Ambitious Hapoel Tel Aviv president Ofer Yanai gave a long and insightful interview to TeleSport, discussing the future of the EuroLeague and the high-profile signing of Vasilije Micic. Here are some key takeaways:
On the state of European basketball:
“My problem is that I’m a very smart person, and I see and understand things before others. European basketball will disappear in the next few years if there is no change. The pressure coming from Japan, the U.S. college system, and the NBA is destroying it.
The only way to save it is to expand the borders, bring in more teams, and solve the conflict between domestic competitions and the EuroLeague. The league also needs to generate more revenue — the current figures are ridiculous.”
His vision for the EuroLeague:
“I believe the league should consist of 24 to 30 teams, with a licensing system that can be modified. If some teams fail to deliver results for years and fall behind the rest, there should be a mechanism to replace them.
Domestic leagues should become development leagues to promote young talent. We need something like the NBA system with two-way contracts.
We’ll try that already this season: since we’re forced to play in Sofia, some players will compete in the EuroLeague, others in the domestic league. The rotation will depend on the team’s needs.”
On the deal with Vasilije Micic:
“Does anyone really think other clubs offered less? Everyone offered the same money. The only difference is, we gave him shares in the club.
In my opinion, Vasa is the best player in Europe. A player with that kind of reputation shouldn’t have just the status of a regular player.
If Hapoel becomes a permanent EuroLeague member, the club’s value will increase dramatically. And if the NBA comes to Europe, the value could go up 10, 15, even 50 times.
Vasa is also a businessman, a very smart person. He understood that. Real Madrid would never offer shares to a player. Neither would Fenerbahce. But we did, because we have a different perception of ownership.”
On the transfer market:
Yanai also revealed that the team is looking for a power forward with three-point range.
“Imagine a player like that alongside Micic, Blakeney, and Bryant on the perimeter, and Motley or Oturu inside — how do you stop a team like that? There’s no way to do it…”
Among the missed targets, he listed Chris Jones, Davis Bertans, and Jabari Parker. He also clarified that Lonnie Walker IV was only considered as an alternative to Micic and is no longer on the club’s radar.
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