2018 Final Four Official Programme

2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four Belgrade Welcome - Jordi Bertomeu It is a great honour towelcome you all to the 17th edition of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. The city of Belgradewill open its doors wide towelcome all the basketball fans coming fromaround theworld, not only to enjoy the Final Four but also the basketball atmosphere and passion reigning in the Serbian capital. With the collaboration of the City of Belgrade, we have found the perfect timing for all parties involved to bring this present to all Serbian citizens, who I am certainwill enjoy the Final Four immensely. The capital of Serbia, one of themost important cradles of European basketball, will show to theworld its tradition and history in our sport, not only for the countless talented players and coaches born in the region, but most importantly because of the fans, who feel an outstanding passion for basketball. FenerbahceDogus Istanbul, Zalgiris Kaunas, CSKAMoscow and Real Madrid are surely proud to play for themost-desired trophy on the continent after a demanding season where Europe’s best 16 teams brought us hundreds of hours of themost competitive and thrilling basketball possible. In the second season of the newTurkish Airlines EuroLeague, our fans have respondedwith evenmore enthusiasm than during the inaugural one, with a record- breaking average of 8,462 fans in the arenas for each game. Allowme to address a personal message to all these fans: THANK YOU. Thank you for your trust, for your loyalty, and for motivating us to constantly improve. You are the core of the EuroLeague, the engine that keeps everythingmoving. Beyond the arenas, our games are broadcast across all continents with the highest production standards, whilst this season we havemade a special effort to bring our competition even closer to the fans by improving their experience through technology and innovation. Our partnership withHEED in the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence as well as the start- up EBTechChallenge developedwith the University of La Salle-URL are only two of themost recent projects that aimat bringing the fan experience to newheights. This year we havemade an extra effort to bring a wide variety of Final Four experiences to visiting fans fromabroad and Belgrade residents alike, andwe expect great participation in all our parallel events. The FanZone at the iconic Kalemegdan Fortress will be themeeting point not only for the supporters of the four qualified teams, but for all basketball fans whowant to enjoy any of themultiple activities that will take place. It will not be a surprise if we break all previous FanZone attendance records. The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament is the place to see the future of basketball as eight of the best junior teams in Europewill compete in this prestigious four-day competition. Of course, no Final Four would be completewithout the traditional activities developed by Euroleague Basketball’s social responsibility program, One Team, to raise awareness and provide support for disadvantaged communities. I would like to thank all our sponsors and partners: 7DAYS, adidas, Fonbet, Nesine, Spalding, VTBBank, Tadim, Intersport, Armani Exchange, Tripoki, viagogo, youwin. tv, Kyocera, EFES, Odeabank, Head and Shoulders, Draftkings, Sinpas, Acibadem, Eurobank, Turkish Towels, VODAVODA and Caffe Buscaglione. They are fundamental to our continuous growth. I must especially thank Turkish Airlines, our long-time partner and title sponsor for supporting us one more year. Lastly, I would like to recognise the effort that the City of Belgrade has put forth in hosting this Final Four, and of course IMG, the entertainment giant that helps us every day in the improvement of Euroleague Basketball. To the players and coaches, good luck to everyone! Let the games begin! Jordi Bertomeu Euroleague Basketball President and CEO OFFICIAL PROGRAMME 3