The EuroLeague Turned Down the NBA and Monaco Went Dark: Europe's Basketball Rich Are Locking Themselves in Their Own Club While Everyone Else Fades

The EuroLeague said no to the NBA and locked the doors

The EuroLeague's 13 shareholder clubs agreed on Tuesday in Cernobbio, on Lake Como, to turn their ten-year licences into permanent franchises: Efes, Baskonia, CSKA Moscow, Olimpia Milano, Barcelona, Bayern, Fenerbahçe, ASVEL, Maccabi, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Real Madrid and Žalgiris. At the same meeting, according to reports, they also rejected the first offer from the NBA, which wanted exactly the opposite - for the EuroLeague to stay in its current structure and freeze expansion at 24 teams. The NBA has no intention of waiting: the NBA Europe project is aiming for an October 2027 launch with 16 teams, 12 of them permanent franchises in Milan, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Berlin, Munich, Istanbul and Athens. Belgrade, Zagreb and Skopje are on neither list. When two bosses fight over the same table, the question for the Balkans is simple - will there even be a chair for us?

Monaco shut down the project after twelve years

AS Monaco has officially entered bankruptcy proceedings and is ceasing operations. A club that went unbeaten in France last season and swept every major domestic trophy is now handing the torch to the association whose first team plays in Nationale 3. It leaves behind three French titles, four Leaders Cups, two French Cups, one Super Cup, the 2021 EuroCup trophy - the Principality's first European title in a team sport - and two EuroLeague Final Four appearances, one of them reaching the final. The club says this is "a pause, not the end". But if the money runs out right after a season in which you won everything, what does that say about the model European basketball is built on?

Maccabi moves from Belgrade to Cyprus

Maccabi Tel Aviv, which is still playing outside Israel, is moving its home games from Belgrade to Limassol, to the Spyros Kyprianou arena, according to Cypriot media. The first game there should be on October 22 against Real Madrid. The arena holds about 8,000 people, but no more than 5,000 will be let in, visiting fans will get a small ticket allocation, and the venue will be handed over to the police 24 hours before each game. The strictest measures are being announced for games against the three Turkish teams. On the court, Maccabi and Real are the only teams without a win after three rounds. The next "home" game, against Olimpia Milano, will still be played at the Aleksandar Nikolić Hall in Belgrade.

Iraklis won the game at the "Jane" - then reported MZT to FIBA

MZT Skopje lost its FIBA Europe Cup opener to Greece's Iraklis 59:64 at the Jane Sandanski Sports Centre. It was a tough, low-scoring game, still open at 57:58 - then the visitors scored on two straight possessions and pulled away to 57:62. Noah Ali Farrakhan had 18 points for MZT, the same as Jaylen Lecque for Iraklis. But the story carried on after the buzzer. Fans from Family Aerodrom displayed a banner reading "We will defend your holy name before the world" with a map of Macedonia including its Aegean and Pirin parts. Iraklis complained to the game commissioner, informed the Greek embassy in Skopje and filed a report with FIBA Europe, claiming it was a banned political message. The Thessaloniki club took the points on the court - so why did it also need the embassy?

Neno leads Aris to a convincing win

While one Thessaloniki club files reports against MZT, at the other one a Macedonian national team player is delivering wins. Nenad Dimitrijević was the top name for Spanoulis's Aris in a 93:80 EuroCup win over San Pablo Burgos: 21 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds in 21 minutes on court. Aris won the first quarter 28:14 and led by 23 points at half-time (53:30). Burgos came back in the third quarter, but there was no turnaround. Before tip-off, Aris fans showered the arena with yellow confetti, so the jump ball had to be taken again. Basketball in the Balkans is rarely just basketball - but this time the numbers did the talking.