Latest news with #AndreasZagklis
Independent Singapore
4 days ago
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025: Spain's Unicaja set to defend crown in Singapore
SINGAPORE: The FIBA Intercontinental Cup is set to electrify Singapore's basketball scene once again this year, with reigning champions Unicaja from Spain returning to defend their title, and a first-ever appearance in the competition for teams from Japan, Australia, and Libya. The tournament, which will take place from Sep 18 to 21 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, promises to be an exhilarating spectacle, featuring the world's top clubs, representing all six FIBA continental champions. 'The FIBA Intercontinental Cup reached a new milestone every single time during the past three years, realising step by step the dream of a truly intercontinental club competition,' shared Mr Andreas Zagklis. FIBA's secretary-general. 'The response from the clubs, from the leagues, from our partners, and from the Singapore public was overwhelmingly positive. This 35th edition is their reward for daring to dream, the consolidation of a daring vision.' The NBA G League United will also be making the trip once again to Singapore for the competition. Founded in 2024, the team is an American basketball team made up of selected players from the NBA G League to represent it in exhibition games and international tournaments. They had a decent run during their debut in the 2024 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, finishing as runners-up after losing 60-75 to Unicaja in the final. 'For our club, Unicaja, it is an honour and a source of pride to be able to participate in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. Thanks to this competition, we play against all the champion teams of the FIBA universe, and we carry the name of our city, our region, and our sponsors all over the world.' See also Basketball: Singapore National 3x3 League to tour heartland malls 'Last season's experience in Singapore was extraordinary, and we want to repeat it again this year,' expressed Mr Antonio J. López Nieto, president of Spanish basketball club Unicaja. Basketball enthusiasts can also look forward to the appearance of Flamengo (Brazil), the 2022 FIBA Intercontinental Cup winner, who further solidified their dominance on the continent as they lifted the 2024-2025 Basketball Champions League (BCL) Americas trophy. FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025 – Group A and B. (Photo credit: FIBA) The tournament will feature two groups of three teams competing in a round-robin format, with the top team from each group advancing to the final. The second-place teams will contest the third-place match, and the remaining teams will face off in the fifth-place classification match. The four-day competition will begin with three days of round robin matches from Sep 18 to 20, with the classification matches and final scheduled for Sunday, Sep 21 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The final will be played at 7:00 p.m., while the third and fifth placing matches will be held at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively. Defending champion Unicaja has been drawn in Group A alongside debutants Al-Ahli SC from Libya and Utsunomiya Brex of Japan. NBA G League United will be in Group B, with Flamengo and newly crowned National Basketball League (NBL) champions Illawarra Hawks from Australia. 'We are very excited to participate in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup Singapore 2025 after winning our first BCL Asia 2025 tournament, winning a double overtime victory in the quarter-finals and a hard-fought battle in the finals,' said Mr Mitsumasa Fujimoto, President, Utsunomiya Brex. 'We would like to maximize the strength of our chemistry we built by having almost the same roster in the last couple of years. We will challenge ourselves as a team against the continental champions who have won their respective qualifying rounds. We are very much looking forward to playing against the world's best club teams. Free entry on opening day To reward the basketball fans for their continued support in the last three years, the organiser has announced that there will be free entry, on a first-come-first-served basis, to the games on the first day of competition on Thursday, Sep 18. 'We are pleased to welcome the 2025 league champions and basketball fans from Singapore and across the world to the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025. This annual event at Singapore Sports Hub has become a focal point for the basketball fraternity,' said Mr Yazed Osman, Kallang Alive Sport Management's Group Head Events & Placemaking and Place Management. FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025 – Schedule. (Photo credit: FIBA) The opening day will see G League United taking on Flamengo in Group B at 5:00 p.m., and Unicaja beginning their title defence against Al-Ahli at 8:00 p.m. in Group A. On the second day of the competition on Sep 19, Australia's Hawks will make their debut against Flamengo, and Japan's Utsunomiya will face Unicaja. The final round robin match will see both Unicaja and Flamengo enjoying a rest after taking to the court in the first two days of competition. On Friday, Sep 20, G League United will square off against Hawks in a Group A encounter, while Al-Ahli will be up against Utsunomiya. 'Beyond thrilling elite basketball action on court, this third edition will also mark the return of skills and technical clinics for various groups within the basketball community, including children, technical officials, and coaches. 'Through initiatives like these, free entry on game day one, and complemented by our free-to-play outdoor courts available for public use year-round and hosting of school and club tournaments, we hope to develop the sport further and unite the community through basketball,' added Mr Yazed. Tickets for the games starting from S$10 are already on sale now on the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2025 website . Fans who purchase the Ultimate Fan Pass will have access to a premium culinary experience at the All-Star lounge, courtside seats, and exclusive opportunities to meet and mingle with basketball legends.
Al Jazeera
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
LA Olympics may be ‘good launching pad' for NBA league in Europe
The NBA's talks with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and other entities about the process of adding a new league in Europe are continuing, the game's commissioner in the United States said. Adam Silver noted it may take at least a couple more years to turn the ideas into reality, pinpointing the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 as a potential 'launching pad' for another NBA competition. He was speaking on Friday – an off day for the NBA Finals – at a league event to unveil a refurbished Boys & Girls Club in Oklahoma City and said it's difficult to put a specific timeline on the Europe plans. 'I will say it's measured in years, not months,' Silver said. 'So, we're at least a couple years away from launching. 'It would be an enormous undertaking. And while we want to move forward at a deliberate pace, we also want to make sure that we're consulting with all the appropriate stakeholders, meaning the existing league, its teams, European players, media companies, marketing partners. There's a lot of work to be done.' Silver and FIBA Secretary-General Andreas Zagklis announced in March that the league and the game's governing body are finally taking long-awaited steps to form a new league, with an initial target of 16 teams. The idea had been talked about for years, even decades on some levels. Silver revealed that since the NBA and FIBA went public with their idea to move forward, talks have gotten more constructive. Silver said the NBA has been talking directly with the EuroLeague and with some member clubs about a partnership. It's his preference that the NBA work with the existing league on some level, though it's still too early to say exactly what that means. 'Either way, we continue to feel there are an enormous number of underserved basketball fans in Europe and that there's a strong opportunity to have another league styled after the NBA,' Silver said. About one in every six current NBA players hails from Europe, including Denver's Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) – who have combined for five of the last seven MVP awards – along with the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama (France). The NBA's board of governors will talk more about next steps with the European plans in July, at their scheduled meeting in Las Vegas, Silver said. It's possible that the European venture could be unveiled in some way – or possibly start – around the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, given how much attention will be on international basketball at that time. 'That might be a good launching pad for an announcement around a new competition,' Silver said. Some of the cities that are expected to have interest in being part of the new venture include London, Manchester, Rome and Munich. There will be others, of course. 'We haven't had direct conversations yet,' Silver said. 'But there have been several organisations that have come forward and said they would be interested and potential owners in operating in those major markets in Europe.'
Associated Press
06-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
NBA's talks about new league in Europe are continuing, though the process remains in early stages
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The NBA's talks with FIBA and other entities about the process of adding a new league in Europe are continuing, Commissioner Adam Silver said, though he noted that it may take at least a couple more years to turn the ideas into reality. Silver spoke at a league event to unveil a refurbished Boys & Girls Club in Oklahoma City on Friday — an off day for the NBA Finals — and said it's difficult to put a specific timeline on the Europe plans. 'I will say it's measured in years, not months,' Silver said. 'So, we're at least a couple years away from launching. It would be an enormous undertaking. And while we want to move forward at a deliberate pace, we also want to make sure that we're consulting with all the appropriate stakeholders, meaning the existing league, its teams, European players, media companies, marketing partners. There's a lot of work to be done.' Silver and FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis announced in March that the league and the game's governing body are finally taking long-awaited steps to form a new league, with an initial target of 16 teams. It had been talked about for years, and decades even on some levels. And since the NBA and FIBA went public with their idea to move forward, talks have gotten more constructive, Silver said. Silver said the NBA has been talking directly with the EuroLeague and with some member clubs about a partnership. It's his preference that the NBA work with the existing league on some level, though it's still too early to say exactly what that means. 'Either way, we continue to feel there are an enormous number of underserved basketball fans in Europe and that there's a strong opportunity to have another league styled after the NBA,' Silver said. About one in every six current NBA players hails from Europe, including Denver's Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) — who have combined for five of the last seven MVP awards — along with the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama (France). The NBA's board of governors will talk more about next steps with the European plans in July at their scheduled meeting in Las Vegas, Silver said. It's possible that the European venture could be unveiled in some way — or possibly start — around the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, just given how much attention will be on international basketball at that time. 'That might be a good launching pad for an announcement around a new competition,' Silver said. Some of the cities that are expected to have interest in being part of the new venture include London, Manchester, Rome and Munich. There will be others, of course. 'We haven't had direct conversations yet,' Silver said. 'But there have been several organizations that have come forward and said they would be interested and potential owners in operating in those major markets in Europe.' ___ AP NBA:
Fox Sports
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
US to open World Cup qualifying this fall against Dominican Republic and Nicaragua; 3rd team TBA
Associated Press The U.S. will open qualifying for the 2027 Basketball World Cup in November against the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and a third nation that will be determined later this summer by the results of a pre-qualifier tournament. The groups — and 68 of the 80 nations that are in the mix for the 31 open World Cup berths — were announced at Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday. Qatar is the only nation to have a World Cup spot assured; it has one because it will host the tournament in the summer of 2027. The other 12 nations — eight from Europe, four from the Americas — that will play in qualifying will be determined this summer. 'The qualifiers are a special part of this journey," FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis said. "The World Cup is not a three-week event. The World Cup is in reality more than two years, as you can see. ... This is the key moment on the way to Doha.' Germany is the defending champion, having topped Serbia for the gold medal at Manila in 2023. Canada beat the U.S. in that tournament for the bronze. 'When I started playing for the German national team in the late '90s, we would have never thought this was possible — that Germany will be World Cup champions," said German great Dirk Nowitzki, the longtime Dallas Mavericks star who brought the World Cup trophy onto the stage for the draw on Tuesday night. "I think that shows the growth of basketball in Germany and the rest of the world, in Europe, all over the place. It's been fun watching basketball grow the last two decades and more. And really, anything is possible in the world now in basketball.' The Americans have won the tournament five times, but not since 2014 — after finishing a record-worst seventh at China in 2019 and missing the medal stand again at Manila in 2023. It has been a challenge for the U.S. to field its best possible team for the World Cups, given that most stars tend to prefer playing in the Olympics and many can't commit to a plan where they would be playing in a World Cup one summer and the Olympics the following year. 'I'm excited," USA Basketball great and 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinee Carmelo Anthony said. 'I think the world is excited. I think players are excited. I just think that intensity level, from what I've experienced in the previous World Cups, has shot up 10 times more than what it was before. I think the energy, I think that intentionality of the game, you see the passion of winning, not just from certain teams, you see it from all teams that are playing.' A breakdown of the qualifying by region: Americas Teams: 16 for 7 World Cup spots. First-round qualifying dates: November 2025, February 2026, July 2026. Second-round qualifying dates: August 2026, November 2026, February 2027. Format: Four groups of four teams in the first round (six games per team). The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round. Group A: United States, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, TBD. Group B: Canada, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, TBD. Group C: Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, TBD. Group D: Argentina, Uruguay, Panama, TBD. (There are four teams still yet to qualify, and those teams will be determined at a pair of pre-qualifying tournaments in August.) Europe Teams: 32 for 12 World Cup spots. First-round qualifying dates: November 2025, February 2026, July 2026. Second-round qualifying dates: August 2026, November 2026, February 2027. Format: Eight groups of four teams in the first round (six games per team). The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round. Group A: Spain, Georgia, TBD, TBD. Group B: Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, TBD. Group C: Serbia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, TBD. Group D: Britain, Italy, Iceland, Lithuania. Group E: Germany, Israel, Cyprus, TBD. Group F: Latvia, Poland, TBD, TBD. Group G: France, Belgium, Finland, TBD. Group H: Slovenia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Estonia. (There are eight teams still yet to qualify, and those teams will be determined at pre-qualifying tournaments this summer.) Asia Teams: 16 for 7 World Cup spots. (Qatar already qualified as host nation, and will be the eighth World Cup team from Asia.) First-round qualifying dates: November 2025, February 2026, July 2026. Second-round qualifying dates: August 2026, November 2026, February 2027. Format: Four groups of four teams in the first round (six games per team). The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round. Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Guam. Group B: Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan. Group C: Iran, Jordan, Syria, Iraq. Group D: Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, India, Qatar. Africa Teams: 16 for 5 World Cup spots First-round qualifying dates: November 2025, February 2026, July 2026. Second-round qualifying dates: August 2026, February 2027. Format: Four groups of four teams in the first round (six games per team). The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round. Group A: Cameroon, South Sudan, Libya, Cape Verde. Group B: Senegal, Congo, Madagascar, Ivory Coast. Group C: Nigeria, Rwanda, Guinea, Tunisia. Group D: Mali, Angola, Uganda, Egypt. ___ AP sports: in this topic
Hamilton Spectator
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
US to open World Cup qualifying this fall against Dominican Republic and Nicaragua; 3rd team TBA
The U.S. will open qualifying for the 2027 Basketball World Cup in November against the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and a third nation that will be determined later this summer by the results of a pre-qualifier tournament. The groups — and 68 of the 80 nations that are in the mix for the 31 open World Cup berths — were announced at Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday. Qatar is the only nation to have a World Cup spot assured; it has one because it will host the tournament in the summer of 2027. The other 12 nations — eight from Europe, four from the Americas — that will play in qualifying will be determined this summer. 'The qualifiers are a special part of this journey,' FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis said. 'The World Cup is not a three-week event. The World Cup is in reality more than two years, as you can see. ... This is the key moment on the way to Doha.' Germany is the defending champion, having topped Serbia for the gold medal at Manila in 2023. Canada beat the U.S. in that tournament for the bronze. 'When I started playing for the German national team in the late '90s, we would have never thought this was possible — that Germany will be World Cup champions,' said German great Dirk Nowitzki, the longtime Dallas Mavericks star who brought the World Cup trophy onto the stage for the draw on Tuesday night. 'I think that shows the growth of basketball in Germany and the rest of the world, in Europe, all over the place. It's been fun watching basketball grow the last two decades and more. And really, anything is possible in the world now in basketball.' The Americans have won the tournament five times, but not since 2014 — after finishing a record-worst seventh at China in 2019 and missing the medal stand again at Manila in 2023. It has been a challenge for the U.S. to field its best possible team for the World Cups, given that most stars tend to prefer playing in the Olympics and many can't commit to a plan where they would be playing in a World Cup one summer and the Olympics the following year. 'I'm excited,' USA Basketball great and 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinee Carmelo Anthony said. 'I think the world is excited. I think players are excited. I just think that intensity level, from what I've experienced in the previous World Cups, has shot up 10 times more than what it was before. I think the energy, I think that intentionality of the game, you see the passion of winning, not just from certain teams, you see it from all teams that are playing.' A breakdown of the qualifying by region: Americas Teams: 16 for 7 World Cup spots. First-round qualifying dates: November 2025, February 2026, July 2026. Second-round qualifying dates: August 2026, November 2026, February 2027. Format: Four groups of four teams in the first round (six games per team). The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round. Group A: United States, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, TBD. Group B: Canada, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, TBD. Group C: Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, TBD. Group D: Argentina, Uruguay, Panama, TBD. (There are four teams still yet to qualify, and those teams will be determined at a pair of pre-qualifying tournaments in August.) Europe Teams: 32 for 12 World Cup spots. First-round qualifying dates: November 2025, February 2026, July 2026. Second-round qualifying dates: August 2026, November 2026, February 2027. Format: Eight groups of four teams in the first round (six games per team). The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round. Group A: Spain, Georgia, TBD, TBD. Group B: Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, TBD. Group C: Serbia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, TBD. Group D: Britain, Italy, Iceland, Lithuania. Group E: Germany, Israel, Cyprus, TBD. Group F: Latvia, Poland, TBD, TBD. Group G: France, Belgium, Finland, TBD. Group H: Slovenia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Estonia. (There are eight teams still yet to qualify, and those teams will be determined at pre-qualifying tournaments this summer.) Asia Teams: 16 for 7 World Cup spots. (Qatar already qualified as host nation, and will be the eighth World Cup team from Asia.) First-round qualifying dates: November 2025, February 2026, July 2026. Second-round qualifying dates: August 2026, November 2026, February 2027. Format: Four groups of four teams in the first round (six games per team). The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round. Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Guam. Group B: Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan. Group C: Iran, Jordan, Syria, Iraq. Group D: Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, India, Qatar. Africa Teams: 16 for 5 World Cup spots First-round qualifying dates: November 2025, February 2026, July 2026. Second-round qualifying dates: August 2026, February 2027. Format: Four groups of four teams in the first round (six games per team). The top three teams from each group will move on to the second round. Group A: Cameroon, South Sudan, Libya, Cape Verde. Group B: Senegal, Congo, Madagascar, Ivory Coast. Group C: Nigeria, Rwanda, Guinea, Tunisia. Group D: Mali, Angola, Uganda, Egypt. ___ AP sports:
