By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Vujcic won EuroLeague twice with Maccabi Tel Aviv during his playing career and has been serving as the team’ manager since 2013.
He talked about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak including what impact it will have on the player’s salaries: “In situations like this, all options are open and all options are on the table. But there is no clear decision to be made until we know all the facts,” Vujcic told Sport5 and noted it’s a fast-changing situation. “We are all discussing. It’s a global thing that everybody is discussing internally, trying to think of different options. But so many things change daily. We are talking about something that is changed within an hour because of a different situation. Also, we are a EuroLeague team that plays with clubs from ten different countries and every one of them has its own situation. So much is unknown to make any decisions.”
Maccabi has been one of the teams which allowed its players to leave home. The GM confirmed Scottie Wilbekin stayed and showed understanding for both choices: “A few players left, a few stayed. We gave them the opportunity to choose, how they will feel better in this situation. Some of them wanted to go with their family back home, some of them felt safer to stay here. We respected both decisions.”
A lot of basketball fans and people still active in the sport are re-watching videos of old and memorable moments. Nikola Vujcic is no exception and he revealed his favorite: “My best basketball moment is Derrick Sharp’s shot. Every other shot after that one was a consequence of that shot. If he didn’t make that shot, we wouldn’t go to the Final Four and continue the dynasty. I always tell Derrick when I see him, I kiss him and say ‘Thank you, this is my favorite moment in my career’.”