Dejan Bodiroga became the second player in the Final Four era to be selected as Final Four MVP in back-to-back seasons after leading FC Barcelona past Benetton Treviso for the club's first-ever EuroLeague crown.
2003 Final Four MVP: Dejan Bodiroga, FC Barcelona
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He arrived to Barcelona over the summer in hopes that he would help end Barcelona's long wait to climb the continental throne, and Bodiroga did just that. The 30-year-old forward was voted the 2003 Final Four MVP after pacing Barcelona with team highs of 20 points and 8 rebounds in Sunday's 76-65 championship game win before an adoring, sellout home crowd in Barcelona's Palau Sant Jordi.
Bodiroga shot 5-for-7 on two-pointers and 1-for-2 on three-pointers and made 7 of 9 free throws. He also had 2 assists and a steal in Barcelona's historic victory.
This is third EuroLeague title in Bodiroga's career, all having come in the last four years, after he also helped Panathinaikos Athens win EuroLeague crowns in 2000 and 2002. He also joined Toni Kukoc as the only two players to win multiple Final Four MVP honors. Bodiroga earned his first a year ago when leading Panathinaikos to a EuroLeague title in Bologna, Italy.
On this night against Benetton, Bodiroga scored 12 points in the first half when Barcelona built it first double-digit lead, then took over in the final minutes. He first nailed a three-pointer with 3:40 to go, then followed it up making 3 of 4 free throws in a personal 6-0 run that opened a 69-58 margin with 90 second left, sealing the deal for the first-time champs. Bodiroga's championship game performance came two days after collecting 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the semifinal win over CSKA Moscow.
"I am very happy because I won my third consecutive final in the Euroleague," Bodiroga said after the game. "Barcelona was a new challenge for me. We played in our arena and I think that we worked very hard to win, just the way we did the last eight months. It was not so easy. We were a new team with new players and a new coach. I believe that all the team worked very hard."