A Barça that is still learning how to compete, possessed by the purple kit inspired by Kobe Bryant, achieved a golden victory on the Panathinaikos court (74-76). The blue and garnet team recovered from a 14-point deficit in Athens, where Tyrese Martin and Justin Robinson led an implausible comeback. Their performance in a final quarter in which the Catalan team scored 33 points was spectacular. Robinson, who scored the last 13 points, sealed it with a decisive three-pointer with 4.4 seconds left. "It is for things like these that I am here," said the point guard. "Our responsibility was to take a step forward," opined Tyrese Martin, who scored 13 points.

When Brian Fariñas was still a young lad, his father would pick him up early from the Jaume I school in Benicarló to take him to Vila-real, where he was already beginning to stand out as a football player. That commitment has been repeated many times throughout history, where some families have nurtured the early talent of their sons and daughters. Everyone wants to have the next Lamine Yamal. Andre Agassi, who ended up hating tennis, Tiger Woods, who received military-style training when he was not even the height of a golf club, or the Williams sisters, who started training when they were three years old, are extreme examples of determined parents.

Barça deactivated Río Breogán in time (99-91) and added their seventh consecutive victory. The blue and garnet team, who lost Kevin Punter to injury, recovered from an eight-point deficit. The game was tied entering the final five minutes, but the 60 points scored in the second half were decisive. "We did many things well to overcome the injuries," said Sekulic. Darío Brizuela celebrated his birthday with 16 points.

Barça matured a year in a day. The Blaugrana team recovered from a 10-point deficit against Hapoel Tel-Aviv (90-93). Darío Brizuela became the unexpected hero on a day when Aleksander Sekulic was missing two point guards, Mo Gibson and Juan Núñez. The Basque shooting guard, who scored 22 points, had a decisive impact at the key moment. A basket by him with six seconds remaining decided the game, as Vasilije Micic missed the final three-pointer. The match was played in Sofia (Bulgaria).

Mariona Ortiz, one of the great stars of the Liga Femenina Endesa, will leave Casademont Zaragoza at the end of the year to join Project B, a new competition that has altered the global ecosystem of women's basketball. The Catalan player reveals to ARA the reasons for this ambitious change of direction. "I think it is a new project that brings the best players in the world to different cities. Furthermore, it mixes sports, culture, and fashion to access cities that we would not be able to reach in any other way," says the point guard.

After two defeats as visitors, Barça closed a three-game week with an epic victory on Unicaja's court (89-92). Kendrick Perry missed the three-pointer that would have sent the game to overtime. "We are playing much better and have achieved our first away win in the ACB. We have understood that there is no easy game," said Aleksander Sekulic. The blaugrana team, which had the absences of Gibson, Núñez, Balcerowski, and Makoundou, recovered from a 12-point deficit.

Scranton Enterprises closed an agreement last week for the sale of Joventut Badalona to the business group Confluence Valley. The operation, which includes Ricky Rubio in the shareholding, has been received with optimism in the cradle of basketball and has put this new company owned by the Zalgiris Group, created at the beginning of October, on the map.

Barça survived a Bayern Munich side filled with former culé players (84-88). The blue-and-red team, which prevented the German rival from winning its first home game, moved forward with more professionalism than brilliance in a match that was full of lead changes. Kevin Punter (23 points) and Josh Nebo (12 points and 9 rebounds) led the culé triumph on a day when the visitors lost too many balls. Aleksander Sekulic was without Joel Parra and Yoan Makoundou. Furthermore, Umoja Gibson was unable to play the second half due to a knee contusion.

FIATC Girona stood strong at home against Asisa Joventut (101-87). Mac McClung (23 points), the American who chose Girona following his heart's intuition, was decisive. Andrzej Pluta and Jassel Perez complemented the work of the three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion. “McClung is making a very great effort to adapt to a new style,” analyzed Moncho Fernández. “We lost our focus,” opined Dani Miret, who missed Ludde Hakanson and Boogie Ellis.

Change of ownership at Joventut Badalona. The Lithuanian group Confluence Valley has bought the shares of Scranton Enterprises in an operation led by Paulius Motiejunas, who after being an executive at Zalgiris directed the Euroleague as CEO from June 2023 to January 2026. The operation, which was reported by journalist Xavi Ballesteros and is subject to final approval by the High Council for Sports (CSD), will include Ricky Rubio in the shareholding. The player, who returned to the team last year, was eager to increase his involvement in the project.

Barça defeated Armani Olimpia Milan (81-89), an insipid rival that has only won one of the first seven EuroLeague games. With not many fans in the stands and without much competitive tension, the Italian team could not deactivate a blue and garnet side with the need to erase the bad taste of the Badalona match. The 'culers' added their fourth triumph on a night in which the 17 offensive rebounds were key.

When Xevi Pujol designed Barça 2026-27, he was very clear about the style of play he wanted to bet on with Aleksander Sekulic. The proposal had to fill the games with fast actions and increase the number of possessions. The team has shown signs of the advantages of accentuating this style, but it has not yet found consistency in its game. Furthermore, the Barça side suffers from some of the logical consequences of this style, such as conceding more points than usual.

Asisa Joventut repeated their Supercopa Endesa exhibition and sent Barça back to the corner to think (113-89). La Penya, which thrives in scenarios that motivate them, made the 10,248 spectators at the Palau Olímpic go wild. Ricky Rubio, Nico Laprovittola, and Eli Ndiaye led the green-and-black triumph. Furthermore, the young Adrián Torres completed a great performance. "Catalonia is green-and-black," the pavilion ended up singing.

LeBron James will live in New York but will play in Philadelphia. The new star of the Philadelphia 76ers, who will debut his 24th NBA season on Tuesday, will make a daily journey equivalent to going from Barcelona to Lleida. The forward will cover the distance by helicopter to avoid the dreaded traffic jams on the East Coast of the United States. The eccentricity has generated a flood of comments from fans. Some see it as practical, but the majority criticize the ecological footprint that he will generate every day he has to go to practice. Others remember the unfortunate Kobe Bryant, who died in a plane crash.

The best Barça of the season so far recovered from a 14-point deficit against Olympiacos, forced overtime, but could not complete the feat (100-105). The blaugrana team played with the passion of Pep Guardiola, who witnessed the match live, but lacked the necessary determination to overcome the EuroLeague champion. Justin Robinson, who forced extra time with a three-pointer, and Tyrese Martin had a great performance at the Palau Blaugrana.

The double European matchday at the Palau Blaugrana began with a victory for Barça against Maccabi (90-87). The blue and garnet team pulled off a very dangerous game and added their third win in the Euroleague (3-2). Aleksander Sekulic's instinct balanced a Culer side that is still too inconsistent. The coach got it right with a game plan that knew how to give prominence to Umoja Gibson and Justin Robinson at the opportune moment. The first provided energy during the most difficult stretch. The second decided it with a three-pointer with 1.6 seconds remaining.

Before giving the green light to his signing, Joan Laporta wanted to meet Aleksander Sekulic. The Slovenian coach's temperament soon convinced both the president of the blue and garnet club and the rest of the people with decision-making power. The coach has taken little time to win everyone over.

Barça overcame Valencia Basket in the rematch of the Liga Endesa final (89-86). Tosan Evbuomwan (7 points and 8 rebounds) left a very good impression in Nikola Mirotic's return to the Palau Blaugrana. The Montenegrin power forward, who missed the decisive three-pointer, scored 10 points against his former team. "It is an important triumph against one of the teams in the best form in Europe," explained Aleksander Sekulic. The coach gave Stanley Umude a rest.

Barça began their particular marathon of games with a home defeat against a tough-to-beat Zalgiris (81-88). The blaugrana team, which conceded 33 points in the last period, squandered a 10-point lead. All 12 home players had offensive involvement, but Justin Robinson was the most inspired against a much more tactically mature opponent (20 points).

The Euroleague owner clubs met in Cernobbio (Italy) to debate and reach a consensus on strategic decisions regarding the future of their joint ownership. The majority rejected the NBA's offer to jointly organize a new competition in Europe, although reaching an agreement in the future is not ruled out. Furthermore, they agreed to continue the process to expand the number of franchises and the expansion of the tournament from the current 13 members to 24.