2009 Euroleague American Tour
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Euroleague American Tour inaugurated a yearly basketabll exhibition Tour organized by the Euroleague
in the USA. The aim of the Euroleague American Tour
is to expose to American basketball fans a different basketball approach than the one presented by the NBA, a lot more similar to the NCAA
one.
The Euroleague teams that participated in that first edition were Partizan Belgrade
, Olympiacos and Maccabi Tel Aviv. On the other hand the NBA franchises that played against them were the Denver Nuggets
, the Phoenix Suns
, the San Antonio Spurs
, the New York Knicks
and the Cleveland Cavaliers
. The NBA rules that applied to the event combined with the fact that the opponents were all top class NBA teams led to consecutive losses for the Euroleague representants. In Partizan's
case, things were even worse as they competed without future All-Euroleague point guard Bo McCalebb and power forward Lawrence Roberts
.
Overall, in spite of the fact that Euroleague
teams seemed unable to threaten their NBA competition within the USA, they demonstrated some of the advantages that make them high-class basketball organizations: Solid fundamentals, outstanding team play and some of the greatest players of FIBA Basketball like Theo Papaloukas, Milos Teodosic
, Aleks Maric
, Ioannis Bourousis and Sofoklis Schortsianitis to name a few.
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
in the USA. The aim of the Euroleague American Tour
Euroleague American Tour
The Euroleague American Tour is an event organized yearly since 2009. Its purpose is to organize games between Euroleague and sometimes Eurocup teams to play games against National Basketball Association teams, thereby promoting the game of basketball globally...
is to expose to American basketball fans a different basketball approach than the one presented by the NBA, a lot more similar to the NCAA
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
one.
The Euroleague teams that participated in that first edition were Partizan Belgrade
KK Partizan
Košarkaški klub Partizan is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club Partizan. The club competes in the Serbian League, Adriatic League and the Euroleague....
, Olympiacos and Maccabi Tel Aviv. On the other hand the NBA franchises that played against them were the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
, the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
, the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
. The NBA rules that applied to the event combined with the fact that the opponents were all top class NBA teams led to consecutive losses for the Euroleague representants. In Partizan's
KK Partizan
Košarkaški klub Partizan is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club Partizan. The club competes in the Serbian League, Adriatic League and the Euroleague....
case, things were even worse as they competed without future All-Euroleague point guard Bo McCalebb and power forward Lawrence Roberts
Lawrence Roberts (basketball)
Lawrence Edward Roberts III is an American professional basketball player. Roberts played for two years as a power forward for Lamar High School, alongside Emeka Okafor of Bellaire High School...
.
Overall, in spite of the fact that Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
teams seemed unable to threaten their NBA competition within the USA, they demonstrated some of the advantages that make them high-class basketball organizations: Solid fundamentals, outstanding team play and some of the greatest players of FIBA Basketball like Theo Papaloukas, Milos Teodosic
Miloš Teodosic
Miloš Teodosić is a professional basketball player from Serbia. He is 1.96 m tall. He can play at either the point guard or shooting guard position. He is currently a member of the pro club CSKA Moscow.-Player profile:He can play at either guard position...
, Aleks Maric
Aleks Maric
Aleksandar "Aleks" Marić is an Australian professional basketball player of Serbian descent. He stands 2.11 m tall and weighs 125 kg ....
, Ioannis Bourousis and Sofoklis Schortsianitis to name a few.