This study aimed to identify the game-related statistics that discriminated between Euroleague basketball players and European basketball players playing in the NBA, when competing in the same event (EuroBasket 2015). There was a total of 78 matches played by 24 teams in two groups of analysis: NBA, participants in the European Championship who played in the NBA season of 2014-2015 (n = 26); Euroleague, participants in the European Championship who played in the Euroleague season of 2014-2015 (n = 82). The players’ performance variables were normalized to the time they spent on the court. To identify which variables best discriminated between the NBA and the Euroleague performance profiles, a descriptive discriminant analysis was conducted. Structure coefficients (SC) from the matrix greater than |0.30| were interpreted as meaningful contributors to discriminating between the groups. The results revealed a significant function (p = 0.008, canonical correlation of 0.51, Λ = 0.74, reclassification = 84.2%) and substantial performance differences in game-related statistics much related to the influence of body size (body height and mass), such as two-point field goals made (SC = 0.42) and missed (SC = 0.40), free-throws made (SC = 0.55), defensive rebounds (SC = 0.62), blocks (SC = 0.48) and suffered fouls (SC = 0.34). No differences were found at the level of game-related statistics indirectly related to perception, such as assists, turnovers or steals. Also, the greater body size in NBA players was likely related to higher variability in performance, thus, being an important topic for coaches and recruiters to analyse.

Increased activity of multiple stakeholders (e.g., agents and owners) have created new challenges for some coaches working in professional sports clubs. The purpose of this project was to draw attention to the normative or accepted practices inherent in sport work, some of the day-to-day realities of some coaches working in this context, and to understand how coaches' perceptions of other stakeholders come to bear on their individual circumstances, career expectations/objectives and professional agency. Data were generated from semistructured interviews with seven professional basketball coaches who worked in top-level European clubs. The analysis reveals the coach's relationships between some owners and agents differed with respect to exercising professional agency, and, coach's decisions and actions were tied to their professional ideals as well as understandings of what they need to undertake their work effectively and negotiation and/or adjustment strategies. Occasionally coach's work practices could be viewed as antithetical to employment security, however, the presence of insecurity was at times embraced and used strategically to affect workers' career decisions. Amid contemporary regional geo-political shifts, this work aids examinations of global sport settings, structures and issues that may contour sporting professionals' lives.

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in physical and physiological responses to different modes of repeated sprint exercise by measuring speed, total time (sum of sprints), fatigue index, heart rate, local oxygen saturation, total haemoglobin content, and blood lactate. The volume of the physical load (distance, work and rest ratio) was the same in both exercises, but load specifics were different. The first mode consisted of 10 x 30 m sprints (with one change of direction) interspersed with 30 s of passive recovery, while the second mode of 20 x 15 m shuttle sprints interspersed with 15 s of passive recovery. Both exercise modalities were repeated three times with a five-minute rest interval between bouts with 7 days of recovery between each testing condition. Twelve highly trained male basketball players volunteered to participate in this study. Our study showed that different modes of repeated sprint exercises elicited a different physical response and metabolic demand. Longer sprints with directional changes placed a higher demand on the anaerobic glycolytic system compared to straight and more frequent sprint exercises. However, players’ fatigue was more noticeable in shorter and more frequent sprints. Heart rate responses and local use of O2 showed a similar activity of aerobic reactions through the different exercises. During the sprints, players’ SmO2 fell to 40% and recovered to the level of about 80% during passive rest intervals without showing differences in both modalities. This suggests that both types of sprint exercises can similarly stimulate aerobic metabolism.

Team sports players are required to perform repeated bouts of short-term high-intensity actions during the games. The present study aimed to examine the effects of a novel repeated sprint ability protocol (20×15 m) and compare it with the impact of a more traditional repeated sprint ability protocol (10×30 m). Twelve male elite Lithuanian basketball players (age 21.0 ± 2.0 y, body height 1.90 ± 0,07 m, body mass 86.2 ± 5.8 kg and training experience 12.0 ± 1.9 y) competing in the Lithuanian National Basketball Championship participated in this study. Participants completed three bouts of each repeated sprint protocol interspersed with 5 minutes of recovery. Results showed that the 20×15 m protocol caused a significant decrease in total sprint time (most likely; mean changes (%) with ± 90% of confidence limits, -9.4%; ± 0.7%) and a large decrease in blood lactate (most likely, -39.2%; ±12.8%) compared to the 10×30 m protocol. Despite small differences, the fatigue index presented a similar trend (possibly decrease, -23.7%; ± 38.8%). The exercise heart rate showed a very similar trend with trivial differences between the two protocols. The 20×15 m protocol presented a lower heart rate during recovery with small magnitude. Overall, the present study showed that the 20×15 m protocol seemed to be more representative of the specific basketball demands. Coaches should be aware that RSA training during the in-season may be an adequate stimulus to improve high-intensity runs and muscle power in high-level players.