Even though he joined the champs after the season started, Elijah Bryant wasted no time in finding his role and helping Anadolu Efes Istanbul successfully defend its title.
Tribute to the Champs: Elijah Bryant
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When veteran Krunoslav Simon went down injured in the early stages of the season, Anadolu Efes Istanbul reacted by bringing in a new signing with the fresh glow of title glory: Elijah Bryant, who had first appeared in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv before returning to his native United States to help Milwaukee Bucks take the NBA title. Bryant arrived at a tough time after Efes had lost its first four games of the season, but he made an immediate impact by scoring 14 points in his debut – including 7 in the final quarter - as his new team came from behind to gain its first win, edging out UNICS Kazan.
The versatile guard continued to impress in the following weeks, reaching double digits in scoring in each of his first four games, before hitting a mid-season slump which saw his productivity dramatically dip – especially between Rounds 20 and 25 when he totaled just 4 points in five games. Bryant continued to get good minutes, though, and towards the end of the regular season, he enjoyed a resurgence in form. He carried that into the playoffs, making 7 of his 14 field goal attempts during the triumphant series against AX Armani Exchange Milan and further helping the team with averages of 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.8 steals per game.
But it was on the biggest stage that Bryant delivered his biggest contribution of the season, scoring 16 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting and adding 6 rebounds to help Efes past Olympiacos Piraeus in the semifinal. And although he didn’t get on the scoreboard in the title decider against Real Madrid, the importance of Bryant within the team was shown by the fact that he spent nearly 29 minutes on the floor, more than playing his part in the win by grabbing a team-high 8 rebounds. In doing so, Bryant joined a select number of just 11 players to become champions of both the NBA and EuroLeague - and only the second to do so in consecutive seasons.