Zagklis talks about positive step in FIBA-EuroLeague relationship / News - Basketnews.com

FIBA General Secretary Andreas Zagklis revealed that there was the first step in the right direction in the FIBA-EuroLeague relationship, mentioning that there's still a long way to go, but he remains optimistic after the discussions with EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas.

Credit: EuroLeague Basketball, FIBA/BasketNews illustration Credit EuroLeague Basketball, FIBA/BasketNews illustration

FIBA General Secretary Andreas Zagklis hinted that FIBA and the EuroLeague are heading towards a better future.

For the last few years, the relationship between the two sides was far from perfect. After FIBA introduced the qualifying windows for the national teams, these windows clashed with the EuroLeague calendar.

Therefore, the best players from Europe couldn't help their national teams or had to take extreme measures to play for their respectable clubs and countries.

Nevertheless, this summer was a breath of fresh air, as FIBA and the EuroLeague agreed to a solution that FIBA windows wouldn't clash with the EuroLeague calendar.

On Sunday, Zagklis took part in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Wrap-up press conference, where he gave an in-depth answer on where FIBA and the EuroLeague relationship stands now.

"FIBA has been very clear and consistent in the last 5 years that it wants to eliminate this calendar overlaps on the men's and women's basketball, and that FIBA is ready to sit and discuss in a constructive manner.

We are the ones who took the first step two years ago just before flying to Tokyo [Olympics]. We are the ones who brought the NBA into this discussion and started making steps in the direction of our clubs and leagues with several measures.

Don't forget this World Cup started one week earlier because our clubs asked for it. It was not used by FIBA in any type of negotiation. We don't take our role lightly as the governing body of the sport by keeping our cards on us to trade them for something later.

It has given us a different standing in this conversation [with the EuroLeague]. The clubs understand that we want them to have a good and sustainable business as long as there's respect for others in the [basketball] environment.

Andreas Zagklis Mark TatumCredit FIBA

The conversation over the last 18 months has not been consistent because there were three different CEOs. At the beginning of the summer, we had a continuing [conversation] on my good discussions with Mr. Marshall Glickman and followed them up with Mr. Paulius Motiejunas.

We have had, indeed, constructive discussions, and we saw a small but first really substantive step in the good direction. There's still a long way to cover, but I'm always optimistic because I know the mindset FIBA goes to the table.

I'm also optimistic because I know we are there not to hurt the clubs and trying to find a good balance. So, I'm optimistic, but of course, it takes two to come to a conclusion. We will work hard, and it is exactly what we agreed upon.

This season, we'll avoid the overlapping [after] taking an exceptional measure for this season only to merge the November and February windows. I think we'll have a great window in February, which will benefit national federations and the clubs.

It's the only way to make the pie bigger. And if a pie gets bigger, the first ones to benefit from it will be the ones who are playing basketball most of the time and have fans in the venues. We are approaching this conversation with this exact mindset. A lot of work to do, but I think it's doable," Zagklis said in a lengthy statement.

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