Euroleague CEO: 'Some of the basketball community still think they're living in the 90s' / News - Basketnews.com

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Tuttosport, the acting CEO of EuroLeague, Marshall Glickman, explained his plans for the future of the EuroLeague and how the whole basketball community has to change its mindset to adapt to the current days.

Credit: EuroLeague Credit EuroLeague

Marshall Glickman, the acting CEO of EuroLeague, was one of the main guests in Tortona, Italy, at 'Meet the Best', the conference dedicated to basketball's future.

After the conference, Glickman spoke with the Italian newspaper Tuttosport and shared his views about the future of the EuroLeague, the relationship with FIBA, and how the whole basketball community has to improve moving forward.

'In this first phase, we're listening", Glickman said to Tuttosport. "Dejan Bodiroga and I need to look for confrontation. We will meet with FIBA. I will go to those meetings without any kind of bias or baggage from the past. I'm open to every discussion. We need to face the situation of the entire basketball environment, which is complex and political, maybe too political."

During the interview, Glickman specified that the whole basketball community needs to move forward and start living in the present instead of keeping reminiscing about the past.

"I believe the whole basketball community needs to adapt to the current days, to 2022", Glickman stated. "I think that some people believe that they're still living in the 90s. Regarding the schedule, we'll be looking for innovative solutions, but not only related to the FIBA windows, which occupy just one month during the season. We need to think about solutions that will improve the systemic situation."

The acting CEO of EuroLeague also shared his views about the importance of the growth of new markets that can make the EuroLeague brand even bigger.

"I think that EuroLeague needs to give to its audience, to the fans, what they want, where they want, when they want, and it the way they want it," Glickman explained. "The world, not only in terms of communication, is always changing, and we need to adapt constantly."

"I'm sure that the next challenge will be to provide as much and as varied content as possible in real-time," Glickman added. "In terms of new markets, Paris and London are the priorities for me."

One of the main issues inside the EuroLeague environment remains the financial one. Compared to the NBA, EuroLeague is not profitable enough, and this situation has been ongoing for many years.

"We need to make sure that all clubs find a common path and collaborate on the established vision. This is the starting point", Glickman told Tuttosport. "With the NBA, the main difference is related to the money, the business side. The NBA is a pure entertainment product with an incredibly high level of talent, but it remains an entertainment and business product."

"The main goal for an NBA franchise is to generate money. Here in Europe, the situation is less related to the money, and in my opinion, we need to take this aspect more seriously," Glickman continued. "Looking realistically at the situation, because we lean on entrepreneurs who want to spend on the sport. We can improve the facilities, but we have to stay true to who we are, a European league."

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