By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Goran Sasic, the executive director of the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board (EHCB), visited Athens and on Thursday attended the game between Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce.
He also talked to Nova TV, the Greek EuroLeague rights holders, about the story of the week, which is, of course, the talks between the NBA and EuroLeague.
Speaking about a potential agreement between the two sides, Sasic said: “I always say I don’t believe anything until I see the shareholders raising their hands and giving a vote, or until I read a press release. So until there’s something definite, there’s nothing to discuss. Everyone has been asking this question about the NBA for the last two years, but nobody has said anything concrete. So the moment that something concrete comes up, we can discuss it, and I always say the best thing would be a compromise: all of them sitting at one table and finding that compromise. But if that can’t be found, you have to remember that EuroLeague now enters its 27th season.”
However, according to Sasic, the two organizations and their mentality on the game are miles apart: “For me, the NBA is another type of basketball with another type of emphasis. There, it’s a lot about entertainment, and here it’s about devotion. The slogan of the EuroLeague used to be, for many decades, devotion, and there it’s about asset management; it’s much more business-oriented. Here it’s about the attachment the fans have to their clubs. So, it’s totally different worlds. So again, this is for the EuroLeague owners to decide which avenue they want to go.”
It was also a special day for Panathinaikos, since EuroLeague president and club legend Dejan Bodiroga visited the arena after his banner was restored, with Sasic adding: “It’s the first time that Dejan Bodiroga, Zeljko Obradovic, Dimitris Diamantidis, and Mike Batiste are here again, and we have only coach Obradovic and Despoina Giannakopoulos in the same roles. So I think that her late husband, Pavlos (ed.note: the Giannakopoulos family has owned Panathinaikos for decades), will be smiling from heaven. For me, that’s the meaning of this day.”
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