BKT AND ONE TEAM TEAM UP TO DONATE A NEW BASKETBALL COURT TO A SCHOOL IN BERLIN

Long-time partners joined forces again: BKT and the EuroLeague's CSR project worked together on similar projects in Athens and Istanbul

The 2024 Final Four was an opportunity for BKT to pursue a project that is close to its heart. The premium partner of the Euroleague has always been attentive to the territory and the communities of the cities of which it is a sponsor and always seeks to leave its mark through redevelopment projects. Friday, May 24th, BKT once again collaborated with One Team to help refurbish a basketball court at Lisa-Tetzner Schule elementary school.

This initiative aimed to enhance the lives of young people who are in need or at risk of exclusion. For BKT, contributing to the growth of these youngsters through healthy social interactions and sports is of utmost importance. The inauguration of the new facility was also attended by the prestigious ALBA Berlin, which has been working with Lisa-Tetzner Schule for several seasons to support socially disadvantaged children and young teenagers in a socio-economically challenging environment. With the Final Four taking place in Berlin, One Team and BKT decided to join forces to provide an improved space for the local community to play.

"It's a great pleasure to be here to inaugurate this great basketball court," said Lucia Salmaso, Managing Director of BKT Europe. "When [One Team] decided to approach us regarding sponsorship, we could not believe the impact that this sponsorship can have on a community. I believe that BKT has demonstrated with actions these projects have a great meaning for us. This is the third project that we have created along with One Team, and it is proof that we can do better to support the growth of communities. I hope that this court will bring a lot of happiness, joy, growth and opportunity to all the kids, to all the students and to all the residents of this neighborhood." "I'm incredibly excited and proud that we have been able to open a third refurbished court thanks to our partnership with BKT," added Abigail Martin, Director of Sustainability and Development Projects at Euroleague Basketball. "These are honestly the best days for me. I would like to give a big thank you to ALBA Berlin, to Lisa-Tetzner Schule elementary school, and to specially Lucia and the BKT team for helping to make all of this possible. These projects are one of the highlights of the Final Four, as the social work put in by many different people comes together and ends up with a lot of excited individuals, in this case children. We are so, so thankful for everyone's efforts and we would love to have more of these community-committed projects in the future."

During Friday’s event, the participants took part in some One Team drills and featured in an exhibition tournament that was held by ALBA’s One Team Coaches. Former ALBA center Patrick Femerling, who played for the club over three spells and won a EuroLeague title with FC Barcelona in 2003, was present at the event, as was four-year former EuroLeague guard Heiko Schaffartzik. They both joined in with the activities with the children and were delighted with the work done by One Team. "It was a lot of fun because the kids had a lot of fun," commented Heiko Schaffartzik. "The only reason why the kids could have fun is because the court exists. Without the court, the kids wouldn't be able to have this experience. Patrick Femerling is here and the EuroLeague is here. Next week they will not be, but the court will still be here, so they can still have fun and play by themselves. They're very enthusiastic kids here, they're really competitive and they really enjoy playing basketball, so this is a fantastic thing for the community."

This is the third straight year in which One Team and BKT have gone hand in hand to refurbish a court and help the community as a result, having improved the Kypseli court in Athens and given children there a new home where they can play basketball and have fun with friends. Also, in the 2021-22 season, the partnership between One Team and BKT saw the refurbishment of two courts at the TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School, the social partner of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul for that season. In addition to giving back to Berlin by helping to take this basketball court to another level, One Team is also putting on a session featuring Final Four players at Kraftwerk on Saturday and Sunday, which will feature some of the biggest names at the Final Four, along with the participation of the Final Four Ambassadors.