Euroleague Basketball: Monaco in the final of a competition where French clubs are looking for their way

The season already had a historic significance for French basketball; it could end in apotheosis. AS Monaco Basket, one of the three clubs from the French championship involved in the Euroleague – a first –, can win this premier competition of the continental orange ball, thirty-two years after Limoges, in 1993. Two days after eliminating the favorites Olympiakos Piraeus in the semi-finals, the Roca Team faces, on Sunday May 25 (at 7 p.m., Paris time) the Turkish team Fenerbahçe in the final, in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). "It is quite simply the most prestigious competition in Europe and we are two games away from winning it , "Monegasque guard Matthew Strazel said on Monday – now just one. There is more and more debate about the level of the Euroleague compared to the NBA. This shows that the level of competition is increasing."

And for French clubs, there is also interest. "The atmosphere is special in the Euroleague," added Paris Basketball's American point guard, TJ Shorts, at the beginning of April, during the final match of the league phase of the semi-private competition, against Alba Berlin. A sold-out match like several others for the Parisian club this season, which is counting on revenue of 8 million euros for its first participation in the Euroleague. A record figure for Paris Basketball, to which are added the sponsorship revenues that are multiplying around the basketball club. " Participation in the Euroleague was necessary for our development strategy ," assures a club executive.

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