Created from scratch only six years ago, the club from the capital is at the top of the Euroleague, after having brought down the leaders of the most prestigious European basketball competition. A surprise which, however, owes nothing to chance.
6 mins
Against all expectations, it was finally another French club which put an end to Paris Basket’s incredible series in the Euroleague. When it enters the Asvel court on Friday December 14, the team from the capital is nevertheless full of confidence, with ten consecutive victories in the premier competition of the basketball European. In his hunt, several prestigious clubs: Panathinaikos, FC Barcelona, Efes Istanbul, Maccabi Tel Aviv… and especially Olympiakos, one of the contenders for the title.
Of all those that Paris Basket has won since its arrival in the Euroleague, this latest success is undoubtedly the most striking. Firstly because it took place outside, in the den of Piraeus, renowned for being one of the most hostile in Europe. But also because he proved that this very young team did not lack character. After largely leading for three quarters, Paris indeed suffered the wrath of Olympe by conceding a 22-0 which gave the advantage back to its opponent. This could have been enough to ring a bell, but it was not: the Parisians responded with three consecutive three-point baskets to regain the lead and claim victory.
This Friday, December 14, Paris is still on cloud nine as it faces Asvel. Especially since five days earlier, he also won Monaco in the championship for a fourteenth success in a row in all competitions. But all series come to an end. That of the Parisians ends there, in the Villeurbanne hall, with a defeat of five points. Despite this setback, the capital club has an attractive record of eleven wins and four defeats in the Euroleague and is at the top of the competition. Unheard of for a French club.
Sleight of hand
Seven years ago, however, Paris Basket did not exist, except in the imagination of two businessmen Americans: David Kahn and Eric Schwartz. At the time, the capital no longer had any professional basketball clubs and did not even have a venue worthy of hosting one. The 5,000 seats in the old Halle Carpentier, used until then, make it difficult to dream big. But the two men know that Paris is planning to build an arena for the 2024 Olympic Games. This could be the scene of their project.
“ They understood that there was an opportunity to seize to build something. Paris is a huge market for basketball. It is a breeding ground for young talents and France is one of the countries that follows the NBA the most. It was truly a unique opportunity for them », observes Sami Sadik, daily basketball journalist The Team.
In spring 2018, the two men bought the sporting rights of the Hyères-Toulon club, then bankrupt and relegated to Pro B. This sleight of hand validated by the Basketball League allowed Paris to begin its epic from the second division, rather than climbing the ladder one by one to the professional level. The Parisians stayed there for three seasons before reaching the Betclic Elite where they navigated for two years between the bottom and the soft underbelly of the ranking.
A collective and two gems
The turning point comes in the summer of 2023 when the Parisian leaders bring coach Tuomas Iisalo from Germany. The Finnish technician who has just won the Champions League with Bonn does not arrive alone: he brings with him his two assistants, the physical trainer and above all six players, including the explosive TJ Shorts. At almost 26 years old, the naturalized Macedonian pocket leader is one of the most coveted at the moment, after having remained under the radar for a long time due to his small size (1.75 m) and despite his qualities of speed and skill. and undeniable creation.
To this hard core, the Parisian leaders add another nugget: the young Frenchman Nadir Hifi, from Nationale 3 and revelation of last season with Le Portel. “ He has a really exciting style of play. He is a very good dribbler, he manages to put extremely complicated shots in acrobatic positions… He is a player who makes the spectators stand up, observes journalist Sami Sadik. Paris therefore immediately wanted to take him, betting on the fact that he could not only be an excellent element for this team, but also the incarnation of the style of play that the club wanted to display to attract the public. » Namely a clever mix of rigorous European basketball and American show.
The owners of the capital club know their subject well: both have worked in the NBA, David Kahn within the management of the Indiana Pacers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Eric Schwartz as a minority shareholder of the Atlanta Hawks. To implement their strategy, they can count on the atypical style of play proposed by coach Tuomas Iisalo, based on speed and substitutions every two or three minutes to maintain a constant intensity, and on a united collective where each player knows his role. The strategy hits the mark. Paris Basket is a finalist in the championship and wins the Eurocup, entry ticket to the Euroleague.
A supercharged game
At the start of the 2024 school year, the new coach, Brazilian Tiago Splitter, takes up the recipe of his predecessor, who left across the Atlantic to join the Memphis Grizzlies. The method pays off once again. Paris is rising to the heights of the French championship and disorienting its European opponents. “ This style of play was unprecedented. In the Euroleague, we are more used to having star players who stay on the pitch for a long time, a slightly more relaxed game. Paris, on the contrary, has a game that moves very quickly. We run, we defend. It’s a supercharged game that surprised the entire Euroleague and for the moment, few teams manage to counter it », notes Sami Sadik.
What is there to dream of in this title which has eluded French clubs since the victory of CSP Limoges in 1993? Probably not this time, believes the journalist from The Team. The road is still long and the accumulation of matches could end up weighing on a team lacking experience. But according to him, Paris Basket has all the ingredients to reach the final stages of the Euroleague and perhaps even to establish itself as a major European club: a stunning playing system, a young and talented collective… And now a modern room that is always full.