The NBA isn’t the only major professional basketball league preparing for at least a 30-day hiatus. Euroleague Basketball president Jordi Bertomeu published a letter to fans today announcing that EuroLeague play will be halted until at least April 11, 2020. According to Bertomeu, there’s still optimism that the season will resume eventually, as is the case with the NBA.
With a small handful of exceptions, nearly all the basketball leagues across Europe have now been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. Here are a few more updates on the international front:
- Lithuania’s basketball league – the LKL – has officially ended its season, per Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link). Zalgiris, which was in first place by five games with a 22-2 record, has been declared this year’s champion.
- The VTB United League in Russia announced today that it has suspended its season (Twitter link).
- The National Basketball League in Australia announced in a press release that the remaining games in its Grand Final Series – the league’s equivalent of the NBA Finals – between the Sydney Kings and Perth Wildcats will be closed to the general public.
- FIBA Europe officially suspended several events, including EuroLeague Women, EuroCup Women, and the FIBA Europe Cup.
- In non-coronavirus news, German team Bayern Munich parted ways with former Thunder first-rounder Josh Huestis earlier this week, as Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando relays.