World-famous actor Bill Murray was present for the 2024 EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, and he enjoyed it greatly.

The story of how Bill Murray attended the Final Four

The first semifinal at the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four was coming to an end and there was a commotion outside Berlin’s Uber Arena. Alongside fans eager to get in to watch Real Madrid and Olympiacos Piraeus lock horns, there was a VIP who had decided to show up on the off chance there was a spare ticket. That person was Bill Murray.

The 73-year-old had been made aware that the Final Four was taking place in Berlin thanks to his son, Luke, who is an assistant coach for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team, the reigning back-to-back NCAA champions. Once Murray arrived at Uber Arena, the Euroleague Basketball staff acted quickly to accommodate the star of such movies as “Ghostbusters”, “Groundhog Day” and “Space Jam”.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bill Murray enjoying the Final 4 👏 <a href="https://t.co/5mvoli4Keb">pic.twitter.com/5mvoli4Keb</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1794067899004436907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Fortunately for Mr. Murray, there were two Olympiacos courtside seats that were available – enough for Bill and his guest, fellow actor Marshall Bell. By the time they got comfortable, Real and Olympiacos’s semifinal clash was underway. *Los Blancos* were able to rush out to a 28-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and remained ahead the rest of the way, eventually winning 87-76. Speaking to the EuroLeague afterward, Murray was taken aback by the passion of the supporters.

“That’s some serious volume, that’s some real good noise,” said Murray. “I love that noise. That’s great noise. I’m a basketball lover. I don’t know either of these teams, but I’ve heard that they’re fun to watch. There are some great players, of course. It was a kick.”

Marshall Bell (left), Bill Murray (center) and Misko Raznatovic (right) in attendance at the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four

For Murray, attending the Final Four was a good way to let his hair down. After all, he was temporarily based in Potsdam – about an hour’s drive from Berlin – shooting a new Wes Anderson movie, “The Phoenician Scheme”, with fellow actors Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera, so it was a good opportunity to watch the sport he loves and get a taste of the passion of a EuroLeague game.

With Friday’s semifinals in the books, Murray didn’t hesitate when it came to returning for championship game day on Sunday. As he made his way into Uber Arena ahead of the third-place game, Murray once again stopped to speak with the EuroLeague.

“I hadn’t heard enough about it because it’s much more exciting in person,” he declared. “Even getting into the stadium is a lot of laughs. It’s hilarious just to come through the singing crowds and all the people who are very, very excited, very emotional. They sing through the whole game, they shout through the whole game. The game is more physical I think than the NBA game, it’s a lot more physical game. I’m looking for a close game. So far, the games haven’t been close. I want a dogfight. I want to see a dogfight.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bill Murray on his <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F4GLORY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F4GLORY</a> and EuroLeague basketball experience so far 🔉 <a href="https://t.co/e8HNc2CxAa">pic.twitter.com/e8HNc2CxAa</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1794772796813525291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Courtside, Murray was able to once again chat with Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen, as he did on the Friday. The three VIPs were then treated to a fascinating third-place game between Olympiacos and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, which finished 87-84 in the Reds’ favor, but Murray could not hang around for the championship game as he had filming commitments on the Monday.

Murray has been able to see what NCAA and NBA basketball is like back in the United States, but his time at the EuroLeague Final Four is something he won’t forget any time soon. The passion, the fans, the basketball – he enjoyed it all.

The legendary Bill Murray is a self-confessed “basketball lover”, so what better place to be than the EuroLeague Final Four?

Actor Bill Murray and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke with one another at the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.

Basketball fans were stunned to see the world-famous actor in Berlin

Real Madrid v Olympiacos Piraeus (2024-05-24T19:00:00.000Z)

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-05-24T16:00:00.000Z)

Real Madrid v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-05-26T18:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2024-05-26T15:00:00.000Z)

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade re-signed swingman Rokas Giedraitis after a successful first season together

Zvezda re-signs Rokas Giedraitis

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade re-signed swingman [Rokas Giedraitis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rokas-giedraitis/006436/) after a successful first season together. The contract will keep them together through the 2025-26 season. Giedraitis (2.00 meters, 31 years old) averaged 10.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 34 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games last season. It was his fifth EuroLeague campaign with three different clubs. He previously suited up in the EuroLeague for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and ALBA Berlin.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Contract extension! 🔒<br><br>Rokas Giedraitis will stay with red and whites for 2 more seasons! 🔴⚪️<br><br>Košarkaš Crvene zvezde Meridianbet Rokas Giedraitis produžio je vernost crveno-belima na još dve sezone!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrvenoBelaPorodica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CrvenoBelaPorodica</a> <a href="https://t.co/OV6vaFhe4t">pic.twitter.com/OV6vaFhe4t</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1798336489555960160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Prior to his EuroLeague debut in 2019, Giedraitis established himself in the BKT EuroCup. Despite largely having a bench role during his three seasons with Lithuanian club Rytas Vilnius, he increased his numbers year on year. Then he moved to ALBA, where he posted 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals and a 15.8 PIR as the German club reached the 2019 EuroCup Finals. That year, the Lithuania international was named to the All-EuroCup First Team.

Earlier in his career, Giedraitis suited up for Saule-Aukstabalis Siauliai (2010-11), the University of Siauliai-ABRO Siauliai (2011-12), Mazeikiai (2012-13) and Siauliai (2013-15), all of which are in his native Lithuania. Giedraitis trophy case includes championship in Germany and the ABA League and national cups in Lithuania, Germany and Serbia.

The contract will keep them together through the 2025-26 season

Real Madrid Baloncesto followed a trend that has seen the No. 1 seed in the EuroLeague fail to win the title.

The first-place curse lives on

The wind was well and truly in Real Madrid’s sails coming into the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Chus Mateo’s squad had set a new EuroLeague record for wins in the regular season by going 27-7, which saw them wrap up first place in the process, and then swept Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the playoffs. It looked like the infamous first-place curse was going to come to an abrupt end.

Even more so after Real managed to beat Olympiacos Piraeus 87-76 in the semifinals, having led the entire game. A shot at back-to-back EuroLeague titles was in play as *Los Blancos* prepared to take on Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the championship game, and things looked good at halftime, with Real leading 54-49. However, the 2023 champion was limited to just 26 second-half points as [the Greens flipped the script to come away with an 80-95 triumph](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/championship-game-live-real-madrid-vs-panathinaikos/).

For the first time since the current competition format was introduced in 2016, the top two teams from the regular season meet in the final. Real Madrid topped the standings after winning its first 10 games and finished with a 27-7 mark, while Panathinaikos soared late to place second at 23-11.

Real-Panathinaikos | Championshp Game Highlights | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

What that meant is that the first-place curse lives on. You would have to think that if a Real side that looked almost unstoppable all season long couldn’t break the spell, then who can? Ever since the introduction of the current round-robin format in the 2016-17 season, no leader at the end of the regular season has lifted the EuroLeague trophy in late May.

Curiously, the best positions to finish when it comes to winning the EuroLeague have been second, third or fifth, as there have been two winners from each of these spots over the last seven years. Panathinaikos (2023-24) and CSKA Moscow (2018-19) both became the champions after coming second, Real Madrid (2022-23) and Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2020-21) did so after finishing third, and Real (2017-18) and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (2016-17) won it all as the fifth seed. In 2021-22, Efes secured its second successive EuroLeague title after being sixth at the end of the regular season.

Leading the standings at the end of the regular season has even had a negative impact on reaching the championship game for a few years, with FC Barcelona becoming the first No. 1 seed to make it to the title decider in 2021. That came after Real (2017), CSKA (2018) and Fenerbahce (2019) lost in the semifinals. Barcelona ended up suffering that fate in 2022, but Olympiacos (2023) and Real (2024) both got to the championship game, before losing.

One would assume that having the best record in the regular season would be the best recipe for winning the EuroLeague title, but as we have seen over the last seven years, sometimes it makes sense to finish second, third... or even fifth or sixth.

Real Madrid's Walter Tavares reacts to a play during the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.

Since the round-robin format was introduced in 2016-17, no top overall seed has lifted the EuroLeague Trophy

 Final Four Fans in photos 

The fans had photo opportunities with the trophy at the Fanzone in Kraftwerk

Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman takes a selfie with some young fans!

The Olympiacos proud filled the stands with red

Panathinaikos fans were some of the noisiest and certainly the happiest when it all ended!

Real Madrid fans ready to cheer for their team at the Final Four

More Panathinaikos fans before going inside the Uber Arena

The Real Madrid Berserkers follow the team everywhere it goes

Fenerbahce fans posing proud in front of the Uber Arena

The noisy Panathinaikos crowd doing its thing

Fenerbahce fans making osme noise for their team

A nice gathering of fans from different teams enjoying the Final Four weekend

The support of thousands of Panathinaikos fans was one of the key factors for the Greens to take their seventh European crown

Communion between Panathinaikos fans and players after winning the title!

Just like every year, the absolute protagonists of the Final Four were the fans that flocked to Berlin to cheer for their favorite teams. Here are some of the best images!

The Final Four fans in pictures

AS Monaco defeated BKT EuroCup champion Paris Basketball 90-80 in the opening game of the best-of-five French League finals on Tuesday night behind 31 points from EuroLeague MVP Mike James.

Mike James leads Monaco to Game 1 win in French finals

AS Monaco defeated BKT EuroCup champion Paris Basketball 90-80 in the opening game of the best-of-five French League finals on Tuesday night behind 31 points from EuroLeague MVP Mike James. Monaco used a monster second quarter to open 46-30 halftime lead, with James throwing in 21 points in the first half. The margin grew to the 24 midway through the third quarter before Paris trimmed the deficit in the last 10 minutes.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">📽 Les highlights de ce match 1️⃣ électrique 🆚️ <a href="https://twitter.com/ParisBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ParisBasketball</a> 💥<br><br>📺 <a href="https://twitter.com/LNBofficiel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LNBofficiel</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/lachainelequipe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lachainelequipe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinalesBetclicELITE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FinalesBetclicELITE</a> <a href="https://t.co/sggZ4oGfRn">pic.twitter.com/sggZ4oGfRn</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1798072026894364701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Elie Okobo contributed 15 points off the bench for Monaco, Jaron Blossomgame added 13 points and 6 rebounds and Alpha Diallo netted 10 points for the winners. Nadir Hifi led the Paris attack with 18 points, TJ Shorts tallied 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and Justin Simon contributed 11 points and 6 rebounds in defeat.

The series against Paris continues with Game 2 in Monaco on Thursday

Let's take a look back at some of the biggest upsets at the EuroLeague Final Four in the 21st century, in chronological order.

A chronology of Final Four upsets

Real Madrid entered the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game with a 31-7 record. However, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens won the crown, upsetting Real 80-95 to claim the seventh star on its jersey. Let's take a look back at some of the biggest Final Four upsets in the 21st century, in chronological order.

The Euroleague had a new champion, and it was none other than Panathinaikos! The Greens triumphed 83-89 over Kinder Bologna on its own court in the Euroleague Final in a thriller that should go down as one of the great title games in history.

2002 EuroLeague Final: Kinder Bologna vs. Panathinaikos

### Obradovic makes it happen

Back in 2002, Kinder Bologna - now Virtus Segafredo Bologna - was the heavy favorite for many reasons. It was the competition's original champion, hosted the Final Four and had an all-around strong team led by Manu Ginobili, Marko Jaric, Sani Becirovic and Matjaz Smodis. 

Panathinaikos had other ideas and head coach Zeljko Obradovic offered a master class, running his offense through backup center Lazaros Papadopoulos to rally from a 14-point deficit and make it a close game. Then Dejan Bodiroga and Ibrahim Kutluay stepped up to lead the Greens to an 83-89 win. To this date, Panathinaikos remains the only team to win a championship game on its opponent's home court.

Tau Ceramica provided one of the biggest surprises ever in the Euroleague Final Four by beating mighty CSKA 78-85 in the second semifinal of the Final Four in the Olympiysky Arena.

CLASSIC GAME: 2005 EuroLeague Semi Final: CSKA Moscow vs Tau Cermica

### The biggest upset

CSKA Moscow had an outstanding 2004-05 season, smashing records and reaching the Final Four in the Russian capital with just one loss in 20 games. Led by Theo Papaloukas, J.R. Holden, Marcus Brown and David Andersen, CSKA seemed unstoppable, but a fiesty Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz - then Tau Ceramica - stood in the way.

Arvydas Macijauskas led the way with 23 points, including a game-clinching catch-and-shoot three-pointer for the ages. Jose Manuel Calderon had 13 points and Kornel David tallied 11 with 12 rebounds as Tau won 78-85 in Moscow. It wasn't a happy ending for Tau, which was then defeated by Maccabi in the championship game.

In arguably one of the most thrilling title games ever seen in European club basketball, CSKA Moscow won the Euroleague crown for the first time in 35 years and ended Maccabi Tel Aviv's dynasty with a 73-69 victory in the final in front of almost 17,000 fans

CLASSIC GAME: 2006 EuroLeague Final: CSKA Moscow vs Maccabi Elite

### Three-peat interrupted

A year later, Maccabi was looking for a threepeat with most of the same roster that won consecutive EuroLeague titles in 2004 and 2005. Willie Solomon had replaced Sarunas Jasikevicius, but Anthony Parker, Nikola Vujcic, Maceo Baston and Tal Burstein remained with the team. 

After leading 51-32 at halftime en route to beating Baskonia 85-70 in the semifinals, everyone expected a third consecutive title at Sazka Arena in Prague, Czechia. Instead, CSKA claimed its first EuroLeague title in 35 years, beating Maccabi 73-69 behind 18 points and a PIR of 28 (one short of his career-high) from 2006 Final Four MVP Theo Papaloukas.

In a game for the ages, Olympiacos Piraeus came from 19 down in the third quarter to stun CSKA Moscow 61-62 and become the 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion.

CLASSIC GAME: 2012 EuroLeague Final: CSKA Moscow vs Olympiacos Piraeus

### A comeback for the ages

The 2012 EuroLeague championship game seemed to be over. CSKA had put together one of its strongest rosters ever, led by Andrei Kirilenko, Nenad Krstic and Milos Teodosic. It led 53-34 late in the third quarter and held a 59-52 edge with over 3 minutes left. 

Kostas Papanikolaou brought his team within 61-60 and the rest is history: former MVP Ramunas Siskauskas missed twice from the line with 9.7 seconds left and then Vassilis Spanoulis found Georgios Printezis for his trademark one-handed floater off the baseline. CSKA did not score on its last possession. Spanoulis scored 15 points and was chosen as the 2012 Final Four MVP as Olympiacos won in come-from-behind fashion!

The city of Milan was painted yellow on Sunday as Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv bested Real Madrid 98-86 in overtime for its sixth European championship!

CLASSIC GAME: 2014 EuroLeague Final: Real Madrid vs Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv

### Not one, but two upsets

Maccabi entered the 2014 Final Four with a 19-9 record, with CSKA Moscow (22-7) and Real Madrid (24-5) as the heavy favorites. In the semifinals, CSKA led 55-40 late in the third quarter and held a 67-63 lead with 19.2 seconds left. David Blu hit a three-pointer, then stole the ball at the other end and fed Tyrese Rice for the game-winning layup. 

Two days later, for the first time in 45 years, the championship game between Real and Maccabi went to overtime. Rice scored 14 of his 26 points in overtime to lead Maccabi to an 86-98 victory in front of a sea of yellow fans at the Forum in Milan, Italy. Real had three All-EuroLeague players that season in Rudy Fernandez, Nikola Mirotic and MVP Sergio Rodriguez, and it had beaten FC Barcelona 62-100 in the semifinals... but it was not enough. 

Recalling times when the heavy favorites did not leave the Final Four with a trophy


EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge: 2023-24 season winners

Congratulations to Ilias Preveza of Greece on winning the 2023-24 [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home)! Ilias finished atop the pack with his team NEW ENTRY, which tallied 7,633.00 fantasy points, nearly 100 more than anybody else! As our overall winner, Ilias has earned a one-of-a-kind trip for himself and a friend to the 2025 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four including flights, four nights at a hotel and VIP tickets. Ilias also won a EuroLeague TV VIP Subscription for the 2024-25 Season to follow all games live or on-demand.

Nikolas Dimitropoulos was second overall with 7,538.43 fantasy points, followed by Aykut Kadioglu (7,524.95), Georgios Makris (7,494.65) and Giannis Papagiannopoulos (7,467.96). Ivan Jelenkovic won the lottery for the managers with the most points in each of the 34 regular-season rounds. Ivan's team Tara 2016 2, the Round 18 winner, won two tickets to the 2025 Final Four and a EuroLeague TV Subscription for the 2024-25 Season!

Here is a list of winners and their respective prizes:

#### 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season WINNER

**NEW ENTRY - Ilias Preveza, Greece**

\- Winner and friend will be Euroleague Basketball's VIP guests at the 2025 Final Four - including Flights, four nights at a hotel and VIP tickets

\- 1x EuroLeague TV VIP Subscription for the 2024-25 Season

#### 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, second place

**6 estrellas ☘️ - Nikolas Dimitropoulos, Greece**

\- 10x Regular season game tickets for the 2024-25 season of winner’s choice (based on availability)

\- 1x EuroLeague jersey of winner’s choice

\- 1x EuroLeague TV VIP subscription for the 2024-25 season

\- 1x official EuroLeague Spalding basketball

#### 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, third place

**JamieFraser - Aykut Kadioglu, Turkiye**

\- 8x Regular season game tickets for the 2024-25 season of winner’s choice (based on availability)

\- 1x EuroLeague jersey of winner’s choice

\- 1x EuroLeague TV VIP subscription for the 2024-25 season

\- 1x official EuroLeague Spalding basketball

#### 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, fourth place

**Next Big Thing - Georgios Makris, Greece**

\- 6x Regular season game tickets for the 2024-25 season of winner’s choice (based on availability)

\- 1x EuroLeague jersey of winner’s choice

\- 1x EuroLeague TV VIP subscription for the 2024-25 season

#### 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, fifth place

**Rodos13 - Giannis Papagiannopoulos, Greece**

\- 4x Regular season game tickets for the 2024-25 season of winner’s choice (based on availability)

\- 1x EuroLeague jersey of winner’s choice

\- 1x EuroLeague TV VIP subscription for the 2024-25 season

#### Rounds Winners Lottery (lottery only exclusive to regular season round winners, 34 participants)

**Tara 2016 2 - Ivan Jelenkovic, Serbia (Regular Season Round 18 winner)**

\- 2x Tickets to the 2025 Final Four

\- 1x EuroLeague TV subscription for the 2024-25 season

Crvena Zvezda Meridian Bet Belgrade took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Serbian League finals against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade after holding on for a dramatic 89-88 win on Monday night at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. Game 2, hosted by Partizan, is scheduled for Wednesday at Belgrade Arena.

Zvezda edges Partizan in Serbian League finals opener

Crvena Zvezda Meridian Bet Belgrade took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Serbian League finals against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade after holding on for a dramatic 89-88 win on Monday night at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. Game 2, hosted by Partizan, is scheduled for Wednesday at Belgrade Arena.

Zvezda grabbed an early 10-point lead behind Yago Dos Santos, who nailed three three-pointers in the opening quarter, but Partizan rallied behind Aleksa Avramovic, and had a slim 51-52 lead at halftime. The hosts went up again in the third as Dejan Davidovac took over, and opened a 71-62 lead, but Avramovic was at a center of another rally.

With Dos Santos and Nemanja Nedovic both getting injured for Zvezda, teams traded blows with the hosts remaining ahead. Partizan had a final possession and 8 seconds to win the game, but the ball went to Zach LeDay who missed a short jumper in traffic and Zvezda prevailed for its seventh consecutive win over Partizan in all competitions.

Davidovac finished with 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Dos Santos had 18 points and 7 assists. Rokas Giedraitis and Luka Mitrovic each finished with 12 points in a victory. For Partizan, Avramovic had 20 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds, Danilo Andjusic scored 17 while Jaleen Smith netted 14 in defeat.

 

Milwaukee Bucks and NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had a great time as he attended the EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, Germany.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a Final Four experience to remember

Sitting courtside for the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Semifinals and Championship Game were some of the biggest names on the planet and perhaps none more so than Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Once it became clear that his younger brother, [Kostas Antetokounmpo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/kostas-antetokounmpo/011221/), would be competing at the Final Four in Berlin with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Giannis didn’t hesitate in booking a trip to attend the games at Uber Arena.

After all, the Bucks’ exit from the NBA Playoffs provided a golden opportunity for the “Greek Freak” to see some EuroLeague basketball up close and personal. Come Sunday night, the two Antetokounmpo brothers were able to come together in celebration as [the Greens won their first EuroLeague title in 13 years](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/championship-game-live-real-madrid-vs-panathinaikos/).

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Giannis isn’t the first major star to attend the EuroLeague Final Four, nor will he be the last. For example, last year saw Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis and New Orleans Pelicans big man Jonas Valanciunas fly in to watch the EuroLeague Championship Game in Kaunas, Lithuania. This time, it was the turn of Giannis, Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen and world-renowned actor Bill Murray to get the front-row attention at the Final Four.

It was incredible to see just how engaged Giannis was during the games – even when Kostas wasn’t playing. On Friday, the Milwaukee forward got himself comfortable at Uber Arena early so that he could watch Kostas and Panathinaikos take on Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the Final Four’s curtain raiser.

When Kostas delivered a big block on Scottie Wilbekin midway through the second quarter, Giannis quickly got off his seat to applaud his younger brother’s hustle. In fact, it was reminiscent of when fellow NBA superstar Kevin Durant celebrated every big play by AS Monaco as he watched his friend [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) in action at Salle Gaston Medecin during the 2022 EuroLeague Playoffs.

Once the first semifinal was over and Panathinaikos had won 73-57, a proud Giannis briefly took over Martin Henlan’s reporting duties by asking Kostas a few questions on EuroLeague TV. Notably, Giannis made clear what he thinks of the EuroLeague before beginning his questions: “EuroLeague basketball, best basketball in the world.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo interviews his brother Kostas on EuroLeague TV

It would have been perhaps understandable if Giannis opted not to show up for the second semifinal between Real Madrid and Olympiacos Piraeus given that Kostas’s night was done, but no. Instead, the two-time NBA MVP returned to his courtside seat and was again amazed by the incredible atmosphere put on by those inside Uber Arena. It also provided Giannis with an opportunity to see Panathinaikos’s competition ahead of Sunday’s championship game.

On Sunday, the trio of Giannis, Pippen and Bill Murray once again earned plenty of off-court attention, with the Greece international being the first to arrive so that he could take in the third-place game between Olympiacos and Fenerbahce. It’s worth remembering that despite Kostas playing for Panathinaikos, Giannis suits up for the Greek national team with the likes of the Olympiacos trio of [Kostas Papanikolaou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kostas-papanikolaou/001255/), [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) and [Giannoulis Larentzakis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/giannoulis-larentzakis/010392/) as well as Fenerbahce big man [Georgios Papagiannis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/georgios-papagiannis/005844/), so it was a chance to see his friends play.

Having played 7:12 minutes in the semifinal, Kostas Antetokounmpo saw his game time drop to 3:10 in the championship game, yet Giannis was as proud as he could have been – his brother had now won a championship in both the NBA, which came with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, and the EuroLeague. Giannis also sought out Greens head coach Ergin Ataman afterward to offer him some words: “You are No. 1, the best coach. I would love to play for you.”

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Giannis Antetokounmpo to Ergin Ataman: “You are the No1 coach, the best”. <a href="https://t.co/R5ig57visj">pic.twitter.com/R5ig57visj</a></p>&mdash; Vasiliki Karamouza (@karamouza_vas) <a href="https://twitter.com/karamouza_vas/status/1794831567141122264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

For Coach Ataman, he was overjoyed to receive such praise from a player of Giannis’s quality. "Thank you to Giannis Antetokounmpo,” he said in the post-game press conference. “He came after the game and told me that I'm the best coach in the world. If the NBA MVP tells you this, I'm very proud. He didn't say from Europe, he told me \[I’m\] the best coach in the world. Thank you, Giannis."

Indeed, it was such a pleasure to have the 2021 NBA champion at the Final Four that we should all be saying thank you, Giannis. For a true basketball lover, the EuroLeague is like no other league on the planet – and that is something Giannis got to experience during his few days in Berlin.

NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (right) embraces his brother Kostas (left) after Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens became the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion.

The “Greek Freak” saw his younger brother, Kostas, become a EuroLeague champion