By unanimous vote of its Commercial Assets board of directors, EuroLeague is appointing a new CEO: Jesús “Chus” Bueno, former Vice President of NBA Europe. The decision, says Euroleague, “reflects the Board’s continued focus on strengthening the organization’s governance and ensuring the effective execution of its strategic vision for the future.”
Bueno will be taking charge of strategy, striving to improve the “game and fan experience,” expand into new markets and “position the EuroLeague, the BKT EuroCup and the NextGen EuroLeague as the undisputed premier basketball competitions in Europe.”
Bueno is a former professional player, competing with FC Barcelona for the 1988/89 season and for another eight seasons with five other clubs, among them Atlético de Madrid and Valencia Basket. Off court he worked for the Spanish Basketball Players Association (ABP) and the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) before moving to the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he spent 12 years – as Vice President for EMEA or Managing Director of NBA Spain. More recently he was Managing Director of Iberian operations for Legends, the venue-management and hospitality firm, and head of creation and development for the basketball vertical at Dazn.
Trouble at the top
Bueno is succeeding Paulius Montiejunas, who was made acting CEO in June 2023 (in succession to Marshall Glickman) and received a four-year extension in March 2024. But he appears to have been forced out.
According to Gazzetta, the board has spent the past four months searching for a successor, with the help of some German headhunters, and recently held a two-day meeting in Barcelona to hash things out. SportsPro and others report that the other executive under consideration for the CEO spot was former water-polo pro Michael Ilgner.
Basketball Sphere lists three possible reasons for Montiejunas’s dismissal: criticism from numerous clubs, failed negotiations with the NBA and FIBA, and strained relations with Fenerbahce and Real Madrid. (Real Madrid appears to be the European basketball team most keen to join the NBA’s proposed European league.)
Gazzetta in addition alleged back in 2024 that Montiejunas used his influence as CEO of EuroLeague and then-majority-owner (55%) of UAB Zalgiris Group to swing the purchase by Zalgiris affiliates of the London Lions.
Montiejunas has denied all wrongdoing in a written statement sent to both Eurohoops and BasketNews. We reproduce it below. He has also made his farewells in a LinkedIn post.
Montiejunas’s denial
Following the article published by Gazzetta.gr last Sunday [Nov. 3, 2024], misrepresenting facts and insinuating conflict of interest without any evidence, I am compelled to clarify the numerous inaccuracies and unfounded allegations presented in the article and reproduced by other media outlets.
- Upon accepting the role of Euroleague Basketball CEO, I fully divested my shares in Zalgiris Kaunas and stepped down from all positions within the organization.
- The Zalgiris Kaunas shares I owned were legally transferred to the new President, Paulius Jankunas, in an agreement that complied with all legal and ethical standards. All Euroleague shareholding clubs were informed of this transition, and no concerns were raised.
- I didn’t have any involvement in the ownership transition of the London Lions basketball club, Tesonet’s acquisition of the London Lions was an independent business transaction. Zalgiris Group, in which Tesonet also holds shares, was used to provide a short-term loan solely to simplify the transaction, following industry standards and legal practices.
- Zalgiris Group is not a shareholder of the London Lions; the club is completely owned by Tesonet. All Euroleague shareholding clubs were duly informed of this development during the summer. The assertion that I used my position to facilitate this acquisition is unfounded.
- The article relies on unnamed sources and speculation, presenting them as facts without any verifiable evidence. Such reporting practices are irresponsible and do not meet the standards for accuracy and fairness.
I believe it is crucial for media outlets to uphold the highest standards of journalism by verifying facts before publication. Normally I wouldn’t care about the baseless allegations, however, this time it misleads the public, undermines the integrity of the Euroleague and therefore has to be addressed. I remain committed to transparency and ethical conduct in all my professional endeavors and expect the same level of responsibility from reputable media organizations.
