Motiegiounas: “The Euroleague feeds the NBA and we must benefit” – What he said about Sluka

Measures for the EuroLeague to limit the loss of players to the NBA or at least compensate the teams much better than the new CEO of the EuroLeague, Paulius Motiejunas, has now announced, speaking from the Summer League in Las Vegas.

“Look at the players leaving for the NBA like Sasha Vezenkov, Vasilije Micic, Dante Exum, while we’re still waiting to see what happens with Eddie Tavares. We are the organization that ‘feeds’ the NBA with good players. Even Webanyama. He played in Europe for a year with a smaller team, but is now a Summer League trend. So this global component keeps getting bigger and bigger. All the good players come here. Of course not all are successful and they may come back. But I think we’ve found an identity as an organization, but the good players are leaving looking for an opportunity to test their skills in the NBA. The NBA is and will remain the best competition in the world. So if you are a professional player, you definitely want to compete there. The majority of teams in the EuroLeague and some in the EuroCup are studying how to get better“, he emphasized.

Regarding the dispute between EuroLeague and FIBA, he said:It takes a lot of work, but it has to start somewhere. I think the idea of ​​all sides sitting at the same table and saying “ok let’s see what we want” and if the goal is the best possible product, then certainly it’s possible to understand what each gives to the other to make the product better. If we all focus on it, it can be achieved. We must not have the logic “I want this, I want that” because that way we forget the players and the fans. In my opinion the fans and the product are the key and if we focus on that it is definitely achievable. We have to go step by step. We have contacts and discussions with FIBA ​​people. We need to take the first step and see what we can get. There’s a whole list to figure out. The players are the key and of course they need to be rested and insured. Teams must protect them as well, whatever happens and has future consequences. I know it’s important that all sides are happy, but the conversation needs to go in some direction. Going back to what I was saying, if the fans are the best product, then national teams without players from the NBA, from the Euroleague, from the Eurocup, just destroy the product. It is very important to say the benefits that teams can get from the new generation. Right now teams invest in young kids and have big budgets, but they can lose them for nothing. It’s something that happens often. We definitely need to focus on the new kids, as is happening in America with the NCAA. In Europe we have a lot of talent and more and more of them staying in Euroleague and Eurocup is an advantage for us».

Regarding the latest moves in the Euroleague, he said:You always look for it this summer and wait for it. This year especially many kids went to the NBA, while two days ago there was the move of Kostas Slukas to the opponents. I mean it’s normal. All teams want to win. Now Panathinaikos is doing a complete rebuild, so I think the summer season is fun for GMs and how they can “rebuild” their teams”, he initially commented on the latest developments in the EuroLeague».

As for his presence at the Summer League, it is not the first time, but certainly the first with the title of EuroLeague CEO: “I always love being here. I came for the first time ten years ago. It is a very interesting experience, especially in terms of networking. I also see players working and preparing. It’s always nice to follow the life of the players. Now I have the opportunity to have contacts with NBA people. We have several Lithuanians working in teams. So it’s really nice to meet them and talk».

The idea of ​​holding an All Star game in the EuroLeague was also put on the table:We had that idea, but prioritized play-ins, which proved to be successful in the NBA as well. Having an All Star Game in the EuroLeague will not be a successful event in Europe. I think it can’t work as an idea because of the many leagues. If we see that the All Star Game can bring us all together and we can communicate and exchange ideas with all the basketball communities, why not…”.