth quarter, when Spurs equalized the score – 106:106, thanks to a 14:2 breakthrough. However, the home team could not achieve this success and failed at the end of the match. In the last three minutes of the game, San Antonio scored 2 points and lost them with a score of 2:11 and had a score of 114:127 throughout the match.
Svyatoslav Mikhayyuk He was in Utah’s starting five and stayed on the field for 14 minutes, during which time he scored 3 points (1/1 three-pointers), also made 1 rebound and 1 assist with 1 loss and 1 foul.
The most productive player of the match was Vembanyama, who brought 32 points to Spurs, but this did not help them achieve positive results. Jazz has 29 points from Markkanen and 28 points from George.
“Chicago” lost at home to “Milwaukee”, where Giannis Antetokounmpo returned.
The Bucks gained a minimal advantage in the first quarter and then gradually increased it, eventually winning all quarters of the match and winning with a score of 103:112.
In this game, Antetokounmpo returned to the field after his calf muscle injury and became the most productive player, scoring 29 points for Milwaukee. Portis also scored a double-double for the guest team with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
NBA. Regular season, December 28
San Antonio – Utah – 114:127 (40:32, 20:38, 27:28, 27:29)
San Antonio: Vembanyama (32 + 7 rebounds + 5 blocks), Castle (20 + 7 assists), Vassell (11), Shempeni (4), Barnes (3) – start; K. Johnson (27 + 10 rebounds), Harper (7 + 7 rebounds + 12 assists), Cornet (7 + 8 rebounds), Brian (3), Sohan (0), McLaughlin (0), Waters (0).
Utah: Markkanen (29), George (28 + 6 assists), Nurkic (16 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Sensabaugh (11), Mikhailyuk (3) – start; Clayton (17), Williams (8), Collier (7), Filippovski (6 + 6 assists), Hendricks (2).
Chicago – Milwaukee – 103:112 (26:28, 24:26, 30:31, 23:27)
Chicago: White (16 + 5 losses), Vucevic (16 + 7 rebounds), Giddy (13 + 7 rebounds + 9 assists), Okoro (10), Buzelis (8) – start; Dosunmu (11), Collins (10 + 10 rebounds), Herter (7), Smith (6 + 10 rebounds), Jones (6 + 6 assists), Williams (0).
Milwaukee: Y. Antetokounmpo (29 + 8 rebounds), Rollins (20 + 7 rebounds), Turner (13), Porter (8 + 9 assists), Green (6) – start; Portis (17 + 11 rebounds), Kuzma (12), Sims (4), G. Harris (3).
Sacramento-Dallas-113:107 (31:23, 28:21, 29:33, 25:30)
sacramento: Westbrook (21 + 9 assists), Ellis (21), Reynaud (19), DeRozan (9 + 6 assists), Achiuwa (5 + 9 rebounds) – start; Schroeder (10), McDermott (9), Clifford (8+9 rebounds), Monk (7), Cardwell (4+8 rebounds).
dallas: Flagg (23 + 5 turnovers), Washington (17 + 4 blocks), Gafford (11 + 7 rebounds), Christie (9 + 7 rebounds), Nembhard (9) – start; Thompson (14), Marshall (11), Russell (7), Hardy (5), Powell (1 + 11 rebounds), Caleb Martin (0), Cisse (0).
New Orleans – Phoenix – 114:123 (33:32, 22:33, 30:28, 29:30)
New Orleans: Murphy (24), Quinn (21 + 11 rebounds), Fiers (18 + 8 rebounds), Bay (17), McGowens (0) – start; Williamson (22), Alvarado (7), Missy (4 + 8 rebounds), Poole (1), Peavy (0).
Phoenix: Booker (20), Brooks (18), Gillespie (17 + 7 rebounds + 7 assists), O’Neal (15), Ighodaro (8 + 10 rebounds) – start; Goodwin (16 + 9 rebounds), Buey (12), Williams (10 + 8 rebounds), Fleming (5), Richards (2), Livers (0).
Orlando-Denver-127:126 (23:31, 25:31, 36:31, 43:33)
orlando: Black (38), Bane (24 + 6 assists), Carter (18 + 7 rebounds), Banchero (12 + 6 assists), Jones (0 + 6 assists) – start; da Silva (17), Kane (7), Isaac (5), Richardson (4), Penda (2), Howard (0).
Denver: Jokic (34 + 21 rebounds + 12 assists), J. Murray (24), Hardaway (20), Watson (15), Jones (14) – start; Strother (13), Valanciunas (4), B. Brown (2), Pickett (0).
Atlanta – New York – 125:128 (27:33, 28:35, 34:30, 36:30)
of Atlanta: Okongwu (31 + 14 rebounds), Johnson (20 + 9 rebounds + 12 assists), Daniels (13 + 8 rebounds + 9 assists), Young (9 + 10 assists + 5 turnovers), Risache (4) – start; Alexander-Walker (25), Newell (12), Krejci (9), Kennard (2), Guay (0).
New York: Towns (36 + 16 rebounds), Brunson (34), Anunoby (15 + 10 rebounds), Bridges (14 + 8 assists), Diawara (5) – start; McCullar (13 + 8 rebounds), Robinson (6 + 9 rebounds), Clarkson (3), Colic (2).
Miami – Indiana – 142:116 (29:28, 30:32, 39:34, 44:22)
Miami: Wiggins (28), Powell (23), Larsson (16 + 7 assists), Weir (15 + 7 rebounds), Mitchell (0) – start; Jaques (28), Jovic (19 + 7 rebounds + 7 assists), Smith (5), Yakucionis (4), Johnson (2), Fontecchio (2), Gardner (0).
indiana: Siakam (33 + 7 rebounds + 5 losses), Maturin (25 + 5 losses), Nembhard (15 + 16 assists), Huff (11), Furphy (9 + 7 rebounds) – start; Nesmith (9), Jackson (4), Walker (3), Bradley (3), Jones (2), Potter (2), Thompson (0), Peter (0).
Minnesota – Brooklyn – 107:123 (30:33, 33:29, 23:36, 21:25)
Minnesota: Edwards (28 + 7 rebounds), McDaniels (16), Randle (13 + 11 assists), DiVincenzo (11 + 6 assists), Gobert (6 + 8 rebounds) – start; Reed (13), Dillingham (7), Clark (6), Hyland (4), Juzeng (3), Beranger (0), Miller (0).
Brooklyn: Porter (27 + 10 rebounds), Claxton (14), Clowney (11), Demin (7), Menn (2) – start; Thomas (30), Wolf (11), Sharpe (10), Powell (7), Traore (4), Wilson (0).
Houston – Cleveland – 117:100 (32:24, 28:22, 30:17, 27:37)
Houston: Durant (30 + 7 assists), Smith (15 + 7 rebounds), Thompson (13 + 9 rebounds), Eason (9), Adams (9 + 8 rebounds) – start; Sheppard (18 + 8 assists + 5 steals), Okogie (8), Capela (4 + 8 rebounds), Davison (3), Green (3), Finney-Smith (3), A. Holiday (2), Tate (0).
cleveland: Mitchell (16 + 6 assists), Merrill (13), Garland (12), Wade (6), Allen (6) – starts; Tyson (23 + 15 rebounds), Proctor (7), Bryant (7 + 7 rebounds), E. Mobley (4), Hunter (2), Porter (2), Ball (2).
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
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