The Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament is an international boy's youth age

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

tournament that is contested between the best basketball clubs in Europe in the Under-18 age category. The tournament is organized by Euroleague Basketball, and is sponsored by Adidas. The tournament's Final Four takes place during the senior men's

EuroLeague Final Four The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, f ...

event. The tournaments's Final Four also features a slam dunk contest and 3 point shootout contest.

History

The first Next Generation Tournament Final Four was held in 2003, in Barcelona, Spain. The tournament was originally officially called the Euroleague Basketball International Junior Tournament and was sponsored by

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

. Its sponsorship name was originally the Nike International Junior Tournament (NIJT). Originally, the tournament featured only 8 teams in total. In 2014, the name of the tournament was officially changed to the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament, and Adidas took over as the tournament's main sponsor. Thus, the tournament's new sponsorship name became the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. The four regional tournaments were originally the Torneo Città di Roma, the Torneig de Bàsquet Junior Ciutat de L'Hospitalet, the Kaunas International Junior Tournament, and the Belgrade International Junior Tournament. In 2016, the Torneo Città di Roma was replaced by the Torneo Costa del Sol.

Format

In total, 34 teams compete to play for the Next Generation Tournament title, at the Next Generation Tournament Final Four. 32 teams compete in 4 regional tournaments, in order to qualify to the 8 team Final Four qualification tournament. The regional tournaments are the Torneig de Bàsquet Junior Ciutat de L'Hospitalet, the Kaunas International Junior Tournament, the Belgrade International Junior Tournament, and the Torneo Costa del Sol. The winners of each of the 4 regional tournaments qualify to the Final Four qualification tournament.Euroleague.net NIKE INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR TOURNAMENT.
/ref> In addition to the 4 winners of each of the regional qualification tournaments, the reigning champion from the previous season, as well as three wild card invitees, also take part in the Final Tournament, which is played by eight teams that are divided into two groups of four teams each. The two group winners play on the same court where the senior men's

is held.

Finals

Performances

Performance by club

Performance by country

References

External links

Next Generation Tournament WebpageEuroleague Basketball Official WebsiteEuroLeague Official Website
{{European sport club competitions EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament Youth basketball competitions European youth sports competitions