### Skipper, Maccabi prevail over semifinals challengers

Skipper Bologna needed overtime before getting past Italian League rival Montepaschi Siena in the first semifinal in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was a cat-and-mouse game for much of regulation, with Bologna leading by 9 at halftime and 13 at one point in the third quarter, but Montepaschi always came back and eventually forced overtime on Michailis Kakiouzis’s three-pointer with 11.2 seconds to go. Carlos Delfino's free throw with 11.6 seconds left in overtime broke a tie and crowned him the hero. Delfino finished with 27 points, one of six Skipper scorers in double figures.

Host Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv outlasted CSKA Moscow 93-85 in the nightcap. Maccabi started sluggishly and trailed by 11 points at one point, but turned it around to get within 1 at halftime and pull away in the second half as the fans in yellow rocked on. Anthony Parker shined with 27 points, while Sarunas Jasikevicius tallied 18 points and 6 assists. Marcus Brown had 23 points and 6 assists in the loss.

### Maccabi shatters records in claiming the crown

One of the EuroLeague's greatest offenses was on full display in the 2004 championship game in Tel Aviv, Israel, where host Maccabi produced a record-setting spectacle in routing Skipper Bologna 118-74. From the opening tip, Maccabi ruled its home floor at Nokia Arena, soaring to a 25-point halftime lead and never looking back. It marked the fourth time that Maccabi lifted a cup as a continental champion and, in winning this crown, Maccabi set or tied 11 records, including the most points scored in a EuroLeague championship game, best shooting and largest margin of victory.

Anthony Parker was named Final Four MVP after an almost flawless night scoring 21 points and missing only 2 shots from the field. David Bluthenthal netted 20 in just 16 minutes, Sarunas Jasikevicius scored 18 points in 17 minutes, and Tal Burstein shined with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2003-04/maccabi-elite-tel-aviv-skipper-fortitudo-bologna/E2003/220/)

Final Four 2004 Tel Aviv

### Montepaschi, Barcelona triumph in semis

Montepaschi Siena and Benetton Treviso faced each other in an all-Italian semifinal at Palau Sant Jordi, in which Manuchar Markoishvili became the still-youngest player ever to appear in a Final Four, at 16 years, 5 months and 21 days old. It all came down to the final minute, in which Vrbica Stefanovic gave Montepaschi a 62-60 lead. Massimo Bulleri put Benetton ahead with a three-pointer and soon added free throws to complete the final score, 62-65. Jorge Garbajosa led Benetton with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

In the second semifinal, FC Barcelona topped CSKA Moscow 76-71. In a close affair, Juan Carlos Navarro provided the biggest highlight of the game with a fastbreak layup off a steal that sealed the outcome with 22 seconds to go. Barcelona won behind 21 points from Gregor Fucka and 17 from Dejan Bodiroga, who made clutch free throws in the closing seconds to send the home fans into ecstasy.

### Barca breaks through for first title

FC Barcelona won its first-ever EuroLeague title after defeating Benetton Treviso 76-65 in the championship game at Palau Sant Jordi, almost 20 years after the first of five previous losing attempts in the title-decider. A trio of three-pointers midway through the final quarter - from Sarunas Jasikevicius, Juan Carlos Navarro and Dejan Bodiroga - broke open a 3-point game to give Barca an 11-point lead with 90 seconds left. Bodiroga had 20 points and became the first player to get back-to-back Final Four MVP awards with different teams. Gregor Fucka added 17 points. Tyus Edney led Benetton with 16. Barcelona head coach Svetislav Pesic became the third person to win the EuroLeague as player and coach, after Armenak Alachachan and Lolo Sainz.

"The semis and the final, with 16,000 fans or more, it was a demonstration of great organization and the beautiful event that is the Final Four," MVP Bodiroga said. "To win it is a precious thing, a title with weight behind it."

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2002-03/fc-barcelona-benetton-treviso/E2002/220/)

Final Four 2003 Barcelona

### Panathinaikos, Kinder outlast rivals in semis

In the first EuroLeague Final Four this century in Bologna, Italy, Panathinaikos Athens and Kinder Bologna earned the right to play in the championship game after semifinals victories. Panathinaikos defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first game 83-75. The Greens rode the hot hand of Dejan Bodiroga, who gave Panathinaikos control of a back-and-forth battle early in the fourth quarter and finished with 27 points and 9 rebounds. Big men Darryl Middleton and Lazaros Papadopoulos combined for 24 points, while Maccabi's top scorer was Tal Burstein with 16 points off the bench.

Defending champion Kinder advanced to the title game after holding off Italian League rival Benetton Treviso 82-90 at home at PalaMalaguti. Kinder used a 10-0 run to open the fourth quarter and snap a 63-63 tie. Marko Jaric paced the winners with 18 points, David Andersen added 15 points and Manu Ginobili and Sani Becirovic scored 14 each. Tyus Edney and Charlie Bell paced Benetton with 19 points apiece.

### Bodiroga, Kutluay lead Greens to glory

Panathinaikos became the first - and to date only – team to win a EuroLeague championship game on its opponents' home floor when it erased a 14-point second-quarter deficit to beat Kinder Bologna 83-89. After a second-quarter burst that gave rise to euphoria among the Kinder fans, Panathinaikos worked its way back into the game. Center Lazaros Papadopoulos was the catalyst of the comeback, but in the second half veterans Dejan Bodiroga and Ibrahim Kutluay took over. Kutluay scored 22 points for Panathinaikos, while Bodiroga, voted Final Four MVP, had 21 and Papadopoulos 12 points in victory. For Kinder, Manu Ginobili netted 27 and Matjaz Smodis had 13 points.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2001-02/kinder-virtus-bologna-panathinaikos-athens/E2001/275/)

"Let me tell you that it wasn't easy to beat Kinder at home, and they have a great coach in Messina who has done impressive things this season and will continue to do so in the future," a prophetic Panathinaikos coach Zeljko Obradovic said after the championship game. "After winning my first Final Four with Partizan in 1992, my mentor, Aco Nikolic, told me, 'This will be the first you will win of many.' And all I thought was 'this guy is crazy!' I thought that that could not be repeated, but he was right. Nikolic is always right."

Final Four 2002 Bologna

 Final Four + Kaunas = Hoops Heaven 

The best weekend in world basketball comes to the country where the sport is known as a second religion when the [Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/final-four/) lands in Kaunas, Lithuania, from May 18 to 21. The most intense and competitive season imaginable will reach a crescendo over four action-packed days with a city devoted to basketball throwing a party for global visitors and a worldwide audience. The fun in the streets will only be matched by the passion inside the gleaming Zalgirio Arena. For basketball lovers, it will be nothing short of hoops heaven.

Final Four + Kaunas = Hoops Heaven

 Final Four + Kaunas = Hoops Heaven!

Lithuania's love affair with basketball is inextricably linked with the fate of the nation, which first gained independence in modern times at the conclusion of the First World War in 1918. That coincided with the global spread of basketball from its American origins, and the first recorded official game in Lithuania took place just over a century ago, in April of 1922, resulting in the Lithuanian Physical Education Union gaining an 8-6 victory over Kaunas.

Lithuania's basketball love affair began 100 years ago

Lithuania's love affair with basketball is inextricably linked with the fate of the nation, which first gained independence in modern times at the conclusion of the First World War in 1918. That coincided with the global spread of basketball from its American origins, and the first recorded official game in Lithuania took place just over a century ago, in April of 1922, resulting in the Lithuanian Physical Education Union gaining an 8-6 victory over Kaunas.

The sport's popularity initially exploded among both men and women. A national tournament was organized and a rule book was published by legendary pilot Steponas Darius, who later died in an attempt to make a non-stop flight from New York to Kaunas. 

Referees classes were also organised in a similar desire to regulate the fledgling sport, with the first intake of officials including one of the country's most important female sport pioneers, Elena Kubiliunaite-Garbaciauskiene.

Lithuanian national team at EuroBasket 1937

Basketball's growth in Lithuania received another significant boost in 1934 with the opening of the Physical Culture Palace in Kaunas. The indoor hall at the expensively constructed complex, which now serves as the main campus for the Lithuanian Sports University, was mainly intended for tennis but was quickly also found to be ideal for basketball, and served as a catalyst for a rapid growth in the sport's popularity.

Lithuania in its modern form was still a young nation, and the country's long-serving President Antanas Smetona was conscious of the need to develop a national identity. With that in mind, a World Lithuanian Congress was organized in 1935, aimed at promoting and celebrating the country's culture with the active inclusion of ethnic Lithuanians from all over the world.

Significantly, that included a sizeable Lithuanian-American community that already numbered an estimated 275,000 people following mass emigration in the late 19th century. Many of those new arrivals had settled around Chicago, whose community decided to fund a team of athletes to take part in the congress in Kaunas. The traveling group included some genuine stars of the basketball world, notably Notre Dame standout Moose Krause (born Edward Kriauciunas), his brother Feliksas, and the cerebral lawyer and baskeball coach Konstantinas Savickas.

Their input provided a significant and much-needed boost to the growing Lithuanian basketball scene. The need for improvement was obvious after an embarrassing 123-10 defeat to neighbouring Latvia, which was crowned inaugural European champion in the very first FIBA EuroBasket in 1935.

Savickas became the national coach and quickly made the team more competitive, with a far closer loss to Latvia – 31-10 – demonstrating the progress that had been made. Lithuania also applied to become a member of FIBA and was therefore eligible to take part in international tournaments, starting with the 1937 EuroBasket in Latvia.

Lithuania vs Hungary from EuroBasket 1939

The build-up to the tournament saw an earlier decision overturned and two Lithuanian-Americans selected for the team: Pranas Talzunas and Feliksas Kriauciunas, with the latter also appointed as player-coach. 

Expectations were not especially high – this was, after all, Lithuania's first ever international tournament – but confidence grew after the team won all three group games, overcoming Italy (22-20), Estonia (20-15) and Egypt (21-7) to reach the semifinals. Poland was duly dispatched 31-25, setting up a rematch with Italy for the title game.

And so on 7 May 1937, in Riga, Latvia, arguably the most important day of Lithuanian sporting history arrived. A tight first half saw Kriauciunas's team hold an 11-9 lead. A total of 12 points from tournament MVP Talzunas – reputed to be the first ever player to employ the hook shot – saw that advantage maintained through a nail-biting finale, with the game ending 24-23.

Lithuania EuroBasket 1939 with Pranas Lubinas is holding the Lithuanian tricolor.

Lithuania, a tiny country which had existed for less than two decades, was the new European champion, sparking a surge of national pride and a massive growth of public interest in basketball. That was further accelerated two years later when, as reigning champion, Lithuania was granted the right to host the 1939 EuroBasket. 

The 1939 event took place in the newly built Kaunas Sports Hall, and saw the host emphasise its pre-eminence as a new basketball superpower by retaining the title. The tournament took a simple league format and Lithuania was worthy winner after beating all seven other contestants with a starring role for another Lithuanian-American serving as player-coach, Frank John Lubin (born Pranas Jonas Lubinas), who had previously won a gold medal representing the United States in the 1936 Olympic Games.

Within four years of losing by more than 100 points to Latvia, now Lithuania was back-to-back European champion. And basketball was forever established as a key symbol of national pride.

Lithuanians after defeating Italy in EuroBasket 1937

Euroleague Basketball has chosen eight of its finest referees from the 2022-23 season to officiate the games of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania. The referees are Mehdi Difallah, Tomislav Hordov, Olegs Latisevs, Emin Mogulkoc, Anne Panther, Sasa Pukl, Boris Ryzhyk and Gytis Vilius.

The list includes many of the most seasoned referees on the continent as seven of the eight have previous Final Four experience. Difallah, Hordov, Latisevs, Ryzhyk and Vilius were also chosen for the 2022 Final Four. Ryzhyk and Vilius refereed last season's championship game and Pukl, Latisevs and Vilius staffed the championship game the year before.

"I am pleased for these referees who have shown a high standard of work across the whole season," said Richard Stokes, Euroleague Basketball Senior Director, Officiating. "The Final Four is the culmination and reward for a long season for the fans, players and coaches, but also for the referees who have shown excellence and consistency in their craft. To be selected is an honor for these officials, but with this opportunity comes great responsibility to perform at the highest level for two more days."

The Final Four will be the 11th for both Latisevs and Ryzhyk. Pukl will take part in his sixth Final Four, Difallah will work his fourth, Vilius his third and both Hordov and Panther their second. Mogulkoc will make his Final Four debut.

The 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four will take place at Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania. The semifinals will be on Friday, May 19, and the third-place and championship games will be two days later.

Euroleague Basketball appoints Final Four referees

The Lotus watch brand has been named the Official Timekeeper of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Lotus watches are part of the renowned Festina Group, which is headquartered in Barcelona and has more than three decades of history in manufacturing watches that appeal to a wide range of consumers. 

Lotus watches are known for their contemporary urban and trendy styles, which are befitting of EuroLeague athletes. Just as the EuroLeague stands out on the sporting scene, so too will young consumers seeking a timepiece that marries innovative technology, quality materials and cutting edge design.

As part of its sponsorship agreement with Euroleague Basketball, Lotus will sponsor the shot clocks at the Final Four and award a specially crafted watch to the Final Four MVP. 

Lotus is the Official Timekeeper of the Final Four

**•	"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse", official movie partner of the Final Four**

**•	Fans to enjoy multi-platform presence of Spider-Man** 

 

Euroleague Basketball and Sony Pictures have joined forces to celebrate the exciting upcoming release of the latest movie of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, to be released in cinemas worldwide beginning on June 2.

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" will be the official movie partner of the Final Four, to be held at the magnificent Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania, from May 19 to 21. 

Sony Pictures and Euroleague Basketball have reached a multi-platform agreement that will target both the fans witnessing the Final Four games on-site and the millions who will follow the event from their homes. Special on-court activations with – the movie's main soundtrack theme and a special teaser trailer created for the event – will amuse the thousands of fans filling the already sold-out Zalgirio Arena.   

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is the second part of the Spider-Man animation movies saga that introduced revolutionary animation concepts, mixing computer animation with traditional hand-drawn comic book techniques. The first part, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", was one of the biggest hits of 2018, grossing $384.3 million worldwide and winning the Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards.

Those watching at home will also have a chance to glimpse your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man on global television broadcasts during the Final Four with thematic TV graphics and a special appearance just before the Championship Game of a tailor-made apparition using revolutionary augmented reality technology. 

Lastly, special "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" content will be created for all Euroleague Basketball Social media platforms, allowing all fans to enjoy what will certainly be one of the top blockbusters for this summer.

Spider-Man comic-books and movies have popularized the famous adage stated by Uncle Ben: "With great power comes great responsibility." That concept is applicable to all four teams and their players during the Final Four. After proving to be the best teams of the season, one team's players will have the biggest responsibility of their careers – lifting the EuroLeague trophy!

Spiderman!

Spider-Man to swing across the EuroLeague-verse at Final Four

France-based live streaming and VOD platform SKWEEK has acquired the exclusive global rights to the 2023 Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals to be held in Kaunas, Lithuania from May 18 to 21.  SKWEEK also holds the exclusive rights in France and Monaco to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup.

All Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals games to be broadcast worldwide exclusively on SKWEEK

### Fans can watch the top young European stars for free all weekend long

France-based live streaming and VOD platform SKWEEK has acquired the exclusive global rights to the 2023 Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals to be held in Kaunas, Lithuania from May 18 to 21.  SKWEEK also holds the exclusive rights in France and Monaco to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup.

Oleg Petrov, CEO FEDCOM MEDIA, said: "We are thrilled to offer the Adidas Next Generation Tournament to all basketball fans around the world and give them the opportunity to discover the rising stars of the future. With this new acquisition, we will extend our offering to a new global audience, delivering premium content and contributing to the growth of this exciting tournament."

All games at the ANGT Finals will be streamed live for free upon registration for the service. All games will have commentary in English and French. Exclusive behind-the-scenes and off-court content will also be available on SKWEEK's social media accounts during the whole tournament.

“We are thrilled to partner with SKWEEK to bring one of the most prestigious U18 tournaments globally to all fans worldwide," Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Euroleague Basketball Marketing and Communication Senior Director, stated. "The Adidas Next Generation Tournament is where stars are born. The SKWEEK audience will be able to meet the next Micic, Wembanyama, Sabonis, Mirotic, Doncic or Jokic, as well as enjoy additional exclusive content on the players and the tournament."

The Adidas Next Generation Tournament annually brings together the top youth teams and players across Europe for a series of four qualifying tournaments, which culminate in the ANGT Finals, held in conjunction with the EuroLeague Final Four. For two decades, the event has been a who's who of future stars, with past participants going on to win countless titles and accolades on both sides of the Atlantic.

The names Vasilije Micic, Nikola Mirotic, Milos Teodosic, Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis and Victor Wembanyama, the projected number one NBA draft pick this year, are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the long list of future stars who have graced the courts of previous ANGT tournaments.

This season's participants will be Real Madrid, Joventut Badalona and FC Barcelona from Spain; Mega MIS Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade from Serbia; Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos Athens; Zalgiris Kaunas from Lithuania; and the Next Generation Select Team, which features players from specially selected Next Generation teams at the four qualifying events.

The 2023 Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals will begin on Thursday, May 18 and feature a total of 13 games, all played at Kaunas Sports Hall. The championship game is set for 12:30 local time on Sunday, May 21.