Dejan Bodiroga officially assigned as new EuroLeague president / News - Basketnews.com

Dejan Bodiroga becomes EuroLeague president and sports business leader Marshall Glickman the acting CEO.

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EuroLeague has officially named the new leadership as founder Jordi Bertomeu departs. Legendary Serbian player Dejan Bodiroga becomes the new EuroLeague president, while sports business leader Marshall Glickman will take on the acting CEO position.

It waspreviously reportedthat Glickman would focus on the business aspect of the EuroLeague, while Bodiroga would try to build new connections and bridges, contributing to a better image and growth of the competition.

Spanish (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Baskonia) and Turkish (Anadolu Efes, Fenerbahce) clubs were in favor of Bertomeu remaining in his position, but the rest of the shareholders voted for changes, and the 63-year-old will be replaced.

Bertomeu, who also worked as the vice president of ACB, became the CEO of EuroLeague back in 2000 and has been at the helm of the tournament since then.

Official statement from the EuroLeague:

Euroleague Basketball (EB) announced changes to its senior management on Wednesday, September 14, with a new President and a new CEO appointed by its shareholders.

EuroLeague icon Dejan Bodiroga becomes President and sports business leader Marshall Glickman Acting CEO.

Founder Jordi Bertomeu departs 22 years after the inception of Euroleague Basketball.

Euroleague Basketball (EB) announced changes to its senior management on Wednesday, September 14, with a new President and a new CEO appointed by its shareholders.

EuroLeague icon Dejan Bodiroga, who won three EuroLeague titles and multiple individual awards during a legendary playing career, has been named President of Euroleague Basketball and will also fulfill the role of Director. Bodiroga is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in European basketball history.

Bodiroga brings his deep knowledge and experience into his new role and will focus on increasing the quality of the competition for clubs, players, fans, partners, and all EB stakeholders.

His extensive international network provides the foundation for a new strategy focused on improving EB's institutional relationships within the global basketball community, including the EuroLeague Players Association, the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board, the Union of Euroleague Basketball Officials, FIBA, domestic leagues, and other basketball-related institutions.

Following his playing career, Bodiroga served as Vice-President of the Serbian Basketball Federation between 2011 and 2015 and subsequently as President of the Competition Commission of FIBA Europe.

"We are entering a new era for EuroLeague," Bodiroga said. "The past 20 years have seen Europe's premier basketball competition establish itself as a powerhouse in global sports. I'd like to thank Jordi Bertomeu and his team for their vision and hard work and look forward to continuing to build and expand the impact of EuroLeague and EuroCup."

Credit EuroLeague

Marshall Glickman, G2 Strategic's CEO and a long-time advisor to Euroleague Basketball, has been named the Acting CEO of EB, Director of its affiliated companies, and Special Advisor to Euroleague Properties. Additionally, he will have a seat on the board of Euroleague Ventures, the league's joint venture with IMG Media. Glickman will serve a transitional role and will assist Euroleague Basketball's shareholders in recruiting a permanent CEO.

Glickman's focus will be on the business side, working closely with IMG to optimize the value of the league and the clubs' collective commercial assets, expand its fan base, integrate European basketball into popular culture across the globe, and, ultimately, expand into more key markets.

"Euroleague Basketball is like family to me," said Glickman. "I have always believed that the top pan-European basketball league has tremendous potential, particularly its appeal to the digital native generations. I am thrilled to help our friends at the league office and the best clubs in Europe transition to new leadership. I am grateful to EuroLeague's founder, Jordi Bertomeu, for his leadership, friendship, and support, helping me adapt to European cultures and sporting traditions, and look forward to his counsel and wisdom going forward."

Glickman has an extensive career in the sports industry, including being the President of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers and Oregon Arena Corporation, Broadcasting Coordinator for the National Basketball Association, Director of Media Sales for NBA Properties, and Chairman & CEO of Portland Family Entertainment.

Glickman has a profound knowledge of the European sports ecosystem, as G2 Strategic has been a business advisor to Euroleague Basketball for 20 years. G2 Strategic's European client portfolio has included LaLiga Santander (Spain), Ligue de Football Professionnel (France), French Tennis Federation, FC Barcelona, Olympique Lyonnais, Stade Rochelle, Stade Français, CSKA Moscow, Association of Tennis Professionals, Tennis Canada, as well as several European sports clubs (PSG, Olympique Lyonnais, CSKA) and tennis tournaments.

Glickman has also played a leading role in the development of several planned or built arenas and stadiums, including Moda Center (Portland, Oregon), Providence Park (Portland, Oregon), Moscow Sports & Entertainment Center, American Airlines Arena (Miami, Florida), Roland-Garros (Paris), and a new arena in Villeurbanne, France.

Glickman has served on several boards in his hometowns of Portland, Oregon, and Bend, Oregon, and has produced live jazz shows for several years.

Credit EuroLeague

Jordi Bertomeu, 22 years at the forefront of EB

Glickman and Bodiroga will take over from CEO Jordi Bertomeu, who had been in the role for 22 years.

Bertomeu was one of Euroleague Basketball's founders in 2000 and has led it since then throughout its continuous growth. Under his management, the EuroLeague rapidly became the most recognized basketball competition outside of North America, gaining a worldwide audience for both the intensity of the competition and its role in forging breakthrough talents.

Bertomeu was at the center of decisions on competition structure and rule changes that consistently heightened the dramatic effect of the EuroLeague to make every game count more than any other league of its kind.

Euroleague Basketball broke new ground again in 2016 by creating the first true international European league among major European team sports in a joint venture with media and entertainment giant IMG. As a result, EuroLeague's popularity and commercial performance have experienced significant increases in television viewership, social media engagement, and global recognition.

The Euroleague Commercial Assets shareholders would like to thank Bertomeu for his unmatched dedication over 22 years and wish him well in his future endeavors.

More about Dejan Bodiroga:

Dejan Bodiroga is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player.

A EuroLeague icon of the early part of the 2000s, Bodiroga was named to the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors, EuroLeague 2000–10 All-Decade Team, and was voted by fans the EuroLeague's 2000–2010 Player of the Decade.

Bodiroga lifted three EuroLeague trophies with Panathinaikos and FC Barcelona (2000, 2002, and 2003) while earning multiple MVP awards among his extensive list of individual honors. He also won the three major European domestic basketball titles – Spanish, Italian, and Greek.

Bodiroga led the senior FR Yugoslavian national team to two FIBA World Cup titles (1998 and 2002), earning MVP honors in the former. In addition, he won three EuroBasket gold medals (1995, 1997, 2001), and a bronze (1999), as well as an Olympic silver medal in 1996. In 1998 and 2002, he received the Golden Badge award for the best athlete of Yugoslavia, and the Yugoslav Olympic Committee declared him the Sportsman of the Year.

After leaving the courts in 2007, Bodiroga was named General Manager of Virtus Roma, the same club from which he retired, developing his executive career there until 2009.

In 2011, he returned to his home country to serve as Vice-President of the Serbian Basketball Federation until 2015. He subsequently served as President of the Competition Commission of FIBA Europe.

More about Marshall Glickman:

Noted author and sports marketing guru Jon Spoelstra describes Marshall Glickman as "one of the top thinkers in the sports industry" and "both a visionary and an action guy."

Glickman's track record in the sports and entertainment business, and venue development, on both sides of the Atlantic demonstrate his leadership skills, penchant for disruption, and ability to deliver profits in a wide range of economic and cultural situations.

Glickman's consulting practice, G2 Strategic, has built a significant portfolio of clients in Europe, including FC Barcelona, Euroleague Basketball, La Liga Santander (Spanish Football League), Ligue de Football Professionnel (French Football League), Association of Tennis Professionals, Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Lyonnais, CSKA Moscow, and several others.

Glickman also spearheaded the G2 Consortium, a collective of 10 French professional sports clubs, including six football (Olympic Lyonnais, Nancy, Metz, Niort, Paris Saint-Germain, Lille), two basketball (Antibes, Limoges), and two rugby (Stade Rochelle, Stade Francais), who worked together to adapt global best practices and innovative strategies to acquire new customers and increase retention and spend.

In the U.S., G2 recently partnered with Capstone Partners on an ambitious plan to renovate Veteran's Memorial Coliseum and develop 600,000 square feet of office and retail space in Portland, Oregon.

G2 has been involved in several international venue developments, including a new arena in Barcelona, a new tennis stadium at Roland-Garros, the Moscow Sports & Entertainment Center, and a new multi-purpose arena in Villeurbanne, France. Glickman also served as a consultant to the Miami Heat for the development of American Airlines Arena.

Credit EuroLeague

Glickman has served as a special advisor to EuroLeague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu since 2002 and has initiated several profound changes, including the launch of Euroleague Properties, a new partnership with Elevate Sports Ventures, re-imagination of the Euroleague Final Four, Euroleague Business Summit, and growth capital strategies.

For LaLiga, Glickman has provided advice relating to customer experience, ticket sales, premium hospitality, pandemic response guidelines, as well as new programs focusing on Generation Z, food & beverage services, and employee training.

Following Paul Allen's acquisition of the Portland Trail Blazers in 1988, Glickman ascended to become the youngest team President in the NBA, where he orchestrated the $262M development of Portland's 21,000-seat Rose Garden arena and several adjacent properties.

During his reign, the club was consistently ranked amongst the most profitable teams in the league, in spite of playing in the 4th-smallest market, the 2nd-smallest capacity arena, and winning only about half of its games. In 1992, he was named Oregon Marketer of the Year, and NBA Commissioner David Stern commended him as "a true student of marketing, sales, and brand building." Under Glickman's leadership, the Blazers enjoyed 845 consecutive sellouts, an American sports record.

Founding Portland Family Entertainment (PFE) in 1998, Glickman was Chairman and CEO that acquired and operated the Portland Timbers in the second division United Soccer Leagues (the Timbers now play in Major League Soccer), as well as the Pacific Coast League Portland Beavers (Triple A) baseball club, and the Northwest League's Tri-Cities Dust Devils baseball club.

He led the capitalization of PFE by raising $8M of private equity, $24.4M of nonrecourse debt, and $38M of public funding. Glickman successfully executed PFE's business plan, which included the renovation of a historic outdoor stadium. In addition, he crafted and sold the second-largest naming rights deal in Minor League Baseball history when Portland General Electric agreed to pay over $10M for a 10-year term.

Glickman and G2 Strategic are based in Portland, Oregon. Glickman has served on the Board of Arts Central, the Cascade Community School of Music, the Oregon Sports Authority, Volunteers of America, the Oregon Symphony, and is involved in several community initiatives, including founding a live monthly jazz series, Jazz at the Oxford, as well as Mt. Bachelor Riverhouse Jazz.

His wife, Lisa, is a highly-regarded private chef, writer, and television host, and his son is an accomplished athlete, jazz pianist, and music/business double major at the University of Oregon.

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