Granada will be the focus of the basketball universe within a month

If there is a basketball event in Spain that has been the envy of half the world for years, and not only in the sport of the basket – the soccer Super Cup that ended yesterday in Saudi Arabia is still the beginning of an import of the model – that is it, without any doubt, the Copa del Rey. Four days of concentration in a city where eight teams are playing for a prestigious title. A successful format – which is already seriously being copied to the NBA – implemented by the ACB since the 1980s and which this year, for the third time in history after the 1992 and 1995 editions, will be in Granada.

Today there is exactly one month left for the ball to bounce in what will be a refurbished Palacio de los Deportes – the works for its necessary modernization and expansion have already begun – and both the ACB and the city are working hard for the facelift that Granada will suffer for an event that will impact far beyond Zaidín. The Copa del Rey will bring, for the people of Granada and the thousands of fans who will come to the capital, a multitude of parallel events, both in the recreational area established by the organization and in other parts of the city, in addition to the prestigious ‘Endesa Mini Cup’ , with the eight best teams in the country in the children’s category also playing in Granada on those days.

And it is that, despite the complex situation that ómicron has generated, the desire for the Cup is great among the Spanish fans. The last tournament with an audience was in 2020 in Malaga (win for Real Madrid and MVP for Facundo Campazzo). Last year’s, in which Barça took the cat to the water and the best player was his shooting guard Cory Higgins, was played at the Wizink Center in Madrid behind closed doors. Hence, it is not surprising that in recent days the subscriptions for an event with worldwide repercussion have been sold out.

Of course, it should be remembered that soon there could be more tickets available to the latecomers. Initially, the ACB was authorized to put up for sale only 80% of the Palace’s capacity – which will be just over 9,000 people for the Cup – but if the health situation improves, it is hoped that the remaining 20% ​​can also be put up for sale. available to fans. In any case, we must be cautious, because if the tournament is played today, in principle the maximum capacity allowed would not exceed 50%, although classifying it as a ‘special event’ could allow greater laxity on the part of the authorities.

Because that is undoubtedly one of the biggest points of interest in the cup tournament: its social impact. Beyond the powerful commitment that Movistar – holder of the television rights of the Endesa League – makes every year for this event, the displacement of fans is usually massive. In that sense, the bad news for the Granada hotel industry is that Unicaja de Málaga has not qualified. Another ‘key’ team for this is Baskonia –with a ticket that has not yet been certified–, since the Vitorian fans are among the most mobilized.

Granada is already getting pretty –more– to recover the Cup. In turn, the ACB is working to carry out the draw on January 31 at the Palacio de Congresos. It smells like an orange ball and passion in the stands. It will be worth it, for sure.