Name: All angles of Kostas Antetokounmpo's walk-on block
Channel: Euroleague Basketball

With his big brother Giannis seated court-side, Kostas Antetokounmpo entered his first Final Four game ever on Friday and immediately registered a sky-walking block for a Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens team that was on its way to victory. "I didn't get to see my brothers action, because I was yelling at the crowd, but they told me it was pretty crazy," Kostas says. "There are a lot of nerves in the Final Four, but once the clock starts, everything goes away for me. Once I go on the court, I'm ready to give everything I've got."

 All angles of Kostas Antetokounmpo's walk-on block 

Euroleague Basketball President Paulius Motiejunas and President Dejan Bodiroga speak to the media in Berlin

**Dejan Bodiroga's, Euroleague Basketball President opening remarks**

Welcome everyone to the EuroLeague Final Four here in Berlin. One of the unique strengths of the EuroLeague is our close relationship with you. We share a passion for basketball and thank you for your hard work in covering our sport. We look forward to answering your questions. But before we start, I’d like to give you some insights into the status of the Euroleague and our plans for the future.

This has been another record-breaking season. We continue to grow in all aspects. We had record attendance. We doubled our digital audience and fan engagement. And we continue to significantly grow our TV audiences globally.

One new addition that has contributed to this growth is the Play-in Showdown. With the Play-In Showdown, a little more than half of the teams in the EuroLeague get to extend their season, with the best six assured of direct advancement to the playoffs. This adds value to both the clubs and our fans. We will continue developing our sports products to ensure a premium experience for everyone.

I’d like to thank the clubs, players, and coaches for their commitment and hard work. The success of the EuroLeague is based on close and respectful cooperation between all our stakeholders. And this season proves that we are stronger and more united than ever.

We are also taking important steps to improve and grow our EuroCup competition. We believe there is a lot of unlocked potential that we will continue to work on and invest in.

For EuroLeague management, this has also been an important season. The transition phase is over and Paulius and I have received the backing and foundation needed to take our organization to the next level.

As we look forward to celebrating the end of this fantastic season with an unforgettable final game, we already have our eyes on the future.

The EuroLeague is a unique sports product. We are a hybrid of the European and American sports models. This structure gives us the possibility to create powerful partnerships that will strengthen our position all over the world.

As previously discussed, we continue to examine investment opportunities and geographic expansion. The interest in the EuroLeague is higher than ever, from commercial entities, host cities, teams, top players, and a global fanbase.

The critical task for us now is to set the right strategy, create a robust structure, and manage all these opportunities with respect for the integrity of our sport and stakeholders. We also continue strengthening our position in the basketball ecosystem while maintaining good and respectful relations.

Ahead of us in the 25th season of the EuroLeague. This is an important milestone that we will use to launch our new plans and initiatives.

To succeed we must be united and loyal to the common vision of becoming a global leader in the sports and entertainment business.

And just as our players enter the court full of courage and dreams of winning, so must we in the management enter our offices. I can assure you that from my side, I am, as always, ready to win!

I’d like to give the word to Paulius before we open the floor for questions. Thank you.

**Paulius Motiejunas, Euroleague Baskeball CEO**

Thank you, Dejan. Hello, everyone. Nothing much to add. Very happy to see you. Hope you still have energy. I hope you get some rest tonight and ready for tomorrow.

I will start probably with the elephant in the room about yesterday. Not the start that we wanted. To give a little bit explanation, I saw you covered it really well. Before opening the doors, you saw that a group of fans tried to storm the arena, which they managed to do, and that's when the whole process stopped to go out of hands and what we expected.

So as you saw, the police got in the way, they got everything under control, but it took time. After that, we postponed the game one time, second time. But I need to say that the main priority for us was the safety of our fans, which we managed to guarantee with the help of security and police and everybody here in Berlin. So not the start that we wanted.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a much easier and much better day and many things to learn for us as a management and we hope we can avoid these things in the future and it will not not be the subject of the Final Four.

#### Q:  About weighting the historic clubs against new markets when planning for the future

Motiejunas: I wish I could lay out the full plan to say simply we keep talking that the league has a lot more potential. When I was in a club, I kept hearing this and I want to see what's that potential and when we talk about investment, we're looking for strategic partner to help us grow and by grow we mean there are ways to grow. You've heard the story so many times. We want Paris we want Berlin we want UK. So these still remain the key markets we want to grow in. We have potential from the Middle East that we are trying to untap. So we want to grow in size of sponsorship, TV deals then new events that we want to include and organize not only the Final Four but something else as well.

So we want to untap that. And in the investment process that we're doing, so it would be two ways. Some investment to help the clubs improve their arenas, improve their revenues from merchandising, catering, whatever individually they need to do. And the other side is that we grow as a league and take more things in-house, which includes digital and other productions, not only the live games, ANGT and junior system. So I don't want to go into the details because this is something that's a work in progress, but these are the key areas.

####  Q: About the cooperation with FIBA

Motiejunas: We signed an agreement. It was the first agreement properly I signed last year. And it was a one-year deal. We stopped for the February windows. The clubs had to have another double week to be able to let the players go for the national competition. We had many talks with FIBA. We still have a meeting in the start of June. So this is a work in progress. The way I look at it, we haven't had such a close relationship for I don't know past 10 years maybe. So we did a step forward. We know what they want. We know what we want from them and we are trying to find a balance and how we grow the product because that's the intention when we sit at one table. We want to grow the product so that you can enjoy, the fans can enjoy and it would be better for basketball. So it's a work in progress. We are optimistic. We're happy to continue talking. And obviously, like I said, improving the product for the fans is the key thing we want to achieve.

Bodiroga: After so many years, we had in the last year, I think, seven or eight meetings together, and we want to find the best solution for both sides. The relation is very good with them, but from the other side, we want to protect also our shareholders, and we want to try to find the best solution for all.

#### Q: About 20-year licenses and potential club stagnation

 Motiejunas: You know me. We will not leave the teams alone. The league improves only if the teams improve. We mentioned this 20-year period only to have stability and to have certainty that we are sticking together. Like Dejan said, unity is the key issue between the clubs, but improvement is the mission of the management. So we need to improve as a league. We will improve, we will change as league management. And the clubs will have to follow and I'm sure they will follow because it's not in our interest. It's an interest on the product. It's an interest to, like I mentioned, for them to be making more revenues. So it's not to get them and say, okay, now you're here and enjoy the show. No, we have to row this boat together with the clubs and the management. And this is what we will do.

#### Q: About moving from Final Four to series

Motiejunas: We read the news. We know there is a lot of discussion. We like the model that we can come to different cities. We like the model that we see a sea of red, a sea of green, and something that we cannot get if we play at the same places that we are. So the EuroLeague Final Four is the tip of the iceberg. It's the cherry on the cake that we have. We love the product. We don't want to change. And I know there's a lot of discussion about the competition, but if we take the playoffs, Fenerbahce won, fifth game, so last game, after overtime, by 1 point. Olympiacos won the fifth game by 4 points. So we can continue to give them best of 11. But it will still be decided by the last game. But this is the beauty of EuroLeague. That's why we do it. So we really believe that with the Final Four, we can get the chance for different cities that would normally not have a chance to have even the ones who don't have the teams can have this wonderful event. So it's something that we don't want to change.

####  Q: About the police dogs near the benches on Friday

Motiejunas: We are aware of the situation that you are talking about. It's something that we discussed today and it will not happen tomorrow. Again, it was the reaction for the safety after what happened in the first place. Sometimes it's an overreaction. I wish we had overreacted at the beginning, so maybe it would not have been the situation that we were in with all the delays. But it will not happen tomorrow. 

#### Q:  About finalizing EuroLeague team lineup earlier in the year

Motiejunas: I wore the hat of the club for many years and this is what we are talking and we understand that this is the situation that is not favorable to the clubs. This uncertainty is definitely not good for the clubs because of it. They don't know how to talk to the sponsors, they don't know how to talk to the players, they don't know how to do the ticket sales. Next year, unfortunately, we will not change things. It will still be a one-year license to these clubs. But we are looking at the opportunity to have longer wildcards, let's say, not for one year, but maybe three to five years, which could bring some stability to the clubs that need to invest and grow.

#### Q:  About young players developing in Europe and clubs not benefitting from the investment

Motiejunas: The second question, it's FIBA, it's NBA. What is happening now in the sport. It's completely turning upside down. You see what the NCAA is doing and how they are changing with the salaries. Again, I know the salaries that the players make because I've been in this business and what they're offering now is completely nuts and it breaks the market and there's no motivation for the clubs to keep growing the young players.

But this is something on the table with FIBA as well. It's not easy to find a solution. NBA and NCAA, we all have to find a way. But I would say now it's like a Wild West trying to understand who wins and which direction it goes. I don't think it's really good for the young players to get these salaries and this money at the age of 18, it's always a risk. Only the really strong emotionally guys can handle this popularity and all this money and everything. So I hope the storm will go out and we will try to figure out how we keep growing really good European young players.

#### Q: About the possible relationship with Dubai

 Motiejunas: Dubai, we just read that they're going to play ABA League next season. We've been in touch, we are in touch, but everything is currently on hold. Because like Dejan mentioned, we're looking for investors, we're trying to make our own way of defining the future for the league with licenses, with investors and so on. It's more or less our issue as a league, so we continue to talk to them. We really value Mr Abdullah Al-Naboodah, who came with the proposal and the people around him. There's no certainty now for next season, but for sure we want to keep talking and analyzing this opportunity. 

#### Q: What’s next to intrigue the fans?

 Bodiroga: Like we mentioned before, I think that this Play-In brings something. What we have is positive feedback also from the clubs, fans and I think for the next years we will not change, we will not do something new. I think that in the next 3-4 years we will continue to stay with this Play-In. But we are also looking to maybe introduce in the future or we expand maybe some other competition. We will talk about this then. For the moment we will keep this, for the next seasons.

#### Q: About the viewership in the USA on ESPN

Alex Ferrer: We started last season with the playoffs very late. They have been broadcasting all the games this season as well. The numbers will come at the end of the season, so we still don’t have. We know it's been working better and better as the season progressed and people have noticed that the EuroLeague was there. We have one more year with ESPN, but still there's a lot more we have to do. ESPN is a great brand and it's great to have our games there. They have a huge basketball fan base, but there's a lot of work we have to do to promote the games and to promote our stories there beyond just having the games live on ESPN, where there's another thousand live events every week. We are figuring out what we can do in that regard to better promote that and lead people to watch. There's many more and more people watching, not only ESPN, but all the content that we produce around these games. You know that many times some of the content that has gone out has become viral and a lot of people from the States, more players are watching and it caught the attention of a lot of people. We just need to amplify that and make sure we accelerate that growth.

#### Q: About potential merger between EuroCup and BCL

Motiejunas: This is also on the table with FIBA. I don't see a quick solution. I'm not saying we want to take a long time to do it, but the thing that we agree is it's too many competitions, international competitions. That's what we agree on. How do we get them to work together? This is the next step. Honestly, I don't believe it will be solved in the next meeting that we have that I mentioned to you, but it's work in progress and it's, like I said, it's on the table of discussions.

#### Q: About hosting a Final Four in Athens

Motiejunas: We're really happy because finally the clubs have the arena so it's a huge boost. We really believed when I said about the investors that we could send part of the money to make this upgrade much faster. There were no talks but maybe after you post something. We can get in touch with the government and approach and have a discussion. Happy to do it, lovely place would love to move the Final Four there.

#### Q: About finance reality of EuroLeague clubs

Motiejunas: It's a good question. We're working on it and when I say working on it, we already have a full project presented to the clubs and discussed with the clubs. As you know, we had implemented the percentage that the owners are allowed to put in, let's put it this way, and the percentage is going down. So this is still in progress and we are still monetizing on it and controlling it. But the second step is that it's not only the top clubs have to go down and will have a luxury tax like let's say copy NBA. It will not be called luxury tax, but if you overspend you will have to pay out a compensation to the other clubs. So that's one and the other with the bottom clubs also have to invest more. So this is this is the project we are working on and we put everything on hold because we want to discuss this with investors. But I would say it's difficult to imagine that we will start to implement and approve it this year. But for next year, season 2025-26, I would like to push the go button that we start following it. Because clearly our goal is the same. We don't want to risk. We love that the owners are so passionate and they continue to invest, but we want these brands to continue even if they are tired of investing themselves. Sustainability is the future of the league for sure.

#### Q: Is an All-Star game being considered?

Motiejunas: Yeah, an All-Star game, a cup, pre-season tournaments, maybe a regular season game somewhere not in the European market. All these are on the table. And we're doing the calculations. Again, I'm not a big fan of the all-star games, but if it helps the fans, if it helps the product, we for sure would analyze and do it.

#### Q: Why do you think Spanish fans fill arenas in Spain, but don’t come to the Final Four?

Bodiroga: It's a good question. From what I've seen in recent years, I think there is a very good atmosphere in pavilions in Madrid and Barcelona. But I think that in the last few years more and more fans have come from Spain. And we believe that we will see them in the future as well. So I think that it is also a process. And I think that in the future we will be able to see more fans. But I think that this number has grown a lot compared to the last years.

#### Q:  About a license for Virtus Bologna 

Motiejunas: We should look at it as short term and long term. So as mentioned short term, we have to decide. We have five clubs and we have Paris, who want to kick out one of the clubs. And this is for one year. After that, of course, we are looking at, like I explained, maybe a longer wildcard. We are not analyzing now to have more fixed places, more shareholders. The model of three-to-five year wildcards is more appropriate to monetize and to keep us growing. This is the idea that we are sharing with the clubs. And regarding Virtus, we had a meeting, I saw the full project of the arena. Amazing what they're trying to do. Great ownership behind, great people running the club. So it's really, it's proving to be a EuroLeague level club and they deserve a chance to continue. Saying that, so do the other four clubs that I mentioned.

##### Q: About reducing the number of EuroLeague games to improve the product

Motiejunas: We need to get a beer and talk about it. It's quite a long discussion. Listen, I ran the club for almost 16 years. If you ask me, it's so easy to sell out the arena for EuroLeague games. It's so difficult to sell out the arena for domestic league games. So the question is, how do we get the fans to enjoy the best basketball? EuroLeague is the number two league of basketball in the world. Our goal is not to make less games. Our goal is to make more games because that's where the best product is. That's where the fans come to see and that's why the clubs are doing it. So I cannot address domestic leagues. I cannot address windows because this is something that we are trying to solve. But as a league, we are the best product. I'm saying it so confidently because I know we are the best product in Europe and there's no way we're going to back down and say we want less games. This is not economically good for the clubs, like I said, for the ticket sales, for the sponsorships and not good for us as a league. We want to play more. We want to have more competitions. 

#### Q:  Do you know the EuroLeague teams for next year?

Motiejunas: No. We decided that, again, as always, beginning of July, we will approve. We are meeting all the clubs. And it's clear. It's two Serbian, Virtus, Valencia, ALBA. Sadly, somebody will have to go if Paris comes in, when Paris comes in. So it's easy as that. You all know this. There's no decision. We're getting the information. We're talking to all the clubs. I can say clearly it's sad that we have to take this decision because all the teams are worthy to play in EuroLeague, but Paris is something that we always wanted and they're ready and they earned the chance, so it is what it is and it will be a hard decision for the clubs to make because this is what we will present and they will have to vote.

#### Q: About encouraging clubs to play younger players more

 Motiejunas: These are the million dollar questions. I wish I would have the answer. Easy would be if they stop paying in the NBA, stop paying in NCAA, lower the salaries in Japan. Australia would take a timeout and then everybody stays and we’re happy. I don't know if it's possible, but I see this direction. Sorry, I cannot answer in a more smart way. It's quite a problem. I know everybody is trying to solve, but I don't have a magic recipe that would help.

#### Q: About the report that Paris is struggling to raise the minimum budget for the EuroLeague

Motiejunas: We're in talks with David Kahn, trying to help discussing everything 

Alex Ferrer: The minimum budget is 7 million. That applies to all clubs.

#### Q: Why aren’t more young players getting minutes with big clubs?

 Bodiroga: Thank you for remembering these moments. Yes, I was, in that time, 92, it was my first season in Italian championship, it was very strong and also I, in that time, played Korac Cup. And, yeah, in that time I had as the coach Bogdan Tanjevic, who was also a great coach, but who always had courage to give to young players and to believe in young players. In the recent years, I saw also example, maybe because of some coaches and some clubs, because of pressure, they don't have courage to put young players and to give them more minutes in the court. Also we have example of Doncic, how Madrid and Pablo Lasso did with him and Doncic made great with 18 years. And after he got to the NBA; he has an amazing career.

I think that if somebody has talent and quality, I think they need a coach and a club that can support this idea. And for sure, I think this will also be a benefit for the clubs, because I think also fans want to see young players and quality players. We have, you know, this example, as I mentioned, that Doncic, and I think sometimes before we had more courage in Europe to put young players, and I think that now, you know, I think that we have a lot of quality in Europe and they need and deserve the minutes in the court.

#### Q: What's the criteria to define what teams make it to the EuroLeague?

Motiejunas: The criteria is simple. We run the league, we want to make as much financial contribution to the clubs. That's how we present to the clubs. So, key is the markets, key is the TV deals, key is the sponsorship, key is obviously the arenas and the spectators that they bring and the attention that we get. So these are the criteria that we will present to the clubs.

#### Q: About presenting detailed budgets for the league

Motiejunas: You mean us as a league? That's a good idea. Not next season, but the season after that. Let's try it.

#### Q: About plans to improve customer experience

Motiejunas: Like I said in the previous answers, we will take more in-house. I think previously we trusted a lot on the consultancy and hiring companies to do this stuff that we can do ourselves. So we will open that and grow in the team. Me as a CEO, I'm nobody without the team behind me. So me and Dejan can look nice and still we cannot solve all the issues because we're not the experts. We're working on the team, analyzing the team, improving the team. We will grow, like I said, we will grow all together, we will grow separately. That's why I'm here. That's what I did in the club. That's the kind of management system I believe in and I will try to implement it in EuroLeague. I hope you will see the good results in the near future. I wish it would happen faster. It's quite different running the league than running the club. So I'm also trying to smell and see, sadly, but learn from the incidents like yesterday with my own skin. So that's the long answer.

#### Q: About losing players to the NBA

Bodiroga: I think that at the moment, as Paulius mentioned before, they can offer not only in the NBA but in other leagues. I think that many players from EuroLeague can go there and play easily. I think that we have in Europe, the players who stay in Europe, they play for and compete for the trophies. And we are, you know, I think in all our clubs. We have very good players that are playing in Europe and some of them, they are back from the States and they give more quality to our league. But I think that in the future, I think the situation will be even better that we can have much more players that stay in Europe.

#### Q: About final between clubs Bodiroga played for

Bodiroga: I think that we’ll have tomorrow a great final. The two teams who in the regular season, Madrid has during the whole season was the first place and incredible continuity. During the whole season Panathinaikos is something that this year made also great season, great playoff and I expect tomorrow a great final. It will be two teams who take first position after regular season and we expect a great game.

Euroleague Basketball President Dejan Bodiroga and CEO Paulius Motiejunas speak to the media in Berlin

### Rudy Fernandez, Real player

"I think that yesterday's game showed the great level Panathinaikos has reached right now, and I think we are aware of the difficulty of this game, but I believe that we also come off a very solid game, both on defense and offense, taking care of small details. Tomorrow's game will be what you expect from a EuroLeague final, in which we have to very strong mentally at any moment in the game, whether we are playing well or if we struggle at some point, which I am sure it will happen. But we have to have the right mindset, knowing it will be a very long game that will go down to small details. I will try to help my teammates as much as I can. Thankfully, almost everyone comes off a great final last season, which is what gives you experience. We are all aware that we have to play as a team tomorrow, and I hope we can win another title for Real Madrid."

### Alberto Abalde, Real player

"Panathinaikos's main danger is that they have different weapons. I believe they have a lot of generators, but also have Lessort inside, plus a lot of players alongside them. When it comes to generating, Sloukas and Nunn are key, their main players, but I believe they are a deep team that will play very physical. We will have to play a very good game to beat them. This game cannot be compared to anything else. A EuroLeague Championship Game is the biggest game that you can play in European basketball. You cannot explain how it feels to be here and arrive to the Final Four, all the work it takes to even be in a situation like this. You have to work hard for many years to be in this situation, me and my teammates. There are moments of nervousness, fight, but also joy."

### Sergio Rodriguez, Real player

"Panathinaikos is a very different team. Olympiacos is a great defensive team, and Panathinaikos is very competitive, very physical. They also have a lot of talent with decisive players both inside and outside. And well, you are playing for the EuroLeague title. We all have seen the playing level the EuroLeague has, and in a championship game, logically, both teams have a lot of talent. There is a lot of adrenaline, you are here in front of a lot of fans, with your family watching you. You work for this moment all season and try to be very focused, and that should give us confidence to be able to enjoy. We have worked well all season and want to win another title. The two games against Panathinaikos are a strange reference because we had injuries in Athens, and the game in Madrid came right after winning the Copa del Rey. We didn't play at the level we showed for the best part of the season. It will be a tough game, a different one, especially since both teams come off a very good semifinal. They have a lot of talent with players able to decide the game. We have to limit then, because stopping them is almost impossible, and we have to be very careful. We had a fantastic start of the game yesterday, and we have to come out with the same intensity and energy."

### Vincent Poirier, Real player

"It is important to start well, get a good rhythm and keep it throughout the game. We have to have a good feeling early and play defense for all 40 minutes. Panathinaikos is a dangerous team in all aspects of the game. We have to play as a team and when it comes to the paint, prevent them from getting easy shots and stop their pick-and-roll game. On offense, we have to play together and stay together for 40 minutes. It will be a very difficult game, played until the end. The whole team has to be ready to fight. I know how it feels to win a title on the bench. I couldn't play last season and now, I have the opportunity to make an impact in the game. I can't wait to play another final."

### Mario Hezonja, Real player

"This is also great for the EuroLeague at the end of the day. This is why these Final fours are so important for our product, for our basketball that we show to the entire world, to see how everything is so competitive. That is great. I hope the whole arena is filled with green, yellow, red, or white with our fans. It does not matter, as long as it is full and it shows the spirit of our basketball here. They know what they are doing. They are run by a great coach, and what is the most dangerous about them is they all know their role so this makes them an extremely dangerous team. They finished second for a reason."

### Marius Grigonis, Panathinaikos player

"It's a privilege. We are blessed that we are here, and we will try to enjoy the final. But obviously we have to be focused on all the details and everything. But first we have to enjoy this and don't take it for granted. They have a really good team. We have to be aggressive, try to outrun them and be super physical. This is the key. I believe it's just to be better, be physical and then see. Personally, I don't care what happened in the season. It's just one game, and we are here in Berlin."

### Luca Vildoza, Panathinaikos player

"We practiced all season to be here. I feel good physically and mentally, ready to go if I have the chance to step on the court tomorrow and if I don't, helping from the bench. We had a spectacular second half \[against Fenerbahce\]. I wish we can repeat that tomorrow but we know it will be difficult. We are aware of Real's offensive arsenal but we hope to win the game tomorrow. Both teams had a great season to make it here. Both teams deserve to be here, so we will see which side the coin falls tomorrow."

### Juancho Hernangomez, Panathinaikos player

"Anything can happen. We dreamed about this and worked hard all season, so we have to fight it. I was talking to Rudy \[Fernandez\] the other day but in the end, it is a final and there are no friends in the 40 minutes both teams are on the court. No matter what happens, we will keep having a great relationship like we have now, and play together in the national team. In the end, this is something that we have been doing for many years: it is a basketball game, one more. It is more special, being a final, but you have to go out there and give your everything, that's it. We have nothing to lose and will fight for it."

### Jerian Grant, Panathinaikos player

“Real Madrid is a really good offensive team, but we’ve got guys that can score, too, guys that can defend, so they are going to have to match our energy. We are the second seed in all Europe, so if we go out there and play our game, we are confident that we can win. We had a lot of ups and downs this year. We had a brand new team, all guys getting to know each other in September, October. To be where we are today it shows that we’ve got bunch of fighters. I am excited, really excited to have one game to call yourself a champion, everybody is confident and excited.”

Game News

Real, Panathinaikos players meet the press before big day

Real Madrid v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-05-26T18:00:00.000Z)

All angles of Chacho's magic assist to Musa

Hear Real Madrid forward Dzanan Musa narrate the magical semifinal play that saw his veteran teammate Sergio "Chacho" Rodriguez throw a behind the back pass at midcourt to free him for game-sealing dunk. "Chacho makes everything easy for us, but even I was surprised," Musa said. "That was the stamp on the game and I was very proud to be in that kind of moment."

Hear Real Madrid forward Dzanan Musa narrate the magical semifinal play that saw his veteran teammate Sergio "Chacho" Rodriguez throw a behind the back pass at mid-court to free him for game-sealing dunk. "Chacho makes everything easy for us, but even I was surprised," Musa said. "That was the stamp on the game and I was very proud to be in that kind of moment."

A day after helping Real Madrid reach the championship game, Fabien Causeur sat down with EuroLeague.net to reflect on the semifinal victory, and discuss the Sunday's biggest game of the season, a clash against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens for all the EuroLeague glory.

Fabien Causeur, Real: 'In these games, you go all in'

A day after helping Real Madrid reach the championship game, [Fabien Causeur](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/fabien-causeur/001392/) sat down with [EuroLeague.net](http://EuroLeague.net) to reflect on the semifinal victory, and discuss the Sunday's biggest game of the season, a clash against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens for all the EuroLeague glory.

"Both teams deserve to be in the championship game, it's the first against the second team of the regular season", Causeur said. "Atmosphere will be crazy, just like last year or the year before. I think it is really exciting for a team to play against this crowd."

Playing in his sixth Final Four, more than any other Frenchmen, and aiming for his third EuroLeague title, Causeur has all the experience needed to know well what to expect in the championship game.

"We got to be ready for everything. In these kind of games you go all in and see what happens. It is one game, it can be cruel, like last year for Olympiacos when it led the whole game and we scored at the end. But that's what makes this event amazing."

REAL MADRID FINAL FOUR NEWS

\- Despite sharing a total of 17 EuroLeague titles, Real and Panathinaikos have never met in a EuroLeague Final Four. In their two playoff series since 2000, Real won 3-1 en route to the 2018 title and it swept Panathinaikos 3-0 in 2019.

\- In Round 27, Panathinaikos ended its seven-year drought in Madrid, beating Real 86-97 with Mathias Lessort posting his career highs in points (26) and two-pointers made (12), earning MVP of the Round honors with a PIR of 33.

\- In that Round 27 win, Panathinaikos guard Kendrick Nunn posted his season-best 7 assists.

\- Real beat Panathinaikos 78-90 in Athens in Round 13 behind Mario Hezonja who had 19 points and tied his career high with 4 steals.

\- During the 2020-21 season, Real pulled out a 93-97 double-overtime win in Athens. Walter Tavares combined 20 points and 14 rebounds for a 36 PIR to lead the winners. He won the weekly MVP award with that effort.

\- Real's single-game record for steals is 6, which Charles Smith tied against Panathinaikos Athens in December 2007.

\- Real forward Fabien Causeur scored 26 points and was MVP of the Round with a PIR of 29 when Real beat Panathinaikos 92-75 in March 2018.

\- Real swingman Mario Hezonja played at Panathinaikos for the second part of the 2020-21 season, helping the Greens win the Greek championship. He was a teammate of Ioannis Papapetrou and Konstantinos Mitoglou.

\- Panathinaikos guard Luca Vildoza and Real point guard Facundo Campazzo were teammates at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade last season.

\- Vildoza has also been a teammate of Campazzo and Real forward Gabriel Deck on the Argentinian national team. Together they won the silver medal at the 2019 Basketball World Cup.

\- Panathinaikos forward Juancho Hernangomez has been a teammate of Real's Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull on the Spanish national team. They all won the gold medal at the 2019 World Cup, while Hernangomez and Fernendez won the gold medal at EuroBasket 2022.

\- Hernangomez was also a teammate of Sergio Rodriguez on the Spanish national team, winning the bronze medal together at EuroBasket 2017.

\- Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort and Real center Vincent Poirier have been teammates on the French national team. Together they won bronze medals at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

\- Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort was a teammate of Real's Guerschon Yabusele on the French national team at the 2023 World Cup.

\- Facundo Campazzo set his career highs in rebounds (7) and steals (5) in Game 2 of the 2019 playoffs against Panathinaikos.

\- Walter Tavares posted his career high of 8 offensive rebounds twice against Panathinaikos, both times in Athens; first in December 2019 and again in March 2022.

\- Real guard Alberto Abalde had his career-high index rating of 24 in a double-overtime win over Panathinaikos in December 2020 in Athens.

\- Real Madrid's Sergio Llull scored a career-high 30 points when Real edged Panathinaikos 87-84 in November 2016.

\- Real center Vincent Poirier set his career high in steals with 4 playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz against Panathinaikos in November 2017.

Game Videos

For the first time since the current competition format was introduced in 2016, the top two teams from the regular season will meet in the championship game. Real Madrid topped the standings all seasons after winning its first 10 games and finished with a 27-7 mark while Panathinaikos soared late to place second at 23-11.

Game Notes: Madrid vs. Panathinaikos

2023-24 EB ANGT Finals Berlin Round 3 Highlights: U18 Overtime Elite-U18 ALBA Berlin

U18 Overtime Elite v U18 ALBA Berlin (2024-05-25T13:45:00.000Z)

\- Fenerbahce and Olympiacos split home wins this regular season. In Round 6, Fenerbahce held on to a 79-77 win, while in Round 34, Olympiacos beat Fenerbahce after overtime, 84-81.

\- In last season's playoff series, Olympiacos beat Fenerbahce 3-2, after winning Games 1, 3 and 5.

\- In Game 5, Fenerbahce's Marko Guduric knocked down a career-best 8 three-pointers on 12 attempts.

\- Olympiacos registered a 79-68 victory in the series opener in which it set a club playoff record with 16 three-pointers. Leading the way was Isaiah Canaan on 6-for-7 shooting from downtown for 18 points.

\- Fenerbahce beat Olympiacos 80-64 in the 2017 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game.

\- Fenerbahce matched its club record with 9 blocked shots against Olympiacos in the 2017 championship game.

\- Fenerbahce guard Tyler Dorsey played for Olympiacos during the 2021-22 season and helped it reach the 2022 Final Four.

\- Papanikolaou, Michalis Lountzis and Giannoulis Larentzakis have been teammates of Fenerbahce's Nick Calathes, Tyler Dorsey and Georgios Papagiannis on the Greek national team.

\- Olympiacos guard Thomas Walkup was a teammate of Fenerbahce's Nigel Hayes-Davis at Zalgiris Kaunas for two seasons, from 2019 to 2021.

\- Walkup played under current Fenerbahce head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius at Zalgiris Kaunas from 2019 to 2021.

\- Walkup grabbed a career-best 8 rebounds in Game 3 of the playoffs last season.

\- Fenerbahce's Marko Guduric has been a teammate of Olympiacos centers Nikola Milutinov and Filip Petrusev on the Serbian national team, together they won the silver medal at the 2023 Basketball World Cup.

\- Peters had a career-high in PIR (31) playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz against Fenerbahce in November 2020.

\- Fenerbahce point guard Nick Calathes posted his career high in rebounds with 13 playing for FC Barcelona against Olympiacos in October 2021.

\- Fenerbahce guard Scottie Wilbekin made a career-high 12 free throws playing for Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv against Olympiacos in January 2021.

\- Georgios Papagiannis blocked a career-high 5 shots while playing for Panathinaikos Athens against Olympiacos in December 2021.

After falling short in Friday’s semifinals, Olympiacos Piraeus and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul will look to close out their season with a victory in the third-place game. Both teams are 0-2 in third place games this century.

Game Notes: Olympiacos vs. Fenerbahce

Olympiacos Piraeus v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-05-26T15:00:00.000Z)

Have you ever wanted to know what it feels like to really be part of the action of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four game? 

Well, feast your eyes and ears on what a revolutionary MindFly AI ultralight-powered bodycam embedded in the referee's jersey sees and hears! 

 See the second semifinal from inside the court! 

Have you ever wanted to know what it feels like to really be part of the action of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four game?

Well, feast your eyes and ears on what a revolutionary MindFly AI ultralight-powered bodycam embedded in the referee's jersey sees and hears!

Game officials Streten Radovic and Damir Javor wore MindFly's POV Cam during the second semifinal between Real Madrid and Olympiacos Pireaus on Friday at Uber Arena in Berlin.

Now, you can not only watch the game action from closer than ever through the cameras in their jerseys but also hear them speaking with the players, coaches and each other during the game. It's a fascinating look at the professionalism that is at the very heart of the EuroLeague game experience.

Euroleague Basketball and MindFly started their collaboration during the last Final Four held in Kaunas, where all fans had the possibility to re-live some of the best moments of the EuroLeague's final phase as if they were inside the court. This season's debut of the same technology let fans experience *El Clásico* between [Real Madrid and FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/experience-el-clasico-like-never-before/) and since then a true winning streak of derby rivalries: [AS Monaco and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-right-on-court-with-monaco-and-asvel/) in France, [Virtus Segafredo Bologna and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/join-virtus-bologna-olimpia-milano-on-the-floor-euroleague-derby-ditalia/) in Italy, [Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce Beko](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/mindfly-referee-cams-went-inside-the-istanbul-derby/) in Turkey, [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-inside-the-belgrade-derby-with-mindflys-referee-cams/) in Serbia, and Panathinakos and Olympiacos Piraues in Greece.

Go inside the court on the first night of the Final Four with the POV CAM from MindFly!

See the second semifinal from inside the court!

Real Madrid v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-05-24T19:00:00.000Z)

These teams have played a number of memorable games in recent seasons with Olympiacos taking a five-game playoff series last season and Fenerbahce triumphing over the Reds in the 2017 championship game.

Controlling the pace figures to be a key point as the teams have very different styles. Olympiacos favors a grind-it-out defensive game, while Fenerbahce has been making three-pointers this season at a record pace. They split their two regular-season meetings, with each team winning a nail-biter at home. Which style will prevail in the third-place game?

### Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach

"This a of course a game that nobody wants to play, but we are professionals and we have to treat it with the respect it deserves. We will compete to honor our fans and the competition. It is a good game to use to give more playing time to the players who did not play much on Friday and to prepare for our next domestic game on Thursday."

### Sarunas Jasikevicius, Fenerbahce head coach

"It's the only thing left to show respect for the people who are traveling, who paid the tickets. And as a competitors, the goal is in front of you, the opponent is in front of you. We should try to put the best game possible out there on the court. Usually it's the game \[winner\] who is more motivated. Like we said, it doesn't change anything, being third or fourth, but you should always try to compete for a higher place, and let's see if we can do that."

### Giannoulis Larentzakis, Olympiacos player 

"Of course, both teams had really bad losses or heavy losses or difficult losses in semifinals. I guess that bouncing back and forgetting what happened and try to play regularly. We must forgot about what happened and play, and we have domestic league games, that's our goal, that's it. It is a success to go to the Final Four for the third year in a row, but we are Olympiacos and also want to win the trophy." 

### Nigel Williams-Goss, Olympiacos player 

"You have to respect the game and respect the people that paid a lot of money to travel and come watch us. Honestly, we haven't talked too much about the game yet. Obviously, we have practice right now, so we'll see what the game plan is and what the coaches have in store for us and whatever they want us to do, then that's what we'll do. I think the biggest thing is just staying healthy. That's the most important thing for both teams. Obviously, we still have our domestic league playoffs after this so definitely, we don't want to see any injuries on either side. And um, like I said, just to stay healthy before the domestic league playoffs. I think I said it beforehand, any of the four teams that make the Final Four can consider it a good season, I think especially this year in the early season with so many good teams and so many teams spending a lot of money to have the ambitions to be here, only four of us were here. Especially with our injuries and everything like that, for us to be here was big. We felt like we had a team good enough to win it, but didn't play well enough yesterday, and so you have to regroup and try to come back next year."

### Tyler Dorsey, Fenerbahce player

"I love playing basketball, I love getting up and down. That’s what this game is about. I didn’t play much last game, so if I get a chance, I am ready to get up and down. I know Olympiacos’s system by heart. They are a hard-nosed team. It depends on what kind of energy they bring to the game. They are a really good team, really coached well. I pretty much know all those guys. They are a hard team to beat if you don’t play with heart and passion."

### Nick Calathes, Fenrbache player

"It’s a tough game to play. We are going to try our best to win. We have great fans who came out here to support us and we want to give them something to be happy about."

Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos: 'We will compete to honor our fans'

The Real Madrid' star spent half a season under Panathianikos's head coach at Anadolu Efes in 2021. And it did not go well 

Recalling when Ataman coached Dzanan Musa at Efes

In 2021, Anadolu Efes Istanbul signed a young and talented [Dzanan Musa ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/dzanan-musa/006540/)to play under head coach Ergin Ataman. Efes managed to lift the EuroLeague trophy at the end of that season but Musa saw very limited playing time, appearing in less than 12 total minutes over four EuroLeague games with nary a moment on court in the postseason. 

Three years later, Musa and Coach Ataman will be on opposite sides when Real Madrid and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens take the floor to play the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game.

When Musa left Efes, many thought his career had reached a dead end despite a promising start in which he was considered one of the top prospects in European basketball. Musa became the youngest player ever to win the EuroCup Rising Star award in the 2017-18 season when he played for Cedevita Zagreb. However, playing sparingly over a season and a half with Brooklyn in the NBA and then with Efes, his prospects had diminished. 

"I said it many times. I came in the middle of the season and I couldn't expect to play as much, but you know my character, you know Ergin's character, so we had some words at the practices and outside of practice. But it is all respect from me to Ergin. They won... I mean, we won the title that year in EuroLeague so that is something you have to respect," Musa said at the Official Championship Game Press Conference, in which he still struggled to feel identified with Efes in 2020-21, using 'they' instead of 'we'. "They went back-to-back and he did an amazing job, so you have to respect that, and I learned a lot from him, Vasa \[Micic\], Shane \[Larkin\]. They helped me a lot to be in this position that I am right now."

Dzanan Musa at press confreence

Things changed for Musa changed very quickly when he left Istanbul. He signed with Spanish side Rio Breogan and had a breakout season, earning 2021-22 Spanish League MVP honors. Full of confidence again, Musa joined Real Madrid and was chosen to the 2022-23 EuroLeague First Team after averaging 14.8 points and a PIR of 15.9 in 41 games and conquering the EuroLeague title. This season, he broke the club's single-game scoring record in the 21st century, scoring 40 points in an instant-classic, four-overtime victory against Efes.

Even though Ataman led Efes to its first EuroLeague title that season, he has regrets about not giving Musa more playing time and hopes that is not in the back of his mind when the teams fight for the EuroLeague title on Sunday.

"Sometimes, as a coach, you make some mistakes. That season, OK, we won the EuroLeague. Dzanan came in the middle of the season, it was his first year after the NBA and unfortunately, I didn't give him a lot of time. It was bad for me and for Efes that we lost him and he went to Spain, and now he is one of the stars in Real Madrid, but I hope that tomorrow, on the court, he won't take the revenge for this!"

People laughed, but Musa could not resist answering.

"We will see about it" 

More Dzanan Musa news

The Real Madrid' star spent half a season under Panathinaikos's head coach at Anadolu Efes in 2021. And it did not go well 

Nolan Traore is now the record holder for most points in a single ANGT Finals game after he poured in 45 points in U18 PFBB INSEP Paris’s thrilling 101-96 victory over U18 FC Barcelona to send the French team to the ANGT Championship Game. 

Traore connected on 14-of-22 shots and 13-of-16 free throws while also picking up 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 10 fouls drawn for a PIR of 50. Traore’s scoring output surpassed the previous high of 39 points by Nikola Topic of U18 Crvena Zvezda Belgrade against U18 Real Madrid last season. 

“He had a fantastic game. He’s our leader. He played like a pro, and I am very proud of him,” PFBB head coach Lamine Kebe said of Traore, who last Sunday scored 25 points playing for Saint Quentin in the playoffs against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. 

Nolan Traore breaks the finals scoring record

“That was a great game from the start to the finish. I scored a lot of points but I am really just happy that we won,” said Traore.

About setting the record, he said: “It’s cool, but the only thing is we got the win. If I have to score 45 points then I have to score 45 points.”

Traore’s PIR of 50 tied him for fourth place in ANGT Finals history with Alessandro Piazza from 2005. Luigi Datome holds the ANGT Finals single-game PIR record with 54 in 2005. The all-time ANGT single game PIR record is Nikola Mirotic’s 84 in 2008-09. 

PFBB’s Nolan Traore sets ANGT Finals single-game scoring record

2023-24 EB ANGT Finals Berlin Round 3 Highlights: U18 PFBB INSEP Paris-U18 FC Barcelona

U18 PFBB INSEP Paris v U18 FC Barcelona (2024-05-25T11:30:00.000Z)

These teams have played a number of memorable games in recent seasons with Olympiacos taking a five-game playoff series last season and Fenerbahce triumphing over the Reds in the 2017 championship game.

Controlling the pace figures to be a key point as the teams have very different styles. Olympiacos favors a grind-it-out defensive game, while Fenerbahce has been making three-pointers this season at a record pace. They split their two regular-season meetings, with each team winning a nail-biter at home. Which style will prevail in the third-place game?

[Olympiacos Stats ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/statistics/oly/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)| [Fenerbahce Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/statistics/ulk/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

A heavyweight finale to the regular season sees Olympiacos battling to realise their top-four ambitions with a visit from a Fenerbahce team that can no longer fight for that prize. The Reds boast the league's best defensive record, (74.8 ppg allowed), yet the guests leads in three-point accuracy (39.5%)

Olympiacos Piraeus-Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Round 34 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Olympiacos meets Fenerbahce for third place

Olympiacos, Fenerbahce seek to end season on winning note

Top two teams, Real Madrid and Panathinaikos, meet for the crown

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/real-madrid-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2023/333/#roster) | [Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en//news/tae2324-ff-final-game-facts-mad-pan) | [Notes ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/tae2324-ff-final-game-notes-mad-pan)| [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/tae2324-ff-final-prequotes-mad-pan)

Though the teams split their regular-season clashes, with each side winning on the road, Los Blancos had owned the Greens before that, winning 16 of 17 games between them. Of course, this Panathinaikos squad is much different from the squads that Real feasted on.

Among a handful of interesting potential matchups in this game will be between French national team centers Vincent Poirier of Real Madrid and Mathias Lessort of Panathinaikos. There are also the Argentinian playmakers, Facu Campazzo of Real and Luca Vildoza of Panathinaikos, who were teammates last season at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. Real’s top scorer, Mario Hezonja, played for Panathinaikos in 2020-21 and Panathinaikos forward Juancho Hernangomez claimed a handful of medals with the Spanish national team alongside Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull.

[Real Madrid Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/statistics/mad/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Panathinaikos Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/statistics/pan/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Panathinaikos' Jerian Grant has a key role to play for the Greek giants in breaking the rhythm of Real playmaker Facu Campazzo as his team looks to reaffirm top-spot, while we can also look forward to an all-action duel between explosive big men as Guerschon Yabusele goes up against Mathias Lessort.

Real Madrid-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Round 27 Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

The drama builds for Real Madrid-Panathinaikos

The Crossover live with Joe Arlauckas and special guests 

After the thrilling semifinals, Joe Arlauckas sits down again for a live episode of The Crossover with Coach Panagiotis Giannakis, former champ David Rivers and BEIN Sports' presenter Ismail Senol to analyze to review Friday's action and analyze what can we expect from the championship game.

<incrowd-live-blog id="664dd0aac6249ea19407b38b" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals is off and running at Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin. Catch all the games live on YouTube and follow commentary from international junior basketball expert David Hein on EuroLeague.net throughout the weekend!

ANGT Finals: U18 Overtime Elite 99-91 U18 ALBA Berlin

Among the first-time Final Four players of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens who came away from Friday's semis with a good-as-gold victory as well as valuable experience, power forward Dinos Mitoglou was feeling fine the next morning in the headquarters hotel in Berlin as he discussed not only that success, but of course, what lies ahead on Sunday when the Greens confront defending champion Real Madrid with the title on the line.

Dinos Mitoglou, Panathinaikos: 'Can't wait for tomorrow's game'

Among the first-time Final Four players of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens who came away from Friday's semis with a good-as-gold victory as well as valuable experience, power forward [Dinos Mitoglou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/konstantinos-mitoglou/007866/) was feeling fine the next morning in the headquarters hotel in Berlin as he discussed not only that success, but of course, what lies ahead on Sunday when the Greens confront defending champion Real Madrid with the title on the line.

PANATHINAIKOS FINAL FOUR NEWS

Among the first-time Final Four players of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens who came away from Friday's semis with a good-as-gold victory as well as valuable experience, power forward Dinos Mitoglou was feeling fine the next morning in the headquarters hotel in Berlin as he discussed not only that success, but of course, what lies ahead on Sunday when the Greens confront defending champion Real Madrid with the title on the line.
