The new season is here! With a thrilling set of games coming up on Thursday and Friday, here's your quick guide to all the Round 1 action in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.
This week: The 2023-24 EuroLeague season tips off!
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Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade vs LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
The season's opening tipoff will see Zvezda host ASVEL in the Serbian capital. The hosts flirted with the playoffs last season but fell just short, finishing in 10th position with a 17-17 record. Over the summer, experienced head coach Dusko Ivanovic added proven talent such as Milos Teodosic, Adam Hanga and Joel Bolomboy in an attempt to get even stronger. ASVEL has finished in the bottom two of the standings in each of the last two campaigns, and long-serving head coach TJ Parker will hope to change that dynamic in the 2023-24 season. The team has made some new additions as it looks to do just that, with new recruits Paris Lee, Frank Jackson and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot complementing returning veterans like Nando De Colo and Charles Kahudi.
Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv vs Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
Maccabi boasted the league's best home record last season (15-2) en route to a fifth-place finish and head coach Oded Kattash will hope his team can again ride the wave of noise at Menora Mivtachim Arena. But visiting Partizan, which claimed an identical 20-14 regular-season finish, will have no fear as Zeljko Obradovic's squad aims to improve upon last season's playoff qualification. Both teams have important familiar returning faces, such as Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown for Maccabi and Kevin Punter and James Nunnally for the visitors. But there is also an interesting array of newcomers – Jasiel Rivero and James Webb for Maccabi, Frank Kaminsky and PJ Dozier for Partizan – who will be eager to make an early mark in a game which will surely have a playoff-style intensity and atmosphere, even on opening night.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs Zalgiris Kaunas
Two teams likely to be in the race for playoff contention will aim to get straight on the winning path as Virtus welcomes Zalgiris. It has been a summer of change for the Italian team, with head coach Sergio Scariolo replaced by Luca Banchi, who returns to the EuroLeague benches after a six-year absence. Virtus also has half a dozen new signings all over the floor, including shooting ace Jaleen Smith, dynamic forward Achille Polonara and veteran big man Bryant Dunston. Zalgiris coach Kazys Maksvytis has retained the majority of last season’s team, and the Greens will continue to rely on the likes of Keenan Evans and homegrown leader Edgaras Ulanovas.
FC Bayern Munich vs ALBA Berlin
World Cup winners go head-to-head as Bayern's triumphant trio of Niels Giffey, Isaac Bongo and Andreas Obst face ALBA's Johannes Thiemann in this German derby. New Bayern head coach Pablo Laso and his revamped roster – now including Serge Ibaka, Carsen Edwards and Leandro Bolmaro – goes up against an ALBA team which has also seen lots of summer changes following unusual roster stability in previous years. But ALBA tactician Israel Gonzalez will make exciting sure new arrivals such as Matteo Spagnolo, Justin Bean and Matt Thomas continue to follow the same free-flowing principles which always make his team fun to watch.
FC Barcelona vs Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Another high-octane opening night encounter comes at Palau Blaugrana as two ambitious teams in Barca and Efes look to start their new eras on the front foot. Even with charismatic coaches Sarunas Jasikevicius and Ergin Ataman now departed, new sidelines chiefs Roger Grimau and Erdem Can will set the same high expectations. Barca newcomers Willy Hernangomez, Dario Brizuela, Joel Parra and Jabari Parker are ready to leave their marks in the EuroLeague, while deposed back-to-back champ Efes can still call upon the scoring power of the explosive Shane Larkin but also added plenty of new talent, including assists magician Darius Thompson and high-flying center Tyrique Jones. It will be fascinating to see which direction these two powerhouse teams will take this season, and Thursday night will provide some early clues.
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul vs AX Armani Exchange Milan
Nikola Mirotic's debut for Milan will be the center of attention following arguably this summer's most high-profile transfer, but Fenerbahce will be determined to spoil the former Barcelona forward's night by defending its home court. The Turkish team's boss, Dimitris Itoudis, has strengthened an already powerful roster with the acquisition of new stars, like experienced big men Georgios Papagiannis and Sertac Sanli, whereas Mirotic is joined at Ettore Messina’s Milan by dangerous playmaker Maodo Lo and athletic forward Alex Poythress for a matchup between two teams with high aspirations. Fenerbahce fans will ensure a red-hot atmosphere for this high-level affair on Friday night.
Panathinaikos Athens vs Olympiacos Piraeus
Ergin Ataman's reign as Panathinaikos coach could not have had a more explosive start, with his Greens taking on archrival and last season's EuroLeague runner-up, Olympiacos Piraeus, on Friday night. Panathinaikos has practically an entirely new roster, but all eyes will be on Kostas Sloukas as the veteran playmaker debuts against the team he previously represented with distinction for 10 years over two separate spells. The backcourt duel between Sloukas and ex-teammate Thomas Walkup could go a long way towards determining the outcome of this mouth-watering matchup. Olympiacos, which will showcase new signings such as Ignas Brazdeikis and Nikola Milutinov, has dominated this derby recently with four straight wins, but there would be no way for Ataman to make an immediate impact than by changing that statistic on Friday.
After reaching the Final Four for the first time in club history last season, Monaco will attempt to kickstart another title challenge with a testing trip to Valencia, which also has high ambitions to keep on growing. Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic has seen the majority of last season’s squad return, while the addition of four-time NBA All-Star Kemba Walker adds further firepower to an already sensational backcourt that contains Mike James, Elie Okobo and Jordan Lloyd. Valencia boss Alex Mumbru will look to contain that threat through several experienced new arrivals, including playmaker Stefan Jovic, all-action Semi Ojeleye and talented big man Brandon Davies.
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz vs Real Madrid
A fascinating opening round concludes in suitable style with a high-octane Spanish derby, as reigning champ Real Madrid begins its title defense with the trip north to Baskonia. The teams are likely to have very different points of offensive emphasis, with Baskonia relying on the backcourt scoring skills of Markus Howard while Real attempts to establish inside dominance through towering big man Walter Tavares. Chus Mateo’s Real has embarked upon unusually little transfer activity this summer, with 13 members of the title-winning roster returning, while Baskonia – again led by Joan Penarroya – will look for instant impact from newcomers such as Nico Mannion, Chima Moneke and Khalifa Diop.