The 29-year-old sits down with Euroleague.net’s Geoff Gillingham as he prepares for his third straight Final Four

Nigel Williams-Goss, Olympiacos: ‘The bigger the moment, the better I play’

Olympiacos Piraeus guard [Nigel Williams-Goss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/nigel-williams-goss/007982/) certainly has a knack of shining in the postseason – and he’s looking to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles with different clubs.

Last year, Williams-Goss increased his numbers in the postseason. He notably scored 22 points in Game 3 as Real Madrid won at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, which proved to be the catalyst for Los Blancos getting the series back on track after falling down 2-0. Then, at the Final Four, he had 10 points in the semifinals and 9 points in the championship game as Real became the EuroLeague champion.

Williams-Goss returned to Olympiacos last summer, having started his EuroLeague career with the Reds in the 2018-19 season, and played a key role in guiding the club to the playoffs. Once in the postseason, Williams-Goss scored 8 points or more in all five games as Olympiacos joined Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul by becoming the first-ever teams to win a Game 5 on the road – and both on the same night.

It was another example of Williams-Goss rising to the occasion.

“I think that’s something that’s always been inside of me ever since I was young,” Williams-Goss tells [Euroleague.net](http://Euroleague.net)’s Geoff Gillingham. “The bigger the moment, the better I play. I’ve always thrived in those big moments. My mind kind of just leaves and I follow my instincts. I love going to the postseason, obviously the Final Four. This is what I work so hard for all year round.”

After another unforgettable season, Mike James of AS Monaco has been chosen by fans, media, team captains and head coaches as the MVP of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The dynamic guard was the leader of a Monaco side that set a club record for wins as they reached the playoffs for the third straight season together and came within one win of the Final Four.

 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP: Mike James, AS Monaco 

After another unforgettable season, [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) of AS Monaco has been chosen by fans, media, team captains and head coaches as the MVP of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The dynamic guard was the leader of a Monaco side that set a club record for wins as they reached the playoffs for the third straight season together and came within one win of the Final Four.

James scored in double digits in all but one of his 39 games this season, ranking second in scoring at 17.9 points per game. He improved his three-point shooting from 27.3% last season to 37.2% in the 2023-24 campaign, while also averaging a career-high 4.1 rebounds per night, ranking seventh in assists (5.1 apg.) and third in PIR (19.4). Along the way, James became the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer, adding even more light to his MVP season. James set the record in a home game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade when he passed Vassilis Spanoulis.

He showed off his scoring arsenal all season long, whether draining his trademark step-back three-pointers or attacking the rim, from which he got to the foul line often. Accordingly, James was second in the league in fouls drawn (182), free throws made (149) and free throws attempted (193).

After another unforgettable season, Mike James of AS Monaco has been chosen by fans, media, team captains and head coaches as the MVP of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The dynamic guard was the leader of a Monaco side that set a club record for wins as they reached the playoffs for the third straight season together and came within one win of the Final Four. 

James scored in double digits in all but one of his 39 games this season, ranking second in scoring at 17.9 points per game. He improved his three-point shooting from 27.3% last season to 37.2% in the 2023-24 campaign, while also averaging a career-high 4.1 rebounds per night, ranking seventh in assists (5.1 apg.) and third in PIR (19.4). Along the way, James became the EuroLeague's all-time leading scorer, adding even more light to his MVP season. James set the record in a home game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade when he passed Vassilis Spanoulis.

2023-24 EUROLEAGUE MVP | Mike JAMES | AS Monaco

James started the season with a bang, averaging 19.0 points and 5.6 assists in an early five-game winning streak that put Monaco in the top part of the standings. Between Rounds 10 and 18, James scored at least 20 points in seven games, reaching 28 points twice in road victories at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and FC Bayern Munich. He was at the heart of Monaco's 98-74 rout of top-ranked Real Madrid 98-74 with 15 points, 6 rebounds and a season-high 12 assists for a PIR of 32. James was naturally instrumental in his team's final regular season push, as Monaco won 12 of its last 13 regular season games to finish third in the standings with a 23-11 record before losing to Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in a series with unprecedented drama: Fenerbahce won Game 5 in overtime.

James started his EuroLeague career with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, which he helped reach the Final Four in 2016. He went on to play for Panathinaikos Athens, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and CSKA Moscow before joining Monaco. James won the 2018-19 Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy with Milan. A four-time All-EuroLeague selection, James becomes the first American player to receive the MVP award since Anthony Parker claimed it in 2005 and 2006 for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The list of EuroLeague MVP winners starts with Parker, the only player to claim the award twice. Theo Papaloukas of CSKA was the 2006-07 MVP, followed by Ramunas Siskauskas also of CSKA (2007-08), Juan Carlos Navarro of FC Barcelona (2008-09), Milos Teodosic of Olympiacos Piraeus (2009-10), Dimitris Diamantidis of Panathinaikos (2010-11), Andrei Kirilenko of CSKA (2011-12), Vassilis Spanoulis of Olympiacos (2012-13), Sergio Rodriguez of Real (2013-14), Nemanja Bjelica of Fenerbahce (2014-15), Nando De Colo of CSKA (2015-16), Sergio Llull of Real Madrid (2016-17), Luka Doncic of Real Madrid (2017-18), Jan Vesely of Fenerbahce (2018-19), Vasilije Micic of Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2020-21), Nikola Mirotic of Barcelona (2021-22) and last season's winner, Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos. 

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The MVP with his trophy 🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNatural_05?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheNatural_05</a> <a href="https://t.co/5PRLcrvljs">https://t.co/5PRLcrvljs</a> <a href="https://t.co/2tRMluFNXR">pic.twitter.com/2tRMluFNXR</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1790356800094474691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

James captures the league's top individual honor for the first time


2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP: Mike James, AS Monaco

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and shooting guard Markus Howard reached a new agreement to keep working together until the end of the 2027-28 season, the club announced Tuesday.

Baskonia extends top scorer Markus Howard until 2028!

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and shooting guard [Markus Howard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/markus-howard/011948/) reached a new agreement to keep working together until the end of the 2027-28 season, the club announced Tuesday.

### A scoring machine

Howard (1.78 meters, 25 years old) comes off a great season in which [he claimed the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford Top Scoring Trophy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/baskonias-markus-howard-wins-the-2023-24-alphonso-ford-top-scorer-trophy/), averaging a EuroLeague-best 19.5 points per game. He went over the 20-point mark as many as 19 times, scoring more than 30 points five times and reaching the 35-point mark twice, against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in regular season Round 9 and against Real Madrid in Round 33. His 759 points are the most by any EuroLeague player in a single season. He also led the competition in three-pointers, hitting as many as 148, 60 more than last season. Those 148 three-pointers are by far an all-time EuroLeague record: Alexey Shved previously had 107 shots made from downtown with Khimki Moscow Region in the 2017-18 season. Howard was also the Spanish League top scorer at 19.4 points per night. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">✍️ OFICIAL | Baskonia y <a href="https://twitter.com/markushoward11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@markushoward11</a>, juntos hasta 2⃣0⃣2⃣8⃣<br><br>🗞️ <a href="https://t.co/YhXn5rz7YL">https://t.co/YhXn5rz7YL</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Howard2028?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Howard2028</a> <a href="https://t.co/FGPqDOz8lj">pic.twitter.com/FGPqDOz8lj</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1790294568140767519?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Filling the baskets everywhere

Howard finished his college career at Marquette University, averaging 27.8 points and 3.3 assists in 29 NCAA games. He went on to play for Denver of the NBA and Grand Rapids of the G League before joining Baskonia in 2022. In two seasons with Baskonia, Howard has averaged 17.1 points in 72 games, hitting 236 of 611 shots from beyond the arc (38.6% 3FG). He also helped the USA national team win respective gold medals at the 2015 U16 FIBA Americas Championships and the 2016 U17 World Cup. With this agreement, Howard is set to enter the prime of his career in the EuroLeague. 

Howard (1.78 meters, 25 years old) comes off a great season in which he claimed the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford Top Scoring trophy, averaging a EuroLeague-best 19.5 points per game. He went over the 20-point mark as many as 19 times, scoring more than 30 points five times and reaching the 35-point mark twice, against LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Regular Season Round 9 and against Real Madrid in Round 33. His 759 points are the most by any EuroLeague player in a single season.

NEWS ABOUT MARKUS HOWARD

The winner of the 2023-24 Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy is staying in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Baskonia extends top scorer Markus Howard until 2028

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens put together a new-look team this season. Have a look at some of their stars in action.

 Road to Berlin: Panathinaikos Top 10 photos 

Dinos Mitoglou had a great comeback season for Panathinaikos with 11.6 points per game.

Kostas Sloukas became a team leader at Panathinaikos after joining it from archrival Olympiacos

Jerian Grant may be known as a defensive specialist, but he shows here that he can also soar for dunks on offense

After joining the team in November, Kendrick Nunn blossomed into an All-EuroLeague selection

Aleksander Balcerowski is key reserve for Coach Ergin Ataman at center

Marius Grigonis had many displays of hustle like this one. This is his second season at Panathinaikos

Mathias Lessort has been one of the most dominant players in the league, this time dressed in Green

After one season away with Partizan, Ioannis Papapetrou returned to Athens for his fifth season with Panathinaikos

Despite having injury problems this season, Juancho Hernangomez has became a reliable piece in the Panathinaikos puzzle

The assortment of highlights that Mathias Lessort has provided this season is second to none

Road to Berlin: Panathinaikos Top 10 photos

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul ended its Final Four drought this season thanks to all the contributions coming from up an down its roster. Check out some of the best photos of Fenerbahce players this season.

Road to Berlin: Fenerbahce Top 10 photos

Veteran Nick Calathes was one of the most important Fenerbahce players this season

In his second season with Fenerbahce, Johnathan Motley will be playing at his first Final Four

Scottie Wilbekin's 13.2 points and 3.3 assists per game were a main factor in Fenerbahce's trip to the Final Four

Amine Noua arrived later in the season and quickly found ways to contribute

Veteran Marko Guduric shows here that he will do whatever is needed to help Fenerbahce

Dyshawn Pierre and Georgios Papagiannis fight for the rebound. Both will be making their first Final Four appearance

Dyshawn Pierre has averaged 5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists this season

Nigel Hayes-Davis is notorious for his offensive feats, but here he has shows his hustle on the other end

Nate Sestina made his EuroLeague debut this season and his role has grown as the season went on

Big man Georgios Papagiannis played his first season outside of his native Greece after six campaigns with Panathinaikos

Olympiacos heads to its third consecutive Final Four thanks to an array of stars. Here's a look at some of the best photos taken of the Reds along the way. 

Road to Berlin: Olympiacos Top 10 photos

Thomas Walkup has been the heart of this Olympiacos team on both ends of the court

Mid-season signing big man Moses Wright gelled with the Reds almost immediately

After winning the title with Real Madrid, Nigel Williams-Goss returned to the Reds to seek another crown

Moustapha Fall is one of the most dominant big men in the league and he made sure everybody noticed

Isaiah Canaan is having his best EuroLeague season so far with 11.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game

In his fifth season with Olympiacos, Shaq McKissic has become a fan-favorite and key piece

Kostas Papanikolaou remains a beacon for what it means to play for Olympiacos

Filip Petrusev arrived in the middle of the regular season and he became a reliable player in the middle

Big man Nikola Milutinov returned to Olympiacos this season and overcame injuries to shine in the playoffs

With the departure of former MVP Sasha Vezenkov, Alec Peters stepped up and become one of Olympiacos' biggest threats on offense

Defending champion Real Madrid led the standings all season. Here are some of the best photos of Los Blancos along the way

Road to Berlin: Real Madrid Top 10 photos

Walter Tavares uses his size to intimidate opponents on defense for the defending champs

Facu Campazzo confirmed this season that he is one of the best point guards in the league

Guerschon Yabusele's athleticism is a perfect match for spectacular moments in any Real game

Veteran Sergio Llull has already won three EuroLeague titles with Real and now looks to win his fourth

Mario Hezonja has quickly become one of Real's main offensive references and also a fan-favorite

Vincent Poirier's role as a back-up big man for Walter Tavares was more important than ever this season

Gabriel Deck's averaged 9.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in his sixth EuroLeague season, all of them with Real

A young player with limited playing time, Eli Ndiaye already made 21 appearances this season, 11 of them as a starter

Dzanan Musa's offensive abilities are second to none, but the Real player also shows his defensive chops in this picture

When his teammates find him, Walter Tavares is almost a guaranteed basket inside the paint

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Adriatic League finals by edging cross-town archrivals Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 85-82 in Game 1 at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on Monday.

Zvezda takes win in Adriatic finals opener

Yago Dos Santos led the winners with 18 points and 6 assists. Milos Teodosic and Luka Mitrovic each added 14 points while Dejan Davidovac had 12 for Zvezda. James Nunnally led Partizan with 27 points on 6-for-9 three-point shooting. Kevin Punter added 13 points while Aleksa Avramovic scored 10 for the guests.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">POBEDA u prvoj utakmici finala ✅<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/sportmts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sportmts</a> <a href="https://t.co/UtL75GrBdb">pic.twitter.com/UtL75GrBdb</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1790126219301703776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Nunnally struck from downtown and Punter added a driving layup to give Partizan a 17-20 lead after 10 minutes. Mateusz Ponitka and Nunnally soon boosted the guests' lead to 26-35. Branko Lazic and Dos Santos fueled a 9-0 run that tied score near halftime and Zach Leday's buzzer-beater for Partizan fixed the halftime score at 39-39. Zvezda improved its offense after the break, as Davidovac and Mitrovic gave their team a 55-48 margin. Nunnally, Punter and Jaleen Smith each hit a triple to keep Partizan within 64-61 after 30 minutes. Ponitka gave Partizan its last lead, 76-78, with under 3 minutes left, but Nemanja Nedovic, Dos Santos and Davidovac put Zvezda ahead 83-80 with 11 seconds left. Nunnally and Davidovac traded free throws, and Avramovic missed from beyond midcourt at the buzzer.

Days before the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, Germany, Real Madrid center Vincent Poirier sat down with Javier Gancedo of EuroLeague.net to talk about his basketball origins.

Vincent Poirier, Real: 'I signed here because I want to win'

[Vincent Poirier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vincent-poirier/004887/) is having a career-best season that is confirming his status as one of the best players in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. He has averaged 8.9 points on 67.7% two-point shooting, 5.4 rebounds and a league-best 1.5 blocks for a PIR of 13.5 in less than 19 minutes on the floor. On per 40-minute basis, Poirier ranks fourth in PIR (29.4), second in blocks (3.3), seventh in rebounds (11.7) and sixth in two-point shots made (7.8).

His outstanding blocks - often denying dunk attempts, alley-oop dunks and blue-collar mentality have turned him into a Real fan favorite. Los Blancos fans always appreciate a player who matches the club's endless ambition.

"I signed here because I want to win. I want to win titles and live this emotion, because it's an emotion that you can have only when you win, and it's addictive," Poirier said. "We are a perfect fit because I wanted that and I know they can give me that. It was a great opportunity to come here and win trophies."

Asked about Real's chance to win back-to-back EuroLeague trophies for the first time since 1968, Poirier said he embraces the opportunity of making even greater history with Los Blancos.

"That's the goal, to leave my print on basketball. And if I can do that in Madrid, in 60 years they will say, yes, the last team that won back-to-back was with Vincent Poirier, 'Chacho' Rodriguez, Yabusele and all that. I will take it as well," he said.

Poirier also answered about his relationship with Walter Tavares. Together, Poirier and Tavares have dominated the competition over the last two seasons, combining for 3.1 blocks per night.

"Obviously, he is a huge player, maybe the one that makes the difference in Europe as a center. I really enjoy playing with him, sharing the court with him and being able to compete with each other, to make the team better" Poirier said. "I think we compete at the highest level together and that benefits the team, so that's great."