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“If the NBA launches its own league in Europe without an agreement with the EuroLeague, while the Basketball Champions League also continues, fragmentation will become an even bigger problem. We need to find a balance,” Ettore Messina cautioned, strongly advocating for strategic synergy over institutional warfare. “If the NBA and EuroLeague can eventually reach an agreement, one of the most important things will be to preserve the soul of the competition we have in Europe,” he added. “My hope is that EuroLeague and NBA Europe can find a way to come together around one common league.”
When contrasting an NBA franchise with a leading European club, Messina points directly to a foundational difference. “The NBA decided many years ago to create a common economic pie and then determine how that pie should be divided, including with the players,” he mentioned. “We cannot simply talk about a salary cap in Europe.”
"So my very first day there, he came to see us in the coach's room. And when he saw me, treated me like if was an NBA coach," Messina recalled. "And he talked to me immediately saying, Coach, what you've done in Bologna, I've seen the games and whatever." For Messina, Bryant's knowledge of his European career immediately stood out and helped the two build a relationship. "And so we developed a relationship just because of how much he cared about the EuroLeague. And so we were talking a lot," Messina said.
The Italian coach also emphasized how much he learned from Bryant during their time together, particularly from his understanding of the game and his relentless approach to competition. "And I learned so much from him, the way he knew the game, he saw the game. The fact of how hard he pushed himself," Messina continued. "And pushing himself, he was pushing everybody around him. Coaches, teammates. It was a pressure machine, really, on the whole environment. Just a person who could not stand losing."
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Ettore Messina is reportedly heading back to the NBA after ending his long tenure with Olimpia Milan. According to Italian newspaper “Repubblica,” the 66-year-old has joined the Atlanta Hawks as a consultant.
The continental initiative backed by the NBA and FIBA, aiming to create a new European ecosystem, continues to draw the attention of veteran coach and executive Ettore Messina. In an interview published Friday morning by Adnkronos, the four-time EuroLeague champion and former assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs offered a sharp analysis of the rapidly changing international landscape. He urged major stakeholders to look past the initial glamour of the proposed expansion and closely evaluate its structural and financial viability. “The problem is that right now we do not have a clear understanding of what this model actually consists of. There are a lot of people who want to participate, and there is the dream of making a lot of money, but you have to spend a lot just to get close to it. Like all selective things, in the end, some will be happy to participate, while others will burn themselves out having tried and failed,” Messina warned, addressing the structural uncertainty surrounding the venture and highlighting the immense economic risks for overextended franchises.
"Yes, absolutely. I repeat, when I mentioned Milan, it was just an example. I recently discussed this with Ettore Messina as well, and we are on the same page. We are in talks with multiple groups," he said in an interview with Gazzetta.
Ettore Messina has decided to step down as head coach of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, sources have confirmed to BasketNews. Alessandra Bocci of Gazzetta dello Sport was the first to report on Messina's decision to resign from coaching duties.
Messina also serves as President of Basketball Operations in Milan, and his contract with the club was set to run through 2026 Messina will remain with the club as a personal adviser to President Leo Dell'Orco, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
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Ettore Messina, head coach and president of basketball operations at Olimpia Milano, has weighed in on the growing discussions surrounding the NBA Europe project, offering a candid assessment of both the opportunities and the challenges facing European basketball today. Speaking to reporters this week, Messina emphasized the significance of Olimpia Milano’s potential involvement in the NBA’s European expansion plans. “The fact that Olimpia Milano is an important target for NBA Europe is significant for the owners, the city, and the history of the club,” Messina said.
While acknowledging the prestige of the EuroLeague, Messina drew attention to the league’s underlying financial and structural strains. “In the EuroLeague, we have a very high-quality product, with the level of play second only to the NBA playoffs,” he noted. “But when you read that Real Madrid loses $38 million for a season and you find yourself with low player turnover, you realize you have a serious economic problem.”
However, when the questions moved to the future of European basketball and NBA Europe, the in-form Messina was ready to repeat things he described one year ago to Eurohoops. As the legendary Italian coach explained: “Our on-court product is fantastic; it’s second only to the NBA playoffs. On the other side, there’s a huge business problem, because everybody loses money, and we depend on the big multi-sport clubs like Madrid, Barcelona, Fener, and also on the goodwill of a lot of owners who put incredible resources into this sport. So I think it would be ideal if we plan something, and if the question is related to the NBA, I think it would be in our great interest to find some common ground and make sure we can develop a league that has the quality of the EuroLeague, and let’s say the attractiveness of a well-run business that a sports organization can provide that”. Of course, Messina doesn’t think that this can be easy: “It’s a long way to go; there were two meetings, and I was in one of them. There’s goodwill; the NBA seems to be very serious in its plan. I personally hope that we can find some common ground. I disagree with my colleagues that they will come here to destroy European basketball. I honestly don’t think so”.
Ettore Messina: “The Euroleague is a show on the court, but it is no longer sustainable. In this diatribe with Fiba, a third player like the NBA can insert itself, which has everything to put European basketball back on its feet and reconcile it with world basketball.”