Diamantidis was outstanding on both ends of the court as Panathinaikos downed previous champion CSKA 93-91 in a thriller that anyone who saw it will remember a long time. The three-time Best Defender Trophy winner was the glue that held together a complete team effort by the Greens. Diamantidis missed only one shot all night while doing his usual job all over the court. He picked up 3 rebounds, dishes 3 assists and grabbed 2 steals. Diamantidis was 2 for 2 on two-point shots, 2 for 2 from downtown and 5 for 6 at the foul line.

Diamantidis had a key role in a wild third quarter that Panathinaikos started with a solid 46-36 lead. CSKA came all the way back to take its one and only lead of the game at 50-51 at the end of 24 minutes. From there to the end of the quarter, Diamantidis lifted the Greens back into control. He reclaimed the lead at 52-51 for Panathinaikos with free throws, hit another pair later, then dished to Dejan Tomasevic for a layup. That connection was even more special considering that Tomasevic, too, was celebrating his birthday. Next, on the defensive end, Diamantidis stole the ball of CSKA's J.R. Holden, then he went the other way and drilled his second three-pointer. The Panathinaikos lead was up to 60-54 by then, the crowd was back in it, and Panathinaikos continued holding on until it had the title.

"This is the most important trophy I have won at a club level, the first Euroleague title for me. We played very good basketball, we enjoyed ourselves and gave joy to our fans. When you play in such a pace, it is natural to lose concentration at times, but in general everything went as planned by our coach. I don’t think I owed a big game. Whoever steps on the floor does it to win. As far as the MVP title is concerned, it belongs to the whole team. Panathinaikos has proved that it belongs at the top of European basketball, and we want to stay there through hard work."

The MVP was a birthday boy, too. After a Euroleague Basketball title game that set records for offense, the MVP went to a defensive genius who was also celebrating his 27th birthday in style. Panathinaikos point guard Dimitris Diamantidis was selected by accredited media as Final Four MVP after leading his team to the title with 15 points and outstanding defense in Sunday's final.

Final Four MVP, Dimitris Diamantidis, Panathinaikos

When the decade started, he was 23 years old and practically unknown - even in his native Greece. Six springs later as he turns 29, Theodoros Papaloukas of CSKA Moscow is the king of European basketball.

2006 Final Four MVP: Theodoros Papaloukas, CSKA Moscow

Papaloukas was voted Final Four MVP on Sunday night after CSKA Moscow ended its 35-year long EuroLeague championship drought edging the defending champs Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv 73-69 in front of almost 17,000 fans at the state-of-the-art Sazka Arena in Prague, the Czech Republic.

In a thrilling Final Four in which Papaloukas was a virtuoso off the bench, CSKA rolled to the Euroleague title for the first time in 35 years, since 1971. Papaloukas first shined on both ends of the floor in an 84-75 semifinal win over Winterthur FC Barcelona. He had 19 points, making 7-of-9 two-point shots along with 4 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Papaloukas followed it up with team-high 18 points, making 3-of-4 two-pointers and 2-of-4 three-pointers, while dishing 7 assists with 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

What makes Papaloukas unique is that he almost never starts a game. Rather, his comes off the bench full of confidence, authority and solutions in a role that few, if any, elite basketball players in the world have mastered so well. The Final Four MVP award and a place on the All-Euroleague First Team is unprecedented honors for a player coming off the bench player, which CSKA guard did in each of his 24 appearances this season. Papaloukas also becomes the first Greek player to win Final Four MVP award.

"We played with our heart and our soul tonight", said Papaloukas. "I had lost three Final Fours before this, but I won't remember them. We did it and we deserved it. We placed with head and heart. With heart and soul and we are the champions."

Sarunas Jasikevicius was voted as the 2005 Final Four MVP after leading Maccabi Tel Aviv to 90-78 win over Tau Ceramica in the championship game in the Olympiyski Arena, Moscow, as Maccabi became the first team to win consecutive EuroLeague titles since 1991.

2005 Final Four MVP: Sarunas Jasikevicius, Maccabi

As the first man to win three consecutive Euroleague titles in more than a decade, Jasikevicius proved that few players are so decisive in big games. "Saras" first weaved a masterpiece, stepping up when the going got tough for Maccabi in the semifinal win against Panathinaikos Athens. He scored most of his 13 points in the second half and added 8 assists to help Maccabi advance. Then, in the championship game, a day after making the All-Euroleague team, Jasikevicius outdid himself. His unforgotteble perfomance of 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists against Tau Ceramica made Jasikevicius the overwhelming choice for MVP and assured his place among Europe's all-time greatest players.

"We never had full control," Jasikevicius said after winning the title. "Tau was such an excellent basketball team. They kept coming at us. A couple of times we thought we had control, but as soon as we thought that, they hit a couple threes to get back in it. They're an excellent team and deserve congratulations for an excellent season. But listen, yellow is still in fashion in European basketball."

In winning his third EuroLeague title, Jasikevicius also becomes the second Lithuanian player to win the Final Four MVP award, joining Arvydas Sabonis who was voted as the MVP in 1995.

In a record-breaking 118-74 championship game victory over Skipper Bologna in front of its fans at the Nokia Arena, Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv forward Anthony Parker was voted the 2004 Final Four MVP after an almost flawless performance, finishing with 21 points and missing only 2 shots from the field.

2004 Final Four MVP: Anthony Parker, Maccabi Tel Aviv

The Final Four MVP met great expectations to lead Maccabi through a spectacular weekend. First, in a classic semifinal win against CSKA Moscow, Parker sustained Maccabi with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. In the championship game against Skipper, Parker was close to perfection, scoring 21 points by making 5 of 7 two-pointers, his only three-point attempt and 8 of 8 free throws to go with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. He stole the show, too, with one fantastic highlight after another, convincing his adoring Maccabi fans rather soon that a new trophy was theirs. 


"The MVP, I don't deserve it. We had so many guys play so hard, it's a team effort", Parker said after the big win. "I am so happy, and to do [it] like this in front of our fans who have been supporting us all year. We had our ups and downs. I want to give them a lot of credit. They were wonderful. This victory is painted yellow, for them. Skipper is a great team. We jumped on them from the beginning, and I think they were a young team without experience in this kind of situation, certainly in this atmosphere. I thought the keys came at the end of the first and second quarters when we hit the last shots and that kept the lead in the 20-point range. From there on, it was just great, great fun being a part of all this." 

Parker, who returned to Maccabi this season after a year with Lottomatica Roma, finished the season averaging 16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals, and with a EuroLeague and Final Four MVP trophies in his hands.

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

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."

In what was their second EuroLeague title in three years for Panathinaikos Athens and Bodiroga, the 29-year-old forward had one of the finest championship game performances. In 38 minutes on the floor, Bodiroga netted 21 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished 4 assists. He made 7 of his 12 two-point attempts and 1 of his 2 three-point shots. 

"As I always say, the 12 players of the winning team are all MVPs because we played together from the first to the last game this season," Bodiroga said after the game. "I wouldn't be MVP without players like \[Fragiskos\] Alvertis, \[Johnny\] Rogers, and a great coach like Zeljko \[Obradovic\]. With all this, I always try to give 100% and now I want to go for the Greek League. It surely was the most difficult Final Four because we beat two teams like Maccabi and Kinder, who was playing at home."

Bodiroga shined in the semifinal win over Maccabi Elite, too, when he finished with 26 points and 9 rebounds, making 8 of 13 field goal attempts and 9 of 11 free throws while barely leaving the floor during the 40 minutes. He finishes the season averaging 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 rebounds, with his first Final Four MVP honor and his second EuroLeague crown.

After leading Panathinaikos Athens to a stunning, 83-89 comeback win on the court of Kinder Bologna in Sunday's championship game to lift the EuroLeague trophy, Dejan Bodiroga was voted the 2002 Final Four MVP.

Final Four MVP, Dimitris Diamantidis, Panathinaikos

2006 Final Four MVP: Theodoros Papaloukas, CSKA Moscow

2005 Final Four MVP: Sarunas Jasikevicius, Maccabi

2004 Final Four MVP: Anthony Parker, Maccabi Tel Aviv

2003 Final Four MVP: Dejan Bodiroga, FC Barcelona

2002 Final Four MVP: Dejan Bodiroga, Panathinaikos