Final Four news: Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Final Four news: FC Barcelona

Final Four news: Real Madrid

Final Four news: Olympiacos Piraeus

The Top 10 photos of the week: Adrien Moerman of Anadolu Efes Istanbul sticks his tongue out as he dunks against Milan.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Vladimir Lucic of FC Bayern Munich drives past Barcelona's Rokas Jokubaitis. 

The Top 10 photos of the week: Guerschon Yabusele of Real Madrid dunks in Tel Aviv. 

The Top 10 photos of the week: Paris Lee of AS Monaco keeps the ball away from Olympiacos's Thomas Walkup.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Ognjen Jaramaz of FC Bayern Munich tries to shoot under pressure from Barcelona's Dante Exum and Brandon Davies.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Vincent Poirier helps Real Madrid complete a sweep of Maccabi with this Game 3 dunk.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul splits the defense against Milan.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Will Thomas of AS Monaco emotes after dunking against Olympiacos. 

The Top 10 photos of the week: Tyler Dorsey of Olympiacos Piraeus drives to the basket in Monaco.

The Top 10 photos of the week: Nigel Hayes-Davis of FC Barcelona defends against Bayern's Ognjen Jaramaz. 

AWARDS

ANGT Finals news

Here are some interesting facts about the game semifinal between Olympiacos Piraeus and Efes Pilsen Istanbul.

Game Facts, Semifinal, Olympiacos vs. Efes

### Olympiacos Piraeus

**Streaks**

Kostas Sloukas has posted double-digit PIRs in 18 of his last 19 games.

Sloukas has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine straight games and made multiple triples in eight of those.

Sloukas has scored in double figures in five of his last six games.

Sasha Vezenkov has made at least 1 three-pointer in 30 of his last 31 games and made multiple triples in seven of his last eight games.

Vezenkov has posted a PIR in double figures in 27 straight games.

Vezenkov has scored in double figures in 16 of his last 17 games.

Moustapha Fall has recorded PIRs in double figures in 13 of his last 14 games.

Fall has blocked at least 1 shot in five of his last six games.

Tyler Dorsey has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine of his last 10 games.

Thomas Walkup has made at least 1 three-pointer in six straight games and multiple triples in five of those games.

**Rankings**

Sasha Vezenkov ranks sixth this season in average PIR with 17.8 per game.

Vezenkov ranks ninth in rebounding this season with 5.8 per game.

Moustapha Fall ranks sixth in the league this season in two-point shooting at 70.2% and Vezenkov is ninth at 66.7%.

Fall ranks fourth in blocks with 1.0 per game.

Tyler Dorsey ranks ninth in three-point shots made with 2.0 per game.

Kostas Sloukas ranks fifth in assists with 4.9 per game.

**Final Four records/Milestones**

Sloukas is in 10th place on all-time Final Four charts with 38 assists. His former teammate Vassilis Spanoulis is ninth with 39 and CSKA Moscow greats JR Holden and Victor Khryapa are tied for seventh with 45. 

**Records/Milestones**

Georgios Printezis is the all-time leader in field goals made with 1,427 for his career.

Printezis ranks second all-time in two-point shots made. He has 1,193 for his career. Kyle Hines of AX Armani Exchange Milan is the all-time leader with 1,209.

Printezis ranks sixth all-time with 1,452 career rebounds. Ante Tomic is fifth with 1,545.

Printezis ranks fourth all-time with 3,597 points scored. Nando De Colo of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is third with 3,825 points. 

Printezis ranks fourth all-time with 1,065 defensive rebounds. Felipe Reyes is third with 1,094.

Printezis ranks 14th all-time with 387 offensive rebounds. Tibor Pleiss of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is 13th with 402 and counting.

Printezis ranks seventh all-time with 3,818 performance index rating points. Jan Vesely is sixth with 3,837.

Kostas Sloukas is in fifth place all-time with 1,297 assists. Thomas Heurtel of Real Madrid is fourth with 1,340 and counting.

Sloukas ranks eighth all-time with 675 free throws made. Marcus Brown is seventh with 690.

Kostas Papanikolaou and Georgios Printezis are tied for third place all-time with 237 career starts. Vassilis Spanoulis is second with 254.

Papanikolaou needs 18 points to reach 2,000 for his career.

Papanikolaou needs 4 three-pointers to reach 300 for his career.

Game Facts, Semifinal, Barcelona vs. Madrid

### FC Barcelona

**Streaks**

Nikola Mirotic has scored in double figures and had double-digit PIRs in 11 of his last 12 games.

Mirotic has made at least 1 three-point shot in five of his last six games.

Nicolas Laprovittola has made at least 1 three-pointer in five straight and 12 of his last 13 games.

Nick Calathes has dished 5 or more assists in 12 of his last 13 games.

**Rankings**

Nikola Mirotic ranks second in the league in scoring this season with 16.6 per game.

Mirotic leads the league in average PIR with 19.4 per game.

Nikola Mirotic ranks third in the league in three-point accuracy at 45.5% and Nicolas Laprovittola is eighth at 44.0%.

Mirotic and Laprovittola are tied for 10th in three-point shots made with 1.9 per game.

Nick Calathes ranks second in the league in assists with 6.0 per game.

Laprovittola ranks second in the league in free-throw accuracy this season with 91.5% and Kyle Kuric is fourth with 91.2%.

**Records/Milestones**

Nick Calathes set the EuroLeague single-season record in 2018-19 with 286 total assists.

Calathes is the EuroLeague career leader with 1,689 assists.

Calathes is in second place all-time time with 364 steals; his former Panathinaikos teammate Dimitris Diamantidis is the all-time leader with 434.

Calathes ranks fifth all-time with 235 career starts.

Calathes ranks fourth all-time with a 2.67-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio.

Kyle Kuric ranks third all-time in free throw accuracy at 91.2%.

Kuric ranks seventh all-time in three-point accuracy at 45.2%.

Mirotic ranks 10th all-time with 653 free throws made. Jaka Lakovic is ninth with 673.

### Real Madrid

**Streaks**

Guerschon Yabusele has made at least 1 three-point shot in nine of his last 10 games.

Yabusele has scored in double figures and had double-digit PIRs in eight of his last nine games.

Yabusele has at least 1 steal in five of his last six games.

Sergio Llull has made at least 1 three-point shot in eight of his last nine games.

Walter Tavares has at least 1 block in six of his last seven games.

Nigel Williams-Goss has made at least 1 three-pointer in six of his last seven games.

Rudy Fernandez has made at least 1 three-point shot in five consecutive games.

Gabriel Deck has made at least 1 three-point shot in five straight appearances.

Deck has scored 10 or more points in five of his last six appearances.

**Rankings**

Walter Tavares is third in the league this season in average PIR with 18.5 per game.

Tavares ranks second in the league in rebounding with 7.6 per game and leads the league in offensive rebounding with 3.0 per game.

Tavares ranks seventh in two-point shooting at 69.5%.

Tavares ranks second in the league in blocks with 1.7 per game.

Tavares ranks fourth in two-point shots made at 4.4 per game.

Vincent Poirier ranks 11th in rebounding with 5.5 per game and fourth in offensive rebounding with 2.5 per game.

Thomas Heurtel ranks seventh in assists with 4.6 per game.

Fabien Causeur is tied for third in the league in three-point accuracy at 45.5%.

**Final Four records/Milestones**

Rudy Fernandez is tied for third place on the all-time Final Four charts with 18 steals. CSKA Moscow great J.R. Holden leads the all-time list with 24.

Llull is fifth all-time in Final Four scoring with 167 points. Barcelona legend Juan Carlos Navarro is fourth with 168 and Trajan Langdon third with 172. 

Llull is in third place on the all-time Final Four charts with 53 assists. He needs 6 more to catch all-time leader Theo Papaloukas (59).

Llull has made 24 three-pointers in Final Four history, which is fifth-best all-time. Milos Teodosic and Sergio Rodriguez are tied for third with 26. Juan Carlos Navarro leads the rankings with 31 three-pointers.

Llull dished 9 assists against Fenerbahce Istanbul in the 2015 semifinals. That is tied for the fourth-most assists in a Final Four game this century and tied for the seventh-most in a Final Four game ever.

Llull had 8 assists in the 2015 championship game, which is one shy of the championship game record of 9.

Llull scored 28 points in an 84-75 loss against Fenerbahce Istanbul at the 2017 Final Four, which is tied for 10th-most points in a Final Four semifinal.

**Records/Milestones**

Sergio Llull is in fifth place all-time with 3,489 points scored in his career. Georgios Printezis of Olympiacos Piraeus is fourth with 3,597 and counting.

 Llull is ranked seventh all-time with 1,251 assists. Dimitris Diamantidis is sixth with 1,255.

 Llull ranks 12th all-time with 619 free throws made. Dimitris Diamantidis 11th with 635. 

Llull ranks third all-time with a 2.77-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio, and Rudy Fernandez is 15th at 2.38-to-1.

Rudy Fernandez is in second place all-time with 547 three-point shots made. Llull is third all-time with 546 three-point shots made.

Fernandez ranks fourth all-time with 327 steals. Theo Papaloukas is third with 335.

Walter Tavares is ranked third all-time with 280 blocks. Kyle Hines of AX Armani Exchange Milan is second with 286 and counting.

Tavares is second all-time in two-point accuracy at 69.4%.

Tavares ranks 12th all-time with 416 offensive rebounds. Kerem Gonlum is 11th with 421.

Anthony Randolph needs 1 steal to reach 100 for his EuroLeague career.

Randolph needs 2 rebounds to reach 700 for his career.

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

### 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: Efes meets the press before practice

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

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

FC Barcelona was among the better rebounding teams in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season, but it couldn’t hold a candle to Real Madrid’s dominance on the boards.

Significant stat: Rebounding could be key for Barca against Real

Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius’s men allowed the second-fewest rebounds in the league this season, just 31.2 per game, and outrebounded opponents by 3.2 boards per game. It collected the third-most defensive boards (24.3 rpg.) and ranked fourth in total rebounds (34.4 rpg.). 

Real’s rebounding dominance put it in a separate stratosphere. Los Blancos led the league in rebounds (38.3 rpg.) and defensive boards (26.8 drpg.) and ranked second with 11.6 offensive boards per game. It allowed the third-fewest rebounds (31.7 rpg.) and outrebounded opponents by an astounding 6.6 rebounds per game.

That was not the case when Real faced Barcelona this season. When they met in Round 14, Barcelona outrebounded Real 36-29. And then in Round 26, Barca won the battle of the boards 39-36. On average, Barcelona grabbed 5 more boards per game than the opponent in El Clasico this season. 

Matching those strong defensive efforts could make all the difference for Barcelona as it faces what has been the EuroLeague’s best rebounding team in the semifinals.

As part of its ongoing efforts to support local companies and feed into the grassroots passion for the sport, Euroleague Basketball is excited to welcome Tehnomanija, Kafeterija and DDOR Novi Sad to its family of partners. By associating these three premium local brands with Europe’s marquee basketball event, local fans can enjoy the unique Final Four experience even more and enhance their passion for basketball.

Tehnomanija, Kafeterija, and DDOR Novi Sad join family of Final Four partners 

Kafeterija is one of the biggest coffee chains in Eastern Europe with more than 40 coffee shops in Serbia and Montenegro. Tehnomanija is a local leader in selling technology and electronic consumer goods. DDOR Novi Sad is among the largest and most trusted insurance companies in Serbia.

Euroleague Basketball is committed to working with outstanding local brands that have shown a grassroots commitment to the sport in various European regions. Accordingly, these premium local brands will gain valuable exposure through the EuroLeague’s ever-growing reach. 

### KAFETERIJA

Kafeterija is one of the biggest coffee chains in Eastern Europe. With more than 40 coffee shops opened in five cities in Serbia and Montenegro in only eight years, Kafeterija is one of the fastest-growing Serbian brands. 

What makes Kafeterija stand out is its quality coffee, high standards of service and a unique approach to promotion. It boasts a team of young experts eager to learn and make the brand better and more fit for customers day by day. 

### Tehnomanija

Tehnomanija, part of Roaming group, is a leader in selling technology and electronic consumer goods. It has 1,800 employees in 124 stores in Serbia and nearly 5 million website visitors per month. Tehnomanija offers more than 20,000 different products and this number is constantly growing as new categories such as fitness, baby and garden equipment are introduced. The company's vision is to become a regional omnichannel retailer and provide a top-notch customer experience in all selling and communication channels.

### DDOR Novi Sad

DDOR Novi Sad has more than 75 years of experience in the local insurance industry. Since 2012, it has been part of the leading Italian group Unipol Gruppo S.p.A. with a written premium of more than EUR 13 billion in 2021 and with close to 17 million clients.

With its team of over 1,300 employees and through its strong and developed network of 100 internal and over 500 external points of sale, DDOR Novi Sad serves nearly 400,000 customers with a premium of almost RSD 14 billion. DDOR Novi Sad is a socially responsible company and invests significant funds in culture, art, sports, environment protection and traffic safety. DDOR is the official insurance of the Olympic Committee of Serbia and the project "Novi Sad - European Capital of Culture".

Semifinal, pre-game quotes: Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Ergin Ataman, Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach

"Their key player is Kostas Sloukas, of course. He creates a lot off the pick and roll. Thomas Walkup is their defensive player, they have Tyler Dorsey who is dangerous on the penetrations. For sure, Sasha Vezenkov opens the court and Moustapha Fall is strong inside. Kostas Papanikolaou brings his experience, he rebounds, cuts…they have a really good balance. The whole season they played the same system, same rotation. They use many defensive situations, with Fall contesting shots inside. They use switching man-to-man and side defense. It is a very well-coached and organized team. It will be a tough game and for us will be important to improve the game tempo and find baskets in the open court. In the Final Four, it is hard to immediately start with tempo. In the beginning, our defense will be important, but our game is to push the tempo, to run. And as minutes go by, we will try to do that."

### Adrien Moerman, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward

"Olympiacos is a great team that had a great season. They are a very physical team, and we need to play defense for 40 minutes like we did against Milan in the four playoff games. If we want to win, we have to control their main players, Sloukas and Vezenkov. We know they are a big part of their successful season... We played together in three Final Fours and that experience is very good for us. It gives us confidence in the first game. We need to play well at the right moments and I hope that we will play a great game tomorrow and that we go back to the final on Saturday." 

### Tibor Pleiss, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center

"I expect a really heated game because both teams fought very hard to get to the Final Four. So, I expect a hard, intense, and very physical game. They are bringing a lot of fans, and they support and push them like crazy, but we are bringing some fans as well so it will be a nice and heated atmosphere. We have to play together, that's the most important thing. If you play together, I would say everything is possible. Teamwork makes a dream work."

Semifinal pre-game quotes: Elijah Bryant, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Bryant Dunston, Anadolu Efes Istanbul center

"You don't get this kind of success very often. I am just kind of living in the moment, trying to enjoy and help my team be a great team. I hope that experience is an advantage for us. Overall, they are a very experienced team so hopefully, maybe some guys get a little nervous in the bright lights. But it is one game and I am sure that everybody is going to give their best however the outcome comes."

### Chris Singleton, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward

"I know they have a couple of players who want the moment, who like the moment. I think that is what they count on for leadership. They have a good coach and, by the way, congratulations to Coach Bartzokas on his award. They are going to play team basketball. I think they are going to have the fans on their side. We need to get off to a good start and play solid. I don't think we need to risk on defense or rebounds and I think we will have a good chance of winning."

The stars and key decision-makers at the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four took the stage together for the Opening Press Conference at Stark Arena on Wednesday afternoon. 

Final Four Official Press Conference: Olympiacos Piraeus

Freshly-crowned EuroLeague Coach of the Year Georgios Printezis and Olympiacos Piraeus team captain Georgios Printezis were among them. Here are their answers to some of the questions asked of them by the accredited media.

### Georgios Bartzokas

“First of all, one more time, I have to say it's been an honor for us to participate again in the best tournament of European basketball, the EuroLeague Final Four. What I have to say to my players is that there is no need to exaggerate anything. We just need to focus on ourselves, have to play with confidence, we have to play for our shirts, for our city, Piraeus. For our club. And to enjoy the moment. Sometimes it is rare to be in this position to play the Final Four, to play for the title. So we don't have to exaggerate in anything, we just need to enjoy the moment.

“Honestly, I don't want to talk about myself. It is a team effort. It is an expression that we are here all together. Our fans, our presidents. We represent our city, our club, and we are here all together fighting for this goal. Everyone knows in Greece that I am an Olympiacos fan. I know exactly what Olympiacos means. It means passion, also sometimes extreme feelings in a good and a bad way. We are in a good way right now, but you never know what life brings to us. I am just happy for the moment.

“I totally respect Coach Ataman, he is doing a great job, not only this year but the last three or four years Efes is on the top of Europe. He has his own way to express his confidence. I don't see anything bad in this. We are trying to do our job, we are trying to focus on our game and what we have to do to be competitive against the EuroLeague champions and to win the game. Honestly, we don't have any talk about Coach Ataman and his expressions.”

### Georgios Printezis

“\[Being with Olympiacos\] after 20 years, that does not sound so good. Sounds really bad. For me, for our club, it is a big honor, a very big privilege to be here and participate here at the Final Four, the best four teams in the EuroLeague. It is a very big honor for our fans also. Of course, it is something that is not so easy. When we started the season, our first target was not to go to participate in the Final Four. We had to work hard to achieve it and go until the end. It is something we succeeded. I am very happy, as my team is very happy, to participate and to be here at another Final Four with this team.

“Sometimes we talk about the Final Fours, but I am sure all the players know what it means, know how much they worked to bring the team here. I am very lucky that not only me, but also our coach, also Kostas Sloukas and Kostas Papanikolaou have experience at the other Final Fours and we can give the advice. But I am sure \[other players\] know the way, and they will give their best.

“Of course, I believe the fans will give us more energy. They did it the whole season, first time after many years they gave us no pressure at all. They helped us in all games in our stadium and we are waiting for them to come and help us. What happened in Game 5 was something amazing. I understand it is not the right way for fans to enter the floor before the game finished, but all these emotions of two and a half years of COVID, a lot of fans want to celebrate, want to feel good. And we are very happy and very blessed to give them these positive feelings and I hope we give them more at this Final Four.”

Georgios Bartzokas and Georgios Printezis - Official Press Conference - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

The stars and key decision-makers at the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four took the stage together for the Opening Press Conference at Stark Arena on Wednesday afternoon. 


Final Four Official Press Conference: Real Madrid

Coach Pablo Laso and All-EuroLeague center Walter Tavares of Real Madrid were among them. Here are their answers to some of the questions asked of them by the accredited media.

### Pablo Laso

"I wish \[I could believe in Deja Vu\], but it's a different year, they are different teams. But for sure it's a great city for basketball. I said it before, for me it is always a pleasure to come to this city to play. Great teams, great players, and a great city of basketball, so for me it is a pleasure to be here, in this event, the Final Four, which talks very good about my team, the organization, my players, everyone. And… I believe a little bit in Deja Vus.

"I make decisions since the first day of practice, in September. I don't know if they are going to be good or bad. What I know is that we played very well against Maccabi. It was a great team, they were on a run, they were winning games and they were playing awesome, but we played very solid at that moment, and we achieved this goal. So right now, I'm focused on tomorrow's game, I'm not focused on what happened before.

"We are in the same country so we play each other a lot of times, but every game is different. For sure there is a big game tomorrow. I think El Clasico is big for sure in Spain. but I think it is also big all around Europe, so I know in these games big players step up. Niko \[Mirotic\], Eddy \[Tavares\], all of them can step up. But I'm sure that both coaches are very confident in their players. Anything can happen, for sure. I wouldn't be happy if we had won the last eight games against Barcelona, I would think tomorrow starts a new one. And I would have lost the last eight games against Barcelona I would think the same way. Tomorrow is a different story for both teams. We all know it.

"Luka \[Doncic\] has been a great player since he arrived in Madrid when he was 13, but he's been a great person since that day. That made him so big. When people talk about NBA and he was going to play there, I had no doubts that he was going to play good because probably the best thing he has as a person, and for sure as a player, is that he is able to adjust to any situation and that's something that you have as a person. And Luka has it. I'm very happy for him and I wish him luck for sure.

"Secrets... Yeah, who knows what Saras \[Jasikevicius\] is thinking about tomorrow's game. For sure it's going to be something different, but what I can tell you is that if I leave Mirotic open in the corner, he is going to hit it. That's not a secret.

"I don't have too much to say about Eddy \[Tavares\]. I'm very happy for his career so far, since the first day he joined us, he showed great humbleness and a great work ethic. Nobody doubts his development as a player and I say nothing new if I say that for us is a key player. If we wouldn't have Tavares, we wouldn't probably be here, and that speaks very well about him. I'm very proud of him and of having the opportunity of coaching him.

"My experience against Barcelona in the Final Four as a player was not that good. It's better as a coach, we won the two games we played before. But that's all. For me, all this has ended. It's just history, both in the good and in the bad. They are different games, but for me, honestly speaking, there is more noise outside than inside. It's just a basketball game. Obviously, you want to win. But we would want it too if we played against Olympiacos or Anadolu Efes. Like they would. We all understand, though, as the main characters of it, that the noise and the excitement are bigger in a game like El Clasico.

"I think our best moment of the season was before the COVID, until December. I have the feeling that the team had 3-4 months of playing very solid basketball, with all the players contributing. It's not only about Real, but all the other teams went through a situation like this, even though we knew it could happen, plus several ins and outs because of injuries. But I also recognize we had bad moments, and that now we are in a good one, I believe."

### Walter Tavares

"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. 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.

"Coach Laso's experience has a great influence on us. He takes care of the details very well and especially in moments like these when we used to do things much better. He is a coach that has been here for so many years and knows what it means to be Real Madrid, to defend the name of the club, and I'm sure he will do his best to make us be as well prepared as possible to seize this moment. "

"As a player, I always think we arrive in a great moment. I think we did great in the playoff. During the season it is normal to have some ups and downs because it's hard to be consistent. In the playoffs everybody knew we had to step up because if we didn't play well, we were going to be eliminated. So as Real Madrid, we always have to play well and step up in the big moments, so I'm happy to be part of it. They motivate me to be in this moment. We did a great \[playoff\] series, we won three games straight. We know we are here, we want to enjoy this moment, this Final Four, and try to win."

Pablo Laso and Walter Tavares - Official Press Conference - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

The stars and key decision makers at the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four took the stage together for the Opening Press Conference at Stark Arena on Wednesday afternoon.

Final Four Official Press Conference: Anadolu Efes Istanbul

### Ergin Ataman

“It was amazing to win the title. Of course, we celebrated only in the locker room with my players, my staff, with the families. I am sure all the country celebrated this glory. Now of course, if we get successful to win again, for me it will be more fun raising my feet with the spectators, with the fans. It will be amazing, we will see.

“It was a difficult season for us. We didn’t start well this season. Actually we took our rhythm only in the second part of the EuroLeague, but I was sure if we get successful to advance to the playoffs, the team will come back to play their basketball and it happened. In the playoffs, I have great players, great team, same team. In the most important time in the season, we found a way to play our basketball that we played the last three seasons and with this confidence I want to motivate my team because it was the first time we got to the Final Four without home court advantage and it was very difficult to beat Olimpia Milano, which is a great team, great coach, and I think they found the real motivation and, of course, we are here with all the coaches, all the players at the Final Four to try to win. We will see.

“It’s a great honor for me, for my players, for the club that in Istanbul they made a statue ceremony for us for the last EuroLeague cup title. I think that this team, the last three years, deserved because really we represented excellence for our country, our sport and our basketball.”

### Shane Larkin

“We are still hungry. You can never be complacent. We obviously enjoyed last season, wining the championship, but to be back here at this great event, we’re just as hungry as we’ve ever been and we’re here to win. We understand that we have to enjoy every single moment, enjoy the Final Four because it’s tough to get here, but the goal is to leave here as the champion again and we’re all focused on that goal.

“It’s always great when you have a coach that has confidence in you and confidence in the team and I think that’s one of the most important things; you have to believe in yourself, you have to believe in the staff, you have to believe in the coaches. And we all believe in each other, the way that we’ve been the last three years and we’ve been successful. It always feels good when you have the coach’s confidence to go out and play your game knowing that he has your back and hopefully we can go out there and prove him right again.

“The league is obviously full of great players. Each and every year different guys step up and there are some guys that stay at the top of it for years to come. Obviously, that’s one of my goals, to be one of the best players in this competition, year-in, year-out, but I know that’s not an easy thing to do. So it definitely feels good to finally be acknowledged as one of the first five and hopefully as long as I’m here playing this competition I can continue to push myself to be the best player I can be day-in, day-out and try to be one of the best players of all time to play here.“

Ergin Ataman and Shane Larkin - Official Press Conference - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

Final Four Official Press Conference: FC Barcelona

Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and freshly-crowned EuroLeague MVP Nikola Mirotic were among them. Here are their answers to some of the questions asked of them by the accredited media.

### Sarunas Jasikevicius

"From whichever angle you want to look at, a Madrid-Barca Clasico is a really huge game. The EuroLeague Semifinal is obviously a huge game. It doesn't really matter if it is a Clasico or not. We are both here to try to achieve the goal and obviously, to advance to the final. We understand the difficulties of it and hopefully, tomorrow evening we will be ready.

"I don't think you can forget about what happened, I think you have to learn from it. The ball will be thrown up tomorrow and it will be 0-0 and it is going to be a new game. What we have to take into consideration is what we did well, what we didn't do well, how every game was so different - some very, very low-scoring games, some very high-scoring games. And it is a new story tomorrow, there is no question. We have to be up for the challenge. You cannot be less hungry because we have beaten Real a couple of times. It is a brand new game. Different situation, different everything.

"I think that a good start always helps, but the game lasts for 40 minutes and this is what it will take. The game against Real will go to the end, as all games against them. We have to be able to react. It is like a cup game, with a new arena, everything is new in this game. We understand there are a lot of ups and downs in these games and we have to be able to hold up in bad moments and go for more in good moments. It is more of the game - a new game, a new story, and we have to be mentally strong for 40 minutes."

### Nikola Mirotic

"The people who know me very closely, they know how much I love this country and how much I also care about this country and its people as well. There is no doubt that it will be something very special. This is also like my home, but not just because it is in Belgrade. It is also because I never won the EuroLeague so it will be, for sure, something amazing but we have to be humble, just think about that semifinal, and try to enjoy it as well.

"I see the team very well. We were really looking forward to getting to Belgrade. We had much time to prepare. The most important of it all is that the team is healthy. I think we arrive with a good mentality, knowing all the difficulties we will have. I hope we can be up for the challenge and do what our coach expects us to do. We will see how the game goes tomorrow."

"First of all, I don't believe there is a favorite here in the Final Four? Extra pressure? No, to be honest. Since day one, when I put this jersey on, I knew the pressure I was going to, the expectations from the club, from the fans. So this is something that I am used to, but of course, it is something that is pushing me to get better as a player. And as a person, I try to be humble and try to always get some extra work and get better as a player. So basically, that's it."

Sarunas Jasikevicius and Nikola Mirotic - Official Press Conference - Final Four Belgrade 2022 - EB21

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

The leader of the team that rode atop the standings for most of the season, forward Nikola Mirotic of FC Barcelona has been chosen by fans, media, head coaches and team captains as the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP.

2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP: Nikola Mirotic, FC Barcelona

Mirotic, 31, was awarded his highest honor yet in a career full of accolades during the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Awards Ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia, on Wednesday, the eve of the 2022 Final Four. The ceremony was held at Stark Arena, where Barcelona will take on Real Madrid in the second semifinal on Thursday, right after Olympiacos Piraeus and Anadolu Efes Istanbul face off in the other.

Mirotic had another stellar season, ranking first among all EuroLeague players with an average performance index rating of 19.4 and second in scoring with 16.6 points per game. In both categories, he was the league leader on a per-minute basis, with a 32.1 PIR and 24.5 points prorated over 40 minutes. Mirotic shot the ball this season with historic efficiency, becoming just the second player in EuroLeague history to post 65-45-85 shooting percentages; he made 65.6% of his two-point shots, 45.5% of his three-pointers and 87.5% of his free throws.

Mirotic was chosen as the MVP of the Month in both October and December, which gave him a record seven such awards. He was MVP of the Round three times, too, tied for the most by any player this season. His early-season dominance led Barca to a 6-0 start and a season-long place among the top two teams in the standings. His December MVP award included the last five wins in a nine-game winning streak that propelled Barca to the best record of the regular season, 21-7.

Mirotic also was recognized on Wednesday for his second consecutive selection to the All-EuroLeague First Team. He began winning EuroLeague awards more than a decade ago when he was the back-to-back Rising Star Trophy winner in 2010-11 and 2011-12 and was selected to the All-EuroLeague Second Team in the next two seasons. Only two other active players have more All-EuroLeague selections than Mirotic, who spent five seasons in the NBA before returning to Europe to sign with Barca in 2019.

2021-22 MVP of the Season: Nikola Mirotic, FC Barcelona

Mirotic was the first choice of the head coaches, the team captains and the media in this season's MVP voting. Mike James of AS Monaco finished second in the overall voting and Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus third. He is the second Barca player to be celebrated as the full-season MVP, following Juan Carlos Navarro in the 2008-09 season.

“I would like to say that it’s a big pleasure for me to receive this award from our greatest coach Zeljko Obradovic and I would like to thank my team FC Barcelona, the whole organization, coaching staff, all the players, because at the end this is a team job. A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend Nick Calathes said in case you win, please remember me in your speech, so I said to him I will. So 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. At the end, I want to say a couple of words to a special person here with us, my personal coach, Jadran Vujacic. He was my first coach since I started basketball and he really pushed me very hard to get to this point, all the summers working together hard. He is the person who really believed in me more than I ever believed in myself, so this trophy also goes to him.

“It feels great to have this award in my hands, but I know that the job I came here for is not done. I know why I came. Last season Micic did an incredible job and he demonstrated in the Final Four why he was the MVP. It was well deserved, hopefully, this year I can do my job.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some special messages for the MVP<br><br>📣 <a href="https://twitter.com/AntoGriezmann?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AntoGriezmann</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ud3no8aseg">pic.twitter.com/Ud3no8aseg</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1526870831657324545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Born in Podgorica, Montenegro, Mirotic was a late-comer to basketball, introduced to the sport at age 13 by his grandfather. Within two years, after time spent at the Joker School in his hometown, Mirotic had signed his first contract with Real Madrid, joining its youth program. By 2008, he was on Real's senior roster and made his EuroLeague debut shortly after turning 18 in a road game against Barcelona. He would help Real make its Final Four return after 15 years in 2011. In two more Final Four appearances with Real, in 2013 and 2014, they finished as the runner-up.

Mirotic went on to play in the NBA before joining Barca at age 28, right in the prime of his career, and after the 2019-20 season was discontinued, led his new team last year to its first Final Four in seven years. They lost the championship game to Efes, but Barcelona comes into this weekend in Belgrade with the best overall record of all EuroLeague teams, 24-9, and now with the MVP of the season leading a quest to take one step further to the title.

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2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP: Nikola Mirotic, FC Barcelona

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