Is This The End Of European Basketball?
is this the beginning of the end for European basketball as we know it okay okay okay let me explain myself a little it might sound like a very bold question but the future of leagues like the Euro league Euro Cup BCL and the domestic leagues in Europe is looking a bit shaky right now in this video I’m going to break down the major threats European basketball is facing and what they could mean for the sports future first let’s talk about the nca’s new policy on name image and likeness monetization this is the most recent and at the same time the most impactful change starting from the 2024 25 season College athletes in the US will get paid for their niil this is huge for example kasparas yanes a promising Barcelona youth Prospect has already signed with the University of Illinois where he’ll make up to $750,000 per season granted that’s before taxes but that’s still a lot of cash especially for a young athlete we’re talking about a similar wage as Euroleague players like Lucas lavich sane Francisco or Leandro bul Maru the appeal of developing professionally in Europe just won’t be as strong anymore when there’s serious money on the table in the NCAA of course there are going to be limited spots in college teams so it’s not like all the youth will move across the Atlantic but you can bet the top talent will this change in the NCAA landscape isn’t just a problem for clubs like Barcelona it will impact the entire European ecosystem young players who once saw European leagues at as the peak of their early careers now have a financially lucrative alternative plus this way they improve their visibility to the NBA Scouts another thing to consider is the bigger incentive to stay in college for a full four years meaning only guaranteed first round picks might choose to enter the draft in the first place this way the potential pool of new players both American and European who don’t make it to the NBA would further be delayed from moving on to Europe over time this will not only affect the quality of talent coming in but also the marketability of European basketball fans want to see Rising Stars grow and if those players are all heading to the NCAA we are only going to aggravate the next issue which is the fact that the Euro league is aging and is aging badly the top players in the league are almost all in their 30s look at the top 25 Euro league players in efficiency from the 2023 24 season only one player is 25 or under and just six are between 26 and 29 the MVP of the 23 24 regular season was 33 while the final four MVP was 34 that’s just not sustainable with fewer young talents coming through the ranks the Euro league risks becoming a retirement league for older players and this Reliance on Veterans is just a symptom of a deeper issue the constant win now mentality in Europe all that matters is winning coaches are often let go and most of the time it is directly related to their results as a consequence of that coaches tend to rely more on their experienced players instead of giving time and space for youngsters to develop and in general there is no incentive to develop young Talent as the best the club will get out of it is a buyout of up to a few million dollar but more likely a few hundred000 this trend is definitely hurting the League’s Dynamics and the big question now is what will happen when the current stars get older and retire the long-term health of any sports League depends on the steady influx of young talent and right now European basketball is struggling mightly in this area by the way the alarm bells are already ringing the Euro league CEO polus munas had a press conference during the final four where he clearly expressed his concerns that the NCA nil deal is disrupting the European market he also said this I don’t think it’s good for the players because getting these salaries at 18 is a big risk only strong personalities can handle this money and popularity I guess it depends on perspective as young players could also just look at it for what it is just an opportunity to make decent money in the beginning of their careers those who will be done with college and won’t make it to the NBA won’t have other options but to play for potentially lower money so they will now before I go into the other threat a quick shout out from the sponsor of this video hostinger there’s many options for designing websites but hostinger has done the work to make this experience as simple as possible save your money and time learning about coding or design instead just try out 150 designer made templates that are fully customizable or even better just use hostinger’s AI website builder it lets you use a text prompt and get started in less than a minute and also you don’t need to think about some external company to host the website with it’s all available at the same spot plus you get your domain for free check out the link in the description and with our code B 10 get 10% off of all hosting plans next we have the NBA’s potential expansion to 32 teams this isn’t just a rumor by the way it’s a likely move once the next set of media rights deals are completed more teams mean more spots for players specifically if you add two teams you’re looking at at least 30 more NBA slots that will open up and you can bet that they will be looking at the best talent available many of whom currently play in Europe This expansion would further deplete the talent available for European clubs it’s already tough to compete with the NBA’s Prestige and salaries and with even more opportunities in the NBA young and talented players will be even more inclined to make the jump as I mentioned before it also means that the European clubs which have invested time and resources into developing these players often see them leave just as they reach their Peak Performance levels this constant turnover of talented players makes it hard for European teams to build and maintain competitive rosters The Fan Experience also suffers when favorite players Le for the NBA just last year we saw two former Euro League MVPs depart to the NBA and I wouldn’t be surprised if this trend continues in the upcoming years now let’s consider the G League this league has been growing growing and growing and by the 2024 25 season all NBA teams will have a g-league counterpart this expansion means even more spots for players with two-way contracts offering up to $500,000 per season if you do the mats 30 * 2 that’s 60 slots up for grabs and it’s another Avenue that will likely attract Talent from Europe sure the biggest issue in the G league is that nothing is guaranteed but once again when we’re talking about about young players it’s an opportunity that many have pursued in the past and will pursue in the future lastly there’s the growing threat from other International leagues like the NBL in Australia and the B league in Japan these leagues are stepping up their game both in terms of competitive play and player salaries while they might not yet match The Prestige of the EUR League they are certainly becoming more attractive Alternatives we’ve seen young players like Alex SAR and lamelo Bol while choosing the NBL to develop their skills the NBL offers a platform for young players to shine which can be harder to find in the Euro league where again we come back to the win now mentality in Europe young players get less time and more pressure to deliver immediate results if these leagues continue to grow financially which seems very likely they could pose a serious threat to European clubs drawing away both young prospects and established players so what does it all mean to European basketball well it’s not looking great the combination of better Financial opportunities in the NCAA the NBA’s likely expansion the growing of the g-league the rise of the international leagues like the NBL and the B league and an aging Euroleague player base all spell trouble European clubs are finding it harder to attract and retain top talent and without that Talent the quality of play will inevitably decline which would halt the growth of basketball in Europe but all hope is not lost European basketball has a rich history and the most passionate fan base what clubs in the Euro league really need is to get creative and find new ways to compete financially this might mean venturing out to those markets that don’t seem attractive to the fans like the Middle East it could also mean finding new revenue streams and improving marketing efforts to attract a global audience the fact is that something has to be done as European basketball is at a Crossroads the challenges are real and significant and it’s going to take a lot of effort from the clubs leagues and players but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the history of basketball is that this sport has a way of surprising us let me know what you think in the comments below do you think European basketball is doomed or am I catastrophizing and being very negative if you enjoyed this video drop a like subscribe for more basketball content and I’ll see you in the next one
EuroLeague, EuroCup, Champions League and many domestic leagues in Europe face the same problem – lack of young talent. These players rather choose NCAA, G-League or other leagues, which offer better financial situation. Could this lead to the extinction of European basketball? Watch and find out.
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F euroleague and its closed system
Its just student years, how is it end for Europe? They just go leave the family, and most of them will come back. There is no space for everyone in NBA, so they just gonna get better and come back, i dont see any problem with that. And the ageing is it really the problem? Euroleague is still TOP quality basketball, and many veterans who will finish career soon or later, dont worry its not the end.
eh, NBA just bought global basketball
You don t understand.
It s pro European Basketball. Because…
1) More European will reach Americans-Nba Level. So the Global Pool of NBA Level player will become bigger .So more Nba level players wil play overseas in Europe. It doenst matter the nationality. Maybe Europeam teams have more Americans and American teams have more Europeans..So the gap between Euroleague n Nba will be closer as it goes the last 10 years ..
The only problem Euroleague would have is if another League like CBA or somewhere else become more competitive financially and stole players …That is unlikely and will become more unlikely when dubai become part of Euroleague
hm one thing
no
this can't happen us first of all we have seen thousands of times tons of young insanely skilled european athletes cant succed in america and players in general even if they go to ncaa 75 present of them will be back and have a succesful career in the euroleauge
This is on the EL management.
Always afraid to make clear choices and rules.
Make it difficult for Ncaa to grab European players as they like.
But no!We have a league that simply care about prestige until that abstract concept won't mean shit.
I mean we don't even know how much a EL team truly spends!
This is the last year I spent money to watch EL games.And I hope people will follow.
they will get the bag and go back to europe if they dont get drafted, what afterwards? some of them wont even adapt to pro ball cuz most of them dont have the experience playing with older guys
Clickbait
What needs to be done is not having a closed league. Let other teams get a chance to compet. And, give the money not on signing stars, but on developing them.
It could be. FIBA. NIL and NCAA the division splits. Illinois when everyone has distain for Angel Reese and Chicago? That's Rockerfeller all day long.
Bro watch the crack Baby basketball episode from South Park ! They explain why it’s wrong not to pay the players in college…
Euroleague needs cash? Start selling EL media rights for what it’s worth, not some pocket change that’s so low that raises eyebrows – that’s 50M per year like wtf??
I guess EuroLeague will go through it's south american football arc.
Nothing to worry. As long as the teams in Europe stays at a comparable level to other European teams, fans will still watch the games. E.g. Serbian and Lithuanian teams are clearly not the best of Europe but they are playing in front of big crowds.
Young talents dont get any playing time in EL, so there is the problem if they will play and get paid in ncaa and later come back to El? Yes, domestic clubs lower then EL will have a bit lower quality
From my point of view you are posing a legitimate set of argues and scepticism regarding euroleague context and future. But as far as I can see, euroleague will expand in terms of prestige and geography, euroleague is escalating and so does european basket, fusing material from abroad, integrating without losing its identity. In our continent basket preserves its team-effort character, without spoiling any excessive personal talent. Finally, as you already mentioned in your video, in european basketball, as in any other renowned team sport, there is a major x factor; its fan base. Neither in the NBA nor anywhere else such a major factor exists and I believe will never appear. Team sports are its fans, without them the outcome is closer to ceremony rather than actual game. PAO fan!
Excellent content, well done gang!
Ridiculous video. Every year the European basketball is dying, every year it's the last good year.
Enough, can't you see that this was the best season we had in a while? And why did this happen? Because a lot of teams invested and got talent. Euroleague shouldn't be afraid of NCAA or CBA or even NBL. They are competitors and of course, they may narrow the player pool but Euroleague should just retain its prestige and the whole conversation is over.
Euroleague MVPs almost every year for the last decade were leaving for the NBA, that's not new.
Players do age, but people also come back to Euroleague (Hezonja, Satoransky, Abrines, Mirotic, etc)
The "win now" mentality is one of the biggest factors that help European basketball stay at this level, every fucking game matters, hell every play matters. That's the intensity we bring out here, and if that is too much for any player they shouldn't be here, LaMelo Ball for example, wouldn't last a week in a club like Red Star or Zalgiris (and not because of their skill level).
Bottom-line, Euroleague's on the right path, and if it needs to do something, is just create a plan to expand locally and increase the budgets of the teams. No NBAzation is required. Stop catastrophizing.
The B-League champ was beaten by 20+ by the Lebanese League champ in the BCL Asia semis.
it's not like every college basketballer will make this amounts of money, or at all. But whining that the EL will suffer, we put our needs and desires in front of those of the players. Maybe the EL should make better offers to young players instead of letting them rot either on the bench or some backwater club.
while i can see top prospects going to ncaa for the money ( lol basketball students gettin paid while the normal us students go into cripling debt just to study) , euro basketball will never die , we have the passion that united states dont have , watched lkl final game , and the other day nba finals the atmosphere is like light and day we have it better .
I think the level of overall basketball will improve but nba is not for everyone , and kids after college will eather go to the g league (kuz rarely a top tier tallent stays in ncaa for longer than 2 years) , plan b is euroleague or any other league debending on the offers , plan c they fell off and the money they got from ncaa broke a few screws loose (it is a possibily , remember liangelio ball and china situation , you dont have to be smart to play basketball in collage)
While yes developing young players in top euroleague teams is a problem with them not gettin enough playing time and experience , the mid and lower teams could do that and develop they're players nicely , sure they wont stay for long , but the team will get more exposure bringin team some money from endorsments .
Overall opion it will impact where young players will go to develop their game , but only strong and detirment will survive , the rest will really have to stay humble and take classes on how to not be stupid with all that money they will be getting. And EuroBall will never die , and top stars that do go to nba wont mean they will be a good fit (too much to name but sasha vezenkov is a recent example) and eventually come back to europe
Since the entire situation can be summarized as "Euroleague teams are not investing in their youth teams", Euroleague itself needs to establish either rules or a foundation for young players to emerge into the starting rosters. For example, mandate that a minimum of X players under the age of 21 must play a minimum of Y minutes each season. Or create a youth Euroleague championship (like UEFA has its youth league) where all Euroleague teams must play players under the age of 21.
There clearly are ways around this, it's up to the people in charge to make the necessary changes to fix this issue.
The should build an ENBA – Euro NBA – select the 30 best European clubs, organize salary caps, drafts, NBA rules, etc. They could play against each other in a specific tournament, that would be fun.
Solution. The International Basketall Association
For most fans euroleague will die the day dubai gets in
Dont worry Dubai is gonna step in and up the whole thing
Solution: Start recruiting from Africa, in the same way that you recruit soccer talent at a young age from Africa
did I miss something? I thought it was against NCAA rules for colleges to pay for student athletes?
Euro league is the second best pro league in the world, I doubt that will ever change. Yes the best young players will and should be in the nba, but many do not have the athleticism to warrant staying in the us vs over seas and offensive talents like Luka from Europe are very rare. Youth will look for nba but the reality is most will end up in Europe. Euroleague just moves down on the list of options since it’s more opportunities to use to try to make the nba. Give it 3-5 years and most of a draft will be in europe
Expensive financial venture in USA. Will thathold for long? Too ambitious.
Is this the end of your programme..?
The title text it's so rong (free tip)
My friend
It’s not only Lithuanian players in basketball….
There are always unforseen factors that will make it all workout, though very differently than anticipated.
Euroleague should take advantage of its aspects! so, full courts with the most passionate fans, good tactics and coach basketball and the most antagonistic teams!
So, Euroleague….. has the worst referees giving advantage to the same teams (spanish, turkish and pao), let's rich teams to pay big amount of money and is ready to bring a team from Qatar…… has new teams from countries with no basketball history (like Paris etc) and doesn't try to help the old teams become better (giving more money to them) …..and ………the fans cannot feel the courts because of the ticket prices and F4 ticket policy! Corrupt members like bodiroga and bertomeu taking care of themselves and their money and all that kind of sh)t! Disgusting!
even before NIL, players like Emanuel Mudiay who wanted to make some cash while waiting for the NBA draft eligibility chose to play in China instead of Europe after high school graduation. Same goes for Alex Sarr. I mean, Alex Sarr? Why on earth would a french player play in the Australian League for West Bumblefuck Wildcats? Is the NBL for sure more competitive than the French League or the Euroleague? Do NBA scouts pay more attention to the NBL or China than the Euroleague? Or are the Euroleague teams making it prohibitively difficult for young and talented players to enter the NBA draft and leave the team.
in numerical terms, it's very easy to position the Euroleague as an alternative to college. Euroleague viewership ratings are on par with the NCAA and light years ahead of the NBL and CBL. If the Euroleague could force the participating teams to stop making it prohibitively difficult for players to leave for NBA, we would see top tier young talent that would normally play in the NCAA Men's Division 1 playing instead for Barcelona or Real Madrid. I mean, "We pay you 3 million dollars for one year, you get to tour around Europe, you train, you play basketball, you'll get seen by hundreds of NBA scouts on a weekly basis where they'll get to evaluate your skills against grown men that are professional basketball players instead of college kids, you don't have to sacrifice the NIL money anyway and we'll completely support your one and done aspirations" is a very good offer. I can see 10 high school grads who would be lottery picks in the NBA draft taking up this offer every year.
If Euroleague manages to position itself as a college alternative for top tier NBA draft prospects, we might even see a surge in Euroleague's viewership ratings.