By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The opening press conference of the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four Abu Dhabi stretched from Euroleague25 panels to the head coaches and players of the four remaining contenders.
Following up on the comments of the Partizan Mozzart Bet head coach, Zeljko Obradovic, the player-callers of AS Monaco, Fenerbahce Beko, Olympiacos, and Panathinaikos Aktor were asked about the NBA Europe plans but opted to focus on helping their respective sides to succeed in the championship-crowning tournament.
“EuroLeague in these 25 years, improved. In my opinion, the competition and basketball played in the EuroLeague are much better than the NBA, right now. For many people in Europe, they stopped following the NBA, but are following EuroLeague,” noted the boss of the Greens, Ergin Ataman.
“I don’t care too much to win, to complete a back-to-back. I’m proud to win in the last three Final Fours that I participated in over the last four years,” the three-time EuroLeague champion noted on the upcoming challenge in Etihad Arena, “We are here to defend our title that we won last year.”
“I’m sure that my team is ready to fight, ready to win, and I’m sure we will win one more EuroLeague title, like last year,” added Ataman.
The leading player of the defending champions, Kendrick Nunn, represented the players of Panathinaikos in Louvre Auditorium.
“I don’t believe in pressure. I let my work speak, and prepare the right way. Honestly, last year, if you ask me, I felt like I was the MVP then, but it’s a team sport,” the 29-year-old guard referred to a bid for a back-to-back title and recently being named Most Valuable Player of the 2024-25 season.
In a rematch of the Semifinals of last year’s Final Four in Berlin, Fener will face Ataman’s side on Friday.
“I hope a lot is different from Berlin. I hope we can start the game on time. I hope we can have a better start,” said Sarunas Jasikevicius, the head coach of Fenerbahce, “Just basically make it a little bit more simple and play a better game.”
“It’s more difficult for my kids”
On the opposite side of the bracket, Olympiacos takes on Monaco and team legend Vassilis Spanoulis serving as the head coach of La Roca Team.
“It’s a game for 40 minutes. Everybody will fight for their team. My feelings and my love for this organization and this club are undeniable and will be forever, but for 40 minutes, which is not easy, we will be opponents,” stressed Spanoulis, “It’s more difficult for my kids who will support Olympiacos or Monaco. They are with their daddy.”
“It’s always important to participate in such a great event for European basketball. Being here with Olympiacos four times in a row, it’s something amazing for our club. But sometimes it’s not enough. Winning the trophy is the target, the goal for everybody here, and us also,” said his former boss and play-caller of the Reds, Giorgos Bartzokas, “Let’s hope we have more luck this year.”
“I’m blessed to be back, to play important games, to be here fighting for the trophy,” Sasha Vezenkov talked about returning to Europe after one year in the NBA and setting his sights on a EuroLeague championship with Olympiacos, “We’re ready.”
“I came to Monaco, at a team that was picked to finish last, but we’ve been to two Final Fours in four years. Hopefully, we can continue to grow, and I can win eventually,” said Monaco’s Mike James, a fellow former MVP seeking his first EuroLeague title.
Leading into the press conference, two panels featuring Euroleague Basketball president Dejan Bodiroga and CEO Paulius Motiejunas, alongside Marko Pesic, Maurizio Gherardini, Zeljko Obradovic, Kyle Hines, and Nando de Colo, discussing the 25th anniversary of Europe’s premier club continental competition.