The Turkish Airlines Final is off and running in Belgrade with the celebration of the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four Tip-Off Ceremony on Wednesday at Stark Arena, which opened with a welcome message from Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu.

Final Four welcome from Jordi Bertomeu

Good morning. 

Before we start, I would like to pay a tribute to former player, EuroLeague Ambassador and, above all, an extraordinary person Ademola Okulaja, who sadly passed away yesterday, definitely too soon. My condolences to his family and friends.

Please join me in a moment of silence in his memory.

Welcome to the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. I remember that one year ago, I started these remarks by expressing how happy we were for the Final Four to be back. This year we are even more excited, because after such a long time, we will again have a Final Four with the presence of its most defining element, the fans.The fans are exactly the reason why we are here in Belgrade. 

As everyone knows, the plan was originally to celebrate the event in Berlin, but until January, when the decision was taken to change the plan, we weren’t sure if we would be able to celebrate this moment with the fans. The fans are why we do this, why the players and coaches go onto the court, and we could not have yet another Final Four without them.

Today, exceptionally, I wish to thank two cities. First, the city of Berlin and Mercedes Benz Arena, for their understanding in such a difficult situation. And second, obviously, Belgrade and its mayor, who, amazingly, have been able to turn everything around despite such a challenging timeframe.

These have been an incredibly hard two years for everybody. But it has been a great joy this season to see our arenas progressively fill up as restrictions were lifted. The stands have again become full of the color and the energy that makes the EuroLeague what it is. Over these two years, despite everything, we have still felt that passion from the fans who continued to support and to cheer for their teams and players in different ways. In fact, we are extremely happy that during this difficult time, our fan base has continued to grow and that we continue to attract new people to feel devotion for what I believe is the most competitive basketball competition in the world.

These two years have proven that the EuroLeague has enormous resilience. The EuroLeague today is a solid and strong property that, with the support of its fans, continues to overcome challenges.

Difficult times continue today with the terrible, ongoing war in Ukraine.  This brings, yet again, many challenges and uncertainties that surely will last for some time. 

For the first time in 22 years, some of the teams that started the competition back in October were not able to finish it. We remain hopeful that peace will come back again soon. And despite all these challenges, in Belgrade this week, we aim to throw the biggest celebration in European basketball. 

Our mission is to deliver an incredible fan experience, full of emotion, bringing people together around one passion, basketball. That is why it is so important that we celebrate with the fans who will come to Belgrade, and also with those who will follow the Final Four from home. The teams are committed to this and ready to offer this great spectacle. 

I want to congratulate FC Barcelona, Olympiacos, Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes for having arrived this far, and thank them, their players and coaches –  alongside those of all the other teams – for the thrilling season they have delivered so far. From the very first moment to the very last, every one of them has embodied the words "Every Game Matters",  giving their all on every single play.

I also want to congratulate in advance those individuals who will now be recognized with their season awards, and also thank our legends and ambassadors. They have tirelessly helped us off the court, most especially with their commitment to our One Team program, which is 10 years old this season and helps us make a real impact in building a more inclusive and supportive society.

Last but not least, a heartfelt thank you to all our media partners and sponsors, with a special mention to Turkish Airlines. Thank you for standing with us even in the most difficult times.

Once again, welcome to Belgrade. A vibrant city, a basketball city, and the city that will crown the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Champion.

Thank you and enjoy!

Jordi Bertomeu - CEO EuroLeague - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Here is what Nikola Nikodijevic, President of the city assembly Belgrade, said in his words to welcome the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four to his city. 


Welcoming statement from the President of the city assembly of Belgrade

Dear Mr. Bertomeu, dear friends, dear guests,

It is a big honor to have the chance to welcome you to Belgrade again. Four years ago, in 2018, Belgrade was a Final Four host for the first time. It was a remarkable tournament that was left in memories of all us here in Belgrade and also everyone involved who was with us four years ago.

Back then, we knew already we will be candidates again for the Final Four, but we hoped it would be in different and better circumstances. We are very sorry that this year Berlin could not organize this tournament for epidemiological reasons and we believe it will be a host in the coming years and with our sporting friends from Berlin that we will be able to participate in it and it will be our pleasure to go there.

We are glad you are here with us today. Belgrade is the city of basketball, a city that loves this game, and we are sure you will feel at home. We believe the arena will be full, the it will be a true basketball atmosphere and I believe you will take best possible impression from our country's capital.

Thanks to the Turkish Airlines, EuroLeague's title sponsor, without which this would not be possible. Also to thanks all the people who helped us in organization, especially Mayor Goran Vesic, who first took the initiative that Belgrade become the host when we realized Berlin would not be able to organize it. Also to all the volunteers, all the sponsors, all the people everyone helping us make this one of the best Final Fours ever organized.

Also, congrats to all the players, especially the award winners. All the guys you saw on the stage had a phenomenal season and really deserved it. I am sure they will show the best they can on the floor this weekend and we will be enjoying another basketball spectacle.

I believe it is not the last Final Four we will organize in Belgrade. And that in a few years again, we will see each other again, because Belgrade is really a basketball city. We wait for you with our arms open and we are sure we will enjoy the best basketball the next four days.

Nikola Nikodijevic, President of the city assembly Belgrade

Cory Higgins is at his sixth Final Four and is a two-time winner with CSKA Moscow (2016, 2019). Barcelona features two more EuroLeague champions; Nick Calathes lifted the trophy with Panathinaikos Athens in 2011 and Sertac Sanli did so with Anadolu Efes Istanbul last season. Nikola Mirotic is at his fifth Final Four and has a chance to reach his fourth championship game. Alex Abrines and Calathes are in their fourth Final Fours and Brandon Davies has made it to this stage for the third time. Most Barca players were with the team last season when it reached the championship game - all the players mentioned plus Rolands Smits, Pierre Oriola and Kyle Kuric. 

Previous experience: Barca vs. Real 

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid (2022-05-19T19:00:00.000Z)

cory-higgins-fc-barcelona-final-four-cologne-2021-eb20.jpg

Experts agree that experience can be a very important factor in Final Four games. Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul players have been through many Final Four clashes. 

Previous experience: Olympiacos vs. Efes 

Olympiacos only has three players with previous Final Four experience, but they combine for 19 Final Four appearances among them. Kostas Sloukas is at his eighth Final Four; only Sergio Llull of Real Madrid has been to that many among this year's teams. Sloukas has a chance to make it to his seventh championship game, which would tie him with Matjaz Smodis and Derrick Sharp for the most in the Final Four era. Georgios Printezis is at his sixth Final Four, all of which have come with the Reds. Kostas Papanikolaou played four Final Fours with Olympiacos and one with FC Barcelona. All three players won back-to-back titles with Olympiacos in 2012 and 2013. Sloukas added his third EuroLeague crown with Fenerbahce Istanbul in 2017. 

Efes returns to the Final Four as the reigning champion and is back with 11 players and the head coach who won the competition last season. Efes's 12th player from the 2021 championship game, Sertac Sanli, is now with FC Barcelona. Vasilije Micic, Bryant Dunston, Rodrigue Beaubois, Dogus Balbay, Adrien Moerman, Tibor Pleiss, James Anderson, Krunoslav Simon and Coach Ergin Ataman have been to the last three Final Fours with Efes. Chris Singleton is at his third Final Four, too; his first appearance came with Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in 2016. Micic and Dunston are in their fourth Final Fours. Micic made his Final Four debut with Zalgiris Kaunas in 2018 and Dunston with Olympiacos in 2015.

Olympiacos Piraeus v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2022-05-19T16:00:00.000Z)

The first finalist at the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four will come from the clash between Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Here’s a look at how these teams match up.

Semifinals matchups: Olympiacos vs. Efes

### Backcourt

Olympiacos and Efes rely very heavily on their guards, though the teams’ perimeter attacks are quite different. Defensive ace Thomas Walkup and Tyler Dorsey are the Reds’ starters, while veteran and three-time champ Kostas Sloukas can be counted on to lead the team down the stretch. The Efes tandem of All-EuroLeague guards Shane Larkin and Vasilije Micic is among the best in the league and Rodrigue Beaubois is another offensive dynamo. 

### Frontcourt

Sasha Vezenkov has enjoyed his finest season to date leading to an All-EuroLeague First Team selection. The power forward is complimented nicely by 2.18-meter force Moustapha Fall at center. Adrien Moerman and Chris Singleton have the inside-outside skills to match up with Vezenkov, while Tibor Pleiss and Bryant Dunston power the champs in the paint. 

### Bench

In addition to Sloukas, energetic swingman Shaquielle McKissic and the imposing big man Hassan Martin are game-changers off the bench for Olympiacos. Twelve different players have started for Efes so far this season; Elijah Bryant and James Anderson on the perimeter and Dunston and Singleton inside are players to keep an eye on for Efes. 

### Coaches

The two head coaches both boast experience, winning spirit and the respect of their players. Olympiacos’s Georgios Printezis led the Reds to EuroLeague glory in 2013 and was awarded the Aleksander Gomelskiy Coach of the Year Trophy that season. Coach Ergin Ataman of Efes won that same trophy last season after guiding Efes to its maiden continental championship. These two master tacticians will have plenty to say about how this game goes down.

Georgios Printezis - Olympiacos Piraeus - EB21-RS26

The second finalist at the 2022 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four will be decided in a new edition of "El Clasico", as regular season champs FC Barcelona will face archrivals Real Madrid. Here's a look at how both teams match up.

Semifinals matchups: FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

### Backcourt

FC Barcelona counts on one of the most dangerous backcourt pair of the continent with complementary skills. Nick Calathes runs the offense with his classy pass-first mentality, while Nicolas Laprovittola is an offensive dagger both from long range and driving to the basket. Real Madrid used several baccourt configurations this season, even with no "pure" point guards such as Alberto Abalde and Adamn Hanga to use size and deffensive skills to build from it.  

### Frontcourt

Only a few can doubt Real Madrid's power inside the paint. It's noy only that the duo of Walter Tavares and Vincent Poireir combine size, physicality and top-notch intimidation, but Yabusele also adds versatility and outside shot to a remarkably strong body frame. Barcelona will count on Sanli's size to match Real's strength at the center, plus adding mobility, speed and scoring skills with Nikola Mirotic and Brandon Davies. 

### Bench

Veterans like Sergio Llull or Rudy Fernandez can become a big asset for Real, since they have been through a challenge like this several times in the past, achieving  two Euroleague titles each, but many other players can take over for Real coming from the bench as only Walter Tavares has started in all games he played.  Rokas Jokubaitis and Dante Exum are usually used by Barcelona as game-changing tools thanks to their explosiveness and intensity, which they both will have to prove useful in their first experience in a Final Four.

### Coaches

Nobody other than Sarunas Jasikevicius and Pablo Laso knows how to face a game like that, as both have been involved both as a player and as a coach. Pablo Laso has won the Euroleague title twice (2015 and 2018), and knows how it feels to do in Belgrade. Jasikevicius is looking for his first title as a coach, after being crowned champion 3 times as a player (2004, 2005 and 2009). Both are quite passionate head coaches that will bring their energy to the court through their players.

Archrivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have played six times already this season. Here’s how their last two EuroLeague games went down.

Earlier this season: Barcelona vs. Real 

In Round 14, Barca claimed a 93-80 victory at Palau Blaugrana. Nikola Mirotic led the winners with 31 points and 10 rebounds for a PIR of 39, which was a new personal best. He was the first Barcelona player to score 30 points in a EuroLeague game since Juan Carlos Navarro in 2006. Brandon Davies and Nicolas Laprovittola added 16 each while Rokas Jokubaitis had 12 for Barca. Fabien Causeur and Thomas Heurtel paced Real with 11 points apiece. 

Barca bested Real 68-86 at WiZink Center in Round 26. Laprovittola led the winners with 20 points on 5-for-5 three-point shooting. Dante Exum added 13 points, Davies 11 and Kyle Kuric and Nick Calathes 10 each for Barcelona. Walter Tavares scored 25 points on 10-of-10 two-point shooting for Real. Barca also won their two Spanish League regular-season games and the Copa del Rey final. Mirotic scored 19 to lead his team to a 59-64 triumph in the latter. Real defeated Barca in the preseason Spanish SuperCup final, 83-88, thanks to 21 points from Sergio Llull.

Pierre Oriola and Sergio Llull - Teams Captains photo session - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul faced each other twice during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. 

Earlier this season: Olympiacos vs. Efes

Their first meeting was in Round 10 in which Efes defeated Olympiacos 88-69 at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall, limiting the Reds to just 3 fourth-quarter points. Rodrigue Beaubois led the winners with a career-high 29 points on 7-of-10 three-point shooting. Vasiljie Micic added 19 points and Shane Larkin posted 10 points and 6 assists. Sasha Vezenkov led the way for the Reds with 17 points and 8 rebounds for a PIR of 26 and Moustapha Fall finished with 15 points.

Things were different at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Their Round 26 showdown was among the most spectacular games of the season. Olympiacos edged Efes 87-85 in overtime on a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-point shot by Kostas Sloukas. Sloukas led the winners with 24 points and 6 assists. Tyler Dorsey added 19 points, Vezenkov 16 and Fall 10. Tibor Pleiss scored 14 for Efes, which forced overtime with a late fourth-quarter reverse layup by Micic, who finished with 12 points. 

Georgios Printezis and Dogus Balbay - Teams Captains photo session - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Here are some interesting notes about the Final Four semifinal game between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Game Notes, Semifinal, Barcelona vs. Madrid

· The semifinals clash at the 2022 Final Four is the 31st Clasico in the EuroLeague this century. Barcelona leads Real 16-14 and has won their last four EuroLeague matches. 

· Barcelona and Real have met six times already this season. After Real bested Barcelona in the preseason Spanish SuperCup, Barcelona defeated Real five straight times: twice in the EuroLeague, twice in the Spanish League and once in the Spanish Cup final. 

· In Round 26 in Madrid, Barcelona raced to a 68-86 win behind 20 points on 5-for-5 three-point shooting from Nicolas Laprovittola.

· In Round 14, Barcelona beat Real 93-80 behind an outstanding game from Nikola Mirotic who scored a career-high 31 points, tied a club record with 14 made free throws, grabbed 10 rebounds and had a career-high PIR of 39 in earning MVP of the Round honors.

· Barcelona and Real have met in the EuroLeague Final Four Semifinals on three occasions. The first was in 1996 when Barcelona won 76-66 in Paris behind 24 points from Arturas Karnisovas. Real was victorious 67-74 in London in 2013 thanks to 17 points from Felipe Reyes. The following season, Real routed Barcelona 62-100 in Milan, where Sergio Rodriguez starred with 21 points.

· Real Madrid grabbed a club record 24 offensive rebounds against Barcelona in March 2005, a mark it has matched twice since.

· Barcelona matched its club record with 9 blocks against Real Madrid in April 2006.

· In addition to Mirotic this season, Juan Carlos Navarro also made a club record 14 free throws against Real Madrid, in March 2005.

· Barcelona's single-game record for steals is 6; Pepe Sanchez tied it against Real Madrid in January 2008.

· Real's single-game record for two-pointers made by a player is 11, which Ante Tomic set against FC Barcelona in March 2010.

· Mirotic spent five seasons with Real Madrid; he was a two-time EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy winner (2011 and 2012) and a two-time All-EuroLeague selection (2013 and 2014). He helped Real reach the championship game in both 2013 and 2014. Mirotic played under Coach Pablo Laso and was a teammate of current Real players Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull.

· Real forward Adam Hanga spent the last four seasons with Barcelona; he helped the team win one domestic league title and three Spanish Cups.

· Real playmaker Thomas Heurtel spent more than three seasons with Barcelona, joining the team ahead of the 2017-18 season and splitting with the team halfway through last season.

· Barcelona playmaker Nicolas Laprovittola arrived this summer from Real Madrid where he spent the last two seasons.

· Real's Gabriel Deck and Laprovittola have been teammates on the Argentine national team.

· Real Madrid center Walter Tavares and Barcelona sharpshooter Kyle Kuric were teammates at Herbalife Gran Canaria during the 2014-15 season. Together they reached the EuroCup Finals.

· Kuric set a career-high with 4 steals in an 86-76 victory for Real in November 2019.

· Barcelona point guard Nick Calathes dished 16 assists to break the EuroLeague Playoffs record playing for Panathinaikos OPAP Athens against Real in Game 1 of the 2018 playoffs.

· Barcelona forward Sergi Martinez grabbed a career-high 9 rebounds in a win against Real in October 2020.

· Real swingman Rudy Fernandez posted his career-high in index rating with 38 for Real Madrid against FC Barcelona in February 2015. It earned him the last of his seven MVP of the Round honors.

· Real guard Sergio Llull posted his career-best performance index rating of 32 in an 85-69 win against Barcelona in March 2017. He earned MVP of Round 27 honors for that performance.

· Real big man Anthony Randolph matched his career-best with 28 points playing for Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar against Barcelona in Game 4 of the 2016 EuroLeague Playoffs. Randolph accumulated a performance index rating of 28 in that game and earned MVP of the Round honors.

· Real Madrid big man Trey Thompkins set a career-high with 4 steals in an 87-75 victory over Barcelona in December 2017.

· Nicolas Laprovittola posted his career-high with 7 rebounds in Round 26 win against Real earlier this season.

· Barcelona center Brandon Davies blocked a career-high 4 shots in a home win against Real in October 2020.

· Davies posted his career-high in scoring with 27 points playing for Zalgiris Kaunas against Real in April 2019.

· Barcelona center Sertac Sanli tied his career-high with 8 rebounds playing for Anadolu Efes Istanbul in Game 1 of the playoffs against Real Madrid last season.

· Barcelona big man Nigel Hayes-Davis collected a career-high 3 steals for Zalgiris Kaunas against Real in February 2021.