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Mavs play a friendly game overseas: How good is Real Madrid?

The Dallas Mavericks are playing against one of the most successful international basketball clubs with a 93-year-old tradition from the capital of Spain.

Svetozar Pavlović
Svetozar Pavlovićceletozasveta
Real Madrid's players celebrate with the trophy with some family members after winning the Euroleague basketball final four final match between Olympiacos Piraeus and Real Madrid in Kaunas, on May 21, 2023. (Photo by Petras Malukas / AFP)
PETRAS MALUKASAFP

Luka Doncic, the former Real Madrid player, faces his old team as part of the Dallas Mavericks preseason. The Slovenian superstar made his name with Los Blancos before moving to the NBA, where he excels. Real Madrid vs. Mavericks will showcase the most successful European team against an NBA franchise with one championship ring on its record.

How good is Real Madrid?

Real Madrid is one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football history, having won an impressive 36 Spanish League championships, including 7-in-a-row and 10-in-a-row sequences. They have also won 28 Spanish Cup titles, 11 EuroLeague Championships, 4 Saporta Cups, and 5 Intercontinental Cups.

However, their last season was not as successful as previous years. The team finished third in the national league (Liga ACB), behind Barcelona and Baskonia, with Chus Mateo as their new head coach. This was also the first season without Pablo Laso, one of the most successful coaches in the club’s history. Despite this, Real Madrid won their 11th EuroLeague trophy by defeating Greece’s Olympiakos in the final held in Kaunas, Lithuania.

At the beginning of the 2023/2024 season, Real Madrid announced that some players would leave the club as their contracts had expired. Ádám Hanga, Petr Cornelie, Nigel Williams-Goss, and Anthony Randolph departed.

On 28 June, Gabriel Deck extended his contract with Madrid until 2028. On 11 July, Rudy Fernández signed a new deal until 2024, and Sergio Rodríguez extended his contract for another year. These two veteran players will be necessary for the team’s experience transition in the future.

Facundo Campazzo, a well-known player to the Mavs fans, was the last signing of the summer. The Argentinian will play again (2014-2020) for Real Madrid on a four-year deal, having previously played for Dallas and Red Star Belgrade.

The potential starting lineup for the upcoming season and game against Dallas includes Facundo Campazzo as the point guard, the Bosnian Džanan Musa as the shooting guard, and the small forward position will be filled by the Croatian player Mario Hezonja. As for the power forward, Real Madrid will rely on another Argentinian player, Gabriel Deck, and the Cape Verdean player, Edy Tavares, who will play as the center.