If you prefer to always view the website in English, please click here.
José Bogas, CEO of Endesa, Antonio Marín, president of the ACB, and 18 players from the different teams participating in the Presentation gala of the Endesa League 2021-22.
- The is already warming up: 18 players, one per team, played a leading role this Tuesday in the gala presentation of the Liga Endesa that gave a clear message: “We're ready for the off.”
In an hour full of fun and humour, the stars kicked of the ACB season and showed us an unknown side of their characters: We saw Benite and Lima in a duet with a guitar to the rhythm of clapping by the rest of the players, a shooting contest of the most varied styles which Tadas Sederkerskis (Baskonia) spent the game scoring a cake in a basket, Pozas, Delgado and Oliver taking the bait with the presenters in a Quiz... and it all finished with the players throwing balls to Siro López to close the gala.
Raúl Pérez doing imitations, gags about Hanging from the Basket by Siro López and Lolaso also gave a touch of fun to a gala hosted by Fran Fermoso and Sara Giménez on sets located at the headquarters of Endesa and Movistar, and in which Amaya Valdemoro and Sitapha Savané were also present.
Pierre Oriola (Barça), Adam Hanga (Real Madrid), Dejan Todorovic (Lenovo Tenerife), Jasiel Rivero (Valencia Basket), Tadas Sedekerskis (Baskonia), Vitor Benite (Hereda San Pablo Burgos), Guillem Vives (Joventut), Dylan Ennis (Herbalife Gran Canaria), Babatunde Olumuyiwa (MoraBanc Andorra), Rafa Martínez (BAXI Manresa), Darío Brizuela (Unicaja), Augusto Lima (UCAM Murcia), Dino Radoncic (Casademont Zaragoza), Albert Oliver (Monbus Obradoiro), Osas Ehigiator (Urbas Fuenlabrada), Pepe Pozas (Coosur Real Betis), Ángel Delgado (Bilbao Basket) y Sergi Quintela (Río Breogán) were those playing a leading role on the stage, with appearances also by Jasiel Rivero (Valencia Basket) y Dylan Ennis (Gran Canaria) in a number of entertaining videos.
Antonio Martín and José Bogas celebrated the return of the fans
Before that, there were speeches by Antonio Martín, Chairman of the ACB, and José Bogas, Chief Executive Officer of Endesa, both highlighting the importance of the return of fans to the courts.
"I think this is long-awaited and really positive news", Bogas said. "Fans have been following us on broadcasts and the social media, but they are the heart and soul of the competition and contribute so much." He also stressed that "10 years is not just a coincidence. Our collaboration with the ACB goes well beyond mere sponsorship. We have always felt respected and in good company."
Antonio Martín stressed that "the players are the reason why we have spectators. There is so much talent here and seeing the teams that have been formed, it is obvious that this season will be difficult for everyone, very competitive." The chairman of the clubs also highlighted the importance of the union with Endesa: "It's not a trade deal, it's a relationship in which we have so much to do together and we have a lot of common goals."
Applause for two legends
There was also time to applaud two true legends of the Liga Endesa who recently retired from the game. Carlos Cabezas and Felipe Reyes.
While Cabezas pointed out that "I am very proud of the career I have had, but especially of the years I have played this league", Felipe Reyes acknowledged that "during the summer I did not think about basketball. I've enjoyed my family and my kids and I didn't think about what I've been doing for the last 23 years."
And now let's play!
We get down to action straight away: The Endesa Tenerife Supercup starts this Saturday and a week later, on 18 September, the 2021-22 Liga Endesa kicks off. As usual, they all have the support of Endesa as the main sponsor, Movistar as a sponsorship and television partner and Toyota as the official sponsor.