By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following Svetislav Pesic saying that ELPA’s managing director Bostjan Nachbar “is not normal” and Euroleague Basketball opening disciplinary proceedings against the FC Barcelona head coach for his words against the EuroLeague Players Association, ELPA reassured via a statement posted on Twitter that it remains united.
Referring to Pesic, the Players Association noted, “We realize that at times we will meet individuals who will not fully understand or agree with our initiatives,” to add, “We will continue to engage in collective discussions with Euroleague Basketball and clubs about improving players’ careers and overall basketball product.”
Additionally, ELPA clarified that “Our goals keep us motivated to keep working hard on and off the court.”
The statement is a product of talks with the ELPA player representatives, and they have decided not to directly name Pesic because the goal was not to have a debate with him but to demonstrate their unity going forward.
The players want changes to happen in the EuroLeague, and they know that there will be obstacles down the road to achieve their goal. The “Pesic incident” can be considered just a public display of those kinds of barriers, which in some cases have to do with the dominant mentalities in European basketball.