Currently preparing for the World Cup with Serbia, of which he is the captain, Bogdan Bogdanovic was recently in Athens, with his selection, to play the Acropolis Cup. In the Greek capital, the Atlanta rear / winger had signed a mythical playoff series in 2017 (19.3 points at 60% from 3-pointers, 7 rebounds and 4 assists) against Panathinaikos, when he was still a player of the Fenerbahce.
So inevitably, the opportunity was found to evoke this period of his career, in the Euroleague. A Euroleague that is becoming more American, with the recent arrivals of Kemba Walker in Monaco and Jabari Parker in Barcelona, and more widely others NBAers internationals like Juancho Hernangomez and Svi Mykhailiuk engaged with Panathinaikos, and Raul Neto with Fenerbahce.
A turn that “Bogi” finds appreciable, even if he warns that the adaptation will not necessarily be easy.
” The Euroleague is high level, it’s a tough competition. So I’m happy for these guys, that they’re taking on this challenge, this new stage of their career. », reacted like this the Hawks player. ” It’s kind of becoming a fad. I know a lot of players in the United States who think it’s a failure to come to Europe. I do not think so. It’s another challenge, and the Euroleague is a very competitive league. Like everywhere, you have to fight to score, you have to defend and you have to prove your worth. Especially when you land in a new league. You have to start all over again. »
“Bogi” wants more regulation for naturalizations
The Hawks player also spoke on a related subject: the naturalization of certain players, often Americans, such as Lorenzo Brown with Spain or Thomas Walkup with Greece.
Here too, Bogdan Bogdanovic sees above all the positive, but thinks that it is necessary to properly frame the process.
” It’s a good thing for basketball, but there must be regulation. In my opinion, players should play in the league of the country in question, to get along with the culture. Like what [Thomas] Walkup did in Greece, for example “, he adds precisely. ” He is a good example. So we need rules, not just handing out naturalizations. »
