Tribute to the Champs: Bonzie Colson

The forward celebrated becoming a champion in just his third EuroLeague season

After narrowly missing out on the Final Four in his first two seasons in the EuroLeague, Bonzie Colson moved north and blasted through that barrier with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul to become a EuroLeague champion. The 29-year-old was one of only two Fenerbahce players (joined by Nigel Hayes-Davis) to play in all of the club's EuroLeague games this season and with his energetic playing style was able to take on whatever strategic roles Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius had up his sleeve.

Colson started in 35 of his 39 appearances – including both games at the Final Four in Abu Dhabi. He had games where he played more than 30 minutes and others where he played less than 10. In whatever minutes he was on the floor, Colson gave everything; he fought for every loose ball, battled hard on the glass at both ends and stretched the floor with his outside shooting.

The biggest contributions Colson made at the Final Four were in Fenerbahce’s strong start to the semifinal against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, which included an early three-pointer and then a steal and an assist that led to a Devon Hall layup. When he came out to rest after 7 minutes, Fenerbahce already led by 4. In his minutes during the game, Fenerbahce outscored Panathinaikos by 6 points, which proved to be the final margin. Even though Colson played a minor role in the championship game two days later, he was a worthy celebrant when the parties started with Fenerbahce as the 2025 champion.