Tribute to the Champs: Khem Birch

It was a long time coming for the Canadian center, who finally lifted the EuroLeague trophy

Khem Birch knew what it was like to lose a EuroLeague Championship Game and made sure he made the most of his second opportunity, eight years later.

Back in 2017, Birch made it to the EuroLeague Championship Game with Olympiacos Piraeus, losing against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. He only returned to the competition this season, a campaign in which Birch played a key role for Fenerbahce, grabbing rebounds and being an effective scorer despite seeing limited playing time.

Throughout the Final Four, Birch was highly effective, taking care of small details and guarding some of the most dangerous big men in the competition. In the semifinals against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Birch had a two-handed dunk early in the game and grabbed 4 rebounds, two of which came on the offensive end. Birch set the tone on defense as Mathias Lessort, Omer Yurtseven and Wenyen Gabriel combined for just 13 points against Fenerbahce's frontcourt.

Birch was equally effective in the Championship Game against AS Monaco, taking over in the first half with a big block against Matthew Strazel and a tip-in. He finished the game with 6 rebounds, 3 on each end of the court. One of his offensive boards allowed Devon Hall to bury a critical three-pointer that put Fenerbahce on the right track to win the game, 64-56, with six minutes remaining.

Birch and his teammate Dyshawn Pierre became the second and third Canadians to win the EuroLeague, following in the footsteps of Anthony Bennett, who lifted the trophy in 2017 – also with Fenerbahce.