By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Maciej Lampe had a great playing career, starting professionally with Real Madrid back in 2001. He later played in the NBA for the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets, before returning to Europe.
He then donned the jerseys of many EuroLeague clubs, like Maccabi Tel Aviv, Baskonia (Caja Laboral at the time) and Barcelona, making his mark in European basketball.
A couple of years after finishing his playing career, he devoted himself to organizing the Lampe Challenge across the continent — a 2×2 basketball tournament series that started back in 2005 — and this path led him to Serbia, where he will organize a tournament and attend the Belgrade derby.
“As a former player, I rarely get excited about a game. But now I’m extremely excited. I just got word that I’ll have tickets. I’m also bringing a girl from England — she’s half Polish — who handles content. You know, I played in those kinds of atmospheres, but every time I go in front of Serbian fans, it’s something special. I’ve been fighting for tickets for three weeks already…,” Lampe said for Meridian Sport.
Still, he is interested in continuing his path in basketball as a coach.
“There is a small chance, a possibility, that I could join Real Madrid’s coaching staff. Sergio Scariolo was my coach when I was at Real, when I debuted as the youngest player in the club’s history — until Luka Dončić broke my record. I called Sergio at the beginning of the year and told him: ‘It would be nice if I could start my coaching career where I began my playing career.’ He was open to the idea. He told me: ‘Try to find a job as an assistant or a head coach somewhere, do well, and then you’ll increase your chances of coming to Real in the future.’ That’s my plan now,” he continued, adding that Sergio Scariolo had a big influence on him early in his career.
As a European who played in the NBA from 2003 to 2006, Lampe is amazed by what Nikola Jokić is doing today.
“Basics, basics, basics… Great hands, great movement, passing, shooting, court vision… Ahead of his time! What he’s doing is incredible. I was a little mad he didn’t get the MVP last season, but Oklahoma City won because the most important shot in basketball is the free throw. If you control that, you control the game. I love watching him because it’s a formula with very little dribbling. I use that in my program and the kids love it, their parents love it.”
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