TJ Parker on travelling woes: 'Give me money, I'll come the day before' / News - Basketnews.com

Parker said that taking a private flight on the same day of the game saved the team multiple hours despite having less time to prepare for the game against Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade.

Credit: IMAGO/Seskim Photo - Scanpix Credit IMAGO/Seskim Photo - Scanpix

In their first game in the EuroLeague, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne lost to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade by a handful margin. After the match, the French team's head coach, TJ Parker, was asked about the details before the start of the matchup.

Player of the Game EFF 20 Shabazz Napier Points 21 Accuracy 7-11 Rebounds 3 Assists 1

Notably, ASVEL arrived on Thursday, the same day as the game, and did it at noon, leaving little time to prepare for the match or even hold a practice in the Stark Arena.

When Parker was asked to explain the decision, he offered a harsh comment.

"Give me some more money - I'll come the day before," he said.

"I'm not going to explain to you the way we travel. Doing the way we do, we saved 30 hours. We play 80 games in a season, we have to make sacrifices sometimes," he explained. "If we don't take a private plane to Belgrade on the same day, it would take 15 hours to get here because there are no straight flights. That's the reason."

ASVEL suffered the biggest defeat of the EuroLeague season so far, losing against Crvena Zvezda by 21 points.

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