civil war 26
Bowie, Berlin, Basketball
On the eve of the 2016 Euroleague Final Four, Emmet Ryan went for a walk around Berlin I, I can remember, standing, by the Wall. Too many times at this stage but Tuesday was the first since Bowie passed. His time in Berlin came while the city was still divided by the Mauer. Since it […]
The Basketball Champions League – FIBA’s brand of hard ball
After a lengthy absence, part three of BallinEurope’s look at the civil war in European basketball continues with analysis of what the Champions League actually means for the sport. For past coverage check out Emmet Ryan’s features on the problems with a closed shop Euroleague and the need for a strong Eurocup FIBA wants back […]
Closing off sense – Euroleague, Champions League, and market stagnation
In the first of a series of pieces looking at the business and marketing of European basketball, Emmet Ryan reacts to the news that Euroleague may fully close off entry to the new 16 team competition The civil war has been ugly. The fans have been left hanging by and large. Money talks, naturally, but […]
National League Preview: Ireland
BallinEurope is going to cast its eyes over a few of Europe’s top and not so top national league over the next week or so as we get back into the regular grind of European basketball. First up, the league in the same nation as BiE Towers, Ireland Last year was a true first for […]
Brinkmanship the order in Europe
The weeks continue to be tense behind the scenes, with only smidgen and guesses have been truly learned, the powers that be in European basketball are playing a most dangerous game. Nobody knows the hand Patrick Baumann is willing to play. Would FIBA’s secretary general really gamble that crushing sanctions on national federations would be […]
The curious case of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mycroft Holmes
One is the NBA’s all time leading scorer, the other is the brother of one of the best known fictional characters in history. Emmet Ryan examines the literary challenge facing Kareem Abdul—Jabbar’s plan to write a novel based on Mycroft Holmes. Forget, if you can, the 6 NBA titles as a player along with 2 […]
Vlade Divac: The BallinEurope/YouTube career retrospective
BallinEurope sends out hearty congratulations to Serbian great Vlade Divac on his nomination for possible entry into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s “Class of 2012.” While Divac may be known as a famous trivia answer (“Who was traded for Kobe Bryant?”) or by the dreaded “F-word” (i.e. “flopper” as used in – really […]
Interview: Michael Tolajian, director of “Once Brothers”
Tomorrow night will see the ESPN premiere of the latest in its “30 for 30” documentary series, “Once Brothers.” This film focuses on the Yugoslavian basketball squads of 1988-1991, dream teams that included rosters filled with names such as Vlade Divac, Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, Predrag Danilović, Stojan Vranković, and Jure Zdovc. When […]
"Once Brothers": Will Divac's Team Yugoslavia movie play on ESPN?
An intriguing, albeit unsubstantiated, rumor hit the English-language bit of the internet today. Apparently, ESPN’s much-touted “30 for 30” series, in which independent directors create from start to finish a short documentary on a sports subject, will be taking on a film entitled “Jednom braća” (“Once Brothers”). “Once Brothers” is a documentary film about the […]
Courtside in Europe: A Comprehensive Guide to FIBA and Euroleague Action
European professional basketball features a complex landscape with ongoing tensions between the Euroleague Basketball competition and FIBA’s Basketball Champions League. This guide delves into the history behind the divide, how it impacts top clubs and players, and the elusive search for a collaborative system to unify European basketball. With the aim of providing clarity to […]
Ognjen Kuzmic and the ring of unexpected destiny
A European player will win the NBA Championship this year but if it’s the Warriors who lift Larry O’Brien it will come in odd circumstances In a shock to roughly no-one, this site’s focus through the NBA Finals has been on Timofey Mozgov and David Blatt. Mozgov is Russian, Blatt’s history in Europe is well-documented. […]
Highlights from Dennis Rodman’s Easter weekend in Bulgaria
Former Detroit Pistons/Chicago Bulls/Torpan Pojat power forward and Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman was in Bulgaria this weekend to help that nation’s league celebrate its all-star break and oh yes, he left his mark. Ireland-based The Score reported somewhat hyperbolically that the appearance was part of a full-on comeback to the game by […]