EuroLeague Legends ready to support One Team in Istanbul

A prestigious selection of legendary basketball players are looking forward to continuing their support of One Team, Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility program, during the Final Four in Istanbul.

Euroleague Basketball Ambassadors Joe Arlauckas, Patrick Femerling and Nikola Vujcic are among a group of former stars who have played a very active role in the rapid growth of One Team during the last few years.

One Team was founded in 2012 and has already reached more than 12,000 participants through its various team projects, with the aim of using basketball to achieve meaningful social impact in communities all over the continent.

A large factor behind the success of the program, in addition to the collaboration of clubs and players from both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup, has been the active involvement of great former players, who have been enthusiastic and committed in their work to support One Team.

Arlauckas, who became a continental champion with Real Madrid and can now be heard as a EuroLeague television commentator, is proud to be involved, saying: "One Team is a fantastic project which does a lot of good work to promote social inclusion in our communities.

"For me as a former player, it's a privilege and an honour to be in position to give back to society, and that starts with kids. One of the things I like doing most is being able to put a smile on a kid's face."

A recently launched project is Stay In The Game, a joint collaboration between Euroleague Basketball and Doğuş Group that started in March 2016.

Stay In The Game by Doğuş Group has fully refurbished six courts in different cities to deliver a better environment for children, allowing them to use basketball to positively affect their lives.

Femerling, who became a EuroLeague champion with Barcelona in 2003, said: "Stay In The Game and One Team are making a big difference in local communities all over Europe by giving kids access to high quality facilities where they can play basketball.

"One Team and Doğuş Group have done a great job to refurbish these courts and I know they're giving a lot of joy to a lot of people."

The fun will continue later this month at the Final Four, with a wide range of One Team activities scheduled as the biggest celebration of European basketball touches down in Istanbul.

Two-time champion Vujcic, who spent part of his career with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, is looking forward to returning to the city, saying: "I know there's a lot of passion for basketball in Istanbul and it will be great to be part of that at the Final Four.

"The One Team events we've got planned should be a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to being involved."

Other EuroLeague Legends who are set part to appear at One Team events in Istanbul are Ibrahim Kutluay, Matjaz Smodis, Theodoros Papaloukas, Mirsad Turkcan, Michalis Kakiouzis and Ermal Kuqo.