The competition's all-time shots blocked king is a five-time All-EuroLeague selection
Real Madrid locks up star center Walter Tavares for five more years
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Real Madrid locked up the anchor of its frontcourt by signing Walter Tavares to a five-year contract extension.
Tavares (2.20 meters, 32 years old) originally joined Los Blancos in 2017. Over their seven seasons together, he has been one of the most dominant players in the league.
The Cape Verdean center has been named to the All-EuroLeague team in five of the six possible seasons – there were no awards issued after the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season – and won the EuroLeague Best Defender Trophy in three of those.
He also led Real Madrid to five Final Four appearances, the 2018 and 2023 EuroLeague championships and was the Final Four MVP in the latter of those titles.
This season, Tavares averaged 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over 34 games for a PIR of 14.9. He led the league in blocks and ranked sixth in rebounds on the season.
He is the EuroLeague’s all-time leader with 424 blocked shots. Tavares also ranks fifth all-time in rebounds (1,614), sixth in two-point shooting (67.7%) and 18th in PIR (3,690).
Tavares was discovered as a teenager in his native Cape Verde and joined Gran Canaria in 2009. He spent six seasons there and with its affiliated teams and led Granca to the 2015 EuroCup Finals as a EuroCup First Team selection.
'Sergeant Swat' then spent two seasons in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers and with G League sides the Austin Spurs, Cleveland Charge, Bakersfield Jam and Raptors 905.
He was chosen as the G League Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 before returning to Europe and signing with Real Madrid. Tavares has added four Spanish League championships and two Spanish Cups to his trophy case since he arrived in Madrid.