BUENOS AIRES (Argentina) - The upcoming Liga Sudamericana de Baloncesto is a genuine cause for celebration for a couple of very important reasons.

It will be played once again following a two-year absence because of the pandemic. The 16-team tournament, which tips off on September 30 and concludes on December 4, will also be the 25th edition.

To commemorate the occasion, the trophy bears the name of its founder, Horacio Muratore, president of the South American Basketball Confederation from 1993 to March 2006.

"It gives me great pride," Muratore said of the naming of the Cup. "It's a great recognition of the National Federations to what was done back then."

Muratore, who served as FIBA President from 2014 to 2019 and is now President of FIBA's Foundation, remembers that three decades ago the South American continent was crying out for a club tournament that had teams from different countries playing against each other.

"In America, we needed an international competition," he said. "We were convinced that in that way, our federations and national leagues could develop. Many had never played at this level and this was going to make each country grow, reducing the sporting distance with Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Uruguay - the four federations with the highest sporting level."

Numerous steps had to be taken, including getting the tournament on television.

"We were aware that TV was key to promote and settle the expenses of the organization of the tournament," Muratore said. "It would help us a lot to achieve, having that visibility, to spread competition.

Muratore looks back at the start of the Liga Sudamericana with a lot of satisfaction. In a quarter of a century, Muratore will never forget certain aspects of the competition.

"For me, there are four (memories) that are in the same line and above all," he said. "The first, the incredible acceptance of the public. Always with all the stadiums packed. Especially in the finals with round-trip matches.

"The second, the good memory of what followed. I went to FIBA ​​Headquarters, spoke with Boris Stankovic and made him understand that we needed to cross the American champion with Europe. The Intercontinental Cup was reborn there.

"From there comes the third memory: Both FIBA ​​and the NBA recognized our champion by giving it a fixed place in the McDonald's Cup, leaving aside the arbitrariness of the past, when it was chosen at random."

"The fourth and last is the great work of our National Federations and leagues, unconditionally and respectfully, supporting the program."

FIBA Americas President Carol Callan said: "Developing club competitions is a strategic objective for FIBA and the Liga Sudamericana has served as a foundation to accelerate the growth of the game in the Americas. We are excited for this season's upcoming tip-off and will continue to develop and further grow this league."

Click here for more information on the 2022 season. 

FIBA