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Euroleague Basketball joins the Italian and global basketball family in mourning Giorgio Armani, the legendary fashion designer and passionate basketball patron, who passed away on Monday at the age of 91. Armani purchased Olimpia Milano in 2008 from Giorgio Corbelli, becoming the club’s sole owner and ushering in a new golden era. Under his stewardship, the team reclaimed its place among Europe’s elite, capturing six Italian League crowns, four Italian Cups, and five Italian Supercups. In 2021, Olimpia Milano returned to the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time since 1992, a milestone achievement in the club’s modern history. Courtside seats in Milan and across the continent often featured Armani himself, a testament to his deep devotion to the game and his players. “Giorgio Armani was a pioneer, a global cultural leader, and a true friend of our sport,” said Dejan Bodiroga, Euroleague Basketball President. “I am deeply grateful for his invaluable contribution and support to Euroleague Basketball, his passing leaves an irreplaceable void, but his legacy will inspire generations to come.”
Ergin Ataman on Europeans: NBA interest is decreasing, while EuroLeague is growing
Ergin Ataman: And honestly, in terms of entertainment, I think NBA basketball has lost some of its appeal. It’s becoming more and more about show, while the EuroLeague has risen. That’s why the NBA is now trying to set up “NBA Europe.” Would they care about European basketball otherwise? No. But they see the shift: NBA interest is decreasing in Europe, while EuroLeague is growing. What happens with NBA Europe, I don’t know. But I hope the EuroLeague’s level of competition translates there. Because Europeans don’t care about showtime—they care about winning and championships. That culture comes from football, where the focus is on results, not spectacle. That’s why I’m confident in saying this: EuroLeague teams are more organized, more competitive, and if you take out the NBA’s very top stars, EuroLeague teams can absolutely compete with them.
While he admitted that the EuroLeague level of play is not far from the NBA, he also said that a comparison between the two leagues is not easy to make: “The game is really completely different; people always try to compare, but it’s always difficult. They’re separate worlds. I think the Euroleague is getting better every year, and it’s not that far away anymore. Every year, there’s more talent and more ability there. Of course, I still watch and miss it. I can’t say I want to go back, because I dreamed of coming to play in the NBA, but I definitely enjoyed playing in the Euroleague as well, and it’s a great league.”
Ergin Ataman: 'There is no big difference between the NBA teams and between the EuroLeague teams'
Legendary Panathinaikos head coach and three-time EuroLeague champion Ergin Ataman has sent a clear message to the NBA — the US league's champions aren't "World Champions". "I told people these things, if you took out one star player from these NBA teams, I believe that many EuroLeague teams can beat the NBA teams," Ataman told basketball.com.au in an exclusive interview. Ataman was taking a clear shot at the NBA, which dubs its Finals winner 'World Champions'. The Panathinaikos boss is preparing for FIBA EuroBasket as the Turkish national team coach ahead of his team's pre-season trip to Australia for the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament next month. "Listen, I believe that two years or three years ago, in the pre-season, there were many games between the EuroLeague teams and NBA teams. "If I'm not wrong, 70 or 80% of the games, the EuroLeague teams won. "There is no big difference between the NBA teams and between the EuroLeague teams. "With all due respect with the NBA, they have many star players, they are really star players, like LeBron, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and most of them if you took out one of them, a lot of EuroLeague teams would win."
"Sometimes, especially last year, I complained when the NBA teams declared themselves that they are the world champion. When the NBA teams won the NBA title, they declared immediately that they are the world champion. I complained about this because that season we were the EuroLeague champion, I made the challenge against them," he said. "If you want to be a world champion, you must come to beat the EuroLeague champion. Maybe you must come to beat the Australian champion as well. So, for me, it's a challenge every time and I told again, with all the respect with the NBA teams, EuroLeague basketball is very high level and to be a world champion, they must play against us.
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"I watch also sometimes the NBA basketball, but for me, concerning to the regular season, I believe that the EuroLeague games are more exciting than the regular season NBA games because there are also many star players and every game is like a final in the EuroLeague," he said. "NBA basketball now became like a show basketball, but EuroLeague is both. There is a show, but there is also big competition, every game is like a final. Right now, in all the world, also in USA, I know that the people are following a lot of the EuroLeague basketball."
Other EuroLeague heavyweights, such as Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes, reportedly also inquired about Hayes, but no concrete offers have been made. Hayes appears determined to keep his sights on the NBA, at least for now. After playing for Cholet and Ratiopharm Ulm at the start of his professional career, he was selected by the Detroit Pistons as the 7th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Formed less than two years ago, Dubai Basketball will begin playing next month in the EuroLeague, widely considered the second-best basketball competition in the world, and is the first sports team based in the Emirate to compete in an international league. Dejan Kamenjašević is one of the leading characters in this meteoric sporting rise. A Bosnian who grew up in Spain, the 50-year-old arrived in Dubai 11 years ago with an ambition to grow the sport and eventually build a franchise that would compete at the highest level. “At that time, people were laughing at me and joking with me, and I was a crazy guy who is saying some nonsense things,” Kamenjašević told The Athletic. “But time sometimes puts everyone in our place.”
For Bertāns, who became aware of Dubai’s potential after his agent moved there a few years ago, a three-year deal was particularly enticing. “After being traded in the NBA for the last few seasons, in season and in the summer, the moves for the family were just getting harder, with the kids having to find new schools.” he told The Athletic. “If I come from the NBA, with eight years there, I made more money than I probably need, and I’m still going to come to every practice and give 100 percent effort that just sets an example.”
Cole Swider: Blessed and thankful!! Let’s have a great year @AnadoluEfesSK 💙🤍
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Daniel Theis: I had an offer from the Knicks before returning to Europe
He had an offer to join the New York Knicks before he decided to move to Monaco. “Before coming to Europe, I had an offer from the Knicks. Mitchell Robinson was coming back from injury. I spoke with Thibodeau and he told me I would be insurance for them if Robinson couldn’t play. I thought, if I stay until the end of the season and don’t play, what chances will I have in the summer? So I said, ‘I’m going to Europe. If I play well, I’ll have better chances.’ Maybe I wouldn’t have come to Europe if Spanoulis hadn’t called me. I didn’t just look at the money, but the school, the life, everything.”
Anadolu Efes has officially signed American forward Cole Swider for the 2025-26 season. The 26-year-old brings NBA and G League experience to the Turkish club. Swider spent parts of three seasons in the NBA, playing for teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, and Toronto Raptors. Last season with the Raptors, he averaged 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in eight games.
Cole Swider Turkey bound
Marc Stein: Sharpshooter Cole Swider is nearing a deal with Anadolu Efes in Türkiye, sources tell @TheSteinLine . After stints with the Lakers, Heat, Pistons and Raptors, Swider is poised to join the growing number of NBAers moving to the EuroLeague and play for ex-Suns coach Igor Kokoškov.
Donatas Urbonas: Jacob Wiley, a former NBA and Panathinaikos big man, is finalizing an agreement with Lithuanian runner-up Rytas Vilnius, per sources. Wiley averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.6 blocked shots last season with Granada, including a 17-point outing vs. Baskonia.
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