By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Whilst it was once a sport exclusively associated with America, basketball in Europe is quickly becoming one of the most followed, most exciting sports. Without question, the Euroleague has played an enormous role in this.
Originally founded back in 1957, it has been steadily growing in popularity ever since, and has attracted some of the biggest names in the history of the sport. Today, many consider it to be the ultimate professional men’s basketball sport in all of Europe.
Whilst it has been Real Madrid who have enjoyed the most victories in the league, this season has, thus far, not exactly gone to plan. Instead, it is Panathinaikos who have gotten off to a flying start, but can they continue this momentum, and can anyone challenge them? Let’s explore the bookmaker Betfree.ie current Euroleague odds.
Panathinaikos Current Favourites
As of this writing, Panathinaikos are the current favourites with the bookmakers, by quite a clear margin.
Ladbrokes currently have them at 14/5, whereas William Hill are offering odds of 3/1. When you consider the quality of the team, and their list of accomplishments, that is hardly surprising. Serbian coach Zeljko Obradovic is one of the most decorated in the game today, and with the quality the Greek powerhouses have been displaying this season, it’s easy to understand why that is.
Shooting Guard Kendrick Nunn has been outstanding, averaging more than 20 points per game, coupled with 3.3 assists. With Mathias Lessort also averaging a score of more than 12.6 points per game, these two talismans have been instrumental in the team’s success thus far. With the team comfortably sitting atop the regular season standings, they are most certainly the ones to beat.
Olympiacos Piling on the Pressure
From one Greek juggernaut to another, we of course cannot count out last season’s winners Olympiacos.
When they defeated bitter rivals Fenerbahce SK, along with the most successful team in the league’s history, Real Madrid, fans went absolutely ballistic with excitement, and rightfully so. That victory ended a 13-year European title drought and once again brought silverware to the team. They may have started the season as favourites, but recently they have slipped somewhat, and this is reflected in their odds.
Currently, if you fancy last season’s champs with William Hill, you’ll enjoy odds of 10/3, whereas Ladbrokes will give you 3/1 odds.
Olympiacos do have a couple of secret weapons up their sleeves however, in the form of Forward Sasha Vezenkov and Guard Jean Montero. Earlier this month, Vezenkov was able to surpass team legend Vassilis Spanoulis to become the team’s all-time leading scorer in the Euroleague. He has looked unreal. Jean Montero is not far behind either, having shot over 93% from the free-throw line. With these two firing on all cylinders, two Euroleague titles on the bounce is not out of the question.
Fenerbahce SK Still in the Running
Last season, Fenerbahce had to suffer the pain and humiliation of not only losing out on back-to-back Euroleague titles, but also losing out to fierce rivals Olympiacos, who also dispatched them comfortably in the semis.
Despite last season’s woes, they’re certainly not out of the running just yet, and they have a number of key figures for thank for this. Shane Larkin, who recently signed on a two-year deal, is performing well thus far, with an average of around 6.3 points and 2.3 assists per game.
It is Forward Shavon Shields, though, that currently leads in terms of both scoring, and rebounding. With an average of 11.6 points per game, coupled with 4.9 rebounds per game, he’s arguably in the form of his career, and that is saying something.
If you feel that the most successful basketball team in Turkish history can add another Euroleague title their list of achievements, you’ll get odds of 9/1 with Ladbrokes, and 8/1 with William Hill.
Real Madrid Outsiders
Finally, at 9/1 with Ladbrokes, and 15/2 with William Hill, we have Real Madrid.
Now, Real Madrid are the most decorated team in the history of the Euroleague. No team has accomplished more than them, and it’s not even close.
Real have 11 Euroleague titles as of this writing, though many believe that their glory days are now behind them, though Pedro Martinez will certainly have something to say about that, as he looks to take the team back to winning ways.
Real’s last Euroleague title came back in the 2022/23, and since then, they have struggled to regain their spark. Victory in Europe, though, is not yet out of the question in their quest for 12 titles.
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