By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Patty Mills moving for the yellow of the Australian national team to the yellow of La Laguna Tenerife, alongside the move of Jabari Parker to Final Four hosts Joventut Badalona give not just extra spice to the Basketball Champions League but create global headlines.
While you may argue that Parker’s move to Europe is old news, the fact that a former no2 of the NBA draft is part of the competition is not a small thing.
After all, Parker is still a well-known name in the US and his presence can create a lot of buzz, specially if he makes it to the Final Four.
The same can be said for Mills, who on top of his NBA presence, is an Australian legend, making the basketball crowd from Down under to keep an eye in the competition.
In his new team he will join forces with eternal Marcelinho Huertas, a BCL icon who has also left his mark in the global basketball scene, not only with his career in Europe and his feats with the Brazilian national team, but also by being a former Laker.
However, Marcelinho was so far an exception, arguably the only player which such a resume who was part of the Basketball Champions League.
The two recent additions of Parker and Mills change all this drastically and give to the competition two stars which can be global ambassadors for the BCL.
And if they both make it to the Final Four in Badalona, then the spotlight will be on from Australia to the US for the event.