The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas

Joe Arlauckas is joined by not one, but two members of 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Champions, Real Madrid. Head Coach Chus Mateo and Point Guard Nigel Williams-Goss give Joe the lowdown on the team's journey to reach the Final Four this season and the remarkable way they clinched the Championship in Kaunas.

Ahead of the Final Four in Kaunas, Joe Arlauckas hosts a special Roundtable edition of The Crossover previewing the week's action. Joe is joined by EuroLeague legend Nikola Vujic, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's Jake Cohen and Deniz Aksoy, basketball reporter for Saran TV. The panel look at how the four teams got to the Final Four, and give their predictions for the semi-finals and Championship game.

Joe Arlauckas is joined by Zalgiris Kaunas guard Ignas Brazdeikis on the latest episode of The Crossover! The 24-year-old explains how constantly moving cities in his childhood, and the unwavering support of his family, helped him achieve so much in his youth basketball career. Brazdeikis admits his experience in the NBA was a real struggle at times, and that he was drawn back to Europe to play in the EuroLeague because he thinks it's the most competitive league in the world. He also describes his pride at regaining his Lithuanian citizenship, how he ended up living in Sabonis’ apartment, plus his high hopes for Kaunas come the end of the season. And how will he get on when he faces The Crossover Test?

Maccabi Tel Aviv guard Lorenzo Brown drops in to The Crossover to catch up with Joe Arlauckas! He takes us through his nomadic, and ultimately frustrating, early career in America, before making the game-changing decision to move to Europe in 2019 - something he wishes he’d done earlier. The American recently nationalised Spanish gives an insight into how he dealt with being told that he’d never play basketball again after a failed physical, and first adapting to life in EuroLeague with Crvena Zvezda. Brown explains why things didn’t work out as anticipated for him at Fenerbahce, and how he’s now looking forward to a settled period playing for Maccabi after signing a new contract. And how many points will he score on The Crossover Test?!

In a first for The Crossover, Joe Arlauckas’ next guest is none other than legendary referee Luigi Lamonica! The Italian takes us behind the scenes on his journey to the highest level of officiating, which began at the age of just 13. Lamonica also recounts what he feels was one of the biggest mistakes of his career, and explains how poor refereeing can have very real consequences for those blowing the whistle. Luigi touches on the mental strength referees need to have to carry out their duties, and the extensive preparation that’s required before matches, including scouting the teams involved. Plus, find out where Lamonica’s favourite places to officiate were, and how will he get on when he faces the fearsome Crossover Test?

Joe Arlauckas is joined by Anadolu Efes forward, and former Final Four MVP, Will Clyburn on the latest episode of The Crossover! The American explains how important his family and friends were to him whilst growing up in Detroit, and why he moved teams so much during a nomadic college and university career. Clyburn admits he didn’t know a lot about European basketball before making the move to Germany in 2013, but recognises now that it was the best move for his career. He also gives a unique insight into what it's like playing under inspirational coaches such as David Blatt, during his time at Darussafaka, Dimitris Itoudis, throughout a hugely successful spell at CSKA Moscow which included a EuroLeague victory and most recently Ergin Ataman. No topic is off limits in this fascinating chat! Plus, how will Clyburn perform in 'The Crossover Test’?

Joe Arlauckas’ next guest on The Crossover is Virtus Bologna’s Head Coach, Sergio Scariolo. The pair delve into Sergio’s early life in Brescia and how he wound up coaching basketball in Italy. Sergio even reveals how Joe nearly became the centre-piece of his Fortitudo Bologna team in 1996. He also explains why he made the decision to coach in Spain, something that proved to be a career-defining move. He recalls his years with Baskonia, Real Madrid, and his 5 year tenure in Malaga, as well as his success with the Spanish national team. In this wide ranging conversation, Sergio talks coaching philosophy, managing big names, and life in general, plus he takes ‘The Crossover Test’.

In this episode of The Crossover, Joe Arlauckas gets to know Partizan Belgrade's Dante Exum. Dante speaks about growing up in a sporting family in Melbourne, dreaming of representing Australia at basketball. He discusses being drafted in the 1st Round by the Utah Jazz and the unfortunate run of injuries that defined his early career. Dante then explains why he joined Barcelona, and shares his memories of playing in 'El Classico' on his debut. Plus he discusses his move to Belgrade and life under Željko Obradović. To end the podcast, Dante faces The Crossover Test, and shows his EuroLeague knowledge.

The Crossover is back for season five, and Joe Arlauckas is joined by none other than the new CEO of EuroLeague basketball Marshall Glickman! He discusses his ambitious plans for the competition, including disruptive ideas on numerous topics like the league format, the way content is produced, the financial side of the competition, the relationship of the League with the players and the expansion to new markets, among many others. He also describes what his life was like growing up in America and the pride he took in being involved with the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that was founded by his father. Get to know the new Euroleague Basketball CEO in the first episode of The Crossover season five!

The final guest on The Crossover in 2021/22 is EuroLeague winner Tibor Pleiss! The German talks us through how supportive his parents were when he was chasing his basketball dream as a youngster and how a move outside of his native country to Baskonia was an important turning point for him. Pleiss explains how his short stint in the NBA was the most frustrating time of his career before Ergin Ataman gave him the opportunity to return to Europe with Galatasaray in 2016. He recounts the disappointment of a EuroLeague near miss in 2019 with Anadolu Efes and the elation of winning the competition in his home town Cologne two years later. Pleiss then describes the crucial and breathtaking moments that led up to Efes winning a second consecutive EuroLeague title in Belgrade just a few weeks ago. Plus, can he snatch victory away from our current leaders in the final Crossover Test of the series?

Joe Arlauckas looks back on a pulsating set of EuroLeague Final Four semi-finals, and previews the Championship game between Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Joining him are David Rivers, Andrea Trinchieri and Aleksandra Radivojevic, as this season’s competition reaches its thrilling conclusion!

Joe Arlauckas sits down with one of EuroLeague's most fascinating characters, AS Monaco's Mike James. In a revealing interview, he explains how his desire to compete led him to basketball, and eventually, Europe. The pair get real about some of the notable twist and turns throughout his career, as Mike gives his side of the story. And finally, Joe challenges his EuroLeague knowledge in 'The Crossover Test.' This is an episode not to be missed!

Joe Arlauckas’ next guest on The Crossover is Olympiacos Head Coach Georgios Bartzokas! He explains how tough it was to overcome the knee injuries he suffered as a player, and how that led to him becoming a coach at young age, even whilst he was still playing. Bartzokas describes how he learnt his trade at clubs like Maroussi and Olympia Larissa, before he experienced one of the happiest moments of his life by joining Olympiacos. He recounts what his year out from basketball entailed during the 2014-15 season, and how warmly he was welcomed by the Lokomotiv Kuban fans when he made his return to coaching. Bartzokas also takes us through what he calls the toughest season of his career at Barcelona, and the joy he’s getting during his second stint at Olympiacos. Plus, how will he perform when he sits The Crossover Test?

Partizan Belgrade’s Kevin Punter joins Joe Arlauckas on the latest episode of The Crossover! He describes what it was like growing up in the Bronx, and when he decided it was best to make a move to Europe to further his basketball career. Punter details what it’s like adapting to different clubs, and how incredible it was to win consecutive Champions League titles with AEK Athens and Virtus Bologna. He takes us through the joy of reaching the EuroLeague Final Four in 2021, and the hurt of ultimately not securing the title, plus his excitement of starting a new project with Partizan. Also, can Punter keep pace with this season’s top performers when he sits The Crossover Test?

Guerschon Yabusele drops by The Crossover to have a chat with Joe Arlauckas! He details his passion for boxing as a youngster and how he still does training drills regularly to help him out on the basketball court. Guerschon explains that whilst it was a big thrill to be selected so high up in the NBA draft in 2016, his time America was tricky at times, and didn’t quite work out how he thought. He describes how joining ASVEL was an exciting chance to play in the EuroLeague, and set the foundations for a move to Real Madrid where he's just earned a three-year contract extension. Plus, how will he perform when he sits The Crossover Test?

Joe Arlauckas chats to Olimpia Milano's Nicolo Melli on the latest episode of The Crossover! He explains how an initial passion for beach volleyball as a child transformed into basketball, and how he grew stronger mentally during an injury ravaged three years at his first club Reggiana from the age of 16. Nicolo looks back on his years in Bamberg and in the NBA and talks about what drew him back to Europe, particularly the opportunity to return to Milano. He outlines his hopes for the future too, including an appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics - somewhere his mother competed in 1984.

UNICS Kazan’s Mario Hezonja joins Joe Arlauckas on the latest episode of The Crossover! He explains how Basketball became his passion during a childhood filled with playing sport in his hometown of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Mario details his life changing move to Barcelona as a teenager and the adjustment it took, before his five-year stint in the NBA. Mario explains why the opportunity to return to Europe with Panathinaikos was an opportunity he could never refuse, then reveals why his green dream came to an end before this season. Finally, Mario sits The Crossover Test

The Crossover with Joe Arlauckas returns for the 2021-22 season with one of the best minds in basketball! Dimitris Itoudis is the longest tenured head coach in CSKA Moscow history, collecting two EuroLeague titles so far in Russia. Joe hears how Dimitris left his humble beginnings in Greece to find his big break in basketball coaching in Zagreb. Then they chart his extraordinary partnership with Željko Obradović at Panathinaikos before his rise to one of the game's most successful head coaches. Finally, Itoudis shows his knowledge in 'The Crossover Test'

Joe Arlauckas' final guest of the season is 2020-21 EuroLeague and Final Four MVP Vasilije Micić. The Anadolu Efes guard reflects on a career defining year for him, and explains how family helped get him to this point. He gives Joe the lowdown on Efes' run to the Championship including their dramatic Semi-Final victory over CSKA. Plus, hear how he plans to celebrate with another MVP this off-season, Nikola Jokic. Lastly, he goes 'One-on-One' with Joe, and takes 'The Crossover Test'.

The experts are back to review the drama of the Final Four semi-finals, and preview the Championship game - FC Barcelona v Anadolu Efes. Javier Gancedo is joined by Piti Hurtado, Andrea Solaini, Sergey Tarakanov and Begum Unal. Hear what they think might go down on Sunday!