Future EuroLeague Final Four locations to be in big cities / News - Basketnews.com

Regarding the EuroLeague format, Marshall Glickman is in favor of keeping the round-robin format instead of implementing a conferences system similar to the NBA's. He also mentions that there are still plenty of things to discuss regarding the Dubai market, and they have to be careful about prioritizing it over other European markets.

Credit: Alfonso Cannavacciuolo/EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImages Credit Alfonso Cannavacciuolo/EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImages

During a recent trip to Istanbul, Turkey, Euroleague Basketball CEO Marshall Glickman sat down with SSport journalist Deniz Aksoy to talk about topics such as Final Four cities, the organization's current conversations with FIBA, and the central importance of the players to the EuroLeague and EuroCup.

Glickman, who took over the CEO role at the beginning of the current season after two decades as a consultant to Euroleague Basketball, has spent a lot of time lately traveling to meet stakeholders around the continent.

"I spent a lot of time on this side of the Atlantic and I have learned to appreciate the multiculturalism," he told Ms. Aksoy. "So what I try to embrace is what makes us different, which is every game matters, which is the cultural diversity that we have."

As CEO, Glickman made it clear that one of his main goals is to improve the Euroleague Basketball economy to benefit teams, players, and other stakeholders while investing in the product for the good of the fans.

"The reason I'm trying to grow the economy of the league is so we have more resources to work with so we can improve," he said. "It's about improving conditions for people and making this a more fulfilling, experience for everybody."

Essential to that effort are the players, he said, who besides being the protagonists of the game are also partners in the business.

"The players are our core," he emphasized. "The players are everything to me. I care that they are partners and I want the players to understand this is a partnership."

Another thing that Glickman has come to acknowledge he is not inclined to the radical change of the EuroLeague format. According to EuroLeague CEO, he is in favor of keeping the round-robin format where teams play one another an equal number of times instead of implementing a conferences system similar to the NBA's.

"Not wild about that [conferences'] idea. There is only so many days in the year, but if we can find a way to keep the round-robin format intact, my personal preference, but at the end of the day, the shareholders are the deciders. I would like to find a way to work without changing to conferences," he stated.

Regarding the Dubai market, Glickman mentioned there are still plenty of things to discuss.

"We have to be careful because if we bring Dubai into the mix, probably there is some other European market that isn't in the mix because there is only so many days which means so many games and so many teams," he underlined. "Do we prioritize Dubai over Paris and London? Maybe, maybe not. Those are interesting discussions that raise a lot of issues, but we see an opportunity."

What about the Final Four cities?

"In the long run, the Final Four will be in the big cities of the world, the big cities of Europe," Glickman said. "I love the fact that we are going to Kaunas this year. It's a small city, but it's a basketball city. They are just so into basketball there. I think that's terrific, but I am excited about future Final Four locations."

"Istanbul is obviously on a shortlist," he emphasized after receiving a question about Turkey's megacity.

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