Basketball Capitals premieres in London

“There are three things in life that I adore. I love sports, I love to travel and I love great stories. These movies are the vehicle that combines all those elements and all those loves,” said Esteban Apraez, Senior Director of ESPN International. “Sport were the gateway for me to understand the culture and the history and the cities in a way I never thought possible. I began to see how these cities were shaped by sports, and I wanted to document it, I wanted to discover more cities and to share all these experiences with the world. I wanted to open the gateway to millions of people, for some to discover, for others to re-discover, four of the greatest cities on planet Earth, through the beautiful, wondrous, spectacular language of basketball.” 

Dr. Temel Kotil, President and CEO of Turkish Airlines, welcomed the VIP guests at the premiere. “Turkish Airlines is committed to the Euroleague and the sport of basketball, and I believe it is coming that Euroleague will be sport number one in Europe. We learn that sportsmen have physical fitness, they have the mind, but they also have a heart. If you combine heart, mind and the physical capabilities, you have the art of sports. We are committed to sports, we love the sports like we love our passengers.” 

President and CEO of Euroleague Basketball Jordi Bertomeu thanked Turkish Airlines for being the Euroleague’s title sponsor and for years supporting the launching of many projects, including the Basketball Capitals documentary series. “This is an innovative project that will help us to promote our sport,” Bertomeu said. “The series of documentaries brings people close to our clubs, to our fans, to the players and to the fans. How they live, their feelings, their devotion, people get to see the gameday experience. Also, the series gets people closer to our cities. So, it is a perfect project that links cities with our clubs.” 

Among the many distinguished guests in attendance at the gala event was Turkey’s ambassador to London, Mr. Ahmet Unal Cevikoz. “Last year, Istanbul was the host city for the Final Four. This year, Turkish Airlines is sponsoring activities here in London. I would like to express my appreciation to the teams competing in the Final Four. It’s a pity there is not a Turkish team among those, but the presence and the sponsorship of Turkish Airlines is quite a big privilege for us.” 

The documentary series is due to premier across ESPN networks in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on Tuesday, May 14. (Published on www.euroleague.net)