Top on-court celebration photos

The two key figures in Panathinaikos success, Coach Ergin Ataman and point guard Kostas Sloukas, were letting all the emotions out after the victory.

Kostas Antetokounmpo joined the list of players who won both the EuroLeague and NBA titles, and his brother Giannis was there on the court to join him in celebration.

Jerian Grant, Juancho Hernangomez and Marius Grigonis all celebrated becoming the EuroLeague champs for the first time.

Kendrick Nunn, who joined Panathinaikos after Round 6, scored 21 points in the championship game despite the early foul trouble.

Kostas Sloukas, who made the move from Olympiacos to Panathinaikos last summer, celebrated at the end as the Final Four MVP.

Grigonis was one of a handful of Panathinaikos players who was not in his first season with the club.

Ioannis Papapetrou won the crown with the club he has been a fan of his entire life.

Sloukas and Ataman raised the trophy together.

It was the first Panathinaikos title since 2011.

For Sloukas, it was his fourth EuroLeague title with third different club, while it was third title in the last four years for Ataman.

Most of the fans at the Uber Arena stayed for the trophy ceremony, witnessing the confetti falling.

Sloukas previously won two titles with Olympiacos (2012 and 2013), and one with Fenerbahce (2017).

This was seventh EuroLeague crown for Panathinaikos, all coming since 1996, and many of the players had seven fingers up when celebrating.

Player and staff families soon joined the on-floor celebrations, making the moment event special for the players.

Konstantinos Mitoglou raising the trophy towards the fans.

Mathias Lessort joined the club of players who have won both the EuroLeague and the EuroCup.

Jerian Grant was last year's EuroCup MVP, coming up just short to win that competition, but now he is the fourth EuroCup MVP to also win the EuroLeague title.

Giannis Antetokounmpo enjoyed the celebrations as much as his brother who won the trophy.

Coach Ataman got used to holding a EuroLeague trophy, after winning back-to-back titles with Anadolu Efes in 2021 and 2022.

Mathias Lessort enjoyed the moment holding his son in his arms.

Luca Vildoza joined the least of six Argentineans who won the EuroLeague crown.

The minutes after the final buzzer sounded in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game brought a release of euphoria as Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens celebrated its first continental title in 13 years.

The best photos of Panathinaikos celebrating on court

The veteran guard starred in both games in Berlin to help Panathinaikos gain its seventh star

 Jerian Grant was an unsung hero of the championship effort 

It’s hard to say there were any unsung heroes on Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens’s championship-winning squad. After all, the Greens’ faithful sang loudly about all the players.

That said, some names flew a bit under the radar compared to their contributions. One of those names was [Jerian Grant](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/jerian-grant/011204/).

The playmaker was among the most important Panathinaikos players in the 80-95 victory over Real Madrid. Whether you measure his contributions by the faith his coach put in him, the numbers or the confidence he gave his teammates, Grant was critical to the Panathinaikos effort.

How much did Coach Ergin Ataman trust Grant? The only player to feature more in the championship game than the 32:38 minutes Grant spent on the court was his teammate, All-EuroLeague First Team center Mathias Lessort (33:13).

Grant also led all players with a +/- of 18. In the roughly 7 and a half minutes in which Grant was on the bench, Real Madrid outscored Panathinaikos 17-14. When Grant played, the Greens controlled the scoreboard 63-81.

After scoring the Green’s first points of the game with a triple, Grant finished the game with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 17. He tied the 2.06-meter Lessort for the team lead in rebounds and led Panathinaikos in both assists and steals.

Jerian Grant's best plays from the championship game

That came after he scored 13 points and led the team in +/- with 20 in the 73-57 victory over Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the semifinals.

### His teammates valued Grant's contribution

How did his teammates feel about Grant’s game? His backcourt mate Luca Vildoza singled him out.

“We have really good players,” Vildoza said. "Sloukas was controlling the game, Nunn is always there, but I think the main guy was Jerian. Jerian was playing defense everywhere, helping everywhere, scoring when it was necessary, so I’m really happy for him.”

Grant, as a classic team player, shared all the credit when asked after the game how Panathinaikos changed the game after the halftime break: “As a team. We knew we had 20 minutes left in the second half to bring home the seventh star and we did that.

“From day one, Coach told us our goal was to get to the Final Four and to win the championship, and we got it done. \[The Final Four\] was two games to call yourselves champions of EuroLeague, so whatever we had to do, whatever energy we had to get, we were going to do that.”

### Grant was the EuroCup MVP a year ago

It’s been a rapid rise for Grant, who won the EuroLeague in his fourth season playing in Europe. The son of long-time NBA player Harvey Grant, Jerian spent four-plus seasons in the NBA before crossing the pond, where he first played in Greece for Promitheus Patras during the 2020-21 season. He debuted in the EuroLeague the following season with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, which he also helped to win the Italian League and Cup double.

Last season, Grant moved to Turkey and helped Turk Telekom Ankara reach the EuroCup Finals. He was named EuroCup MVP. He now joins a select list of players to have been both EuroCup MVPs and EuroLeague champions.

Only 31 years old, Grant still has many more seasons to continue contributing at the top levels of European basketball.

Game News

Jerian Grant was an unsung hero of the championship effort

Real Madrid v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-05-26T18:00:00.000Z)

By leading Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to its seventh Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown, Ergin Ataman reached several other milestones in his already legendary coaching career. One of them is winning the title in each of his last three Final Four appearances. 

Ergin Ataman achieved a three-peat, of sorts

By [leading Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to its seventh Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/championship-game-live-real-madrid-vs-panathinaikos/), Ergin Ataman reached several other milestones in his already legendary coaching career. One of them is winning the title in each of his last three Final Four appearances. 

Coach Ataman led Anadolu Efes Istanbul to back-to-back EuroLeague championships in [2021 ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/efes-wins-its-first-euroleague-crown/)and [2022](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/eb21-finalfour-final-madrid-efes-report/). After missing the playoffs in 2023, Ataman joined Panathinaikos, returned to the Final Four and ended up lifting the trophy. That's three consecutive Final Fours without a loss. 

He is the third coach to achieve that in the Final Four era. Zeljko Obradovic did that twice, once with three different squads and the other with Ataman's current team, Panathinaikos. Obradovic won EuroLeague titles with Partizan Belgrade in 1992, Joventut Badalona in 1994 and Real Madrid in 1995. In 1993, Obradovic coached Partizan, which was not allowed to compete due to the UN embargo on FR Yugoslavia. Obradovic did it again with Panathinaikos in 2007, 2009 and 2010. The Greens missed the Final Four in 2008 and 2010, so Obradovic won the EuroLeague in three consecutive Final Four appearances. 

Pini Gershon won the 2001 SuproLeague with Maccabi, did not coach for the next two seasons and returned to the team to win back-to-back EuroLeague crowns. Aleksander Gomelsky (ASK Riga 1958, 1959, 1960) and Pedro Ferrandiz (Real 1965, 1967, 1968) also won three consecutive championship games before the Final Four era.

### Ataman's trail of trophies

Throughout his coaching career, Ataman has won four different continental trophies. He won the Saporta Cup with Montepaschi Siena in 2002, the EuroChallenge with Besiktas Istanbul in 2012, the EuroCup with Galatasaray Istanbul in 2015 and the EuroLeague with Anadolu Efes Istanbul in 2021 and 2022 and now with Panathinaikos in 2024. Only Dusan Ivkovic (EuroLeague, EuroCup, Saporta, Korac) and Aito Garcia Reneses (EuroCup, Saporta, Korac, EuroChallenge) have also won four different European trophies.

Ataman has now led five different teams to European trophies. He is the second coach to achieve this. Only Obradovic is ahead of him, as he has won European trophies with six different teams: Partizan, Joventut, Real, Benetton Treviso, Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce Istanbul.

Ataman has also won the Turkish League championship with an unprecedented three different teams: Efes, Besiktas and Galatasaray, and it looks like his golden era with Panathinaikos has just started. The one and only, Ergin Ataman!

The Panathinaikos maestro added to his legacy in Berlin

 

A rip-roaring championship game in which both sides dominated one half ended with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens as the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions for the 2023-24 season. Check out the top photos from the final!

 Top 10 photos of the Championship Game 

Juancho Hernangomez of Panathinaikos detonated a huge first-half dunk.

Sergio Llull of Real Madrid confronted the sticky defense of Panagiotis Kalaitzakis.

Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos challenged Real big man Vincent Poirier at the rim.

Vincent Poirier of Real got the best of the Panathinaikos defense with this early two-handed slam.

Kostas Sloukas, voted the Final Four MVP, was a smooth operator whether passing or scoring.

Real Madrid tower of power Edy Tavares got loose for more than one slam dunk.

Panathinaikos defensive ace Jerian Grant tussled with Edy Tavares for a loose ball.

Real Madrid swingman Dzanan Musa made a save in the corner in front of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Panathinaikos fans.

Panathinaikos big man Mathias Lessort made a monster put-back dunk amid the Greens' momentum change.

All eyes were on Real Madrid's Facundo Campazzo as he raised up for a three-point attempt.

Top 10 photos of the EuroLeague Championship Game

Kostas Sloukas lifted the EuroLeague trophy as Panathinaikos BC captain, which is the fourth time he's become a EuroLeague champion.

Kostas Sloukas's bold decision has been vindicated

It takes a whole lot of courage to move between rival clubs, but that’s precisely what [Kostas Sloukas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-sloukas/001926/) opted to do last summer. Overnight, the 34-year-old went from being adored by the fans of Olympiacos Piraeus to being despised. On the other side of town, the opposite happened. The Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens supporters went from whistling Sloukas to chanting his name in songs. Oh, how quickly things change in sports.

Well, one constant is Sloukas appearing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game. The veteran Greek guard played an important role for Olympiacos as it went all the way to the title decider, only to lose in the final seconds to Real Madrid. Having decided that he wanted a new place he could call home, Sloukas was inspired to join the Greens thanks to the arrival of Ergin Ataman.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WE DID IT! ☘️💚<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://t.co/WfW4ZaCIZx">pic.twitter.com/WfW4ZaCIZx</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1794861458725237162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“He trusts me,” Sloukas said of Ataman in the post-game press conference. “The situation is what brought me over here. He’s the main reason why I’m over here in Panathinaikos. He was the first guy who believed in the dream, and now we have shown everyone what was the dream – the championship.”

“Until the first day that we arrived together, after we met casually at the airport in the summer, we told each other that so far we have always been opponents,” Ataman recalled. “But he has a lot of respect for me, I have incredible respect for him for his character and his play. He will have two more years on his contract, I have only one more year, so I can guarantee you \[that we will be together\] for one year.”

Panathinaikos guard Kostas Sloukas talks on the court after winning the EuroLeague

Kostas Sloukas: ‘We are the best team in Europe’

Sloukas missed what could have been the game-winning shot last year, but has now [earned Final Four MVP honors in this year’s title decider](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/kostas-sloukas-is-the-final-four-mvp/). It was viewed as a bold decision to leave Olympiacos for Panathinaikos, yet it has only taken Sloukas one year to be vindicated.

In particular, when Panathinaikos’s season was on the line – either in the playoffs or at the Final Four – Sloukas has largely been there to show why he was such a coveted signing by the Greens’ hierarchy. His backcourt connection with fellow star [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/) gave Panathinaikos a partnership that could take them all the way, and so it proved.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TWO WORDS: KOSTAS SLOUKAS 💚<br><br>OUR CAPTAIN 🫡<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobcaktor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobcaktor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7thStar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7thStar</a> <a href="https://t.co/64Rvuu5FCS">pic.twitter.com/64Rvuu5FCS</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1794842075936239845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The idea of a fairy tale is often applied to sports, but in Sloukas’s case, he certainly believes that to be true.

“Can you tell me a better story than this: me, from Olympiacos, going to Panathinaikos and showing the European championship to everyone in my first year?”

Now, Sloukas is a four-time EuroLeague champion and has lifted the trophy with three different clubs. His name will forever be remembered in Panathinaikos folklore, too.

Kostas Sloukas celebrates with his Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens teammates after winning the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title.

The Greens' guard lifted his fourth EuroLeague trophy on Sunday night

feast your eyes and ears on what a revolutionary MindFly AI ultralight-powered bodycam embedded in the referee's jersey sees and hears! Game officials Ilija Belosevic and Fernando Rocha wore MindFly's POV Cam during the first championship game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on Sunday at Uber Arena in Berlin.

 See the championship game from inside the court! 

Do you want to know what it feels like to be part of the action of a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship game?

Well, feast your eyes and ears on what a revolutionary MindFly AI ultralight-powered bodycam embedded in the referee's jersey sees and hears!

Game officials Ilija Belosevic and Fernando Rocha wore MindFly's POV Cam during the first championship game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on Sunday at Uber Arena in Berlin. Now, you may not only see the game action from closer than ever through their bodycams, but also hear them speaking with the players, coaches and each other during the game. It's a fascinating look at the professionalism that is at the very heart of the EuroLeague game experience.

Euroleague Basketball and MindFly started their collaboration during the last Final Four held in Kaunas, where all fans had the possibility to re-live some of the best moments of the EuroLeague's final phase as if they were inside the court. This season's debut of the same technology let fans experience *El Clásico* between [Real Madrid and FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/experience-el-clasico-like-never-before/) and since then a true winning streak of derby rivalries: [AS Monaco and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-right-on-court-with-monaco-and-asvel/) in France, [Virtus Segafredo Bologna and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/join-virtus-bologna-olimpia-milano-on-the-floor-euroleague-derby-ditalia/) in Italy, [Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce Beko](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/mindfly-referee-cams-went-inside-the-istanbul-derby/) in Turkey, [Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/go-inside-the-belgrade-derby-with-mindflys-referee-cams/) in Serbia, and [Panathinakos and Olympiacos Piraues](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/the-greek-derby-like-youve-never-seen-it-before/) in Greece. The innovative was complete at the Final Four in Berlin with both semifinals and the championship game.

MINDFLY CAMS ARCHIVE

See the championship game from inside the court! 

Go inside the court on the first night of the Final Four with the POV CAM from MindFly!

Andy West reviews the highs and the lows of the EuroLeague championship game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos BC

Final Four records tumbled in a tale of two halves 

From record highs to record lows on a roller-coaster ride, the first-ever championship game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens was well worth the wait. 

Real exploded out of the gate with the highest-scoring first quarter in a final this century, leading 36-25 after 10 minutes. The previous high had been 31 points by Maccabi Tel Aviv in the opening frame of the 2004 title game. 

Furthermore, the 61 points combined in Sunday's first quarter was a Final Four record in general, eclipsing the 53 scored between Montepaschi Siena and CSKA Moscow in their 2003 third-place game. 

By halftime, when Real led 54-49, more records had fallen. It was the highest-scoring first half of a final this century, also tying for the most points in any Final Four first half over that span. And it was the third-most points in any half at the Final Four. 

After being on the receiving end of that opening blitz, it was obvious that defense would be the focus in the Panathinaikos locker room at halftime, and the Greens duly came out to put the clamps on the previously rampant Real offense to record-breaking effect.

In the process of moving into a 61-64 lead after three quarters, Panathinaikos held Real to just 7 points. That was tied for the fewest points ever in any championship game quarter this century, alongside Olympiacos against CSKA in 2012, and was also Real's lowest-scoring quarter all season long.

And finally, Panathinaikos then put the seal on a thrilling 80-95 victory by scoring 31 points in the last 10 minutes, the fourth-highest fourth-quarter scoring in a final and the most in more than a decade.

Victorious coach Ergin Ataman insisted his players never started to panic despite their troubled opening, saying: “We didn't start well, we gave them 36 points in the first quarter, and maybe everybody was starting to think it would be a boring final.

“But we never thought like this, not in the timeouts nor in the locker room. We always talked about improving our defense, improving our aggressiveness. The game came back to us when we held them to 7 points in the third quarter, and in the last quarter we played perfect basketball.”

Juancho Hernangomez echoed those views, claiming his team still felt confident after allowing those 54 first-half points, stating: “They had been making all their shots, but we knew that wouldn’t continue throughout the whole game and we stayed on the same path defensively.

“At halftime, Coach Ataman just told us that we were doing fine, to apply more pressure and keep competing. We just had to be physical, all five players boxing out. All five players on the court had to stay focused and I think we did a great job. Every player is needed to win, not every player is going to score 30 points. We just had to do our jobs.”

Game Videos

Although the Greens players understandably celebrated their triumph by paying tribute to the team ethic, Luca Vildoza was happy to pinpoint one player in particular as the embodiment of the turnaround. 

“We have really good players,” he began. "Sloukas was controlling the game, Nunn is always there, but I think the main guy was Jerian \[Grant\]. Jerian was playing defense everywhere, helping everywhere, scoring when it was necessary, so I’m really happy for him.” 

Grant himself, however, hailed the collective effort throughout the roster as he reflected on how the game changed after the interval, simply stating: “As a team. We knew we had 20 minutes left in the second half to bring home the seventh star and we did that.  

“From day one, Coach told us our goal was to get to the Final Four and to win the championship, and we got it done. \[The Final Four\] was two games to call yourselves champions of EuroLeague, so whatever we had to do, whatever energy we had to get, we were going to do that.” 

No player experienced more of an individual turnaround than Kendrick Nunn, who was unable to contribute much during the early exchanges after committing three first-quarter fouls but returned with a bang after the break to finish with 21 points. 

"I was too aggressive with my hands,” he admitted. “I've been in that position before and just had to stay composed, believing in my teammates and sticking together.” 

Real coach Chus Mateo, meanwhile, believed his team fell into the trap of getting away from their game plan during their second-half collapse. “We probably thought the easy path was to play only on the perimeter,” he said.  

"But what we want to do first is gain advantage in the paint, to penetrate, get into the low post, set picks that give you an advantage, and in that sense, we lost a certain amount of aggressiveness. But this is basketball and sometimes things don’t go the way you want.” 

Andy West reviews the highs and the lows of the championship game 

### Ergin Ataman, Panathinaikos head coach

"It’s amazing. We have about 15,000 people here. We deserved it. All season we had a great season. Tonight we go down 15 points, but we came back. It’s amazing. I am very happy, I am very proud. I lost my father one month ago. I am sure that his heart … he was with me for all the championships with Anadolu Efes. Now one more time, thank you all Greek supporters. Thank you all Turkish people who give support to me."

### Kostas Sloukas, Panathinaikos player

"Amazing feeling, amazing feeling. I cannot describe my feelings. I am so happy, I am so proud for my team for our whole organization of Panathinaikos. We had an incredible game. Real Madrid has incredible talent. But we stayed there, we were solid. I am so happy, I am so happy for everybody, I am happy for coach, for Mr. Giannakopoulos and for my teammates.

"I always said I have to be aggressive offensively and defensively In the semi-final I wasn’t good because I was out for 10 days and I was trying to find my rhythm. But today I was feeling good. Listen to the crowd. I am so happy."

### Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos player

"This is unbelievable. It is my first year in the Europe, this is the first year about 10 of us played together, new coach. Top to bottom it's been new. So we were stacking days, encouraging each other, giving each other confidence. And this is what happens when you buy in and believe.

"I am in awe. But the past two nights I've been taking my game-day naps, and I've been feeling myself tear up a little bit, feeling this feeling, I promise you. So from my naps, I was expecting this."

### Marius Grigonis, Panathinaikos player

"The key is defense. Both in semis and tonight we played great defense and physicial. We won in an incredible way. Being here, as a champion, is incredible. I am sure we will not sleep and we will drink a lot."

### Juancho Hernangomez, Panathinaikos player

"Great games this weekend. Defensive effort and playing like a team. Berlin is amazing, I will buy a big home here. I will live here for the rest of my life, I love Berlin! Winning here is amazing, two titles, two big titles, European championship and a EuroLeague. I always trust myself and my team. Our defense was better in the second half. They started really well but we knew we had to stick to our defense. Coach said we were doing just fine in the break. That we had to stick to the plan."

### Luca Vildoza, Panathinaikos player

"We changed our minds after the first half. At the break we talked about the defense we wanted to play, which was not the one we showed in the first half. At the end we controlled the game and they missed some shots they normally make. We have really good players. Our main man was Jerian, he played great defense and scored when necessary. I am really proud of the team we have. Being able to help the team in the Final Four is amazing and I am proud to belong to this Panathinaikos team."

Panathinaikos reactions after winning the title

The two have joined forces again, having worked together on a project in Athens and Istanbul over the last three seasons

One Team, BKT come together to open refurbished court in Berlin

The power of One Team grows further each year and even more so when a partner such as BKT is ready to help take things to the next level. On Friday afternoon, One Team and BKT collaborated once again to help refurbish a basketball court at Lisa-Tetzner Schule elementary school, with the aim of helping improve the lives of youngsters who are in need or at risk of exclusion.

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague club ALBA Berlin has been working with Lisa-Tetzner Schule for the last few seasons as it looks to provide support for socially disadvantaged children and young teenagers in a socio-economically challenging environment. With the Final Four coming to Berlin, One Team and BKT came together and decided to provide an improved space for locals to play.

"It's a great pleasure to be here to inaugurate this great basketball court," said Lucia Salmaso, Managing Director of BKT Europe. "When \[One Team\] decided to approach us regarding sponsorship, we could not believe the impact that this sponsorship can have on a community. I believe that BKT has demonstrated with actions these projects have a great meaning for us. This is the third project that we have created along with One Team, and it is proof that we can do better to support the growth of communities. I hope that this court will bring a lot of happiness, joy, growth and opportunity to all the kids, to all the students and to all the residents of this neighborhood."

"I'm incredibly excited and proud that we have been able to open a third refurbished court thanks to our partnership with BKT," added Abigail Martin, Director of Sustainability and Development Projects at Euroleague Basketball. "These are honestly the best days for me. I would like to give a big thank you to ALBA Berlin, to Lisa-Tetzner Schule elementary school, and to specially Lucia and the BKT team for helping to make all of this possible. These projects are one of the highlights of the Final Four, as the social work put in by many different people comes together and ends up with a lot of excited individuals, in this case children. We are so, so thankful for everyone's efforts and we would love to have more of these community-committed projects in the future."

During Friday’s event, the participants took part in some One Team drills and featured in an exhibition tournament that was held by ALBA’s One Team Coaches. Former ALBA center Patrick Femerling, who played for the club over three spells and won a EuroLeague title with FC Barcelona in 2003, was present at the event, as was four-year former EuroLeague guard Heiko Schaffartzik. They both joined in with the activities with the children and were delighted with the work done by One Team.

"It was a lot of fun because the kids had a lot of fun," commented Heiko Schaffartzik. "The only reason why the kids could have fun is because the court exists. Without the court, the kids wouldn't be able to have this experience. Patrick Femerling is here and the EuroLeague is here. Next week they will not be, but the court will still be here, so they can still have fun and play by themselves. They're very enthusiastic kids here, they're really competitive and they really enjoy playing basketball, so this is a fantastic thing for the community."

This is the third straight year in which One Team and BKT have gone hand in hand to refurbish a court and help the community as a result, having improved the Kypseli court in Athens and given children there a new home where they can play basketball and have fun with friends. Also, in the 2021-22 season, the partnership between One Team and BKT saw the refurbishment of two courts at the TEB Atasehir Anatolian High School, the social partner of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul for that season.

In addition to giving back to Berlin by helping to take this basketball court to another level, One Team is also putting on a session featuring Final Four players at Kraftwerk on Saturday and Sunday, which will feature some of the biggest names at the Final Four, along with the participation of the Final Four Ambassadors.