NBA, HERE WE COME.
29 April 2009
Recently we played a Euroleague game in Belgrade in front of 22,000 frantic fans. European basketball is getting big. And not just big – it’s getting better every year, with major talents rising in every team.
European players have become top athletes; they’re quicker, jump higher, run faster and yet they’ve maintained their typical European team style. They can still open up a game with smart passes, and they still look for the open man.
So what has caused this giant leap in quality? Well, first of all, the simple fact that the European fan base has massively grown over the years and games are now televised all over the continent. This has made European Basketball more professional – allowing players and teams to evolve.
This increased level of professionalism can also be seen in the high standard of referees. The European game is one of the toughest games to ref because of the high level of contact. Just ten years ago it was very hard to win away games, especially in some hot spots. But our refs just kept getting better and better. Nowadays, if you play hard and smart, you have a fair chance of winning abroad - no matter how hot the crowd.
And finally, THE GAME IS GETTING GLOBAL. Twenty years ago, European teams only had two foreigners and most of the time, they were unknown Americans. Today, we see American stars in the Euroleague and an increasing number of European top players in the NBA. Although the greatest superstars are still from the US, there’s new talent from all over the world waiting to take over.
The European fans, still love the great NBA stars but they also get more and more excited by the intensity and the drama involved in most of our games. The distance between us and the magic world of the NBA is still there but, believe me, we're closing in - fast.
Ettore Messina
European players have become top athletes; they’re quicker, jump higher, run faster and yet they’ve maintained their typical European team style. They can still open up a game with smart passes, and they still look for the open man.
So what has caused this giant leap in quality? Well, first of all, the simple fact that the European fan base has massively grown over the years and games are now televised all over the continent. This has made European Basketball more professional – allowing players and teams to evolve.
This increased level of professionalism can also be seen in the high standard of referees. The European game is one of the toughest games to ref because of the high level of contact. Just ten years ago it was very hard to win away games, especially in some hot spots. But our refs just kept getting better and better. Nowadays, if you play hard and smart, you have a fair chance of winning abroad - no matter how hot the crowd.
And finally, THE GAME IS GETTING GLOBAL. Twenty years ago, European teams only had two foreigners and most of the time, they were unknown Americans. Today, we see American stars in the Euroleague and an increasing number of European top players in the NBA. Although the greatest superstars are still from the US, there’s new talent from all over the world waiting to take over.
The European fans, still love the great NBA stars but they also get more and more excited by the intensity and the drama involved in most of our games. The distance between us and the magic world of the NBA is still there but, believe me, we're closing in - fast.
Ettore Messina
CHANGE REGION
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