### FanZone finishes strong with community broadcast of the final!

The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone has been filled with fans the past three days, and for all those in Belgrade without a ticket for the Saturday's main event at Stark Arena, it is also a place to be when Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes Istanbul face off for the trophy, because everyone can watch the game together on a jumbo screen at the main court in Savski Square.

Ever since it opened its doors on Thursday morning, the FanZone at Belgrade's Savski Square has been full of fans, many wearing the jerseys of their favorite teams.

The red of Olympiacos Piraeus was the dominant color, but the fans of Efes, Madrid and FC Barcelona also showed up in big numbers.

Of course, tens of thousands Serbian basketball lovers have also enjoyed the FanZone, winning prizes and participating in many activities at more than a dozen stands and pavilions set up by Euroleague Basketball sponsors and partners.

A centrally located Turkish Airlines pavilion is where you can measure your hang time, while 7DAYS has set up several baskets where you can challenge your friends to a shootout, or take a picture with a EuroLeague trophy. BKT challenges fans to prove their skills and EuroLeague knowledge with a series of tests, while adidas set up baskets to attempt the craziest basketball shots.

Vodavoda set up a heightened hoop, Tehnomanija allows fans to challenge each other to a mini-basket shootout, while Lasko has set up a laser room where the fans can win prizes.

All of that is open at Savski Square throughout the day Saturday as we get closer to the championship game, which will be shown live!

### Pretty in pink: Mega beat NGS celebrate first ANGT crown

U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade became the 11th club to win the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament title by knocking off U18 Next Generation Select Team 82-61 in the 2022 ANGT Championship Game.

It was third time lucky for the Serbian team, which had lost in the finale in 2017 and 2019 but gained control of the game in the Hala Sportova Ranko Zeravica with a 14-0 fourth quarter run. Nikola Djurisic scored 10 of his team-high 21 points in the big late run.

In the annuls of ANGT history, Mega joins other champions U18 Real Madrid, U18 CSKA Moscow (both three crowns), U18 Zalgiris Kaunas, U18 FMP Belgrade, U18 PFYM INSEP Paris, U18 Rytas Vilnius (all two), U18 FC Barcelona, U18 Crvena Zvedzda mts Belgrade, U18 KK Zagreb and U18 Joventut Badalona.

### Biserka Petrovic, a very special guest

Many basketball fans have attended the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, but Biserka Petrovic is a truly special one. His son, the late Drazen Petrovic, was one of the most dominant players in European basketball history, and many claim he is the biggest talent ever seen in the continent. A groundbreaking pioneer, Petrovic was a two-time EuroLeague champion with Cibona Zagreb, scored 62 points to lead Real Madrid to the Saporta Cup title in 1989, and was also very successful in the NBA and with both the Yugoslavian and Croatian national team before he tragically passed away in a car accident in 1993. 

Biserka is enjoying the Final Four a lot, and it is not her first time around. "I attended the 2018 Final Four. I feel like at home, because where there's basketball, that's my home. I have been into basketball my whole life," she said, speaking wonders about the semifinals. "The atmosphere was wonderful. My grandson and I enjoyed the semifinals a lot and we took a lot of pictures. Barcelona and Real Madrid should have played the final!"

Asked about the team she roots for in the final, it is obviously Real, as her son played for Los Blancos in the 1988-89 season. "Absolutely, absolutely. Many Spanish fans visit the Drazen Petrovic museum in Zagreb, and remember him, which is beautiful. It is very emotional. They called him 'El Niño' (the kid)."

### ANGT players put on a show in shootout, dunk contest

Friday night shined a bright light on some of the stars of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals at the annual three-point shootout and slam dunk contest. Held at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone in Savski Square, a large turnout of local fans turned up to see tomorrows start put on a show. 

Lazar Gagic of U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade took home the trophy from the three-point contest, while Eric Dailey impressed judges Joe Arlauckas, Dejan Tomasevic and Ivica Zubac to capture the slam dunk crown. Dailey’s show-stopping dunk was a one-handed windmill while he was recording it with a cell phone in his other!

### Nikos Zisis: Spanoulis coaching is great for the game

After some two decades of competing with and against one another across the world, Nikos Zisis and Vassilis Spanoulis are best friends and godfather's too each other's children.

Zisis came to Belgrade to watch Spanoulis coach the U18 Next Generation Select Team at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals and believes his friend believes has the makings to become a great pro coach, if he so chooses.

"It's strange," the 2008 EuroLeague champion said while watching Spanoulis patrol the sidelines at the ANGT Finals. "Honestly, I believe he can become a great, great coach."

But that wasn't always the case.

"Maybe five years ago I wouldn't have said he he has a coach's mentality, but over the last one-two years, in the many talks I've have with him, I realized that he can do it. He has a coach's perspective. He loves the game. Basketball is like a virus for him. He needs to sit and think and talk about basketball all day long. I believe it will be great for the game if he decides to do it."

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Euroleague Basketball Legend Vassilis Spanoulis was in attendance last night for the <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#F4GLORY</a> <br><br>And everyone loved it... <a href=https://t.co/80EexoHgrf>pic.twitter.com/80EexoHgrf</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href=https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1527581589923831810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>May 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset="utf-8"></script> 

A 17-year EuroLeague veteran with seven teams, Zisis said the NGS players have a great advantage to be learning from Spanoulis.
 
"I think it's great for these kids to have Vassilis Spanoulis as a coach. They don't have many days to spend with him but there are many things that Vassilis can tell them. I know he talks about all of his great experiences from the past and all the great things he has accomplished," he said.

### The finalists speak at the Championship Game Press Conference

Scant hours after acing their semifinals, protagonists of the teams that will battle for the Euroleague trophy in Belgrade on Saturday appeared at the Championship Game press conference on Friday to discuss the final with the hundreds of international media at the Final Four.

Real Madrid head coach Pablo Laso confirmed that Nigel Williams-Goss, who was injured in the first minute on Friday, will not play in the championship game, and likened it to Anadolu Efes Istanbul coach Ergin Ataman, seated beside him, losing veteran Kruno Simon to injury in the last practice before the team came to Belgrade.

"Ergin and I, we had we had problems, that's for sure. But we are here: period," Laso said. "I think that right now I am in a great position because I am here talking to you. I hoped for this from the beginning of the season."

For his part, Ataman revealed that his own son is a Real Madrid supporter – but only in football, of course.

"In Turkey, there are a lot of fans of Real Madrid. And one of them is my son," the Efes coach said. "He is a member of the junior Real Madrid fan club. Every year we receive a gift from them."

Vasilije Micic, last season's Final Four MVP and the author of the game-winning shot on Friday, said his team can draw inspiration from their famed Spanish opponents. 

"What I like the best, when someone talks about Real Madrid and tradition and the winning mentality they have, I think that we have done that in the past four years," Micic said, "and I am very happy to be a part of this story with Efes."

The newcomer to the dais was Real forward Guerschon Yabusele, who also starred on Friday, but until a year and a half ago had not ever been a EuroLeague player.

"I just feel grateful," Yabusele said. "I am just enjoying every day of my life, trying to get better and learn every day from the peple around me: players, coaches, family, friends. I am just glad and happy to be part of his organization and part of this team."

### Media, Platinum ticket holders take center court 

Action resumed at Stark Arena on Friday morning with the traditional Adidas EuroLeague Media Game, followed by the Euroleague Basketball Platinum & Ambassadors Game. 

There were a lot of well-known faces in the media day. Former EuroLeague champion Ibrahim Kutluay and former EuroLeague player Vladimir Kuzmanovic led the Black Team, coached by 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup champion Zvezdan Mitrovic. There were four former professional players in the White Team: former EuroLeague and EuroCup champion Dejan Tomasevic, Miroslav Beric, Berni Rodriguez and Dora Panteli, all led by current Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade head coach Dejan Radonjic. The Whites won 40-39 in overtime with a game-sealing free throw by Rodriguez. 

In the platinum & ambassadors Game, 1997 Final Four MVP David Rivers and three-time Alphonso Ford Top Scoring trophy winner Igor Rakocevic led each team. At the end of each game, played in 10-minuted halves, the teams took a group picture to remember the moment. Rakocevic and sports agent Misko Raznatovic each had 11 points to lead their team to a 39-36 win. 

### After dramatic semis, focus shifts to finale 

Perspective is everything. And so was the case with the EuroLeague Semifinals, which set the stage for perhaps even bigger drama in the title-decider on Saturday night.

A newcomer to European basketball would surely gush at the events of Thursday night at Stark Arena. Two games that went to the wire in front of a packed house with loud, boisterous fans. Heroic efforts from superstars and role players alike. High-level basketball for 80 minutes. A grizzled veteran of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague might wink and say, “just another typical night at the EuroLeague Semifinals.”

The two semifinal games decided by a grand total of 6 points is the second-lowest margin of victory in the semis on record. The lowest was just last season when FC Barcelona edged AX Armani Exchange Milan by 2 and Anadolu Efes Istanbul bested CSKA Moscow by 3. Indeed, drama in the semifinals has become the norm.

And with that as the backdrop, the focus in Belgrade will quickly shift to Saturday night’s main event, Real Madrid vs. Efes for all the marbles. It will be the first game since the EuroLeague adopted a season-long round-robin format that neither of the finalists finished among the top three in the regular-season standings, but rest assured these are worthy contenders. 

After all, they collectively took out those top three teams with No. 6 Efes KO’ing No. 3 Milan in the playoffs and No. 2 Olympiacos Piraeus last night while No. 4 Real disposed of the top regular-season team, Barcelona, in Thursday’s second semifinal. 

Over the next 36 hours, countless words will be written about this championship game, analyzing it from all angles, dissecting their previous meetings, parsing words spoken by players and coaches. And then we will get to the biggest game of the season. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for.

### Semifinals are here!

The day has finally arrived! The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four gets underway with both semifinals, Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul and FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. All EuroLeague fans have been waiting for this moment for a long time. All teams practiced and are ready to go. Olympiacos fans are all around the arena, wearing their red and white uniforms with a lot of pride, but there many Efes fans around, too. A great atmosphere is guaranteed when the ball goes up in the air - Stark Arena, one of the biggest basketball arenas in the worlds, is sold out. 

As always, we will be covering the game on [EuroLeague.net](http://EuroLeague.net). Our Game Blog will be active before the start of the first semifinals until we know which two teams made it to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game on Saturday. Stay tuned for inside information, game analysis, exclusive footage and much more. Finally, it's Final Four time! Good luck to all four teams!

### FanZone open for business

It's Semifinals Thursday at the Final Four, which also means the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone has opened its doors. Located at the spacious Savski Square, along the trendy Belgrade waterfront, the FanZone will once again be the Final Four's starting point for fans of all ages.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to flock over the next three days to the FanZone where everyone will be able to participate in a wide array of activities. Thanks to Euroleague Basketball partners Turkish Airlines, 7DAYS, BKT, Adidas and many more, the visitors will be able to do a variety of things at more than a dozen stands and pavilions set up in the FanZone. The activities range from measuring hang time and testing basketball knowledge to taking photos with the EuroLeague trophy or recording a video with some EuroLeague stars. Fans will also be able to buy merchandise and souvenirs, win prizes, see some of the Euroleague Basketball legends and – of course – shoot hoops.

The non-stop fun will be highlighted with One Team activities and a 3x3 tournament. And for those not lucky enough to have a ticket for the games at the Stark Arena, the FanZone will also be a great place to watch the Final Four games on a jumbo screen.

Make sure not to miss the FanZone!

### Laprovittola’s moustache grows… on the wall

FC Barcelona arrived at Stark Arena as a team for the first time on Thursday evening to practice on the court. When they arrived at the locker-room, the players marveled at the supersized head shots of each player at his locker. Since those headshots were taken at the team’s preseason media day, there is always the possibility that a player or two might look a little different.

Such is the case with Barca guard Nicolas Laprovittola, who over the course of the season has groomed an impressive mustache. When Laprovittola was not in the room, an unnamed teammate took matters into his hands to “improve” Laprovittola’s photo by scribbling on a mustache. Does the light-hearted atmosphere speak well about the mental state of the Barca players? We’ll know more tomorrow!

### French stars meet up

There was a buzz even before Real Madrid met with reporters. Los Blancos filled their locker room and the hallway with players signing balls and meeting dignitaries. In that time, Olympiacos center Moustapha Fall walked by and ran into his countryman and national teammate Vincent Poirier of Real Madrid. The two, who helped Les Bleus to the silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, embraced and chatted for a few minutes before Fall headed to the showers and Poirier to the mixed zone where he would meet with reporters before his team’s practice. It was a nice moment between friends who could yet meet in the paint on Sunday.

### Schortsanitis interviews his former team

Olympiacos Piraeus was the next team to pass through the mixed zone and meet the media ahead of its practice at Stark Arena. While there were hundreds of journalists eager to meet the players, one of them stood out above the rest. He is former EuroLeague champion and All-EuroLeague First Team selection Sofoklis Schortsanitis.

"Big Sofo" is in Belgrade on assignment for a Greek television station and was curious to hear what some of his former teammates had to say. Schortsanitis, who played for the Reds from 2005 to 2010, had Georgios Printezis as well as the very young Kostas Papanikolaou and Kostas Sloukas as teammates there and on the Greek national team.

### Efes meets the press before practice

Reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Anadolu Efes Istanbul was the first team to meet the press in the mixed zone before their Wednesday practice at Stark Arena. All the players and Coach Ergin Ataman were available for interviews about the big game against Olympiacos Piraeus tomorrow. Additionally, Elijah Bryant and last season's Final Four MVP Vasilije Micic were interviewed online for all media who could not attend the event.

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Vasilije Micic, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

"Even when people know we are known as an offensive team, in the last four playoffs game against Milan we showed a great part of our defensive ability, which gave us an extra boost," Micic said, perhaps foretelling a key to that semifinal.

Micic singled out Tyler Dorsey as one player who could be especially dangerous. "He is a very talented guy with a lot of points in his hands," he said. "Sasha Vezenkov is also a really unique player, very smart, a very clever guy to read the game."

### MVP Mirotic calls out Calathes in speech

The highlight of the annual EuroLeague awards ceremony is always the naming of the MVP. This season, one of the winner’s teammates saw it coming and worked his way into the speech. After Nikola Mirotic received the MVP trophy from coaching legend Zeljko Obradovic, he grabbed the microphone to share his thoughts.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The MVP did not forget about his teammate <a href="https://twitter.com/Nick_Calathes15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Nick_Calathes15</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://t.co/Uqq9LuyZTd">pic.twitter.com/Uqq9LuyZTd</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1526887142022123520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“A couple of weeks ago, my dear fiend Nick Calathes said in case you win, please remember me in your speech, so I said to him I will,” Mirotic revealed to the smiles of all on hand, including their coach, Sarunas Jasikevicius. Mirotic got a little more serious before adding: “I also want to thank Nick because he makes my life way easier on the court and he’s been an amazing teammate and friend.”

Mirotic’s full comments can be read [here](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/2021-22-turkish-airlines-euroleague-mvp-nikola-mirotic-fc-barcelona/).

### ANGT Finals underway!

If the semifinals and the championship game at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four are the main course, the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals are a tasty appetizer. The ANGT Finals are underway with U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade and U18 PFYM INSEP Paris in action in the first game at Hala Sportova Ranko Zeravica. The tournament will feature 12 games through Friday and the winners of each group will square of on Saturday in the championship game. For more information on the games, check out [www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt](http://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt).

### Barcelona’s arrival completes the foursome

We can now turn the page from Final Four anticipation to the count down for the tip-off. With the arrival of FC Barcelona, all the teams have checked in! Interestingly, the first Barca man into the hotel was Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, who looked like a general leading his troops. Last in was Euroleague Legend Juan Carlos Navarro, who now serves as the director of Barcelona’s basketball section. In between, the roster filled in and a few of them had some interesting thoughts.

The experience was an unusual one for Sertac Sanli, who lifted the crown last season as an Anadolu Efes Istanbul player and saw many old friends as he entered the hotel. "I am really excited! I didn't know how I would react after I see them," he said. “It is going to be fun! I am trying to enjoy being in the Final Four, being in Belgrade. It is going to be different for me.”

One of the few Final Four newcomers on the Barcelona squad is Nigel Hayes-Davies, who had the following to say: “Some of the guys have been here before, some of the guys have won before. For a couple of us, it’s the first one. It's an exciting time. It is an honor and privilege to be here. In basketball, you work throughout your career to win championships, and to be here and have an opportunity to do that is something that you cherish because the championships and winning is not guaranteed in our sport... So all we can focus on is playing Barcelona basketball and if we do that for 40 minutes, we'll see what happens.”

Of course, there is still much more to happen until the first game on Thursday. Wednesday will bring about the awards ceremony, where this season’s MVP will be crowned; the opening press conference; team practices at Stark Arena and more. Check back on these pages for more updates as they happen.

Nick Calathes - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Alex Abrines - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Sarunas Jasikevicius - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Nigel Hayes-Davis - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Sertac Sanli - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Rokas Jokubaitis - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022

### Los Blancos strut into Belgrade

The award for the best-dressed arrivals goes to Real Madrid, hands down. Los Blancos checked into the Final Four wearing identical sleek black suits and ties with sharp white shirts. Although they could have passed for members of the Men in Black, the Madrid men are not concerned about protecting earth from extraterrestrial life, but rather protecting the paint from their opponents.

"Having experience in this event helps. When you are a first-timer, you have more anxiety in the before the games and experience helps you feel better on the court - hopefully better than in my first time," Real forward Gabriel Deck said. "As a team, we try to face each game in the same way, with the same intensity and character, but this is a Final Four game. It is a do-or-die game and the pressure is on but that goes the same for all four teams in Belgrade. All of them are here with the same goal: making it to the final and lifting the trophy."

"It's really exciting \[to be here\]. We are really enjoying the moment, but we are here to win, so we don't have to enjoy it too much, as the main reason we are here is to compete," Vincent Poirier added. "We feel good, we are doing great. I think we are playing the best basketball of this season. We are confident and we are ready."

Jeffery Taylor - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Pablo Laso - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Guerschon Yabusele - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Alberto Abalde - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Adam Hanga - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Rudy Fernandez - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Vincent Poirier - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022

### The champs roll into town

Half of the participating teams at the 2022 Final Four are checked in with the arrival of defending champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The team’s arrival was slightly delayed when the skies opened up and poured down as Efes was landing in Belgrade. Nonetheless, the players and staff were all smiles as they encountered all those waiting for them in the lobby of the headquarters hotel.

Despite the presence of Efes’s star-studded roster, it was an 8-year-old boy who stole the show. Filip, a Partizan NIS Belgrade fan who has quickly adopted Efes as his favorite in the EuroLeague, was decked out in a No. 44 Krunoslav Simon jersey, which he patiently waited and asked Efes players to sign and to pose for photos with him. Soon, all of the assembled media saw Filip and turned their attention to his exploits.

“It is always nice to see kids wearing your jersey because sports is all about that, to see them interested in the sport and this is the best thing about the sport,” Simon said. “I am glad he is an Efes fan. This is a big club. We might not have as many fans as some clubs that have soccer teams, but I think it is good to have all kinds of fans of our club from all over.”

Bryant Dunston, after seeing Filip and some other Efes supporters there to welcome his team, spoke about the return of fans to the Final Four: "It was weird playing the last game of last season with no fans there - winning, celebrating, jumping up and down, and then looking around and there was nobody there... Hopefully, we are going to have that same result but with the fans there."

Adrien Moerman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Shane Larkin - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Ergin  Ataman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Krunoslav Simon - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Chris Singleton - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022

### Olympiacos arrival signifies start of Final Four!

The arrival of Olympiacos Piraeus to the headquarters hotel in Belgrade symbolized the lighting of the torch for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. The other three teams will join them shortly, but the Reds had the honor of opening the proceedings. Select members of the media were allowed to pepper players with questions about their arrival.

One Olympiacos player looked a bit trimmer than before. Big man Livio Jean-Charles trimmed his beard: "Yes! It was just a choice of haircut, but definitely, I shaved the beard!" he said. "I am excited, for sure. There are a lot of talented players who have never made it to the Final Four in their careers, so I am pretty glad to be here."

Kostas Papanikolaou, who is among the Reds’ most-experienced players, added: “It does not matter how many \[Final Fours\] you had before, each one coming is new, it's beautiful and you want to take the best out of it… The most important thing that I said to the guys is to enjoy it. You never know if you are going to be able to have an experience like this in your life.”

Hassan Martin and Shaquielle McKissic - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Thomas Walkup - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Kostas Papanikolaou - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Sotirios Oikonomopoulos - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022

Welcome to the Final Four blog! The EuroLeague staff will be on the ground covering all of the big events in Belgrade and sharing what’s going on behind the scenes all week long.

Final Four live blog: FanZone finishes strong with community broadcast of the final!

Hassan Martin and Shaquielle McKissic - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Thomas Walkup - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Kostas Papanikolaou - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sotirios Oikonomopoulos - Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Thomas Walkup 2- Olympiacos Piraeus - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Adrien Moerman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Shane Larkin - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Ergin  Ataman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Krunoslav Simon - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Shane Larkin 2- Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Chris Singleton - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Jeffery Taylor - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Pablo Laso - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Guerschon Yabusele - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Alberto Abalde - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Adam Hanga - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Rudy Fernandez - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Vincent Poirier - Real Madrid - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Alex Abrines - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Nick Calathes - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sarunas Jasikevicius - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Nigel Hayes-Davis - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sertac Sanli - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Rokas Jokubaitis - FC Barcelona - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Adrien Moerman - Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Krunoslav Simon - Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Ergin Ataman 2- Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Rodrigue Beaubois 2- Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Filip Petrusev - Anadolu Efes Istanbul practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sasha Vezenkov - Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Shaquielle McKissic - Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Georgios Bartzokas - Olympiacos Piraeus practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sofoklis Schortsanitis 2- Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Players FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Sertac Sanli - FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Cory Higgins - FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Kyle Kuric - FC Barcelona practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Vincent Poirier - Real Madrid practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Jeffery Taylor - Real Madrid practices - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Fans Olympiacos Piraeus 2- Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Platinum and Ambassadors Game - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Championship Game Press Conference 3- Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Bizerka Petrovic - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade champ Next Generation Tournament Final Four Belgrade 2022 - JT21

FanZone 11- Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Dani Gomez brought his 13-year-old son Pol to Belgrade to allow him to experience this unique event.

Father and son from Barcelona enriched by Final Four experience 

“We both are big basketball fans, who usually attend Barcelona games at Palau Blaugrana. With all that happened with the pandemic, we wanted to make a trip to follow the team,” Dani revealed. “Now that my son is getting older, it was the perfect opportunity for him to see Belgrade and to cheer for our team together."

Dani knew what to expect as he has been to several Final Fours before and was on hand at both of Barcelona previous triumphs, at home in 2003 and in Paris in 2020. 

“To have the opportunity to experience this, to breathe the basketball atmosphere that is typical of this event is something spectacular. You can enjoy the fan zone, for instance, with a lot of fans from other places and see how they respect each other and have fun together. That's something that you rarely see in other sports,” Dani said.

“I think that this is a life-enriching experience that I want to share and transmit to my son, and that’s one of the main reasons I brought him with me. If you put that together with the fact that this year the Final Four is hosted in Belgrade, a place we never visited before, in which we can enjoy the sport we love, you have the perfect mix.”

Pol and Dani Gomez in FanZone - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

The basketball devotee has an impressive collection of jerseys that he has gathered by attending games and with the help of friends. He often posts his new additions on social media and will try to make some additions in Belgrade, if possible. 

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Manuel is here for the Final Four experience and not cheering for any team; he is a fan of Joventut Badalona. He is enjoying his time in Belgrade, a city he knows well from previous visits. 

"I think there is no better place for this event, because of how basketball is lived. I have attended some games here before and now I have the chance of attending the top ones", he said. "I think anyone can win, as it's a one-game thing, we all know this and that's the beauty of the tournament, that everyone has a chance."

"I had tickets for Cologne in 2020, but COVID prevented me from going there. Now, I hope I will never miss another in my life," said Manuel from Oviedo, Spain. "I'm mad about basketball. Many things I do are motivated by my passion for this game. In fact, the first thing I tell a date is that she should avoid getting between me and basketball because she will have no chance to win!"

Jersey collecter Manuel hopes this is his first Final Four of many

Manuel in FanZone - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four weekend also attracts a slew of former players and Belgrade is no exception.

Retired greats predict the winners

A few of the many former champs and All-EuroLeague members were willing to give a brief analysis of tonight’s championship game and they are pretty split about who will win it.

### David Andersen, three-time EuroLeague champion

Among the people who came from farthest away to be in Belgarde for the Final Four is three-time EuroLeague champion David Andersen, who retired as a player last year and now serves as Special Projects and Player Liason with the Australian NBL. Anderson spent 11 seasons in the EuroLeague and won the championship with Virtus Bologna once and CSKA Moscow twice. 

“Great games and I wanted to see some close ones and you don’t get much closer than a buzzer-beater like that. It was amazing to watch,” he said of the semifinals. “Obviously I was disappointed for the Olympiacos fans. It was great and I got to show \[Australian NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger\] how it goes down and the crazy passion that the fans have.”

As for Saturday night’s main event, this is Andersen’s prediction: “I don’t know. It’s gonna be balanced. Real Madrid is one of the premier teams in European basketball and have been around for so long. But Efes are the reigning champs. They have a veteran roster and their players deliver in the big clutch moments of games. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Turkish basketball will be successful and Efes will win.”

### Dusan Kecman, 2009 EuroLeague champion

Dusan Kecman is enjoying the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in his hometown. A EuroLeague champion with Panathinaikos Athens in 2009 and a long-time Partizan Belgrade player, he was not surprised by what he witnessed on Thursday.

"The semifinals were great, as expected", Kecman said. "Efes won on a memorable basket by Vasilije Micic, but I think Olympiacos missed its chance down the stretch, missing some shots that would have changed the outcome. But, Efes still deserved it and now has a chance to defend the trophy."

To do that, it has to beat Real Madrid, a team that is full of experience with many previous champions. 

"Real is a real quality team with Coach Pablo Laso on the bench. Despite all the turmoil, all the ups and downs and the losing streak they had this season, they are a championship team. Many people kind of wrote them off, but they a team of champions."

Who does Kecman, who did spend part of one season with Efes during his playing days, see with an upper hand in Saturday's clash?

"It will be a great game, but I would give the slightest edge to Real because they have a longer rotation. Efes has injury problems, with Kruno Simon out, Micic banged up, and Rodrigue Beaubois looks like he is not fully recovered. Micic and Larkin played a lot of minutes in the semifinals. Real can physically match Efes, which is obviously highly talented offensively, you never know who will step up and contribute like Elijah Bryant did in the semifinals. But Real has a roster that is covered at every position and with those players less used than Efes, I give Real a slight advantage."

### 

### Ramunas Siskauskas, Euroleague Basketball legend

Former EuroLeague MVP and two-time champion Ramunas Siskauskas is enjoying his weekend in Belgrade as one of the Final Four Ambassadors. 

"The semifinals were fantastic. Actually, I don't remember when both semifinals were played until the last second. That was great to watch and surely great to play! We enjoyed the semifinals very much," Siskauskas said. 

Because of his vast experience in championship games, Siskauskas understands what must be done to win. Nevertheless, he was reluctant to predict a winner. 

"Both teams are great and showed good basketball in the semifinals, so I think that it will be close, also,” Siskauskas said. “Everybody knows that defending the title is more difficult than winning it, but \[Efes\] is in the final and it is only one game, so I would say it is 50-50. It is so hard to say! I would give a 51-49 edge to Efes. In these games, all small details are very important. Every rebound, every lost ball, every foul... everything will be very important. I think that those small details will give the winning team a chance."

### Nikos Zisis, 2008 EuroLeague champion

A veteran of four Final Fours with three different clubs, retired point guard Nikos Zisis has great insight into what it takes to succeed at the big event and how easily the game can go to one side or the other. 

"I think all finals are very difficult to predict, that is a fact. I believe this one is even more difficult. On one side, you have the champions. I believe it is the favorite \[Efes\] because it has the most dangerous players in crunch time, both Micic and Larkin, able to create their own shots and make them, and also create for their teammates. We saw that in the semifinal,” Zisis commented. “On the other side, it's Real. I think they have a bigger advantage in the frontcourt, with Tavares and Yabusele, and they have big experience overall, it is their fifth final in 10 years, with players not with the same impact as in the past, Sergi Llull and Rudy Fernandez, but great players, great leaders. I believe they are going to be ready and they know they have a chance - it might be their last chance to win it, so they will have a huge motivation. It is very open, I anticipate a great game, and small details will decide it."

After dissecting the finalists, Zisis agreed to pick a favorite: "I would give it to Efes but really, it will not surprise me at all if Madrid wins. I don't believe they are the real favorite and my personal take is that they seem to be maybe a little tired. I know Beaubois is not 100%, Micic the same, Simon is out and this is a huge miss, but Bryant had a great game, he stepped up. So I give a small edge to Efes, but anything can happen."

The Final Four experience is about more than just what happens on the court. 

This is a 'dream come true' for young Efes supporter

For many, especially the younger ones, witnessing the events and going to the games is a lifetime experience.

"This is the first time I am at the Final Four," Omer Sinan Pehlivan said. "This is my dream come true."

The 14-year-old from Izmir, Turkey, is visiting the Serbian capital to support reigning champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul. At home in Turkey, he roots for local team Pinar Karsiyaka, but when it comes to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Efes is without a doubt his team.

More than anything, however, Omer loves basketball. He not only practices basketball, but has Youtube and Instagram channels devoted to his passion.

"Basketball is my lifestyle, it is so exciting to be here", he said from the FanZone at Savski Square in Belgrade, accompanied by his parents and younger sister. "The FanZone is amazing, there are so many activities here."

Efes fans have been over the moon in recent years with the team making it to the last three championship games and Omer is certain Efes will be on the podium raising the trophy again.

"My heart is with Efes. And Efes will win", he confidently summed up.

Omer Sinan Pehlivan with parents and sister - Fans - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Olympiacos Piraeus fans flocked to Belgrade, painting the city and especially Stark Arena in red. For many of them, this was not their first trip to the Final Four. 

Reds fans from Rhodes loving Final Four experience

Meos Kampourakis and Dimitris Ververis hail from the island of Rhodes. The Olympiacos season-ticket holders bought their Final Four tickets even before the Reds' playoff series against AS Monaco. This is Kampourakis's sixth time following his beloved Reds at the Final Four.

After 2009 in Berlin, he's been to Final Fours in Paris, London, Madrid and twice to Istanbul. Yes, including the one in 2012.

"I was in Istanbul for the shot. The floater," he said. "It is the best moment in Olympiacos history. It is the best moment in the Final Four history!"

This time Kampourakis is here with his friend Ververis, who is at the Final Four for the first time.

"It is amazing", he said. "I was thinking about this daily all of last week. It is not just basketball games, it is a whole event."

Meos Kampourakis and Dimitris Ververis - Fans - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

For the second time in four years, Real Madrid is fighting for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title at Stark Arena and there are many similarities between Los Blancos' 2018 and 2022 runs. 

Deja vu? Real seeks another triumph in Belgrade

In both seasons, Real suffered several frontcourt injuries early in the season. Ognjen Kuzmic went down in October 2017 with a knee injury. Gustavo Ayon had to undergo surgery due to a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for four months. With both centers out and Anthony Randolph also sidelined for 14 EuroLeague games, Real signed Walter Tavares, who quickly became the team's starting center. 

"It just happened, I came at the right time and we won it, but every year is so tough to win. For us it is a pleasure to be here, just to be in a spot to fight for the title," Tavares said. "So for us, it is a pleasure to come here and to do it every year, to get a chance to win. It came in my first year and I don't know if it was a kind of luck to be here at the right time but I was super happy to win my first one here."

Four years later, Tavares has become one of Real's pillars. He has earned EuroLeague Best Defender honors twice and name to the All-EuroLeague First Team in back-to-back seasons. 

This season, Real has been through a lot, too. Both Randolph and Trey Thompkins were injured before the season started. Real's signing of Vincent Poirier late last season fortified the frontline and this time, its main centers have been healthy. Poirier has played 36 of a maximum of 38 games this season, and Tavares took part in 34. Just like in 2018, Real added another key piece midway through the season by bringing back Gabriel Deck.

Real had a 12-6 start to the 2017-18 season but slowed down after that to finish fifth overall with a 19-11 record. That sent Real into a playoff series against Panathinaikos OPAP Athens without the home-court advantage. Things looked horribly wrong for Real after the Greens romped in a 95-67 Game 1 victory. However, Real bounced back at the right moment, stealing a road win in Game 2 in Athens and taking back-to-back home wins with Sergio Llull - who had missed most of the season with a torn ACL - back in the lineup to advance to the Final Four. Once in Belgrade, Real eliminated CSKA 83-92 and edged defending champion Fenerbahce Istanbul in the 85-80 behind 17 points from Fabien Causeur. 

"After being injured the whole season, I came back in the playoffs at home and helped the team qualify to the Final Four," Llull said. "Then we won and Felipe \[Reyes\] allowed me to lift the trophy with him. It was great." 

Like four years ago, Real started strong by winning 20 of its first 23 games, but struggled towards the end of the regular season and needed to regroup in the playoffs. There it swept its series against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv to become the first team to advance to the Final Four. In the semifinal against FC Barcelona, Causeur had 18 points en route to an 83-86 victory. Causeur, Llull, Randolph, Rudy Fernandez, Tavares, Trey Thompkins, Jeffery Taylor and head coach Pablo Laso are still with the team, four years later. 

"The soul and character of the team are the same. There are similarities and we try to remember what we did well to win this trophy four years ago in order to repeat," Causeur said. "In a game like this, you have no choice but to play well. It is known that you come here to win. We are not the favorites, like in 2018, that's true, but here we are, in another final.

"These are special games and you have a lot of eyes watching you, so every time you play well, it kind of counts double. I will try to play well in the game that matters the most. In the end, playing well in the semifinal to lose the final would hurt even more. We are here to try to lift this trophy which we want so much."

Injuries? Check. Mid-season signings? Check. A slow regular-season finish? Check! Bouncing back at the right time? Check! Downing an Istanbul-based defending champion in the finale to lift the trophy? Well... we will find out soon!

Real Madrid Champ EuroLeague 2017-18 - Belgrade 2018 - EB17

Real Madrid v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2022-05-21T17:00:00.000Z)

With Anadolu Efes Istanbul just one step from repeating as Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions, the possibility of celebrating with its fans makes the challenge even more special.

Efes seeks a proper celebration... with fans

A title is a title. There are no doubts about that. But doing so in front of empty stands and being unable to share the joy with your fans takes away from the celebrations. That was Efes's situation last season when it lifted the trophy in Cologne during the pandemic. 

“Last year, obviously, it was still an amazing moment for us to win a championship. But fans are what makes this event so special”, All-EuroLeague guard Shane Larkin explained. “So, if we are lucky enough to go out there, play well and walk away as champions, and be able to lift up that trophy in front of fans with all the atmosphere that this weekend brings, it would be even more of a storybook for us”.

His teammate Rodrigue Beaubois imagined how it would be after Efes's semifinal victory over Olympiacos Piraeus that was decided in the closing second: “I’m sure it would be to be amazing. The other day was amazing”, he said. 

"The atmosphere was incredible, the gym was packed, the fans were very loud, especially the Olympiacos fans, so it was definitely a great feeling, and we love it. When you manage to win a game like this in front of a full crowd, that’s a great feeling.”

Even though he did not want to lose focus before such an important game, Beaubois could not stop himself from smiling when thinking of a potential celebration with fans. 

“I don’t want to think too much about it now, I want to stay focused on the game, but for sure, if somehow we win, it’s going to be like crazy over there”, he admitted.

Like many of his teammates, Chris Singleton felt something special at Stark Arena, something that provides him with additional passion. "You get more emotion out of everybody with fans in the stadium. The semifinal felt like a road game, especially with the majority of fans rooting against us”, he confessed.

“And then the way we won, you saw the emotion at the end of the game, with Micic and the team running on the court and stuff like that. You get a special feeling, you get a better feeling than we got last year, even though we did win it last year. I'll never take away from that. But it's just a different feeling."

Therefore, many Efes players are dreaming of capturing the trophy again to make the winning experience even more breathtaking, as well as turning it into extra motivation. 

"It would excite me a lot”, center Tibor Pleiss added. “We worked really hard this season for that moment. Last year, we had some family members, but celebrating with the fans who pushed us the whole season is definitely something that would be really special for us, so it will push us even more."

Fans - Anadolu Efes Istanbul - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - E21-FFS

Euroleague Basketball CEO met with many of the hundreds of media attending the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade on Friday to discuss the state of affairs in the company.