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During the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four in Telekom Center Athens the Euroleague Head Coaches Board (EHCB) hosted its official press conference, where leading figures from European basketball addressed several of the most important challenges and opportunities currently shaping the future of the game.

EHCB President Dimitris Itoudis, Vice President Giannis Sfairopoulos and Executive Director Goran Sasic shared the coaches’ perspective on topics ranging from youth development and financial sustainability to NBA Europe, and the future growth of the EuroLeague ecosystem.

EHCB President Dimitris Itoudis focused on the future structure and expansion of the EuroLeague ecosystem, emphasizing that all clubs contributing to European basketball should have equal rights and obligations within the system. He highlighted the importance of balancing tradition with growth, mentioning historical clubs such as Partizan, Crvena Zvezda, Valencia, and Virtus Bologna, while also recognizing the rise of ambitious new projects like Dubai Basketball, and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Itoudis also stressed that further strategic investments into European basketball could strengthen the league long-term.

“We believe that the only fair thing would be to acknowledge the input all basketball clubs have to the EuroLeague ecosystem. All clubs should have equal rights and obligations.”

EHCB Vice President Giannis Sfairopoulos addressed several major sporting challenges currently affecting European basketball, beginning with the growing NIL phenomenon in U.S. college basketball. He warned that European clubs and academies are increasingly losing elite young talent before players contribute to local senior teams, despite years of investment in development, education, and infrastructure. Sfairopoulos called for stronger protection of the European development model through better incentives, compensation systems, and the dialogue between federations and leagues.

“A cooperation between FIBA, Euroleague and national federations is necessary to establish regulations that protect youth development structures. The focus must remain on creating an environment where young athletes can achieve both professional growth and financial security without abandoning the European development model too early.”

He also addressed the ongoing Financial Fair Play debate, emphasizing that EuroLeague clubs must remain financially sustainable without losing competitiveness against the NBA, NCAA basketball, and other global markets. According to Sfairopoulos, the future lies in finding a balanced model that protects stability while still allowing growth and investment.

Another major topic was the increasing number of injuries throughout the season. Sfairopoulos called for a united approach involving coaches, doctors, strength and conditioning coaches, players, referees, clubs officials and Euroleague executives to improve calendar management, preseason preparation, and player protection amid the growing physical and mental demands of modern basketball.

“The problem is no longer isolated — it affects the entire ecosystem of European basketball. Euroleague CEO Chus Bueno acknowledged our concerns regarding the calendar and we were also informed that Mr. Bueno has a similar opinion about the NCAA as we have. We are happy that our voice is now out loud and we are open to any kind of discussions about the mentioned topics.”

EHCB Executive Director Goran Sasic addressed the ongoing NBA Europe discussions and stated that the project should not be viewed purely as a basketball initiative, but also as a business strategy connected to football markets and sports infrastructure in Europe. He questioned the long-term feasibility of certain aspects of the NBA project while emphasizing that European basketball should continue learning from the successful commercial structures already established in European football.

“I have said from the beginning the NBA Europe market entry is not about basketball — it is about football.”

At the same time, Sasic emphasized that honest cooperation between the NBA and European basketball could still create benefits for all sides if approached as a true partnership rather than market dominance.

Sasic also strongly addressed the growing instability of the coaching profession, pointing to the increasing number of coaches dismissals in the EuroLeague and the lack of patience in modern sports culture. He highlighted the importance of continuity by referencing long-term success stories built by coaches such as Zeljko Obradovic, Ergin Ataman, Pablo Laso, and Dimitris Itoudis himself.

“We live in a society of disrespect for the coaching and teaching professions. We have seen all kinds of stakeholders disrespecting coaches and we will raise our voice against it.”

He concluded by defending the work ethic and expertise of professional coaches, stressing that elite coaches dedicate decades of their lives and countless working hours to developing players, teams, and the game itself.

The EHCB reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the values of European basketball, strengthening the position of coaches within the sport, and contributing actively to the future sustainability and growth of the game.

The discussion in Athens also served as a strong introduction to the upcoming EHCB Coaches Congress, which will take place in just six weeks at the same venue, bringing together coaches and basketball professionals from across the world for one of the continent’s leading educational basketball events.