First ELPA member attended one of the NBPA’s renowned programs

First ELPA member attended one of the NBPA’s renowned programs

Axel Toupane is the first ELPA member ever to attend one of the well-known and respected NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) programs – an International Business Academy which took place from 11-13th of June in Milan, Italy.

“It was a great experience. This business program is based on management with participation of high-profile speakers and companies. It teaches you how to manage your own brand and is very helpful because of that,” said Axel Toupane, a former NBA and a current EuroLeague player, who last played for Olympiacos.

This French national team member was one of the 13 professional basketball players who participated at the three-day event in Milan where chairmen of companies and owners of elite brands shared their knowledge and experience to help attendees during and after their professional careers. “We had a chance to visit one of the best business schools in the world and listen to great speakers. It was good to meet new people and see some old friends from the NBA,” added a temporary classmate of NBA players such as Rudy Gay, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Zaza Pachulia, Jose Manuel Calderon and others.

Toupane’s participation in the IBA program in Milan is a result of a great partnership between EuroLeague Players’Association (ELPA) and NBPA that provides ELPA members with the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience by attending NBPA programs. The next NBPA event, a Leadership Development Program, will take place in Las Vegas in the month of July.

“These programs and partnership with NBPA are very important for ELPA members because they help the association grow faster. NBPA has a lot of experience and surely helps ELPA to evolve in the right direction,” concluded Toupane.