"Want to see Israelis against Arabs in the Euroleague" - voila! sport

When Euroleague CEO Marshall Glickman landed in Israel last week, and made his way to the match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Fenerbahce, he recalled his first visits to the country as a young and enthusiastic Jew from Portland. "I came here for the first time in 1977, when I was 18 years old. My father Harry was One of the founders of the Portland Trailblazers, and after we won the NBA championship, club president Larry Weinberg gave us a family trip to Israel as a gift.

I mainly remember the euphoric atmosphere that prevailed here, because we arrived shortly after the visit of the Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat.

"I have always had a special connection to Israel," testifies Glickman in an interview with Walla!

sport.

"My father's family came from Poland, and most of them perished in the Holocaust. My mother's family is from Odessa, Ukraine, and most of them escaped in time to the USA.

Father was also involved in Maccabiah, and I was at the Ramat Gan stadium during the bridge disaster in 1997.

He marched with the American delegation, and for hours we did not know what became of him.

There were almost no cell phones then."

Glickman, 64 years old, replaced Jordi Bartomeu at the beginning of the season - and he runs the top factory in European basketball together with former star Diane Bodiroga, who is designated as president.

For many years he served as a consultant to the league, and now he stands at the front of the stage.

"In my first week on the job, when I was still looking for the new office, I came to a meeting with the players. There were people from all over the world, each with his own language, a representative from each team, and it was amazing to see how multicultural European basketball is. The first person I encountered was Luke Sikma of Elba Berlin. I told him, 'You must be Jack's son. I hate your father! He'll always sew up Portland.'"

"Everyone complains and he asks why they don't play night after night."

Glickman with Tony Parker and Diane Bodiroga (photo: official website, Euroleague)

- How does an American basketball player, who held senior positions in the management of the NBA and the Trailblazers, find interest in the Euroleague?

"This is exactly one of the tasks I took on. It's hard to follow the Euroleague in the US today.

It is not broadcast on ESPN and is not interesting enough there.

But we are working to change that, and see it as an important goal.

We need a small percentage of the American market to care about the Euroleague, and we'll get results, even though it's not easy."

"Yes, there is more appreciation for Europe thanks to Janis, Doncic and Jokic. But do people want to watch the league where some of them grew up, or watch the players before they become stars? Not yet. The mentality was too much 'us' and 'them'. We think our coaches are better, and the NBA thinks its players are better. Maybe there's jealousy here, because our stars are moving to it. But listen, the NBA is a ten billion dollar business. If my assistant came to me and said he was offered to be The vice president of the league there, I would hug him and cheer him on."

"I love the Final Four."

Anadolu Efes lifts the trophy at the end of last season (Photo: Reuters)

Glickman was impressed by the atmosphere at Menorah Mivathim Hall on Wednesday.

"It was a game," he says.

"In the first quarter, it seemed like it would get out of control and become boring. I was sitting in the second row, and I was amazed by the level of intensity and toughness in the defense. The Euroleague has a slogan, Every game matters, every game matters, and in my eyes it is brilliant. It reflects reality accurately."

"We need to expand the league. I don't have a magic number, but 18 is not enough. We have more teams that want to enter than places to enter them. I like the system where two rounds are played, home and away, and I like the Final Four. Maybe we should To enter play-in series on the way to the playoffs."

"I definitely think that London and Paris will be in the Euroleague in the future. We did research five years ago with the Deloitte company and we saw that it is possible to increase the market in Germany, France and England."

"Next season, there will not be a team from Dubai in the Euroleague. We have had many conversations with them, for two years now, and the subject is of interest to us. If we manage to make it happen, it will only happen after thought and planning. It is a different and special situation. Think, for example, of the logistics: if Tel Aviv takes It takes four hours to get there, so you have to fly there for seven hours... It's not easy. There is a growing market there, there is money and there is a huge hall, but there is no history and tradition, no league and no team yet. We would like to see basketball start to develop a little there." .

"The Eurocup has really small clubs with a low budget, and it will be difficult to ask them to fly to Dubai. It would be really nice to bring Dubai into the Euroleague family, and it would also make a political statement. I enjoy seeing the Greeks and Turks together on the field, and watching the Israelis play against the Arabs from Dubai, That will be great".

"Not before the war is over. We will follow the decisions of the International Olympic Committee and the other major bodies, and act accordingly."

"The slogan Every game matters reflects reality."

Glickman with Danny Federman in Yad Eliyahu (photo: official website, Euroleague)

After all, the most pressing issue seems to be related to the ongoing conflict with FIBA, which leads to the avoidance of Euroleague players from appearances in the national teams; the Israel national team, for example, paid a price for this when Pablo Lasso turned down the offer to coach it because he realized that he would not be able to pay between the two. Glickman has no Still actual news on the subject, but spreading buds of optimism.

"I'm not criticizing what was before me, and Bartomeu is my friend, but Bodiroga and I are trying to bring a new and fresh approach.

We met with FIBA ​​people, and the whole thing is complicated. We may not be able to find the solution for next season, but the talks are taking place in an excellent atmosphere.

"Apparently, we have no business interest in the players leaving the teams in favor of the national teams, but they want to represent their countries and this is important in their eyes and in my eyes. Even in the US they understand this today, unlike in the past.

Our starting point is that we want them to play in national teams.

Now the question is how to arrange the schedules, this is the main challenge and it is not simple.

There are games in the European factories and local leagues, and there are the national cups.

By the way, I understand that the NBA is going to take the trophy idea and do something similar.

The matter of the Eurocup and the Champions League should also be resolved.

What is the answer to the whole issue?

I do not know.

I only know that there is a willingness."

"At the meetings with the heads of the clubs, Tony Parker from Villerban sits. It hasn't been that long since he retired, and he gives everyone a different perspective. When people complain about double turnovers, he doesn't understand what they want and claims that there aren't enough of them. He asks why not play a good full-back Beck, night after night, like in the NBA."

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• Euroleague and European basketball

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