NBA
EuroLeague coaching legend says he followed the NBA ‘much more in the past’
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated03 Jan 2025
There’s no way around it, the NBA has changed a lot over time. Not only as a sport, but even more as an industry-related competition. This is one of the reasons why Zeljko Obradovic, considered ne of Europe’s most respected basketball minds, doesn’t watch the United States’ basketball leagues anymore.
It was during a recent interview for Mozzart Sport in which he talked about many subjects, but his thoughts on the NBA and the EuroLeague were certainly destined to make the headlines. The legendary coach shared how his interest in the NBA have changed over time and his current focus on specific players.
“I used to follow the NBA more, honestly, much more in the past. Now, I try to follow Denver because of Jokic and Atlanta because of Bogdanovic. On our channels, there’s also college basketball, so I enjoy watching that whenever I have time,” Obradovic said.
Zeljko Obradovic compares EuroLeague with NBA 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/kqrQ4tfxMa
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) January 2, 2025
When asked about the main differences between both leagues, Zeljko mentioned the current EuroLeague system. “The interesting thing about this current system is from Partizan’s perspective, it’s positive for us because we have a large number of season ticket holders,” he said.
“People are aware that they will see all 17 EuroLeague teams, plus the ABA league,” the Serbian noted. “Before, it was a system with groups and you could go years without seeing Real Madrid. This system is the best because you play against everyone.”
To the veteran tactician, the EuroLeague has continued to grow in time, and he cannot say there same about U.S. basketball. “The number of games is increasing, and in that sense, it is moving toward the NBA league, but EuroLeague is led by serious and intelligent people, and I have no doubt they will do what is most interesting for the fans,” Zeljko argued.
Obradovic simply believes there are too many games in the NBA. “Just look at the arenas across Europe – Zalgiris, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Fenerbahce, Efes – they all have incredible attendance. Unlike the NBA, every game here is truly important. You can’t say after a loss that it didn’t matter. You have to give your all in every moment until the end,” he expressed.
