By Semih Tuna / buzar@eurohoops.net
Avengers – Infinity War is dominating cinemas all over the world. Being cast by talented actors, the movie matched the expectations of filmgoers and comic book fans.
And in European basketball, the EuroLeague “Avengers” are back! You might remember the 2015 version but unfortunately and unlike Marvel studios, we had to recast!
Along with the reigning champs Fenerbahce Dogus, CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid and Zalgiris Kaunas will fight in the Infinity War of the European basketball and they will all try to raise the EuroLeague trophy of 2018 in their hands.
While making our choices, we took into consideration the similarities between the basketball stars and superheroes. Moreover, we came to a point of writing an appropriate story for the superhero universe. Still, we would be glad to hear your take in a crossover between the Earth’s mightiest heroes and the EuroLeague’s top stars!
And if you have not seen the movie yet, don’t worry! This article is spoiler free. But enough with the prologue. It’s time to meet the EuroLeague Avengers!
Captain America – Nando De Colo
CSKA Moscow‘s leader is also Eurohoops’s Avengers’ leader! Being one of the best players of this season and considered as the MVP for many, Nando De Colo is similar to Captain America in so many aspects. Talking about his “transformation”, Captain American acquired superpowers after a military experiment.
The French guard was also a really good player, but he started dominating European basketball right after coming back from the NBA and the States. Just like the fact that Captain America was the leader of an army, De Colo is the leader of the “Army Team.” Furthermore, they both are always cool and never give up even when things go downhill. We saw Captain America taking initiatives without hesitation in the battleground many times. De Colo, also, is not afraid of taking responsibility.
Ironman – Jan Vesely
A song from AC/DC, some brilliant lights, an amazing visual greatness and a flying Ironman taking the stage with incredible moves! That is a common scene in all Iron Man and Avengers movies. Just close your eyes for a single moment and try to imagine a basketball player doing all these things: It is simply impossible to think anybody else than Jan Vesely! There are innumerous similarities between Fenerbahce Dogus’s Czech big man and Iron Man.
Let us start with the easiest one: They both can fly wherever they want! They are both larger than life and reluctant leaders, being emotional and ready to act. There is no denying a simple fact: The better Vesely is, the more intense game and atmosphere the reigning champs have.
And plus, they both enjoy it! Iron Man never stops talking while beating bad guys and he does not shy away from joking. Vesely, as well, enjoys what he does on the court and he is not quiet at all. Imagine him screaming gloriously after a thunderous dunk, greeting his friends on the courtside or joking around his teammates on the bench and you’ll find out that we are right.
Spiderman – Luka Doncic
The youngest and also the most sympathetic and amusing member of the Avengers. Having joined Avengers family in the Civil War, this renovated Spiderman had become the new fan favorite. He is a bit immature and also an entertaining character. It is not hard at all to choose the youngest and most sympathetic guy of the European basketball for this role. Having a fascinating season in Real Madrid, Luka Doncic is the Spiderman in our Infinity War!
Peter Parker need to be bitten by a spider in order to gain superpowers. Luka Doncic was bitten by the basketball bug at an early age and his skills are supernatural. And in both cases with great powers, comes great responsibility as Doncic is leading Real Madrid to greatness.
Furthermore, Doncic’s ever-smiling face and sometimes childish manners make him even more sympathetic. Most of the time, he is the guy to be impressed by his own success. Just like the Spiderman, who sees the other superheroes in the battleground and cannot hide his astonishment!
Real Madrid has suffered many injuries and difficulties during the season, but they never fell into desperation as they had their own superhero in Luka Doncic. Now, they are moving onwards to the biggest fight of the season and Luka’s web is ready to attract even NBA teams.
Vision – Edgaras Ulanovas
Zalgiris Kaunas is having a historical season that included a superior game against a powerhouse like Olympiacos to clinch a spot in the Final Four in Belgrade. One of the main reasons for this success is Edgaras Ulanovas. What about his doppelganger in the Avengers? Of course, the Vision!
Like the vision, he never really shows emotion and while nobody really knows much about him, he is one of the most devastating powers on the basketball court. Like Vision, he seems to be created with the sole purpose of being unstoppable and that includes so far not only him, but also Zalgiris Kaunas.
And while he keeps himself in check, he can explode in a Vision-like burst of energy in order to get the job done. Versatile and powerful, he is a lethal combination.
Doctor Strange – Kostas Sloukas
While thinking about the doppelganger of Doctor Strange in the basketball world, who can control time and has mystical powers, we tried to find someone who can predict where other players are even before they arrive and feed them with great assists.
Well, it doesn’t get much more similar than this to control the time on the basketball court and Kostas Sloukas is our man.
Doctor Strange was an accomplished surgeon before turning into a superhero. However, a car accident changed his life forever. Sloukas had to also change his life when he left Olympiacos after winning two EuroLeague titles, he went to the East and joined Fenerbahce, opening a portal to a whole new perception of basketball reality. Since then he won one more title, got to play in three more Final Fours and his mystical powers are still growing.
Falcon – Will Clyburn
Falcon is the best friend of Captain America. He has always been known as a sidekick, ready to take Cap’s mantle, as it happened in the comics.
Naturally, we should have a Falcon close to our Captain America, Nando De Colo. Accordingly, our Falcon is Will Clyburn, who has had a great season and emerged as one of the high-flying stars of the league.
Clyburn may not have wings like Falcon has, but his high-level athletic abilities allows him to fly all over the court and make plays above the rim. CSKA Moscow will need its Falcon, along with Captain America, to perform at a really high level, if they want to add another cup to their collection.
Thor – Kevin Pangos
At first sight, it might be difficult for you to find any similarity between Zalgiris Kaunas’s 1.88 point guard and Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder. But let us make our case.
Taking his power from the lightning, Thor is also the son of the Allfather Odin. And now imagine Sarunas Jasikevicius as Odin, one of the greatest legends of Lithuanian basketball who is climbing the steps with an unstoppable determination on his way to becoming a great coach.
And while Saras is on his throne – or bench if you prefer – his “son”, Kevin Pangos, is doing his damage on the battlefield of the court. Plus there’s a lot of rain and lighting in Kaunas. Thor’s hammer can be sent wherever Thor wants and strike down his enemies with precision. The ball leaves Pangos’ hands and gets precisely where he wants it to be, letting his teammates finish their plays with thunderous dunks!
Plus, Pangos might look good with a beard…
Hulk – Gustavo Ayon
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Bruce Banner was exposed by accident to Gamma Radiation, turning himself to the Hulk, an unstoppable force of nature. And in the paint, Gustavo Ayon simply can’t be stopped.
Just like the Hulk, he is pretty strong and very few opponents can block his way. Even slowing him down is extremely difficult as he can play both post-up and pick-and-roll. That is why he is one of the most productive players of a powerhouse like Real Madrid.
Hulk and Ayon also have one more thing in common: Hulk had left Earth in the aftermath of the Avengers’ battle with Ultron and he learned how to be a warrior in space, making a re-appearance when nobody expecting him to. Having a long-lasting injury during the season, Ayon came back in the most heated moment, right before the playoffs and he played a critical role for his team in getting the ticket to Belgrade.
If Madrid wants to win the title, they will be looking forward for Ayon to transform into a Hulk once again.
War Machine – Kyle Hines
War Machine has been raised as a combat pilot, but after meeting the Ironman, he also became a superhero. And while Kyle Hines can be also qualified as Ironman, missing during his career very few games, he is our War Machine for a reason.
Kyle Hines is a real soldier just like the War Machine. He has been competing at the highest level of European basketball for years as he never lost a step. He is ready to whatever it takes for his team to win. Hines has been assigned several tasks throughout all these years, and he has performed them perfectly, which led three EuroLeague titles and the Best Defender of the season trophy. In spite of his undersized body, he never backs down against much taller players and won nearly all the battles around the rim.
War Machine is not only a soldier but also an engineer and a pilot. Kyle Hines is also a great rebounder, he finishes the pick-and-rolls and a specialist in the defensive end. And like a real War Machine, he promised to be part of the Final Four.