Former EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu gave an in-depth interview to Roberto De Ponti for Corriere della Sera. Here are five key takeaways.<\/p>\n
ON FIBA<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFIBA only got involved because, after 25 years, it now has a chance to wipe out the EuroLeague. They don\u2019t need to do anything \u2014 just wait and see what happens. FIBA is not the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n ON TODAY\u2019S EUROLEAGUE<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like to say it, but it\u2019s true that in the last three years EuroLeague has had two CEOs, after 22 years with just one. And it\u2019s also true that no one really understands the league\u2019s direction anymore. It\u2019s obvious to everyone that there are internal struggles between the clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n ON THE NBA<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe NBA smelled blood and saw the chance to take advantage. EuroLeague\u2019s weakness and lack of vision created the conditions for someone to step in. Just five years ago, such a scenario would have been unthinkable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOther risks. First: I\u2019m not sure all of today\u2019s EuroLeague teams are of interest to the NBA. The Balkans, Greece, Turkey \u2014 are we really willing to lose their passion? Second: the NBA\u2019s presence in Europe would turn the league into a development tool for the U.S. In Africa, the NBA arrived years ago, but nobody talks about it. The movement hasn\u2019t grown, yet Americans now control all the talent on the continent. The same would happen in Europe. European talent is already heading to the NBA \u2014 and many come back, too. The fact that MVPs in the U.S. are almost always European says a lot about the NBA\u2019s real interest in our basketball. They want control.\u201d<\/p>\n ON THE FINAL FOUR IN THE EMIRATES<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNo. Let me be clear: I\u2019m not against opening up to the Middle East, because everyone is doing it, and that\u2019s where the money is. But look at what others are doing. Football plays finals of minor tournaments there \u2014 Cups or Super Cups. They don\u2019t take the league finals there. Bringing the EuroLeague Final Four to the Gulf is extremely risky: it might be great for business, but the true value of the Final Four isn\u2019t in the business \u2014 it\u2019s in the experience. It\u2019s a celebration. The fans create a unique atmosphere. Even in the U.S., they admire that. Moving the most important moment of the season far away from our fans \u2014 our clients \u2014 is a serious risk.\u201d<\/p>\n Source: Corriere della Sera<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Former EuroLeague CEO Jordi Bertomeu gave an in-depth interview to Roberto De Ponti for Corriere della Sera<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":276366,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_spbk_hide_featured":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[199,399],"tags":[],"rumors":[],"typology":[],"posizionamento":[],"class_list":["post-438257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-euroleague","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n