By Nikos Varlas / varlas@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops sat down with Fenerbahce general manager Maurizio Gherardini, who talked about how the game is globally changing; European players’ impact in the NBA, as well as the future of EuroLeague in front of such a ‘globalized’ NBA world today.
“In your dreams, you were hoping one day there would be such a great impact from international players [in the NBA]. You would have never thought last year’s MVP would be Greek,” Gherardini told Eurohoops. “And this year, the same Greek Freak is fighting with Luka [Doncic] and people start making comparisons. If we talked about these comparisons 2-3 years ago, people would think that we’re probably crazy. There is no doubt that international basketball has a major impact on NBA clubs”.
“EuroLeague is a league that forms talented players for the next step”, Fenerbahce‘s GM admitted, using Luka Doncic’s example. There has been plenty of doubt with him coming to the NBA after winning a EuroLeague MVP award, but the reality, as Gherardini mentions, is that he was truly one of the best young players in the world. “Watching European players dominating the game is a very exciting feeling for sure”, he adds.
Gherardini also referred to how clubs have to come together and help in EuroLeague’s sustainability as the league keeps growing.
“EuroLeague is growing fast. All indicators are signs of optimism for the growth in the league. The new format has been a success because it has brought a lot more balance and unpredictability. More teams are investing”.
Check out the rest of the interview in the video that follows: