Nike Basketball News

It all comes down to details.

nikebasketball_emea — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:40:23 GMT

The moment has come. Four massive teams. A world-beating battle. But this time, more than ever, it’s the little things that will make the difference.

Little things, like being that nano-second faster to the rim, gaining that one extra inch of air, earning the psychological edge by analysing your opponent’s offensive plays.

These are the details we’ve all been working on for weeks – preparing our players for every possible scenario; thoroughly outlining our opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.

It’s a tough time for the players. They want to perform in the national league but they don’t want to risk getting injured right before the greatest moment of their season.

That’s why I need them to focus on the game only, so I have to find that delicate balance they need to be confident, but not too relaxed. And to be excited, but not nervous.

The team most capable of eliminating even the tiniest of distractions will have the greatest chance of winning. I can give my players all I can - but once they’re on the court, it's up to them.

I don’t know what will happen, how we will play, or even if we will win. But this I do know: I won’t miss a single detail that can help make us first in Europe.

Ettore Messina

Playing the big games

nikebasketball_emea — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:22:35 GMT

Here we go – the final four. The stakes are higher. The game is different. But the objective is still the same: winning.

We’re always the team everyone wants to beat, so we’ve learned to take every game seriously - no matter who we’re playing against. At the final four we’ll meet the best teams in Europe. And we’ll meet them on a night they’re most eager to crush us. But we’re used to that, our opponents are always coming at us armed to the teeth.

You can’t worry about high stakes or rivalry during the game. Once you allow these thoughts to takeover your mind, you’ll lose focus of what the team’s supposed to do. You lose focus of your defensive assignment or that cut you’re supposed to make on offence. You should always focus on winning; let the fans worry about rivalry.

At the final four, we’ll take the teams as they come. It’s not about who we’re playing - all the teams are tough and experienced. It’s about what you want to achieve. If you want to be the best, you have to play the best - and beat them.

NO PRESSURE

nikebasketball_emea — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:00:04 GMT

This is it - the final chapter of the season, the Final Four. The pressure’s breathing down your neck - but you can’t let it take control. Any distractions will only damage your game.

I’ve been in this situation for the last seven years, so it’s easy for me to say. But it’s true; it’s not about the pressure. It’s about the team that performs best - the team that manages to stick to their play, because that’s what brought them to the finals in the first place.

There’s only one way to do this: work even harder, get into the best possible shape and prepare your team for any situation. Make sure you know how to react when you’re down ten points in the final, or whether to shoot or to pass with just seconds left on the shot clock.

Finals will always bring high expectations. There will always be that immense pressure, but in the end results aren’t decided by outside pressure - they’re decided by the team.

Theo

NBA, HERE WE COME.

nikebasketball_emea — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:15:53 GMT

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

Prepare for the big one

nikebasketball_emea — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:26:44 GMT

It’s all falling into place now – in just a few weeks time we’re performing on the stage we’ve worked so hard for all year - the Final Four in Berlin.

The whole team is excited, but we know we’ve got more to accomplish. Getting there wasn’t our only goal – we want to go the there and win. So this month we’re going to be playing hard and preparing ourselves for that week in Berlin, because we know it didn’t come easy.

The team had some difficult games halfway through the season – little things like injuries and rhythm can make a big difference in a team. And I should know, I struggled with my share of ‘little things’ at the beginning of 2009.

But all that is just being human. Everybody has their ups and downs and it’s 90% psychological. It all comes down to coping with it, keeping confidence, sticking to your game and limiting your mistakes.

Players like Theo Papaloukas are therefore essential to our team - both on and off the court. This guy has seen it all, he’s playing his seventh Final Four in a row and won it three times.

Younger players like myself ask him loads of questions to find out what to expect. But you can ask an experienced player all you want - in the end you have to focus on your own game and expect the unexpected.

Ricky Rubio: Signature Moves

nikebasketball_emea — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:28:05 GMT

Watch and learn from Europe’s most exciting up and coming talent and see for yourself why scouts are comparing him with all-time hoop legends. Check out Ricky’s take on the Wrap around, the No look pass and the Euro step and learn how to add his moves to your game.

Hyperdunk now available for customization

nikebasketball_emea — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:18:22 GMT

Josh Childress was the first player in Europe to wear his customized Hyperdunks on court on Tuesday, March 31st in the Euroleague Quarter Finals.

In 2008 the Hyperdunk took the world by storm. The Hyperdunk is a super light, yet durable Basketball shoe with Flywire technology and Lunarlite foam. Flywire, inspired by suspension bridge design is a lightweight support system. The Flywire technology has 5 times the strength of steel.

In April 2009 the Hyperdunk will be available to consumers for customization on www.nikeid.com for the first time.

Josh Childress was the first European based Nike athlete to wear his own customized Hyperdunks on his way to Final Four. Native Californian and former Atlanta Hawk, Childress is playing his first season in Europe for Olympiacos. On Thursday April 2nd, his team has the chance to secure their spot for Final Four. Childress personalized Hyperdunks are inspired by his favorite colours red and sky blue and represent his Olympiacos jersey. The logo on the tongue, which was specifically designed for him, shows his profile consisting of the letters, ‘J’ and ‘C’.

From March 30th through April 16th consumers will get the chance to follow Childress’ inspiration and create their own customized Hyperdunks on www.nikeid.com.
The campaign - “Be True. Be colorful. Be in Berlin” – allows consumers to support their favorite athletes on their way to Final Four in Berlin by creating a design for one of the following 8 athletes: Papaloukas (Olympiacos), Spanoulis (Panathinaikos), Splitter (Tau Ceramica), Juan Carlos Navarro (FC Barcelona), Llull (Real Madrid), Stonerook (Montepaschi Siena), Khrypa (CSKA Moscow), Vesley (Partizan, Belgrade). The winning design, chosen by the athletes, will be worn on court in Berlin.

>> Create your legacy

Superstar Material

nikebasketball_emea — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:19:49 GMT

Last time I discussed the importance of a superstar in your formation. But how do we get a star on board if we can’t afford one? Easy – recognize his skills before anyone else does.

What exactly makes a superstar? First of all: talent. One way of identifying talent is to check the statistics. But stats aren’t everything; lots of players fool us by playing great against weaker teams.

So, what you should be looking for are flashes of brilliance in the games that matter - match-winning shots in the playoffs, and plot twisting steals in the dying seconds of the finals. After all, it’s moments like these that win competitions.

Besides being brilliant, our potential superstar should also constantly improve his game. Although I believe every player should always work hard to boost his skills, regardless of his talent or age, this is especially relevant to a star. It’s what turns a great talent into a truly great player.

This of course, all comes down to mentality. The most talented player often tends to be the laziest - it all comes natural to him. He doesn’t have to work that hard to keep up with the rest. But ‘keeping up’ shouldn’t be his goal here. Beating everyone on his path and constantly evolving as a player, that should be his goal.

Only then will the long journey take him from the playground to the very top of the international basketball stage.

Coach Messina

Be true. Be colourful. Be in Berlin.

nikebasketball_emea — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:56:45 GMT

Create your legacy: Design game shoes for one of these ballers on their road to reach the Final Four in Berlin from May 1-3.

How? Very easily: Choose your favourite Final Four athlete Papaloukas, Splitter, Navarro, Khrypa, Stonerook, Llull, Spanoulis, Vesley. Then, design your game shoe for him and tell everyone you know to vote for your design. You can also send your design to a friend or download the widget and place them on your personal profile on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Google etc. Spread the word and become invincible! Your catch? A Meet & Greet with the Final Four athletes and an unforgettable day in Berlin where you will have all access to the Final Four games.

>> Click here to start designing!

The little differences

nikebasketball_emea — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:52:14 GMT

Every baller knows Europe and the States play a different game. But can anyone define what sets them apart? Josh can.

Born smaller, play taller.

nikebasketball_emea — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:00:45 GMT

The thing I love about this game is the way something that can seem like a disadvantage at first can turn out to be the best thing that can happen. For me, recognising this is the key to becoming a better player.

For example: as a junior I was not the tallest player at my club. At first, this frustrated me as I wanted to spend all my time scoring. In the end, this turned out great for my game because it meant in the team I was trained as a point guard. But when I played with my shorter friends I was always under the basket. So I learned to see the game from all sides.

Or take the Athens 36˚ C summer heat: when it was too hot to train it was an extra incentive to get my schoolwork done to leave the cooler hours free for basketball. So I’d still get to train 6-7 hours outside my house – and my parents couldn’t complain about my school work suffering.

Keeping your brain alert is important, because basketball is a mental as well as physical game. You can try to visualize a game when you are at home. Imagine how an upcoming game will go, how you will move, how your opponents are going to react.

As a developing player I also tried to copy the moves of the players I admired - if you can copy a move that a player had spent all his time on to develop, you can save a lot of time and energy. Even now there are still players that I watch closely, players that do some things better than me. I still try to improve. That is what being a sportsman is about.

When I was younger I used to lie awake the night before a game thinking about how it would go. But I worked on that and now I can sleep. Sleep is very important.

So do not worry, sleep well and just do your best.

Keep checking my blog and tell me what you think.

Theo