Tens of thousands of fans took it to the streets of the largest Turkish city for a massive parade to greet the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Tuesday afternoon.

Fenerbahce enjoys massive championship parade

Tens of thousands of fans took it to the streets of Turkiye's largest city for a massive parade to greet the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions, [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/), on Tuesday afternoon.

Having captured the club’s second-ever EuroLeague crown, coach Saras Jasikevicius's team rode an open-top bus through a long Bagdat Street, the main avenue in Bostanci neighborhood. The bus moved slowly through the street packed with the fans wearing yellow-and-navy colors and proudly waving the flags of their favorite, and once again championship-winning, team.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/UpaKbhDmlJ">https://t.co/UpaKbhDmlJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/vFKI2DQVez">pic.twitter.com/vFKI2DQVez</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1927443039548522874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Coach Jasikevicius and his players and staff looked on in awe of the amazing scenes, enjoying every second of the parade, showing off the coveted trophy they captured with [an 81-70 win over AS Monaco in Sunday’s EuroLeague Championship Game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-crowned-2025-champion-with-70-81-win-over-monaco/) in Abu Dhabi.

Fenerbahce became the eighth team in the modern EuroLeague to win the trophy twice, having also climbed the throne in 2017.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="lt" dir="ltr">Sarunas Jasikevicius. <a href="https://t.co/w89HnEZGBl">pic.twitter.com/w89HnEZGBl</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1927463694750843207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"We are the EuroLeague champions, we have won the biggest trophy in Europe," Final Four MVP[ Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) said to the masses in Turkish. "But this is not just the victory of a trophy, it is a victory of attitude, of belief, of character. This success did not come only from a coach's tactics or the talent of the players. This level is not reached only through sporting success. This success is the work of a team that believes in us, a community that never gives up, and you, our great fans, who are always by our side."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Parade ready ! 💛💙💛<a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBBasketbol</a> <a href="https://t.co/8gMiYPCog7">pic.twitter.com/8gMiYPCog7</a></p>&mdash; Bonzie Colson (@Bcolson_35) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bcolson_35/status/1927379633353228726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Bizimkiler! 💛💙🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/5hz8t6OFDd">pic.twitter.com/5hz8t6OFDd</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1927468975404769525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Sevdik Seni Her Şeyden Çok! 💛💙<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/bsnS6W2f8D">pic.twitter.com/bsnS6W2f8D</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1927396028241625220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="cy" dir="ltr">BALDWIN IV!<a href="https://twitter.com/The_Fourth_Wade?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@The_Fourth_Wade</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/gvZG5v0WlW">pic.twitter.com/gvZG5v0WlW</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1927407916392296624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Nicolo! 💪<a href="https://twitter.com/NikMelli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NikMelli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/JMFf2ImJ9M">pic.twitter.com/JMFf2ImJ9M</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1927422232181055600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">İstersen donatalım dört bir yanı bayraklarla! 🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/wYV3LndZiK">pic.twitter.com/wYV3LndZiK</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe SK (@Fenerbahce) <a href="https://twitter.com/Fenerbahce/status/1927419761782108524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


The new EuroLeague champion celebrated its trophy with its fans

AS Monaco v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2025-05-25T17:00:00.000Z)

Here are some facts about two-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul!

Facts of the Champions: Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

...Fenerbahce won its second EuroLeague championship! It previously lifted the trophy in 2017.

...Fenerbahce is the eighth team in modern EuroLeague history to lift multiple titles.

...Sarunas Jasikevicius became the fourth person to win the EuroLeague as a player and head coach. Jasikevicius won four EuroLeague championships as a player. Armenak Alachachan, Lolo Sainz and Stevislav Pesic are the only three members of this exclusive club. Saras is the first to do it in the modern EuroLeague.

...Melih Mahmutoglu is the only player to win two EuroLeague titles with Fenerbahce: 2017 and 2025! 

...Sertac Sanli is the only player to win the EuroLeague title with both Turkish powerhouses! He lifted the trophy with Anadolu Efes Istanbul in 2021 and did it again with Fenerbahce on Sunday.

...Scottie Wilbekin and Errick McCollum joined a list of EuroCup MVPs that also won the EuroLeague: Nick Calathes, Tyrese Rice, Alexey Shved and Jerian Grant are also part of his very exclusive club. 

...Wilbekin and McCollum joined a select group of players that won the EuroLeague and EuroCup titles. Only 24 players won both competitions. The list includes names such as Rudy Fernandez, Ricky Rubio, Mathias Lessort, Nick Calathes, Nando De Colo and Milos Teodosic. 

...Nicolo Melli and Marko Guduric both lost a Euroleague final with Fenerbahce in 2018… and were back in a championship game seven years later to win their first EuroLeague crown!

...Khem Birch and DyShawn Pierre join Anthony Bennett in a list of Canadian players that won the EuroLeague title! All of them won with Fenerbahce! 

...Jilson Bango is the first Angolan-born player to win the EuroLeague. Only two Angolan players have taken part in the EuroLeague, both this season: Bango and Real Madrid’s Bruno Fernando.

...Arturs Zagars has just become the first Latvian player to win the EuroLeague this century. As many as 28 Latvian-born players have played the EuroLeague since the competition started in 2000 but none of them lifted the trophy – until Sunday! 


Here are some facts about two-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul!

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul clamped down on AS Monaco to take the club’s second championship with a defense-dominated 70-81 victory in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night.

Defense delivered another title to Fenerbahce

There’s an old saying you might just have heard once or twice over the years: "Offense wins games, but defense wins championships."

And that old truism was demonstrated once again as [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) clamped down on [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/) to take the club’s second championship with [a defense-dominated 70-81 victory](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-crowned-2025-champion-with-70-81-win-over-monaco/) in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night.

After limiting [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-aktor-athens/pan/?season=2024-25)’s explosive offense to 76 points in [Friday’s semifinal](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-downs-panathinaikos-82-76-advances-to-championship-game/), the Turkish team reached an ever higher defensive level in the title decider.

The numbers speak for themselves: Monaco could only make 16 of its 42 two-point attempts (38.1%), recorded more turnovers (14) than assists (13), and mustered a team PIR of just 61.

Fenerbahce’s defense was particularly fierce during the most important moments of the game. Monaco scored just one field goal in the last 4 minutes of the second quarter, as the Turkish team grabbed the momentum to take a lead it would hold for the vast majority of the second half.

Game Videos

And later, when the fourth quarter started with Fener leading by just 3, the Roca Team was held to just one field goal and 4 total points in the first 5:47 of the crucial final period, allowing Saras Jasikevicius’s men to establish a double-digit margin that would ultimately prove decisive.

[Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) – one of six Fener players to snare a steal on the night – believed that crucial run in the opening stages of the fourth quarter resulted from his team’s mental focus. “Monaco is going to play the way Monaco plays, they’re going to rough you up,” he said.

“We just stayed composed, we made good plays, got big rebounds and everybody stepped up defensively. That’s not an easy team to guard, but we did our job.”

Baldwin’s job was perhaps the most difficult of them all as he matched up against Monaco superstar [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/), but he helped restrict the league’s all-time leading scorer to just 6 of 19 field goal attempts and only 2 assists.

Baldwin had words of immense respect for his adversary, saying: “The first name I heard \[when I came to Europe\] was Mike James. He’s considered one of the best American guards to play in EuroLeague. And to play against him in the final, to compete against him, to guard him, and to beat him…you can’t want anything more than that.”

Game News

Another crucial player for Fenerbahce’s defensive efforts was [Nicolo Melli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nicolo-melli/002849/), whose modest numbers (5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal) don’t even come close to telling the story of his disruptive impact on Monaco’s offensive efforts.

And he said that he believes the team’s spirit made the difference: “We definitely won it with defense, but we also won it with character. We were down by \[9\] in the first half.

“These games are all about emotions, thoughts, feeling, momentum. But we were able to stay together and finished the half up, and after that I think we kept the control of the game in the second half.”

It’s a long-awaited first EuroLeague title for Melli, whose first spell with Fenerbahce started just after the team’s 2017 triumph.

And the 34-year-old was emotional as he reflected on the achievement, telling the EuroLeague YouTube channel’s postgame show: “Without being dramatic, I know what I’ve been through sport-wise, and being able to come back to Fener – where I always felt beloved – and being able to win the championship in the first year is just amazing.

“As players, we sacrifice a lot – time with the family, summers. You sacrifice for something, and today this something came.”

A sweet something that Fener and its fans will remember forever.

The Turkish team played with great discipline and physicality to subdue Monaco

Saras Jasikevicius has become the fourth person to lift the EuroLeague as a head coach and player.

Coach Jasikevicius enters EuroLeague history books, leads Fenerbahce to glory

Not many Turkish Airlines EuroLeague legends can boast having won the trophy both as a coach and player. In fact, only three had done it before Sunday’s Championship Game between [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) and [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/). That exclusive group which consisted of Armenak Alachachian, Lolo Sainz and Svetislav Pesic now has a new member in Fenerbahce boss [Saras Jasikevicius](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/saras-jasikevicius/adg/). 

Having won four EuroLeague championships with three teams as a player, Jasikevicius made history after Fenerbahce’s playoff sweep over Paris Basketball by becoming the first coach to reach five consecutive Final Fours.

Participation with Zalgiris Kaunas (2018) was followed by three straight Final Fours with FC Barcelona (2021, 2022, 2023) and two in row with Fenerbahce (2024, 2025). The Turkish side bounced back from last year’s semifinal defeat at the hands of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens by beating the Greens this season to reach the Championship Game. This time, Jasikevicius wouldn’t let the opportunity slip through his hands.

“It feels amazing. I’ve been chasing this trophy for a while now,” he told EuroLeague TV after the game. “I had a lot of heartbreaks. Stuck with it and these guys got the job done.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That winning smile 😃<br><br>🤳Saras Selfie <a href="https://t.co/rhygk7NUWd">pic.twitter.com/rhygk7NUWd</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1926748771334950956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

His task this term has been anything but easy. [Scottie Wilbekin’](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/scottie-wilbekin/006661/)s season-ending injury two minutes into the season was followed by several setbacks that forced him to adapt and react. His team grew through adversity and finished the regular season in style. Fenerbahce hit the ground running in the new calendar year, winning 18 of its 22 games to earn Saras the 2024-25 Aleksander Gomelskiy Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.

“It was difficult at times,” Jasikevicius added. “We found a way to stick together. We went through the bad times and survived in some parts of the season. And I believe that from January on we played good basketball.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">KINGS OF EUROPE 🟡🔵<a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBBasketbol</a> <a href="https://t.co/aAylK2hs4p">pic.twitter.com/aAylK2hs4p</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1926739224851529762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That good basketball paid off as Fenerbahce secured its second-ever EuroLeague trophy. And Saras can now cherish the moment by celebrating his fifth championship.

“I got a big monkey off my shoulders,” he told the post-game press conference. “After being so close for so many years, consistently being here and not being able to get over the hump. 

"I can’t win championships as a player anymore. As Billy \[Spanoulis\] said, I wish I’d have the f\*\*\*ing ball in my hands this weekend, but we are on the sidelines. \[The feeling of winning it as a player and coach\] is the same. It’s the greatest feeling in the world to be a champion.”

He became the fourth person in EuroLeague history to lift the championship both as a player and coach

Coach Jasikevicius enters the EuroLeague history books

Wade Baldwin basks in EuroLeague glory

It took [Wade Baldwin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/wade-baldwin-iv/009863/) five clubs and six EuroLeague seasons just to get to the Final Four. And he did everything he could to make sure he cashed in this season with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

Baldwin made it clear that he joined Fenerbahce with the goal of winning it all. And after he accomplished that goal on Sunday night at the 2025 Final Four at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, he was – however briefly – prepared to bask in the glory.

"We're all legends in the, in the Euroleague Basketball books," Baldwin said in the locker room amid the post-game celebrations. "We're 2025 champions, this Fenerbahce team. It's our second star. All of us gave tremendous effort. It's just a great feeling to be in the history books for this league."

A true student of the game, Baldwin came painstakingly close to Final Fours on several occasions, losing a fifth and deciding game in the playoffs with FC Bayern Munich in 2021 and with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in both 2023 and 2024. Because of those losses, Baldwin appreciates what it means to be a winner. Perhaps even more so this season after he missed time with injuries.  

"It's relentless," Baldwin said of the road to the crown. "You want to play your best basketball towards the end of season to raise titles. I wanna put my best foot forward in any minutes that I play and just play my game. All of us established roles on how we could be effective for this team, and everybody did a hell of a job doing it."

Baldwin said that defeating Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the semifinals and AS Monaco in the Championship Game required "mental toughness, extra effort, and following the game plan."

He summed it up as "just Fenerbahce basketball. And we've been trying to practice all year to perform like this in two of the biggest games of our season."

 Baldwin will celebrate heartily now – maybe even for a few days – as all EuroLeague champions do. But perhaps unlike most, he already has his eyes on the next prize.

"Now we're at the top of the food chain. So, we gotta enjoy this moment. The business of basketball will be the business of basketball, but we're gonna try to do it again next year."

The Fenerbahce guard has won his first continental crown 

In his first season as a coach in the EuroLeague, Vassilis Spanoulis did almost everything, but his AS Monaco team came up short against Fenerbahçe Beko in the Championship Game.

Monaco has laid the foundation for future success under Coach Spanoulis

In his first season as a coach in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Vassilis Spanoulis did almost everything.

After clinching home-court advantage in the EuroLeague Playoffs, he led his team to Final Four qualification by eliminating FC Barcelona in a five-game series. In the semifinal against his former team, Spanoulis put together a master plan to disrupt Olympiacos Piraeus’s ball circulation, forced them to a season-low in assists and eliminated the regular-season leader from the competition.

Having remained unbeaten in the EuroLeague Semifinals as both a player and coach, Spanoulis came close to becoming the first-ever coach to have won the championship in his first season since Zeljko Obradovic did so with Partizan Belgrade in 1992.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Merci aux <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaFans?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaFans</a> ❤️👏<br><br>Vous avez été incroyables tout au long de la saison et à ce Final Four 🙏🇲🇨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DagheMunegu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DagheMunegu</a> <a href="https://t.co/VnjR2TP4ti">pic.twitter.com/VnjR2TP4ti</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1926726840183394535?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

But it wasn’t meant to be despite [AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/as-monaco/mco/)’s efforts in [the Championship Game against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-crowned-2025-champion-with-70-81-win-over-monaco/). Spanoulis’s side looked solid on defense but missed a spark on the other end in their bid to go all the way in their second-ever Final Four participation.

“Monaco could have won. They are a great team,” Fenerbahce head coach Saras Jasikevicius admitted after the game. “Their physicality is incredible, their guys left their hearts out there. Hats off to them.”

Having missed out on the trophy, Monaco is aware that there are a lot of positives to take from this season. As Spanoulis stressed in the post-game press conference, his team exceeded expectations this season, but they are yet to reach their full potential.

“We fought hard,” Spanoulis said. “For Monaco we broke the ceiling and \[overcame\] the expectations they had from us. We were just a bit away from the trophy. But this is life. You have to fight hard all your life to win trophies. Sometimes you win your first time, sometimes after two, five or ten times.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🙏🥺 Thank you, that was beautiful<br><br>Congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBBasketbol</a> for the title, it was a great battle 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DagheMunegu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DagheMunegu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> <a href="https://t.co/FTdVqwGRxf">pic.twitter.com/FTdVqwGRxf</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1926721342155509847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Spanoulis joined the club in November and in just a few months he managed to transmit his ideals to the players, turning Monaco’s offense from iso-heavy into a ball-circulation machine, with star [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) averaging a league fourth-best 5.8 assists per game and the team ending the season with a sixth-best 19.1 dishes.

The Greek coach has laid the foundation to achieve what no one else has managed at Monaco: go all the way to EuroLeague glory. Having led the team to Championship Game participation in his first season coaching in the competition, the future looks bright for Spanoulis’s Monaco.

The Greek coach led his team to its first-ever Championship Game participation

Nigel Hayes-Davis played a full role in his team’s 70-81 title game victory over AS Monaco, earning the Final Four Most Valuable Player award 

MVP Hayes-Davis gets his deserved reward

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul forward [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) has been one of the most inspirational and popular performers in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for several years, and now his dedication and all-round talents have been rewarded with a well-deserved championship.

Fittingly, Hayes-Davis played a full role in his team’s 70-81 title game victory over AS Monaco, earning the Final Four Most Valuable Player award by leading all scorers with 23 points, also adding 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot for a game-high PIR of 30.

Those numbers don't show the hustle plays he also produced throughout the game, throwing himself all over the floor to make saves, break up passes, play hard defense, fight for loose balls and grab tough rebounds.

So there's no doubt that Hayes-Davis fully merits all the accolades heading his way, but his immediate reaction was surprisingly understated.

Usually a charismatic and entertaining interviewee, on this occasion he appeared a little overwhelmed when he faced the EuroLeague TV cameras a few minutes after receiving his MVP award and personal championship trophy.

But he revealed there was a good reason for his relatively low-key reaction, explaining: “I’ve worked very hard in the last three or four years trying to be present, and I’ve played this moment out in my mind for the last month, this past year. So now that I’m here, it kind of feels like I’ve already done it.

“I don’t look as excited as I am, but I’m extremely happy, extremely proud. We worked very hard all year, a lot of ups and downs like every season, but it’s tremendous to be a champion.”

One striking stat from Hayes-Davis’s performance in the title game was his nerveless free throw shooting, making all 14 of his attempts from the foul line.

That was nothing new because he has been an outstanding free throw shooter all season, making 90.1% of his attempts (129 of 142). And he gave an intriguing insight into that aspect of his game, explaining: “I’ve really taken a step in how big mental preparation and manifestation is.

“I saw a video of \[Cristiano\] Ronaldo. He says a little phrase to himself before he takes a free-kick. Once I found out what he said, I just changed it from football terms to basketball terms.

"So if you watch me at the free throw line, I have the same speech routine I give myself. I go up and shoot the free throw, and I’m glad I made all of them today.

“The most important thing to my mother is that I make my free throws. If I miss them she’s pissed, so as long as I keep making them she’ll be happy!”

More on Nigel Hayes-Davis

A few minutes later, Hayes-Davis also joined the live postgame show on the EuroLeague YouTube channel, and for once strayed away from his usual modesty by allowing himself a few words of self-indulgent congratulations.

“You don’t always get what you work for,” he said. “Kids grow up hearing that you work hard and you get what you work for. That doesn’t always happen. But you keep working, you keep working, you keep working, and now I’m the best.

“I’m the MVP, I’m the champion. My hard work paid off, I earned it and I deserve it.”

And nobody will argue with that.

After six EuroLeague seasons, Hayes-Davis is a champion

MVP Nigel Hayes-Davis gets his deserved reward

After leading Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul to its second-ever Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title, Nigel Hayes-Davis has been crowned as the 2025 Final Four MVP.

Final Four MVP: Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

After leading [Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/ulk/) to its second-ever Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title, [Nigel Hayes-Davis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-hayes-davis/008962/) has been crowned as the 2025 Final Four MVP.

Hayes-Davis was absolutely dominant in [Fenerbahce’s 70-81 Championship Game victory over AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/fenerbahce-crowned-2025-champion-with-70-81-win-over-monaco/) at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, posting game highs of 23 points and 9 rebounds, as well as 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block, good for a game-high PIR of 30.

Even though he struggled somewhat from the field, shooting 4 for 13, he was a perfect 14 for 14 from the free-throw line as he continued to find ways to positively impact his team. This performance came after posting 7 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and zero turnovers as Fenerbahce eliminated last year's champion, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, in the semifinals.

Hayes-Davis now follows in the footsteps of [Ekpe Udoh](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/ekpe-udoh/006503/), who was the Final Four MVP when Fenerbahce became the EuroLeague champion for the first time in 2017.

Olympiacos Piraeus walks away from a successful 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign with plenty to be proud of. The Reds defeated archrival Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 97-93 in the Third-Place Game on Sunday in Abu Dhabi to cap a season that saw them finish atop the regular season standings.

Olympiacos ends season on winning note with assist record

[Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/olympiacos-piraeus/roster/oly/?season=2024-25) walks away from a successful 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign with plenty to be proud of. The Reds defeated archrival [Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-bc-athens/roster/pan/?season=2024-25) [97-93 in the Third-Place Game](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/olympiacos-comes-up-trumps-over-panathinaikos-in-third-place-game-97-93/) at Etihad Arena on Sunday in Abu Dhabi to cap a season that saw them finish atop the regular season standings.

While Friday's loss to AS Monaco in the semifinals is sure to sting for some time, Olympiacos bounced back with a fantastic showing to finish the season in third place. Coach Georgios Bartzokas's men led from tip to buzzer with several players shining on the night.

[Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/) shined bright with 32 points on 6-of-11 three-point shooting. After the game, he revealed a little about his approach to the game.

"I feel blessed to have the opportunity to bring joy to a lot of people’s lives out here," Peters said. "They came to see some basketball and every time I put on my shoes, I’m gonna try to give my best effort because I don’t want to stop playing someday and feel like I could have given more. So that’s what it was about for me today."

Peters tied Trajan Langdon for the most points scored in a Final Four game in the last quarter century. Langdon did so in 2011 for CSKA Moscow. Peters's 6-three-pointers also evened the Final Four mark.

"It sounds like I could have made one more and broken both of those records," Peters joked. "I’m gonna be thinking about that all night now!"

[Luca Vildoza](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/luca-vildoza/007947/) dished 9 assists and [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) 8 to lead the attack as the Reds smashed the Final Four record with 34 assists. The previous record of 31 belonged to Maccabi Tel Aviv from its legendary 2004 championship game bashing of Skipper Bologna.

[Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/) bounced back from his lowest-scoring game of the season in the semis to pour in 23 points for the winners and [Moses Wright](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/moses-wright/012878/) netted a season-high 19.

"We gotta set the tone for the Greek League Finals. This isn’t a game we took lightly," said Wright, who missed a chunk of the season due to a medical condition. "It was great to get back out there and show everybody what I can do… To get a win here and get the momentum here for the Greek League is what we were trying to do and we did it.

"To play a lot of minutes and score, rebound and affect the game the way I did felt really good."

These two teams will lock horns again later this week in the opener of the Greek League Finals. Regardless of how that goes for the Reds, they can take pride in how they finished the EuroLeague season.

The Reds’ 34 dimes are the most assists ever recorded in a Final Four game

Olympiacos Piraeus v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2025-05-25T14:00:00.000Z)