Thanks to star performances from Alec Peters, Nikola Milutinov and Nigel Williams-Goss, among others, Olympiacos B.C. defeated Panathinaikos B.C. 78-88 in Round 1 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Olympiacos’s winning mentality shined through in Greek derby

Olympiacos Piraeus may have lost a couple of major pieces to the roster that came up just short of winning the title last season, but [Friday night’s 78-88 overtime win over Panathinaikos Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-olympiacos-bc/) showed that the Reds are not going away any time soon. What’s more, the Round 1 victory made clear that the Reds’ perseverance and winning mentality are very much still present.

Olympiacos was without big man Moustapha Fall and fell behind by 10 points at OAKA against a new-look Panathinaikos, now led by two-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Ergin Ataman. Yet, it continued to fight in a back-and-forth shootout before dominating in overtime to secure the win.

“This is the quality of this team. Even when they were up by 10 points in the first half, we never gave up,” stated Olympiacos center [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/), who returned to the club this summer after three years away. The Serbian ended up playing 35 minutes at center without Fall on hand to give him some rest.

“We will never give up,” added Milutinov. “We will always play until the end. This is the strength of this team. We just have to keep going and improving and hopefully the players will all be back and we can show our full power.”

The top plays of Olympiacos Piraeus center Nikola Milutinov during the Reds' 78-88 overtime victory against Panathinaikos Athens in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Nikola Milutinov's best plays vs. Panathinaikos

### Remaining strong as a unit

Many people came into the season wondering what Olympiacos may take a step back after losing the likes of Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas during the offseason. But, a large majority of the core remains – and that showed as Olympiacos fought through the adversity as only a team with a strong understanding of itself can.

Besides Milutinov coming in, having previously represented the Reds from 2015 to 2020, another returnee in guard [Nigel Williams-Goss](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nigel-williams-goss/007982/) scored 16 points, including some big shots down the stretch.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🔴⚪️👏🏽💪🏽🔊<br><br>No words needed!<br><br>O-L-Y-M-P-I-A-C-O-S<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://t.co/PRVNrq0mA2">pic.twitter.com/PRVNrq0mA2</a></p>&mdash; OLYMPIACOS BC (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1710405323222130774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Alec Peters helped fill the Vezenkov void

Olympiacos ended up with five players in double figures, of which one was [Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/), who took on the role of Vezenkov, last season’s EuroLeague MVP. The 28-year-old finished with 17 points on 9 shots, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals without a single turnover for a PIR of 31. An impressive night to say the least.

“Coming into the season, I’ve felt pretty good,” Peters commented afterward. “Our team is so resilient, coming down at the end of the game and hitting some big shots and withstanding their runs and rebounding the ball.”

The best plays of Olympiacos Piraeus forward Alec Peters during his team's 78-88 overtime victory against Panathinaikos Athens in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Alec Peters's top plays vs. Panathinaikos

Peters said the team is aware of the quality that left the team. At the same time, the forward and his teammates are hungry to win the EuroLeague title after losing in the championship game to Real Madrid last season.

“Everybody on our team has that feeling that we need to step up,” he continued. “We didn’t finish the job last year. That feeling is still with some of us. This season, this pre-season, the guys who have been battling for a month feel that. We feel that on our shoulders and we all need to step up.”

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bwinMVP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bwinMVP</a>, Alec Peters!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsPiraeus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisIsPiraeus</a> <a href="https://t.co/IruPgKd45S">pic.twitter.com/IruPgKd45S</a></p>&mdash; OLYMPIACOS BC (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1710394940809789520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

But Peters was also aware that it’s only Round 1: “It’s just one win. It’s a long season, but it’s great to get that first win tonight.”

It’s just one game, but the Greek derby is not just any game – and especially a Panathinaikos side that looks a lot stronger than last year. With Milutinov, Williams-Goss and Peters, among others, playing as they did in Round 1, Olympiacos will remain one of the teams to beat in the 2023-24 EuroLeague season.

More Olympiacos News

Alec Peters high-fives his Olympiacos Piraeus teammates after the Reds' 78-88 overtime victory against Panathinaikos Athens in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Despite some key departures over the summer, the Reds remain a real force in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Panathinaikos Athens v Olympiacos Piraeus (2023-10-06T18:15:00.000Z)

A resounding win in the Greek derby, added to an outstanding individual performance, has seen Alec Peters of Olympiacos Piraeus to claim Round 1 MVP honors in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Round 1 MVP: Alec Peters, Olympiacos Piraeus

A resounding win in the Greek derby, added to an outstanding individual performance, has seen [Alec Peters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alec-peters/008829/) of Olympiacos Piraeus to claim Round 1 MVP honors in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Peters led Olympiacos to a 78-88 overtime road win against archrival Panathinaikos Athens. Peters led the Reds with 17 points on 5-of-7 two-pointers, 2-of-2 three-pointers and 1-of-1 free throws. He pulled down 10 rebounds to record his first-ever double-double in his 146th Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearance. Peters added 4 assists, a career-high 4 steals and 2 fouls drawn for a PIR of 31, matching his personal-best effort.

[Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan had a PIR of 38 in a losing effort, as his side were defeated 85-82 in overtime on the road at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Mirotic finished the game with 27 points on 6-of-9 two-pointers and 3-of-5 three-pointers, while he also added 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block and 7 fouls drawn. [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/) of AS Monaco amassed a PIR of 29 in his team's 70-65 road loss against Valencia Basket. James had 21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 6 fouls drawn. [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, with a PIR of 26, [Juancho Hernangomez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/juancho-hernangomez/012712/) of Panathinaikos and [Lorenzo Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/lorenzo-brown/009622/) of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, each with a PIR of 25, complete the top individual performances in Round 1.

Alec Peters | RS Round 1 MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

Nikola Mirotic of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan was the opening round's top scorer, netting 27 points against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

Mirotic and Khalifa Diop of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz each pulled down 11 rebounds in Round 1.

Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul dished as many as 12 assists, more than any other player in Round 1, as his side lost 91-74 to FC Barcelona.

Round 1 MVP, Alec Peters of Olympiacos Piraeus, and John Brown of AS Monaco each collected 4 steals in the season opener.

As many as seven players blocked 2 shots in this round: Juancho Hernangomez of Panathinaikos Athens, Semi Ojeleye of Valencia Basket, Nikola Milutinov of Olympiacos, Serge Ibaka of FC Bayern Munich, Louis Olinde of ALBA Berlin, Balsa Koprivica of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Fabien Causeur of Real Madrid. Causeur blocked 2 shots for the first time since December 2016, having previously combined for 7 blocks in his last 146 games with Real.

Larkin, Mirotic, Peters, Hernangomez, Chima Moneke of Baskonia, Mathias Lessort of Panathinaikos and Isaac Bonga of Bayern each registered a double-double in Round 1.

Round 1 individual highs: Shane Larkin, Efes, 12 assists

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime offers weekly prizes to the top team manager. 

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Round 1 winner

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans, we have our first winner in the  [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/dashboard)! Djordje Pavlovic beat everyone else in Round 1 with the team BC Rocket, which had a Fantasy Challenge score of 229.65

Djordje had the following lineup: team captain Nikola Mirotic of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Lorenzo Brown of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Rokas Giedraitis of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Alec Peters of Olympiacos Piraeus and Joffrey Lauvergne of LDLC ASVEL Villeubanne as starters, Johannes Thiemann of ALBA Berlin as sixth man, his teammate Matt Thomas, Michalis Lountzis of Olympiacos, Josep Puerto of Valencia Basket and Marius Grigonis of Panathinaikos Athens as bench players, as well as Pablo Laso of FC Bayern Munich as head coach. The prize for finishing first in Round 1 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2024-25 season!

Djordje is also now the leader of the  [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/dashboard) overall standings.

Trades are now open for Round 2. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

The first game in Round 2, Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Real Madrid, is scheduled to tip off on Thursday, October 12 at 19:30 CET, and thus marks next round's deadline.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become our next round winner!

On his Valencia Basket debut, Semi Ojeleye starred as the Spanish side beat AS Monaco Basket 70-65 in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Semi Ojeleye stepped up to power Valencia Basket past Monaco

Valencia Basket ground out an industrious yet impressive [70-65 win over AS Monaco](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-valencia-basket-vs-as-monaco-basket/) in their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague opener on Friday, as forward [Semi Ojeleye](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/semi-ojeleye/011982/) shined on his debut for the Spanish side after joining them from Virtus Segafredo Bologna during the close season.

Ojeleye paced Valencia with 19 points and drove his team to victory against last season’s surprise package, as Monaco had defied the odds to reach the Final Four in Kaunas. A new-look Valencia trailed by 8 points in the third quarter (43-51) and also stared at defeat in the closing stages of the rip-roaring encounter (61-63), with the lead changing hands time and again in La Fonteta.

The top plays of Semi Ojeleye during Valencia Basket's 80-75 win against AS Monaco in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Semi Ojeleye's best plays vs. Monaco

### Chris Jones was also key

However, Chris Jones buried a clutch three-pointer amid a 9-0 Valencia run which forced the final twist, with Ojeleye and Stefan Jovic then sinking 4 free throws to put Monaco to the sword. Jones was also instrumental in Valencia’s success with 14 points and the hosts prevailed despite committing a staggering 20 turnovers. However, they also racked up 38 rebounds to Monaco’s 29, having also produced four blocks.

Monaco was overly reliant on Mike James, who paced all scorers with 21 points, with Elie Okobo adding 17 for the visitors. Their big men Donatas Moteijunas, Donta Hall and Alpha Diallo lost the battle in the paint against more energetic rivals, who always seemed to be a step ahead to the boards at both ends of the court. The visitors also sorely missed long-term casualty Jordan Loyd, who will be out of action for at least two months with a back injury, as well as NBA stalwart Kemba Walker, who is not back to full fitness.

“It’s unacceptable in a EuroLeague game to allow the opponent to have so many offensive rebounds and convert them into points,” Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic said during his post-game press conference. “This game was decided by one or two loose balls which went Valencia’s way and we can’t complain. As for Kemba Walker, he’s had one practice session with the team.”

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="in" dir="ltr">𝙁𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙩𝙖 😍<br><br>🏆 J1 <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a><a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@valenciabasket</a> 70<br>🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ASMonaco_Basket</a> 65<br>🤝 <a href="https://twitter.com/bthetravelbrand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bthetravelbrand</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ig5d8U1G5D">pic.twitter.com/Ig5d8U1G5D</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1710396623031787532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Ojeleye, Robertson provided a 'spark'

Valencia coach Alex Mumbru praised his team for a valiant effort. “We knew it was going to be a very difficult and physical game. We dominated the boards, but had too many turnovers. We fell behind in the third quarter, but we got the spark from three-pointers by Semi Ojeleye and Kassius Robertson. A full house in La Fonteta lifted them and I am very happy for the team.”

If Ojeleye’s debut was this good, Valencia fans should be in for a treat. It surely won’t be too long before we see his No. 37 jersey flying off the shelves in Valencia’s club shop.

Game Videos

Game News

Valencia Basket head coach Alex Mumbru speaks with Semi Ojeleye during the Spanish side's 70-65 win against AS Monaco in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

On his Valencia Basket debut, he was instrumental in his team defeating last season's Final Four semifinalist.

Semi Ojeleye stepped up to power Valencia past Monaco

Valencia Basket v AS Monaco (2023-10-06T18:30:00.000Z)

Real Madrid leaned on its three-point shooting as it defeated Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 77-79 in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Three-point shooting allowed Real Madrid to overcome absences at Baskonia

Heading into a tough road game without the services of two key players who averaged more than 12 rebounds per game did not make things easy for Real Madrid against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on Friday night. Yet, the reigning Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champ shrugged off the absences of Walter Tavares and Gabriel Deck to claim a statement-making 77-79 victory at Buesa Arena.

With Eli NDiaye also unavailable for personal reasons, Real had just two centers available: Vincent Poirier and 16 year-old EuroLeague debutant Ismaila Diagne. Coach Chus Mateo opted to start with Diagne, but he only lasted five minutes after picking up 2 fouls. Then Poirier also raced to 2 fouls, also sending him to the bench for the remainder of the first half.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🏹 Nuestros máximos anotadores 🆚 <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Baskonia</a>:<br><br>✨ <a href="https://twitter.com/viinze_17P?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@viinze_17P</a> | 10 puntos<br>✨ <a href="https://twitter.com/DzMusa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DzMusa</a> | 13 ountos<br>✨ <a href="https://twitter.com/23Llull?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@23Llull</a> | 15 puntos<br>✨ <a href="https://twitter.com/yabusele28?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@yabusele28</a> | 18 puntos<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HalaMadrid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HalaMadrid</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/gitNO7LTk2">pic.twitter.com/gitNO7LTk2</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1710397725026418711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Real Madrid leaned on its three-point shooting

Baskonia led at the break 47-43, but Real was staying in the game through its three-point shooting – and the same story continued after the interval. Even Poirier contributed to the deep game, knocking down a three-pointer during a strong start to the second half which saw him score 7 points in a two-minute spell.

Nevertheless, the home team continued to use its physical advantage to maintain the lead and was up by 75-69 midway through the final period. But Real again came back, and appropriately enough it was through three-point shooting as Fabien Causeur and Guerschon Yabusele struck consecutive triples to tie it up.

Real Madrid made 15 three-pointers during its 77-79 win against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Real Madrid's 15 made triples vs. Baskonia

### Defense and threes were the key

Sensing blood, Real powered through the final minutes by relying on smothering defense, holding Baskonia to just 4 points in the last six minutes. A steal and score from Facundo Campazzo typified the reigning champ’s defensive effort in the closing stages, and also provided the final basket of the game to secure a 77-79 win.

Real triumphed thanks to its three-point shooting, making 15 of its 39 three-point attempts. That allowed it to overcome a lack of inside play, converting just 13 of 29 two-point shots, and being outrebounded a whopping 53 to 36. Another big credit goes to its perimeter defense, which restricted Baskonia to 5 three-pointers on 27 attempts.

And, overall, it showed that Real can do what champions do: overcome the odds and find a way to win.

Dzanan Musa of Real Madrid celebrates a made basket during his team's 77-79 win on the road at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Los Blancos made 15 of their shots from deep en route to a 77-79 win at Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Three-point shooting allowed Real Madrid to overcome absences 

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Real Madrid (2023-10-06T18:30:00.000Z)

Nikola Milutinov was one of the main stars as Olympiacos Piraeus defeated Panathinaikos Athens 78-88 in overtime in their Round 1 matchup to start the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Olympiacos's Nikola Milutinov dominated the Greek derby

Olympiacos Piraeus center [Nikola Milutinov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-milutinov/003941/) overcame the absence of frontcourt teammate Moustapha Fall as he fought through tiredness to dominate in the [Reds’ 78-88 overtime victory against Greek rival Panathinaikos Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-olympiacos-bc/).

Milutinov recorded 15 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in the win. That production came in nearly 36 minutes for the 28-year-old, who missed nearly the entire second quarter due to foul trouble.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Final Score! W!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OlympiacosBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OlympiacosBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TogetherWeFight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TogetherWeFight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAOOLY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAOOLY</a> <a href="https://t.co/dISmROljWM">pic.twitter.com/dISmROljWM</a></p>&mdash; OLYMPIACOS BC (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1710389303967101064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Watching on from the bench

Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas took the Serbian big man out just 34 seconds into the second quarter after he picked up 2 fouls, and Milutinov did not return until the second half.

With French center Fall unavailable, Bartzokas’s only other option inside was Luke Sikma, who stands just 2.03 meters tall. The American was no match on defense against Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort, which led to the Greens using that to their advantage to jump ahead by 10 points.

Milutinov stayed out of foul trouble the rest of the way and was able to help more on defense in the second half and overtime. He also created more space for the Reds’ shooters, who helped overcome Panathinaikos’s runs and quieten the OAKA crowd.

### Stepping up in overtime

Milutinov played a major role in Olympiacos putting the game away with a 0-12 run to start the overtime period. The Reds had scored the first 5 points of overtime before Panathinaikos star guard Kostas Sloukas drove to the basket, but Milutinov batted the shot away. And then, despite having played nearly the entire second half and the first half of the extra session, Milutinov had the energy to follow the block up with a big alley-oop dunk over Mathias Lessort. 

“Milutinov was pretty tired today because we didn’t have Moustapha Fall to give him some time to rest,” Bartzokas said afterward.

“I’m feeling good,” Milutinov commented after the game, though he clearly looked tired. “It was a tough game. Panathinaikos is a great team. It was a great game. Panathinaikos played great in front of their great fans. It’s good to start the season with a win.”

Milutinov knows he will not have to perform like that every game. But the good thing, following his return to the club over the summer, is that Olympiacos knows it can count on him if needs be.

Nikola Milutinov of Olympiacos Piraeus gets a shot off with three Panathinaikos Athens players - Mathias Lessort, Kostas Sloukas and Juancho Hernangomez - in close proximity.

The Serbian big man had a perfect second Olympiacos Piraeus debut as the Reds defeated Panathinaikos Athens 78-88 in overtime at OAKA.

'Tired' Milutinov dominated the Greek derby in absence of Fall

Following his retirement from basketball, Gigi Datome was honored by the team with whom he became a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion, Fenerbahce, in its season-opener against his last team, Olimpia Milano.

Datome took a final bow for Fenerbahce fans

Round 1 brought a special game between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, a true thriller in which the hosts prevailed [85-82 in overtime](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-ea7-emporio-armani-milan/E2023/6/). It was extra special for [Luigi Datome](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/luigi-datome/ccd/), who [retired from basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/gigi-datome-charismatic-2017-euroleague-champ-ends-his-club-career/) barely a month ago, as he watched the last two teams he played for over a total of eight seasons face each other.

Datome played for Fenerbahce from 2015 to 2020 and was a fan favorite in Istanbul due to his high-level performances on the court and his interest for Turkish culture and lifestyle. As a player, Datome helped Fenerbahce reach four consecutive Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Fours and make it to all three championship games between 2016 and 2018. Datome lifted the trophy with Fenerbahce in 2017 and was the star of the post-game celebration, when Pero Antic cut a lock of his hair on top of the podium.

Datome embraced Turkish culture, learned the language and did his best to fit it, which was highly appreciated by fans, Fenerbahce or not. In fact, his pre-game speech at Ulker Sports and Event Hall on Friday night was in Turkish, thanking everybody for the warm reception. Datome went on to play for Milan for the last three season, reaching another Final Four in 2022. Before that, he played for Montepaschi Siena, Scafati Basket and Virtus Roma of Italy, Detroit and Boston of the NBA.

<center><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A 𝐿𝐸𝒢𝐸𝒩𝒟 in Istanbul... <a href="https://twitter.com/GigiDatome?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GigiDatome</a> is honored by <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBBasketbol</a> 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/QA6aXFYmW5">pic.twitter.com/QA6aXFYmW5</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1710351477640736939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

"Greetings everyone! It's always great to see you. You know me very well! This arena is a part of my heart. I love this hall, I love these colors, I loved my teammates, my teachers, the office, the management, everyone and everything in Istanbul. I love you very, very much too," Datome said before the game. "We were not just players here, we were the best team in the world together. Your love for me is more important than trophies. I will be a Fenerbahce fan forever!"

<center><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Bu takım,<br>Bu taraftar,<br>Bu şehir,<br>Bu ülke seni çok sevdi!<br>Her zaman bizim olan…<br><br>Grazie Gigi! 💛💙<a href="https://twitter.com/GigiDatome?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GigiDatome</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YellowLegacy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YellowLegacy</a> <a href="https://t.co/ti1miz7m13">pic.twitter.com/ti1miz7m13</a></p>&mdash; Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBBasketbol/status/1709950384427389204?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>


The day before the game, Datome's career was celebrating with a special video Fenerbahce made, using one of Datome's favorite songs, Society by Eddie Vedder. Some of the people wearing Datome's jersey in the video were part of Fenerbahce's staff. The club made sure to honor one of its most legendary players' career and did it in style! Fenerbahce rounded out a special night with a hard-fought victory. Scottie Wilbekin paced the winners with 19 points. Marko Guduric, Tyler Dorsey and Georgios Papagiannis each added 15 for Fenerbahce in a winning effort!

Following his retirement from basketball, Gigi Datome was honored by the team with whom he became a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion, Fenerbahce, in its season-opener against his last team, Milan.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2023-10-06T17:45:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket got its Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season off to the perfect start with a gutsy 70-65 home win over AS Monaco after forward Chris Jones served up a stellar fourth-quarter performance which forced the visitors into submission. 

Valencia overpowers Monaco, 70-65, to make perfect start

<incrowd-live-blog id="65202421b375982c8fd7628c" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>


<script>
(function (document) {
  setTimeout(() => {
    const script = document.createElement('script');
    script.async = true;
    script.defer = true;
    script.src = 'https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js';
    document.body.appendChild(script);
  }, 1000);
})(document);
</script>

Damien Inglis of Valencia Basket in possession of the ball during his team's 70-65 win against AS Monaco in Round 1 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.