By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The future of European basketball, including the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and NBA Europe plans, is expected to remain a key topic over the next months.
Experienced tactician and recently-crowned BKT EuroCup champion with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv, Dimitris Itoudis, also the president of the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board, pointed to the pairing of traits of the EuroLeague and the NBA.
“Professional basketball at the EuroLeague and NBA level has led to serious investments, where everyone wants to know the clear profit or loss. Three-year or five-year plans are a facilitating circumstance to clearly understand who wants to do what,” he underlined in an interview with Basketball Sphere.
“The model I have in mind is for the EuroLeague to expand. We are at a point where we are mature enough to expand the competition to 20, 22, or 24 teams in the coming years. To play more games without losing the competitive interest of domestic championships,” the 54-year-old coach shared his opinion, “I have ideas and arguments that I could bring to the table as the president of the EuroLeague Coaches Association and as an active coach with rich experience.”
“Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic have left a huge impact in the NBA, and that’s confirmation that Europe produces a lot of talent and great players. We can learn how to combine knowledge and experience from both the NBA and EuroLeague,” added Itoudis, “There are serious people ready to invest finances and knowledge to help expand the EuroLeague, ensuring stability and growth in the years to come.”