It’s going to be a busy pre-season for some of the top teams in Euroleague with teams travelling across the Americas and Asia as part of their preparation for the new season.
The headline action will see Maccabi Tel Aviv look to win the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Brazil but they will be plenty of games elsewhere featuring Europe’s best. Saski Baskonia, Fenerbahce, Alba Berlin, Real Madrid, and Barcelona will also face opposition from across the globe in the coming weeks. Here are the full details of the pre-season global calendar from Euroleague’s release:
Euroleague Basketball’s continuing efforts to bring its unique game style to a global audience will see six Turkish Airlines Euroleague clubs compete in international preseason tournaments and exhibitions in nine countries on four continents in the coming weeks.
The newest additions to a packed calendar of international preseason events are 2014 Euroleague runner-up Real Madrid and Laboral Kutxa Vitoria, both from Spain, setting off first to play two games each in the Americas. They join reigning Euroleague champion Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv of Israel, which headlines both the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Brazil and the Euroleague U.S. Tour 2014; Spain’s FC Barcelona, which embarks on the Euroleague Basketball Asia Tour in early October; plus Alba Berlin of Germany and Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul of Turkey, hosts of the NBA Global Games.
All told, Euroleague clubs will travel the world to take part in a dozen high-profile games and share Europe’s best basketball with clubs, players and fans from all over.
Madrid and Laboral will compete in the Euroamerican Cup, organized by Direct TV, between September 18 and 21. Madrid opens its participation in San Juan, Puerto Rico against Cangrejeros de Santurce on Thursday, September 18. Three days later, on Sunday, September 21, it travels to meet Guerreros in Bogota, Colombia, three days later. Laboral will begin its participation in the event on Friday, September 19 in Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, against Aguada. Two days later, on Sunday, September 21, Laboral will face Peñarol in Mar de Plata, Argentina.
Maccabi becomes the third club to hit South America when it touches down in Rio de Janeiro for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, with games against 2014 FIBA Liga de las Americas champion Flamengo on Friday, September 26 and Sunday, September 28 . From there the Euroleague champs embark on the Euroleague US Tour, with games against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Ohio, and the Brooklyn Nets in New York on Sunday, October 5 and Tuesday, October 7, respectively.
FC Barcelona will draw crowds in Asia, where it will play two games. First the Spanish champs go to China to play Zhejiang Lions on Tuesday, October 7. Barcelona’s weeklong trip concludes in Taipei, Taiwan, with an exhibition game against the SBL All-Stars on Saturday, October 11.
In addition to the four clubs that will be travelling abroad, two other Turkish Airlines Euroleague teams will host counterparts from across the Atlantic in the NBA Global Games. ALBA Berlin will welcome the 2014 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs to the O2 World in the German capital on Wednesday, October 8. Three days later, San Antonio will face Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul at Ulker Sports Arena in Istanbul.
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