New year, familiar faces. The leadership of the Euroleague recently convened to confirm the continuity of its key executives. Dejan Bodiroga will remain as president for the upcoming four-year term, as announced in a statement.

If he completes all the years of his contract, the former Serbian forward will have served six years as the face of Europe's top club competition. His tenure began in late 2022, when he succeeded Catalan executive Jordi Bertomeu.

In the same assembly, held yesterday at its Barcelona headquarters, the extension of another high-ranking official was also confirmed. Lithuanian Paulius Motiejunas will continue as CEO, a position he has held since June 2023.

The meeting also aimed to draft and define the competition regulations for the next 2024–2025 season, the lists of participating teams in the top European club competition and the Eurocup, as well as the schedule for both tournaments.

The big news, which was already an open secret, is the change in the 20 teams that make up the European elite. Valencia Basket, greatly affected, has known its fate for months, being relegated to the Eurocup but with a project focused on returning to the top tier.

Indeed, the Taronjas were waiting to confirm their participation in the main European basketball competition based on the decision regarding Paris Basketball, which is set to embrace Euroleague glory after winning the last Eurocup. ALBA Berlin was also close to dropping out but managed to present a document signed by the previous management that guarantees its stay for another year.

Additionally, the financial report for the 2023-2024 campaign was reviewed, along with a look at the new Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations. During the same meeting, the Director of Refereeing, Daniel Hierrezuelo, presented a report on the last season, which included proposals for recruitment protocols, education, monitoring, and refereeing technology.

Another hot topic, whose resolution is expected soon, concerns the two main organizers of European basketball competitions, FIBA and Euroleague.

FIBA organizes two competitions: the Europe Cup and the Basketball Champions League (BCL). On the other hand, Euroleague Basketball, a private company unlike FIBA, manages the two main club tournaments in European basketball: the Euroleague and the Eurocup.

Regardless, the goal of the merger is to implement a single second-tier competition on a European scale, with the Euroleague as the top continental competition. Both have been negotiating for some time to unify their tournaments, striving for efficiency and collective excellence, and now the final verdict awaits.