Mid-season, French Basketball shines in the biggest European competition. Paris and Monaco occupy the first two places in the Euroleague regular season. Anything but a coincidence.
A new wind is blowing through the Euroleague. That of Paris basketball and its dizzying game, focused on attack, “unique, which other coaches cannot counter” analyzes Claude Bergeaud, coach of the Blues between 2003 and 2007. After 16 matches, the Ile-de-France club displays a record of 11 victories, including 10 in a row which took him to the top of the rankings for his first participation. Unexpected for the winner of the 2023 Eurocup who goes it alone in front of Monaco. Returning to Europe this season, after 12 years in the United States, Evan Fournier (Olympiakos) notes with surprise the performances of the French clubs: “It's a nice surprise! As French people we can all be happy. That means that we have quality in our championship. Its level is only increasing.
And these good results on the international scene are not the result of chance, 8 months after the Franco-French Eurocup final between Paris Basket and Bourg-en-Bresse. “There are presidents and owners of clubs who put money and invest in clubs” explains Petr Cornelie, interior of Monaco. “It allows us to create projects and good teams with strong individuals.” “Originally, it was Tony Parker who created an emulation for French basketball by putting resources into Asvel” rewinds Claude Bergeaud. “To compete, the pursuers put in money, like Monaco.”
This season, the Rocher club has a budget of around 30 million euros, the highest ever recorded in the French championship. Far ahead of those of Paris basketball (19 million) and Asvel (16 million) but still far behind the European big names Real Madrid (45 million) and Panathinaikos (50 million). “These are other economies, other tax systems. We will never compete with the budgets of these teams,” warns Philippe Ausseur, president of the National Basketball League. “But by being more agile and smarter, even with a smaller budget, we can manage to challenge these teams on a sporting level. A title would be the outcome.”
But for Didier Gadou, French international between 1988 and 1995, more than the budget the secret lies on the floor: “There is the work of the investors but also that of the coaches who produce the game and manage to stabilize the squad.” All illustrated by Paris Basket which has established itself in a few years as a future European heavyweight capable of putting on a show on the pitch, with a spectacular playing identity, and off by attracting stars to its stands.
Performance lacking visibility
Exceptional performances that are difficult for the general public to grasp. The Euroleague is broadcast on Skweek while the French championship is on DAZN. Two paid platforms that are unpopular with fans. “TV broadcasting is the sea serpent” explains Claude Bergeaud. “If we want to stabilize, we have to work with a media in the long term and bring all basketball together in the same place. We must not separate the rights to the European Cups here and the French championship.” Philippe Ausseur, president of the National Basketball League, affirms that the file is indeed on his desk.
“We're looking for a free-to-air window. We still hear a lot of people talking to us about the Pau – Limoges rivalry at the time on Antenne 2. It really had an impact on them and it was a great showcase for basketball. We want to find a regular unencrypted show on Sundays at 7 p.m. that we had on L'Equipe last season. We have an agreement with DAZN, if we find this unencrypted Sunday evening actor we will broadcast on this slot. But does French basketball still have a future on television? Not sure for Didier Gadou: “I'm not sure that people would watch the matches on TV. Today, the consumption of the image has changed. I watch matches in full because I am an insider of basketball but my kids only watch the highlights.”
If unencrypted broadcasting seems on track, we will have to wait until the 2026-2027 season, the date of the end of Skweek's rights to European basketball, to hope to see the European Cups and the French Championship combined on one and same platform.
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