5 reasons you should watch EuroLeague

Why you should watch EuroLeague: 2. Former NCAA & NBA players, and future NBA players

We just talked about Rick Pitino coaching at Panathinaikos. He’s not the only former college basketball legend to ply his trade in EuroLeague. Pitino coached former BYU star Jimmer Fredette at Panathinaikos. Fredette’s backcourt teammate was former University of Florida point guard Nick Calathes. 

Former Miami guard Shane Larkin is a star for Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Marquette alum Markus Howard plays for Baskonia, Two-time NCAA national champion Shabazz Napier plays for Crvena Zvezda, Gonzaga alum Kevin Pangos plays for Olimpia Milan, and so do many other former college basketball players. If they didn’t make it in the NBA, many of them ended up here. 

Former NBA players are here too. Kemba Walker and Nikola Mirotic are the two most well-known former NBA stars in Europe. Walker will be a EuroLeague rookie this season with AS Monaco. One of his teammates is former Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns guard Mike James. The always entertaining and never-defending Milos Teodosic who took a pit stop with the Los Angeles Clippers will be teaming up with Napier in Belgrade this season. 

Lastly, EuroLeague has potential future NBA players too. Draft stashes such as Rokas Jokubaitis of the New York Knicks and Matteo Spagnolo of the Minnesota Timberwolves will be playing for FC Barcelona and Alba Berlin next season respectively. If Brooklyn Nets fans want to dream of a very skilled center they’ll never have, they technically own the rights to Serbian big man Nikola Milutinov. There is a lot of talent, and a lot of characters out there for EuroLeague. It never disappoints.