London Lions successfully defended its British Basketball League Playoff title by edging Cheshire Phoenix 88-85 at The O2. Sam Dekker buried the go-ahead three-pointer in crunch time. 


London Lions is the British League playoff champion! 

Dekker paced the winners with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, earning MVP honors. Matt Morgan added 16 points while Gabe Olaseni and Tarik Phillip each added 12 for London, which had 23 assists, 7 steals and 7 blocks in this game. London used a 13-0 run that Dekker capped with a driving layup to get its first double-digit lead, 24-12, late in the first quarter, and still led 52-41 at halftime. Cheshire returned to the game in the third quarter and Laquincy Rideau's late heroics allowed their team to tie the game, 85-85, already in the final minute. Morgan found Dekker for a corner three-pointer and after a timeout, Maceo Jack and Aaryn Rai each missed from downtown at the other end. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BACK 2 BACKKKKK!!! 🔥🔥🦁🦁<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreLondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreLondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrownDefended?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrownDefended</a> <a href="https://t.co/zOqpJTPlIa">pic.twitter.com/zOqpJTPlIa</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1792246695943659997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

London won the British League title with a 33-3 regular season record, adding the playoff crown to round a near-perfect domestic season. It lost 82-98 against Cheshire in the British Trophy final in late January. Added to its domestic success, London made it to the BKT EuroCup semifinals, becoming the first British team to reach this far in European competitions. 

Coach Iisalo guided Paris to the top of the podium in their first season together

Tribute to the Champs: Tuomas Iisalo

Tuomas Iisalo continued his rapid rise into the conversation of the best coaches on the continent by leading Paris Basketball to the BKT EuroCup championship in their first season together. Under Iisalo’s tutelage, Paris reeled off a 22-1 record, including sweeps in both the EuroCup Semifinals and Finals. All of that led to him being named EuroCup Coach of the Year.  

The 41-year-old from Finland did not simply sit back and watch his team steamroll through the competition, but as his players attested to time and again in interviews during and after the season, Iisalo put his players through the ringer in practices, which were more intense than games. And those trying practices ensured that Paris was ready for whatever they came up against on the court.

Iisalo’s brilliance was not just the strategy, but the way he got all his player to buy in. He was open to taking input from his charges as well and thus built a close and united squad that only got stronger as the season progressed. 

The EuroCup was Iisalo’s second continental trophy in as many years after guiding Telekom Baskets Bonn to the FIBA Basketball Champions League crown in 2023. A shooting guard on the Finnish national team during his playing days, Iisalo began coaching in his home country with Tapiolan Honka in 2014 before heading to Germany the following season. He spent five seasons with Crailsheim Merlins, which he guided from the second division to fifth place in the top league. Then came two successful seasons with Bonn before he came to Paris – along with six of his players – to continue making history. 

The EuroCup MVP was the hero of Paris’s championship season

Tribute to the Champs: TJ Shorts

[TJ Shorts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tj-shorts/012608/) authored one of the greatest seasons in EuroCup history to lead Paris Basketball to a historic championship. The 1.75-meter guard shined from opening night through the finals as the unquestioned superstar for the champs. He led the EuroCup this season in PIR (23.4) and assists (7.3 apg.), was second in scoring (18.0 ppg.) and fifth in steals (1.9 spg.). Shorts also set EuroCup records for most accumulated assists in one season with 167.

He was the MVP in Rounds 1, 10 and 12 plus the quarterfinals, was then named EuroCup MVP and capped a majestic campaign as EuroCup Finals MVP: Shorts was the leader of the Paris pack, yet he always showed appreciation for those around him. After winning the championship, Shorts told Javier Gancedo in an interview: “I am just grateful for everybody that has contributed to this championship, from the coaches, the players, the people behind doors, in the offices. Everybody that contributed is great."

Paris Basketball playmaker TJ Shorts rounded a perfect season by earning 2024 EuroCup Finals honors, leading his team to its first-ever continental title.

TJ SHORTS | Finals MVP | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

None were greater on the court, though, than Shorts, the hero of Paris’s 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season. After a fantastic regular season, Shorts was even more dominant in the playoffs. He paced Paris in the quarterfinals against Joventut Badalona with 21 points and 9 assists for a PIR of 28. Then in the semifinals against the London Lions, he averaged 22.0 points on 73.7% two-point shooting, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 steals for an average PIR of 28.5 in a two-game sweep. The finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse saw Shorts again shine as he completed his season with 22 points, 6 boards and 5 assists for a PIR of 28 in Game 2 to finish the series.

The EuroCup rookie was a key cog in Paris’s success, especially in the postseason

Tribute to the Champs: Mikael Jantunen

A transfer that perhaps went under the radar at Paris Basketball bringing in power forward [Mikael Jantunen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/mikael-jantunen/012613/) from Italian side Treviso, with the Finnish power forward able to join up with his fellow compatriot, head coach Tuomas Iisalo.

Together, the two Finns took the BKT EuroCup by storm en route to a magical season that saw Paris dominate the competition and end the campaign as the champion. The 24-year-old Jantunen made an instant impression from day one, averaging 11.8 points through his first five games and netting at least 12 points in four of those five contests. In fact, his 15-point game against Prometey Slobozhanske in Round 5 was his best scoring night in the regular season.

Mikael Jantunen Top Plays from 10/01/2023 to 05/10/2024

It wasn’t just with scoring that Jantunen was making an impact. His rebounding and tenacity on the defensive end – he averaged 4.4 boards and 2.0 steals per game between Rounds 1 and 5 – made him a valuable piece for Coach Iisalo off the bat. While Jantunen’s numbers dropped over the next 10 games, he started to pick things up again before the playoffs, averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in the final three fixtures of the regular season.

Once in the playoffs, Jantunen certainly played his part. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals per night in the postseason, demonstrating his all-around game, and ended the campaign in style by scoring 15 points – his joint career high – as Paris won Game 2 of the EuroCup Finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse to become the 2023-24 champion.

When the buzzer sounded on the final game of the BKT EuroCup season, Sebastian Herrera became the first Chilean player to win the competition. The road from growing up in Chile to celebrating winning the EuroCup was as long as it sounds. Herrera's strong performance with his national team at the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Under-18 World Tournament led to a professional contract in Germany with TBB Trier. From there he continued to Crailsheim Merlins, EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Telekom Baskets Bonn. He played for Coach Tuomas Iisalo at Crailsheim and Bonn and they both relocated to the French capital to play for Paris Basketball last summer. Accordingly, Herrera has been with Coach Iisalo longer than any other player and knows his brand of basketball as well as anyone.

Sebastian Herrera became the first Chilean player to win the BKT EuroCup title.

A tribute to the champs Sebastian Herrera, Paris

It shouldn't be a surprise then that their mutual trust paid off in the playoffs. In 12 regular season games, Herrera had off-the-charts efficiency, amassing 26 assists and just 1 turnover. On the other hand, he averaged just 5.1 points and a PIR of 5.2. After being unavailable in the quarterfinals, Herrera was Paris's secret weapon in the most important games, averaging 10.5 points in the semifinals against the London Lions and 9.0 points in the finals against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. He shot the ball well, making 9 of 17 three-pointers (52.9% 3FG) in the semifinals and finals. When the dust settled, Herrera had made history and was celebrating on top of the podium wrapped in a Chilean flag.

Tribute to the champs: Sebastian Herrera

Tribute to the Champs: Enzo Shahrvin

Paris Basketball has made it its mission to sign the best young talent in France, and promising big man Enzo Shahrvin certainly fit that bill. He had to wait a little while before he made his debut, but he certainly made a good impact in his rookie season in the BKT EuroCup, which finished with him lifting the trophy.

Shahrvin first saw game time in Round 3 as he played 4:04 minutes in a 69-105 blowout win at Veolia Towers Hamburg, in which he had 2 points, 4 rebounds – including 2 on the offensive end – and 1 steal. His next appearance wasn’t until Round 7 as Paris beat Joventut Badalona 94-101 in overtime, with the big man posting 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 8:53 minutes on the floor. Despite his limited action, Shahrvin was quickly making a name for himself.

For the first time in his young career, Shahrvin played back-to-back EuroCup games by appearing in Round 8 at home to Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, but he finished scoreless in a 63-68 defeat – Paris’s only loss in the entire season. Nevertheless, he grabbed 3 rebounds and had 1 steal in 6:16 minutes. Then, in Round 9, he had another 4-point, 4-rebound game in 8:12 minutes as his squad beat Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 77-93. Shahrvin also had 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks that night.

The best plays of Paris Basketball big man Enzo Shahrvin in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season.

Shahrvin's top plays in 2023-24

The next time that Shahrvin would play after that was in Round 14, but he then featured in every game until the end of the regular season. His minutes increased in each contest, too. In Round 15, the 21-year-old grabbed a career-high 7 rebounds in 12:41 minutes as Paris defeated Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 86-104, before having his best scoring performance in Round 16 by netting 12 points in 14:04 minutes during an 89-82 win against Joventut. Shahrvin closed the regular season by posting 8 points in each of his last two games, which came in victories against Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul and Cedevita. In that Cedevita triumph, Shahrvin set a new career high in rebounds by pulling down 11. He didn’t play in the EuroCup Playoffs.

As he prepares to get a taste of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for the first time, Shahrvin will be hoping to build on his strong end to the EuroCup Regular Season and show fans what he can do in Europe’s premier club basketball competition.

The 21-year-old had some impressive nights in his rookie EuroCup campaign

Valencia Basket retained the services of its top performer for two more seasons by signing forward Semi Ojeleye to a contract extension, the club announced Wednesday. 

Valencia pens Semi Ojeleye to an extension through 2026

Valencia Basket retained the services of its top performer for two more seasons by signing forward [Semi Ojeleye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/semi-ojeleye/011982/) to a contract extension, the club announced Wednesday. Ojeleye (1.98 meters, 29 years old) joined the club last summer and posted 13.3 points and 4.4 rebounds over 27 EuroLeague games. He ranked eighth in the league in three-point accuracy at 47.1% and was 17th in scoring. This season was his second in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games after Ojeleye debuted with Virtus Segafredo Bologna the year before.

Semi Ojeleye's best plays from the 2023-24 season

Before entering the EuroLeague, Ojeleye played five seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers. He helped Boston reach the conference finals in both 2018 and 2020. Ojeleye played college basketball at Duke and Southern Methodist University. He was the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2017 when he led SMU to win the conference tournament. He helped Virtus reach the Italian League and the Italian Cup finals in his lone season there.

<center> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EstamosDandoVolteretas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EstamosDandoVolteretas</a> 🤸‍♂️<br><br>Cas 👉 <a href="https://twitter.com/semi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@semi</a> Ojeleye seguirá siendo taronja hasta 2026<a href="https://t.co/mlnPQO6pnh">https://t.co/mlnPQO6pnh</a><br><br>Val 👉 Semi Ojeleye continuarà sent taronja fins a 2026<a href="https://t.co/QV6oJM0sJR">https://t.co/QV6oJM0sJR</a><br><br>Eng 👉 Semi Ojeleye will stay as Taronja player until 2026<a href="https://t.co/rWfLgla2Bh">https://t.co/rWfLgla2Bh</a> <a href="https://t.co/bmAoFrOFdZ">pic.twitter.com/bmAoFrOFdZ</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1788171149689360710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

More on Semi Ojeleye

The forward led the club in scoring and PIR this season

The 26-year-old was a prime example of Paris's consistency throughout the 2023-24 season

Tribute to the Champs: Tyson Ward

[Tyson Ward](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/tyson-ward/012610/) was one of seven men who joined Paris Basketball from German side Telekom Baskets Bonn last summer, alongside head coach Tuomas Iisalo and five teammates, and he needed no time to start making an impact.

The BKT EuroCup rookie scored in double figures in five of the first seven rounds and went on to have a great regular season, averaging 12.0 points on 40.5% three-point shooting and 4.3 rebounds.

During the playoffs, despite had some struggles from long range, Ward continued to be a key cog in his team's success. He played 25:25 minutes per night during five playoff games, the second most on the team, and contributed averages of 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds.

The Paris swingman delighted fans throughout the campaign with his rim-rocking dunks as he filled up the highlight reels. Ward also demonstrated his versatility, especially in big games against fellow contenders, like when he pulled down 9 rebounds in a road win over Joventut Badalona or dished 7 assists in a road triumph at Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv.

Tyson Ward finished the season as team's fourth-best scorer (11.0 ppg.), third-best rebounder (4.1 rpg.) and also third best in steals (1.2 spg.). All those facts speak volumes of how impactful Ward was for the success of Paris, from the season opener all the way to lifting the trophy at season's end.

Tribute to the champs: Tyson Ward

More than anything else, however, Ward was a prime example of Paris's consistency during the club’s trophy-winning campaign. The 26-year-old did not have one or two great games that boosted his stats. Rather, he scored in double figures in 14 of his 23 appearances, but never more than 20 points. He also had a double-digit PIR in 16 games, but his PIR was 20 or more just three times. Ward was one of three Paris players who started in all 23 games this season and he was second on the team in minutes played, only behind EuroCup MVP T.J. Shorts.

When all was said and done, Ward finished the year as his squad’s fourth-best scorer (11.0 ppg.), third-best rebounder (4.1 rpg.) and also third best in steals (1.2 spg.). All those facts speak volumes about how impactful Ward was for a successful Paris team – from the season opener all the way to lifting the trophy at the season's end.

Tribute to the Champs: Gauthier Denis

Few players could feel the sense of triumph when Paris Basketball won the BKT EuroCup quite the way [Gauthier Denis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/eurocup/players/gauthier-denis/011887/) could. The longest-serving member of the club, Denis has been with Paris since it embarked on its project in 2018. He spent three seasons with Paris in the French second division and is the lone holdover from that period. A double-digit scorer in previous seasons, Denis has more recently taken on the role of a three-point marksman, whose quick release and great accuracy make him a constant threat. This season, 30 of his 32 shots taken were from behind the arc!

Gauthier Denis 2023-24 highlights

In the club’s EuroCup premier in 2022-23, Denis was just a free-throw shy of the 50-40-90 club, hitting exactly on the two- and three-point shooting numbers while making 26 of 29 from the line (89.7%). His numbers dipped from 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 22:42 minutes as a part-time starter last season to 3.2 points in 9 minutes over 10 games this season. Nevertheless, he remained an experienced voice in the locker room, even when he missed the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs due to injury. Denis made multiple threes in three games this season, including 3 on opening night against Wolves Vilnius. Paris was +18 with Denis on the floor this season, underlying the positive impact he has had in the French capital over the last six years. 