• Three French players are playing from this Friday the Final 4 of the Euroleague, the biggest basketball competition in Europe, in Cologne (Germany).

  • Among them, the leader of FC Barcelona born in Alsace, Léo Westermann, who climbs for the first time at this level.

  • “It's a dream come true.

    It would even be extraordinary to win it now.

    Me, I am a child of the Euroleague, I grew up with it and I fell in love with my sport while watching it, ”he explains, willingly agreeing to compare the competition with the NBA.

They will be three.

Three French people are engaged this weekend in the Final 4 of the Euroleague in Cologne (Germany).

Rodrigue Beaubois and Adrien Moerman will open the ball this Friday (6 p.m.) with Efes Istanbul against CSKA Moscow.

Then it will be the turn of Léo Westermann to try to send FC Barcelona to the final, against Milan.

At 28, the leader of Alsatian origin does not hide his excitement before this great meeting, he who describes himself as a "child of the Euroleague".

And defends the competition, so often in the shadow of the NBA.

What state of mind are you in before starting this Euroleague Final 4?

I am very happy to have come this far.

It had been seven years since the club had gone this far.

This performance should not be minimized.

Now there are four top teams left.

Everything is going to be possible.

What does it mean to play your first Final 4?

In 2018, I should have already played it with CSKA Moscow but I was injured.

There, even if it loses some of its splendor without the fans and the families, it remains an incredible event.

For you who have been competing for almost ten years, is this a peak?

Yes, it's a dream come true.

It would even be extraordinary to win it now.

Me, I am a child of the Euroleague, I grew up with it and I fell in love with my sport while watching it.

Of course, the NBA remains the best championship in the world with the best players and we all hope to rub shoulders with this gratin.

Afterwards, if we are talking purely basketball, I find myself more in Europe.

What main differences do you make between the Euroleague and the NBA, apart from a few changing rules?

The main fact is that every game here is extremely important so everything is played 100%.

This is not necessarily the case in the NBA in the sense that there are a lot of meetings in a very short time.

There, it's more business-to-business during the regular season.

That's why she is, for me, very poor.

But that changes in play-off, where we find the very essence of basketball.

Is it harder than reaching this Final 4 than an NBA Finals?

Both are very complicated!

To go this far in the NBA, you have to win games!

The two competitions are different but the two play-offs are wonderful to watch.

Basketball enthusiasts find themselves in both.

I also watch what is happening on the other side of the Atlantic.

Not too much in the regular season because, I repeat, it's not the same basketball.

Mark your calendars!

🗓️ A live-show just for YOU is coming!

Watch LIVE starting Thursday morning 👀📺Ready for # F4GLORY?

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- Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 26, 2021

What do you say to the young players who are today more largely oriented towards the NBA?

We can see that the Euroleague is a good school.

We can see it with Luka Doncic who dominated in Europe before making it in the NBA.

Many more shine there after being brought up in the Euroleague school.

There is not just one way to be successful.

Back to your personal case!

You are not one of the players called up to the French team for the Olympic Games.

Is it a disappointment or was it expected?

I expected it in the sense that I haven't heard from Les Bleus for a very long time (2017).

Playing the Olympics remains a dream and it is therefore not easy to accept not to go.

But that's how it is, it is also due to the breeding ground of French basketball.

I really hope that they will have a very good result in Tokyo, I will be behind them.

Do you feel less strong than the three leaders selected (Albicy, Heurtel and Ntilikina)?

There are plenty of things to take into account.

Today there is a team, not a sum of individuals.

Vincent Collet builds his squad around two-three headliners and there, maybe some have profiles that match better than mine.

I accept the manager's decision and if I am called up again someday I will be happy to go.

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