By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The potential shift toward a new top-tier league in Europe, widely labeled as NBA Europe, represents a fundamental threat to the continental identity of the sport, according to former French international and TVMonaco consultant Laurent Sciarra.
Expressing a disdain for the Americanization of the European game, Sciarra voiced his hope that such a development never comes to fruition. “I hope NBA Europe doesn’t happen,” he shared in an interview with French outlet Le Progres. “Our basketball is becoming Americanized, and that’s not the basketball I like. Money is necessary, but when there’s too much, it hurts the sport.”
This skepticism extends to the current projections surrounding Tony Parker’s potential transition into a coaching role. The 52-year-old former international player with France expressed concern for current play-caller Pierric Poupet, noting that “I feel bad for Pierric, but that’s business.”
Reflecting on the demands of the sidelines compared to Parker’s other ventures, he added, “Maybe Tony, who’s a hyperactive guy, is bored? I think he’ll soon see that it’s still better to take care of the horses than to train them. Being a trainer is a crazy job.”
Sciarra’s assessment of Parker’s club, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, was particularly scathing, as he suggested the team is currently reaping the consequences of years of structural decline. He pointed to a significant disconnect between the club’s public messaging and its actual internal state.
“There’s no secret to it. When you tell everyone everything’s fine, but you’ve been scaling back for years,” he mentioned, warning that without proper alignment between resources and goals, the club faces a precarious future.
“In the EuroLeague, you have to have the resources to match your ambitions. Otherwise, you’ll go through hell. Because you can drown not only in the EuroLeague, but also in the domestic league,” he explained.
In contrast to his critique of his former team, Sciarra offered a degree of empathy and praise for AS Monaco’s resilience, despite the recent departure of head coach Vassilis Spanoulis.
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