A new champion is waiting in Kaunas

#### The stage is set for the crowning of a new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion on Sunday in basketball-mad Kaunas, Lithuania. Another sellout crowd will be on hand at Zalgirio Arena and at watch parties near and far to witness whether Olympiacos Piraeus will lift its fourth EuroLeague trophy or Real Madrid its 11th. On the eve of the action, the two head coaches – Georgios Bartzokas of Olympiacos and Chus Mateo of Real – showed the elevated respect these two clubs have for each other on and off the court as they sat together in Kaunas to talk about the [EuroLeague Championship Game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-real-madrid/E2022/330/).

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2023-05-21T17:00:00.000Z)

Moustapha Fall, Tarik Black have plans for Walter Tavares

Rest assured, Olympiacos fans, the Reds have a plan to stop Real Madrid's force in the paint, Walter Tavares, in Sunday's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game. Tarik Black just isn’t ready to share it. 

"I can’t let you know all the secrets, right? I can’t just give you the whole scouting report, especially with a very important game tomorrow," Black told Euroleague Basketball from Zalgirio Arena, one day before the title decider. 

The Reds are 2-0 against Real Madrid this season and have had moderate success against the All-EuroLeague center. Tavares averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 turnovers and 1 block for a PIR of 12.5 in those two games, compared to 11.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for a PIR of 18.1 against the rest of the league. 

"He's probably the best center in the EuroLeague. He has a big impact for his team and he's been dominating the EuroLeague for years now, so obviously he's a very, very good player," Olympiacos center Moustapha Fall added during Saturday's media availability when quizzed about the Real star. "There is no secret to stop a good player. You just need to try to make everything as complicated as possible and live with the results."

Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos: 'Tavares has been dominating the EuroLeague'

Black said he believes that the versatility and cohesiveness of the Reds' centers can be a problem for other teams, including Real. 

"We just all look different, like Mousa \[Fall\] is a 7-footer, I’m not quite 7 feet but I’m a bit stockier, Joel \[Bolomboy\] isn’t as stocky or as tall, but he's more athletic than both of us two," Black stated. "At the end of the day, it’s all the defensive presence, it's the presence in the paint, and our ability, obviously on the offensive end, to keep the fluidity of the offense going, setting great screens, and on defense, being able to switch, being able to protect the rim. Those things are all fluid as we all rotate out and so actually the things that we are alike make it easier for us to substitute in and keep the ball rolling."

Tarik Black, Olympiacos: 'We’re a very cohesive group'

With Fall the likely starter and Black and Bolomboy expected to spell him off the bench, Olympiacos will have enough men to battle Tavares for all 40 minutes. And how much they manage to contain him could be the story of the championship game.

Real Madrid's [Dzanan Musa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dzanan-musa/006540/) is getting ready for his first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game with Los Blancos chasing their 11th continental crown.

For Musa, Sunday night's clash in Kaunas is somewhat symbolic, but also a story of what could have been because when Musa was 15 years old, he was offered a long-term deal with Olympiacos.

"I was already about to sign a contract with Olympiacos", Musa confirmed. "Basically paper was in front of me so I was almost signing for Olympiacos. It was basically already a signed contract."

However, the job was never completed and he went to Cedevita Zagreb in Croatia instead. 

"I was looking forward to playing with Spanoulis," Musa said ahead of the championship game. "I was looking up to him when I was a young player, trying to copy all of his shots, step-back, step-side. It was a dream. But I ended up with Cedevita and it is something I am proud of, too. I am grateful for Cedevita to have brought me into the EuroLeague spotlight. So you can always take good from things."

And then, not even a year later after not signing with the club from Piraeus, he made his EuroLeague debut against them.

"It started with the first professional game against Olympiacos, now in the first \[championship game\] against Olympiacos", Musa smiled. "I see it as a funny story."

Dzanan Musa, Real Madrid: 'I was almost signing for Olympiacos'

Musa was 16 years old when he made his EuroLeague debut with Cedevita on October 15, 2015. He scored 4 points in 5 minutes that night as a starter against Olympiacos, where he immediately guarded his idol Spanoulis.

Now, nearly eight years later, and still at just 23 years of age, he is hoping to make an impact on the most anticipated night of the season.

"We have to go as strong as we can because we know how strong they have been throughout the season," Musa said of Sunday.

"They have one of the best, if not the best, fans in Europe. They have a lot of support for all of that. But we will try to win the championship, which is very important for us. We are one step away. 40 minutes is a long game, but we will try to stay focused all 40 to win the game."

The time Dzanan Musa nearly joined Olympiacos

Real Madrid prodigy [Eli Ndiaye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/eli-ndiaye/009213/) has been one of the biggest surprises in the latter stages of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season. Ndiaye, who is just 18, took part in 14 regular-season games, averaging 0.7 points and 1.0 rebounds in less than 5 minutes on the court. After working hard for an opportunity, Ndiaye has been able to show what he can do at the business end of the campaign.

Real struggled with frontcourt injuries and absences during its playoff series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, with Gabriel Deck, Guerschon Yabusele, Petr Cornelie and Vincent Poirier all unavailable for selection heading into Game 5. Coach Chus Mateo opted to start Ndiaye at the 4, alongside center Walter Tavares, and he delivered, recording 4 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block in 12 minutes on the floor. It was a career-defining game in which Los Blancos rallied late to down Partizan and make it to the Final Four.

"Little by little \[things have improved\]. It has been a very long season and it has been difficult because I didn't see a lot of playing time, but I was always ready to play and ready to help the team at any moment," Ndiaye said from Zalgirio Arena one day before the championship game. "Now, I have the chance to help the team and here I am, trying to give my best."

That start against Partizan was not just a one-off, though. In the semifinal matchup against FC Barcelona, Real's biggest game of the season to that point, Coach Mateo decided to start Ndiaye once again. He did a little bit of everything, getting 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block, as well as playing great defense against Barca superstar Nikola Mirotic. When the final buzzer sounded, Real had beaten the Blaugrana 66-78 to reach its second championship game in a row and its first under Coach Mateo, at least in a head coach capacity.

Eli Ndiaye of Real Madrid played a key role in Game 5 of the playoffs series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, and in the semifinal against FC Barcelona.

Ndiaye steps up late in the EuroLeague season

"I want to speak about the way Eli Ndiaye started the game tonight," Real guard Fabien Causeur stated after the semifinal win. "He was spectacular against Mirotic. I want to point it out because when you play a game like this for the first time, confidence is very important. He played tough against him."

"We have injured players and things that happened, but here I am, ready to help the team in any way that I can," Ndiaye commented.

Ndiaye may be an unknown name for most EuroLeague fans, but he has already shown hints of the great player he could become. Born in Guddiawaye, Senegal, Ndiaye joined Real as a 13-year-old back in 2017. He made his Spanish League and EuroLeague debuts last season – he was not even an adult at that point – and he quickly established himself as one of the biggest stars in ANGT history.

In particular, Ndiaye stood out in the 2020-21 ANGT Finals in Valencia, averaging 20.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.4 steals and a PIR of 31.6 in four games, which helped Real lift the title and saw him earn tournament MVP honors. Last season, Ndiaye helped Los Blancos defend their ANGT crown, averaging 14.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in four games in Belgrade, Serbia.

Right now, Luka Doncic is the only player to have been chosen as the ANGT MVP and also become a EuroLeague champion. NDiaye and Alberto Abalde, the 2013 AGNT MVP, can join this list. Don't be surprised if he gets to start in the 2023 EuroLeague Championship Game and, if he does, the 18-year-old would become the youngest player to do so in the 21st century.

"Oh, wow! I hope I can be in that list," Ndiaye noted. "But right now, at this moment, I am focused on helping the team. I hope this will come, but right now I just want to help the team as much as I can, in anything that I might be needed for."

Eli Ndiaye continues rapid rise at Final Four

Ex-champions Mike Batiste, Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Matjaz Smodis all looked back at the what it meant to win the title and their fondest Final Four memories.

 Ambassadors look back at their Final Four experiences 

Among the people who are most attracted to attending the Final Four are the very players who have been on center stage at the same event in the past. Many have come back from around the world as Final Four Ambassadors to support in One Team and sustainability initiatives in Kaunas this weekend. But they are also ex-champions, and this week Mike Batiste, Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Matjaz Smodis all looked back at the what it meant to win the title and their fondest Final Four memories.

Ambassadors look back at their Final Four experiences

The 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone is full of things to do, and one of the main attractions on Saturday evening was the skills contest, in which a select few players took part in the dunk contest and the three-point contest. 

Skills contest: Joventut's Karim Lopez, Zalgiris's Jokubas Rudaitis come out on top

The 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone is full of things to do, and one of the main attractions on Saturday evening was the skills contest, in which a select few players took part in the dunk contest and the three-point contest.

 

Karim Lopez of U18 Joventut Badalona ended up coming out on top in the dunk contest, beating out Neoklis Avdalas of U18 Panathinaikos Athens. After three dunk attempts between the two, it was the 16-year-old Lopez who wowed the judges enough to take home the prize for the best dunk. The deciding dunk proved to be a 270-degree dunk, which was declared the winner by the two judges: Zalgiris Kaunas legend Paulius Jankunas and current Zalgiris guard Ignas Brazdeikis.

 

There was more competition in the three-point contest, with seven players taking part: Dimitrios Zervos of U18 Panathinaikos, Andrej Kostic of U18 Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, Kasparas Jakucionis of U18 FC Barcelona, Ognjen Srzentic of U18 Mega MIS Belgrade, Bernat Morales of U18 Joventut, Aleksandar Gavalyugov of U18 Next Generation Select Team and Jokubas Rudaitis of U18 Zalgiris. The 2023 three-point contest champion ended up being Rudaitis of Zalgiris, as he scored 9 points in the final round, beating the score of Zervos of Panathinaikos.

Joventut's Karim Lopez, Zalgiris's Jokubas Rudaitis win at ANGT skills contest

### Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Real Madrid

Two of the goliaths of European basketball [will battle for continental glory when the Reds and Los Blancos square off at Zalgirio Arena](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/olympiacos-piraeus-real-madrid/E2022/330/). These teams boast some of the top players in the competition with Olympiacos led by freshly-crowned MVP Sasha Vezenkov and three-time champion Kostas Sloukas. Real counters with All-EuroLeague First Team Members Walter Tavares, who is also the EuroLeague Best Defender, and Dzanan Musa.

Olympiacos swept the regular-season meetings between these teams this season with an 87-89 victory in Round 3 in the Spanish capital as Vezenkov went for 23 points and 12 boards and a 73-60 triumph in Greece in what was Real's lowest-scoring output of the season.

These teams both are blessed with experienced stars and have faced adversity. Olympiacos rallied from 12 points down at halftime with a record-setting third quarter in Friday’s first semifinal against AS Monaco. Real has now won four elimination games in a row after becoming the first team in competition history to erase a 0-2 deficit in the playoffs and trailing by 9 late in the second quarter of the semifinal. They have both had great seasons, but only one will be celebrating on Sunday night.

A date with destiny in Sunday's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game

### AS Monaco vs. FC Barcelona

[The third-place game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/as-monaco-fc-barcelona/E2022/329/) will feature two teams with much different relationships to the Final Four. Monaco is debuting at the event and a victory would be another cherished milestone in a historic season for the club. Barca is at its third consecutive Final Four. Historically, this has been a one-sided matchup; Barcelona is 4-0 in games against Monaco, including an 80-70 victory in Round 25 behind 15 points from Tomas Satoransky.

At a glance: Championship Sunday 

AS Monaco v FC Barcelona (2023-05-21T14:00:00.000Z)

 Did you know? Olympiacos Piraeus 

..[.Olympiacos](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/roster/oly/?season=2022-23) is at its 9th EuroLeague Championship Game? It previously reached this stage in 1994, 1995, 1997, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017. Olympiacos has the chance to win its fourth EuroLeague title.

...**Olympiacos** is one of the five teams that have successfully defended the EuroLeague crown in the Final Four era? Olympiacos won back-to-back EuroLeague titles in 2012 and 2013. Olimpia Milano (1987, 1988), KK Split (1989, 1990, 1991) , Maccabi Tel Aviv (2004, 2005) and Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2022, 2023) are also in this exclusive list.

...two  current Olympiacos players have won back-to-back EuroLeague titles together? [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) and [Kostas Papanikolaou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-papanikolaou/001255/) won the competition in 2012 and 2013.

...**Papanikolaou** and **Sloukas** played at the 2017 EuroLeague Championship Game?  Sloukas helped Fenerbahce win the title against Olympiacos. Sloukas was with Olympiacos in the 2015 EuroLeague Championship Game, too. This is their fourth Championsjip Game together?

... **Papanikolaou** is one of five Rising Star Trophy winners at this year’s Championship Game? He is joined by Rudy Fernandez of Real Madrid. He is in his fourth EuroLeague championship game with Olympiacos after previous appearances in 2012, 2013 and 2017.

... **Sloukas** has the chance to win his fourth Euroleague title? Sloukas won titles with Olympiacos in 2012 and 2013 and lifted the trophy again with Fenerbahce in 2017.

...**Sloukas** is 7-2 in the EuroLeague Semifinals? Sloukas registered six consecutive wins (Olympiacos 2012, 2013, 2015; Fenerbahce 2016, 2017, 2018), but lost against Anadolu Efes with Fenerbahce in 2019 and with Olympiacos in 2022. He just got back in the winning track!

…**Sloukas** is the second player to reach a seventh EuroLeague Championship Game? Matjaz Smodis played seven finals with Virtus, Fortitudo and CSKA. Derrick Sharp played six EuroLeague finals and the 2001 SuproLeague final with Maccabi.

...**Sloukas** can join a list of four-time winners with different teams? Dino Meneghin (five titles with Varese, two with Milan), leads the table. Fausto Bargna (two with Cantu, two with Milan), Kyle Hines (two with Olympiacos, two with CSKA) and Sarunas Jasikevicius (one with Barcelona, two with Maccabi, one with Panathinaikos) belong to this list.

…**Sloukas** is in his ninth Final Four? He is tied with Theo Papaloukas, Kyle Hines, Andrey Vorontsevich and Sergio Llull for second place in the most Final Four appearances list. Victor Khryapa leads with 12 Final Four appearances!

…head coach [Georgios Bartzokas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/oly/bartzokas-georgios/?season=E2022) is in his second Championship Game? He won the EuroLeague title with Olympiacos Piraeus in 2013.

…**Bartzokas** is one of two Greek coaches to win the EuroLeague. He led Olympiacos to the 2013 crown. Dimitris Itoudis (CSKA 2015, 2018) is the other.

…[Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/) and [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/) won the EuroLeague together with CSKA Moscow in 2019, and can do it again with Olympiacos in 2023.

Game Videos

Game News

Did you know? Olympiacos Piraeus

...[Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/roster/mad/?season=2022-23) has the chance to win its 11th EuroLeague title? It leads the all-time standings with 10 titles, but only three of them have come in the last 35 years. Real has won the competition in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1995, 2015 and 2018.

...**Real** is making its 20th EuroLeague Championship Game? Maccabi ranks second with 14 EuroLeague Championship Game appearances, plus the 2001 SuproLeague final. Real played seven EuroLeague finals in the 1960s, four in the 1970s, two in the 1980s, one in the 1990s, four in the 2010s and two in the 2020s.

...**Real** has the chance to lift its 17th continental trophy? In addition to its 10 EuroLeague titles, Madrid has won four Saporta Cups, a Korac Cup and a ULEB Cup – currently 7DAYS EuroCup.

... [Rudy Fernandez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rudy-fernandez/bmt/) belongs to a select group of players to have won both the EuroLeague and the EuroCup titles? Fernandez won the EuroCup with DKV Joventut Badalona in 2008 and two EuroLeague crowns with Real in 2015 and 2018. The list includes two other Spanish players: Felipe Reyes and Ricky Rubio, and also features stars like Nando De Colo, Nick Calathes or Romain Sato.

...**Fernandez,** [Sergio Rodriguez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sergio-rodriguez/cvm/) and [Sergio Llull](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sergio-llull/tgb/) belong to a group of 24 players who have won the EuroLeague, EuroBasket and World Championship titles? Llull, Rodriguez and Fernandez are three of the five players on the list not hailing from the former Soviet Union or former Yugoslavia; Felipe Reyes and Juan Carlos Navarro are the others. The list includes all-time greats such as Arvydas Sabonis, Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc.

...**Fernandez** headlines the short list of players to have won a World Championship, EuroBasket, EuroLeague and EuroCup?  He is joined only by Dejan Tomasevic and Reyes.

... **Llull** and **Fernandez** are in the sixth EuroLeague Championship Game with Real? They have been to the Championship Game in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2022.

.. **Rodriguez** is in his fifth EuroLeaguie Championship game? It made it with Real in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and with CSKA Moscow in 2018.

...**Fernandez, Rodriguez** and **Llull** already  won the EuroLeague title with Madrid in 2015 and are still with the team? Rodriguez came back and is in his second stint with the club.

...[Adam Hanga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/adam-hanga/005099/) can become the first Hungarian player to win the EuroLeague title? Kornel David came closest when he reached the championship game with Tau Ceramica in 2005.

…**Hanga** is the first player to make it to the Final Four with three different Spanish teams? Hanga played the 2016 Final Four with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and also made it with FC Barcelona in 2021. He looks for his first EuroLeague title.

...**Llull** ranks third on the Final Four's career scoring list? Llull has 191 points and could climb at least one spot in Kaunas. Nikos Galis leads the list with 231 points followed by J.R. Holden (194),.

...**Llull** ranks first in assists in Final Four history? He dished 62 assists! Rodriguez ranks third with 56 assists.

**…Rodriguez** is the only Spanish-born player to win the EuroLeague with a non-Spanish team (CSKA, 2019)? He is also the only Spanish player to win the EuroLeague with different teams.

...**Fernandez, Rodriguez** and **Llull** can win their third EuroLeague title? The last Spanish players to win three EuroLeague titles were Rafael Rullan, Juan Antonio Corbalan and Luis Maria Prada with Real in 1974, 1978 and 1980.

…[Alberto Abalde ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alberto-abalde/003733/)and [Eli Ndiaye ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/eli-ndiaye/009213/)can join an exclusive list of Adidas Next Generation Tournament MVPs who also won the EuroLeague title? Abalde was the ANGT MVP in 2013 with Joventut Badalona. Ndiaye was chosen as the 2022 ANGT MVP with Real. Luka Doncic is the only player to get both – he was the ANGT MVP in 2015 and won the EuroLeague in 2018 with Real.

…[Gabriel Deck](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/gabriel-deck/009005/) can join a list of Argentineans that won the EuroLeague title? The list features Hugo Sconochini (Virtus 1998, 2001), Facu Campazzo (Real 2015, 2018), Manu Ginobili (Virtus 2001), Pepe Sanchez (Panathinaikos 2002) and Andres Nocioni (Real 2015). Nicolas Laprovittola of FC Barcelona can also join this list in 2023. Deck is currently injured but would be considered as EuroLeague champion.

A new champion is waiting in Kaunas

Moustapha Fall, Tarik Black have plans for Walter Tavares

The time Dzanan Musa nearly joined Olympiacos

Eli Ndiaye continues rapid rise at Final Four

Ambassadors look back at their Final Four experiences

Joventut's Karim Lopez, Zalgiris's Jokubas Rudaitis win at ANGT skills contest

At a glance: Championship Sunday

Did you know? Olympiacos Piraeus

Did you know? Real Madrid