"The Super Cup in Belgrade will allow us to evaluate the quality of basketball in the VTB League"

This year, the VTB United League Super Cup will be held outside of Russia for the first time. In Belgrade on September 24-25, CSKA, Zenit BC, Crvena Zvezda and Dubai will play off the trophy at one of the most spacious basketball arenas in the Old World. Sergey Kushchenko, President of the United League, told Izvestia about the upcoming tournament in the Serbian capital, the new intra-season Cup with the participation of foreign clubs and Yegor Demin's prospects in the NBA.

The United League returns to the international level

— What are your expectations for the United League Super Cup?

— No matter what we say, everyone will evaluate the level of the strongest VTB League clubs last season against the background of very serious Euroleague teams. The season is about to start for all four participants of the Super Bowl, so we will see the optimal lineups. For our clubs, this is an official tournament, which is in the regulations. For Crvena Zvezda and Dubai, these are still exhibition matches, but I am sure that the mood of the players will be very serious. The Belgradians are playing in front of their fans, of whom a lot is expected, and a crucial match against CSKA awaits them in the semifinals. Dubai has greatly updated the team in the offseason, and it's new for Juric Golemac (I know him well, I used to play for Ural-Gray) to work with such experienced players as Bacon or Avramovich. For them, this is also a kind of test of strength before their Euroleague debut.

— The United League brought top European clubs to the Super Cup every year. Now it has been added that the tournament will be held in another country.

— This is a very important point. It's one thing to host foreign teams in Moscow, it's another to play with them in Serbia. This will really allow you to evaluate the quality of basketball in the VTB League. Is he at the level we want him to be? Yes, the numbers for many indicators, including marketing, are seriously growing. The image quality is increasing. But we'll see how our top clubs will look on a neutral court against strong Euroleague teams on the floor next week.

— In addition to the Super Cup, the United League is holding an intra-season cup with the participation of six Russian and two foreign clubs in the new season. Can we call this a breakthrough?

— This allows us to say that the United League is returning to the international level. Our joint tournament with a new betting sponsor, with the participation of clubs from Serbia (Mega) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Icogea), will become official. We also hope that it will be included in the official calendar in the future. In addition to the international status and games of our teams outside of Russia, viewers will see a great TV picture. The bookmaker (who has been working with our strongest teams for a long time) will take over the entertainment of the key matches, including the pre-match shows. I would also like to note that the intra-season Cup games will be held on a special floor, which we will prepare for each game. By the way, all the matches of the Super Bowl and the intra-season cup can be viewed on the platform of our new partner VK video.

"We are not rock legends, but we can gather 35,000 fans for 3x3 basketball"

Vladimir Dyachok, Executive Director, General Secretary of the Russian Olympic Foundation, on the development of Olympic discipline, the Grand Final in Perm and the international agenda

— This week, the United League once again opened the budgets of its clubs. What points would you highlight?

— I was very pleased that the communication of the League's marketing and finance department with the clubs has significantly strengthened over the past season. One of the decent figures for the 2024/25 season is a 45% increase in ticket revenue. Revenue from commercial activities of some clubs also increased by 38%. And from these incomes, accordingly, you can acquire a strong player.

I would like to note that a number of clubs have significantly increased their budgets for advertising and PR. And there is a direct connection. If the clubs are promoting their product, the consumer reacts quickly by buying tickets. The total amount of taxes for all clubs and the League for the 2024/25 season amounted to 2 billion 678 million, 5% higher, meaning we are very good suppliers of taxes to the treasury.

— Samara is missing from the list of clubs (when budgets are disclosed), which had difficulty finishing last season due to financial problems.

— This can easily be explained by the fact that the Samaritans changed their legal entity during the season. Last year, the former management of the club opened its budget (for the 2023/24 season), and they provided us with incorrect figures. If we had known the real financial picture, then perhaps the club would not have found itself in such a difficult situation. I'm saying this because we need to see real documents from the participants in order to provide our assistance. Reputationally, it is very important that teams do not "die" during the season. I would like to add that the League is also monitoring the situation at Runa, which gave very serious guarantees when joining the VTB League (before the start of the 2023/24 season), but has not yet paid off the players. Now basketball players can say that there are teams in our championship that may not pay. This is a very bad image. Therefore, we are trying to influence the club to close the debts owed to the players who played in the VTB League.

I hope Demin is our future star.

— I know that you helped Egor Demin on his way to the NBA.

— I've known Vladimir Demin (Egor's father) and Rada Filipovich (the head of the BDA agency, which has been running the point guard's business for many years) for a long time. If they had any questions, I tried to solve them to the best of my ability. It is clear that Brooklyn is also an important club in my sports biography (for a long time Sergey Kushchenko was a member of the Nets board of directors). By the way, they invited me to Macau to watch the Brooklyn vs. Phoenix games (October 10 and 12), where I will be able to meet Egor. It is very interesting how he has changed since our last meeting. I wish him only good luck. He's a very hardworking guy. Hopefully our future star.

— Do you think Egor will be able to become an important player for the team in his first season in the NBA?

— The Summer League has shown that there are certain gaps in Egor's game. Let's see if he was able to fix them in a few months. I know that he is too hardworking and responsible. It is clear that his body is still growing, and his body is changing. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine how he will look on the court in official matches. I think that the games in China will be significant in many ways. I remember the first serious impressions of all the players that Brooklyn received in the draft, we received them at pre-season games.

— I'll ask you about another iconic player for Russia. Aren't you surprised that not a single VTB League club has signed Alexey Shved?

— It is very strange for me that Alexey is not in demand. I don't think he has any excessive salary requirements. That's not the point. At the same time, I know that he always keeps himself in great shape, so I expect this to be a delayed decision. During the season, Alexey will sign with one of the clubs, and it probably won't be a Russian team.

"We would definitely have played at the Eurobasket"

Coach of the Russian national team Zoran Lukic — about the start of the European Championship, the lack of coaching staff and the idea to declare the youth team in the Super League

— Is the Swede still able to be useful to teams that solve the most serious tasks?

— Yes, last season clearly showed this. Alexey joined Zenit during the season and immediately became one of the leaders. Of course, he is still a top-class player, very professional. I also wish him good luck.

— Last year, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) launched the KHL 3x3 project. Does the United League have any idea of holding a 3x3 basketball championship? After all, this Olympic sport is actively developing in Russia.

— I agree that 3x3 basketball in Russia is at a very high level. The Russian Basketball Federation (RFB) and the United Continental League (ECL) are at the forefront of this sport, setting trends. We are actively partnering with them. Especially with ECL. We held the Super Bowl together at the Perm Theater-Theater, and this event turned out to be very bright and memorable. The ECL currently has an active international agenda. Despite the difficult geopolitical situation, teams from many countries of the world are playing in the tournament (tickets to the FIBA Masters are being awarded). We are monitoring them, but we will make our own separate tournament.… Rather, we are looking at how a similar project is developing in the KHL, and we receive feedback from colleagues. One thing I can say is that this is certainly a promising area.