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Final Fours, 2002 to 2021

Relive the pre-championship game show with these great photos

Each year, individuals have the opportunity to sign up to volunteer at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. For this year's event, which was held in Kaunas, Lithuania, logistical problems caused headaches for some, but surely nothing was like the experience Mashkur Abdulhamid Isa had in reaching European basketball's showpiece event. A Nigerian who resides in Poland, Mashkur made the trip from the Hungarian capital of Budapest to Kaunas – but with several issues along the way.

One volunteer went above and beyond at the Final Four

Each year, individuals have the opportunity to sign up to volunteer at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. For this year's event, which was held in Kaunas, Lithuania, logistical problems caused headaches for some, but surely nothing was like the experience Mashkur Abdulhamid Isa had in reaching European basketball's showpiece event. A Nigerian who resides in Poland, Mashkur made the trip from the Hungarian capital of Budapest to Kaunas – but with several issues along the way.

"Yeah, that was a bit tricky," a smiling Mashkur stated when asked about how he got from Budapest to Kaunas.

This year, a total of 639 people signed up to be a volunteer at the Final Four, but in the end, 152 made the cut. Of those 152 individuals, there were 80 men and 72 women who were aged between 18 and 60, while there were also 62 international volunteers from 24 countries. Mashkur was one.

Mashkur, like the other volunteers, committed to being a Final Four volunteer at his own expense entirely, paying for his own travel and accommodation. In fact, in the case of many, they are not even in the arena for the game, as their help may be needed at the FanZone or other places.

In the case of Mashkur, his first tasks were set to begin on Thursday, May 18 with a One Team session at 18:00 local time. He had initially planned to make the trip to Kaunas on the 17th, giving him plenty of time to familiarize himself with his surroundings for the coming days.

With Mashkur's first tasks set to begin on Thursday, May 18 – a One Team session at 18:00 local time – he had initially planned to make the trip to Kaunas on the 17th, giving him plenty of time to familiarize himself with his surroundings for the coming days. 

He decided to use the carpooling service BlaBlaCar to try and catch a ride with some other people heading to the Lithuanian city, having seen how expensive it would be to go by plane or train. However, that is where Mashkur's problems began.

"There was a group that I wrote to \[on BlaBlaCar\] saying that I'm just looking for anyone going from Budapest to Kaunas on that evening \[of the 17th\]," Mashkur continued. "I didn’t get a response, then the admin said that he was going to forward it to another group. 

"Later that day, I got a message from someone saying, 'Okay, hey, I will offer you the ride. What time do you want to go?' So, I said, '8pm.' We agreed to 40 euros in the end. Okay, let's go. 

"He then sent me a link; he said that it's to make a reservation so that there's confirmation. I put my card details into BlaBlaCar – or at least what I thought was BlaBlaCar – and then my banking app told me that I needed to approve the transaction, which was down as 50 euros \[not 40, as agreed\]. Anyway, I just wanted to get there, so I approved it.

"Long story short, at some point I realized that it was a scam; it wasn’t really a trip. Later on, I froze my card on my banking app – I saw that somebody did two transactions, but it couldn't be processed because the card was frozen. 

"But anyway, I just forgot about it and decided, 'Okay, fine. The best option I have is to get the bus.' So, I had to get the bus from Budapest to Warsaw and then from Warsaw to Kaunas."

Mashkur knew that the bus would take a long time. And so it proved. And when he finally arrived in Kaunas, he discovered that he'd missed the One Team session by an hour!

"All in all, it was about 21 or 22 hours on the journey. But, there was a delay with the departure from Budapest. I was even scared because the time between the connection was two hours. I was scared that I might miss the connection!" Mashkur laughed. "We were supposed to leave at 22:15, but we didn't leave until almost midnight, so it was almost two hours delayed. 

"Then, on the second trip, there was also a delay... We arrived like one hour late. I was just like, 'Aaaahh.' When I arrived, I just said, 'Okay, fine.' I think I arrived at 19:00 and the One Team session was at 18:00, then I just tried to find how to get to the venue to get my accreditation and stuff." 

Rather than rest after that experience, and with his next shift not until the following morning, Mashkur decided that he wanted to get to work immediately and help the other volunteers. 

"I made it, and fortunately, because my shift was starting at 8am the next morning, I stayed in the volunteer center until the team lead finished, so I was there until 11pm that day. But, at least after that everything was good," he said with a big smile on his face.

Mashkur's tasks at the Final Four involved helping with game operations and later as a runner, and he performed these roles excellently, despite having to fast for the first two days of his time in Kaunas. Although Ramadan came to an end on April 21, Mashkur, a practicing Muslim, explained why he could only eat at night.

"Ramadan finished before the Final Four, but then immediately after there is a month and it's recommended to fast for six days," he noted. "Those six days in addition to Ramadan, it's like the blessings are more for a year. 

"I think it was only on the last day when I wasn’t fasting. I wasn't eating lunch, then I was just eating dinner. Also, at the end of my shift, I had to see if there's anyone who can take my position, then I'd run to the volunteers' center, grab something to eat for 5-10 minutes and then go back. I think it was more demanding, because of what I had to do, especially on the day I came because of all the issues. But, my team were supportive, so that was nice."

Mashkur said he thoroughly enjoyed his time as a volunteer at the Final Four and he is already thinking about heading to Berlin for next season's event.

"Yeah, definitely," he stated. "I'm planning to be there next year as well."

Euroleague Basketball joined forces with several partners to ensure that the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four continued promoting sustainability education and initiatives for the participants and visitors to Kaunas for the games. The final result left its mark on the city.

Final Four sustainability initiatives leave their mark on Kaunas

Euroleague Basketball joined forces with several partners to ensure that the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four continued promoting sustainability education and initiatives for the participants and visitors to Kaunas for the games. The final result left its mark on the city.

One of the main programs was the Final Four Walking Challenge. Organized in conjunction with the Lithuania-based app #walk15, the goal was to encourage more people to walk around the city to reduce carbon emissions as well as to plant at least 5,000 trees, which come on top of the 10,000 trees Euroleague Basketball already planted during a ceremony on May 6. Together, that took to project to 15,000 trees, which matched the capacity of Zalgirio Arena for the Final Four. In practice, the program surpassed that benchmark; 7,332 people participated and walked 229,417,951 steps in total.

On May 21, the first of the 5,735 trees from the Final Four Walking Challenge were planted as part of a community celebration with the Final Four Steps Forest. The City of Kaunas, Final Four Ambassador Patrick Femerling, Zalgiris Kaunas player Keenan Evans, the Lithuanians Forestry Office and #walk15 took part in the event. As part of its sustainable mobility goal, the walking challenge also promoted the use of the extra trains and buses scheduled for the Final Four instead cars to get to Kaunas and altogether, the app use resulted in 29,473 kilograms of carbon emissions avoided.

Educating players and fans about the importance of planet care was also a chief goal at the Final Four. During the welcome session for players at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament, representatives from adidas and Euroleague Basketball as well as Final Four ambassador David Rivers discussed climate change and sustainable mobility with the players.

Moreover, there were plastic recycling stations at all Final Four facilities and, in collaboration with Kauno RATC, visitors to the FanZone were able to watch a video about the successful sorting of mixed waste in the Kaunas region and see an example at the FanZone of sorted products in a bale of compressed PET plastic.

These sustainability initiatives were supported by #walk15, the Lithuanian Forestry Office, Lithuanian train company LTG Link, Kauno autobusai, Zalgiris Kaunas, adidas, Kauno RATC and the City of Kaunas.

Real Madrid managed to lift its 11th continental crown in Kaunas, Lithuania. After the Championship Game, the champs dropped by the photo studio at the arena itself to take some photos that will immortalize that night forever.

Real Madrid trophy photo shoot

Ambassadors played their part in the Kaunas Final Four

The 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four will live long in the memory of European basketball fans for the teams' elite-level play on the court and the unforgettable moments that came with it. Throughout the weekend, fans were able to stay up to date with the latest news, plays and behind-the-scenes access leading to record numbers across all of Euroleague Basketball's digital platforms.

Euroleague digital footprint hits record numbers at 2023 Final Four

**• Double digit growth on all digital platforms’ indicators**

**• More than 84 million impressions and 31 million video views during the Final Four weekend**

The 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four will live long in the memory of European basketball fans for the teams' elite-level play on the court and the unforgettable moments that came with it. Throughout the weekend, fans were able to stay up to date with the latest news, plays and behind-the-scenes access, leading to record numbers across all of Euroleague Basketball's digital platforms.

Many fans head to the official EuroLeague website in order to remain informed about the latest goings on in the world of Europe's premier basketball competition and there was plenty on offer for those who stopped by. This total increased by 44.4% in terms of users and by 44.77% when counting the number of sessions. Page views were up by 43.81%.

The competition's social media accounts also registered record growth with across the board increases of 44% when counting impressions and 55% in reach. There was a 48% rise in terms of engagement, more than double – 104% - the number of views and an increase of 17% in total followers.

Looking specifically at which platforms saw the biggest growth for the EuroLeague social media accounts, Instagram was a big hit. Over the Final Four week, impressions rose by 43%, the reach increased by 71%, engagement expanded by 52%, views shot up by 174%, and the number of followers enlarged by 17%.

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margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CshCRK9u3Qs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">Una publicación compartida de Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@euroleague)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

On TikTok, the success reached another level. In terms of impressions, the EuroLeague saw an increase of 128%. Curiously, that is the same percentage that the number of views grew by. Engagement rose by 73% and the number of followers also climbed by 92%.

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<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@euroleague/video/7235942799944764699" data-video-id="7235942799944764699" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;" > <section> <a target="_blank" title="@euroleague" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@euroleague?refer=embed">@euroleague</a> SERGIO LLULL WINS THE EUROLEAGUE FOR REAL MADRID 🏆 <a title="euroleague" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/euroleague?refer=embed">#euroleague</a> <a title="gamewinner" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/gamewinner?refer=embed">#gamewinner</a> <a title="realmadrid" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/realmadrid?refer=embed">#realmadrid</a> <a title="final" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/final?refer=embed">#final</a> <a title="gamewinner" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/gamewinner?refer=embed">#gamewinner</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - EuroLeague" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7235942767954758426?refer=embed">♬ original sound - EuroLeague</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

On Twitter, the number of impressions increased by 73% and views by 99%, while on Facebook, engagement rose by 18%.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/23Llull?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@23Llull</a> FOR THE WIN 🥶🥶🥶 <a href="https://t.co/AnvwUMaEeE">pic.twitter.com/AnvwUMaEeE</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1660362951952302080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

As is the case every year, the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone was the epicenter for all the activities involving the most important people at the Final Four: the fans. Located at Unity Square, right in the heart of Kaunas, the FanZone hosted activities with Final Four ambassadors, as well as One Team activations, 3x3 tournaments, slam dunk contests, games with prizes for all visiting fans... and even a Saturday night concert that drew a crowd of more than 3,000! This year was no exception – the FanZone was the place to be in Kaunas!

Photos from the FanZone

Champion facts: Ndiaye youngest, Rudy third-oldest this century

· Real Madrid now leads the all-time standings with 11 continental crowns since international club competitions began in 1958, three more than second-placed CSKA Moscow. Real has won the competition in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1995, 2015, 2018… and 2023!

· In addition to its 11 EuroLeague titles, Madrid has won four Saporta Cups, a Korac Cup and a EuroCup for 17 total European trophies.

· Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull have now won three EuroLeague titles, all with with Real. The last Spanish players to win three EuroLeague titles were Rafael Rullan, Juan Antonio Corbalan and Luis Maria Prada with Real in 1974, 1978 and 1980.

· Sergio Rodriguez, who also has three EuroLeague titles now, is the first player ever to win the EuroLeague with one team (Real in 2015), then do so with another club (CSKA, 2019) before return to the other club to win again (Real, 2023).

· Fernandez now has three EuroLeague, two World Cup and four EuroBasket titles. Only Dejan Bodiroga and Sergei Belov have won these three competitions multiple times.

· At 38 years, 1 month and 17 days old on Sunday, Fernandez became the third-oldest player this century to lift the EuroLeague trophy. Only his former teammate, Felipe Reyes, and Johnny Rogers (Panathinaikos 2002) were older when they won.

· Walter Tavares has become the second player to earn EuroLeague Best Defender and Final Four MVP honors in the same season. Dimitris Diamantidis was the first to get both awards, in 2011.

· Fernandez headlines the short list of players to have won a World Championship, EuroBasket, EuroLeague and EuroCup. He joins Dejan Tomasevic and Reyes.

· Adam Hanga is the first Hungarian ever to win the EuroLeague. Hanga had reached the championship game with FC Barcelona in 2021 and Real in 2022.

· Walter Tavares, Fabien Causeur and Anthony Randolph are now two-time EuroLeague champions. They all won the EuroLeague with Real in 2018.

· Alberto Abalde and Eli Ndiaye joined an exclusive list of Adidas Next Generation Tournament MVPs who also won the EuroLeague title. Abalde was the ANGT MVP in 2013 with Joventut Badalona. Ndiaye was chosen as the 2022 ANGT MVP with Real. Luka Doncic was previously the only player to get both trophies: he was the ANGT MVP in 2015 and won the EuroLeague in 2018 with Real.

· Eli Ndiaye became the youngest champion to see action in any Final Four this century. Aged 18 years, 10 months and 23 days when the Final Four began, Ndiaye started both games for Real, averaging 7 minutes. 

· Gabriel Deck added his name to a long list of Argentinians who have won the EuroLeague title. The list features Hugo Sconochini (Virtus 1998, 2001), Facu Campazzo (Real 2015, 2018), Manu Ginobili (Virtus 2001), Pepe Sanchez (Panathinaikos 2002) and Andres Nocioni (Real 2015). 

No other game of the season has more eyes on it than the championship game, and that includes eyes peering through camera lenses. Here's a selection of some of the images that the photographers at courtside, behind the baskets and are up in the rafters at Zalgirio Arena were about to capture in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship game won by Real Madrid, 78-79, over Olympiacos Piraeus.

Championship Game photography

Their team's thrilling capture of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague trophy with a game-winning shot in the waning seconds of the Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania, over the weekend inspired an outpouring of Real Madrid fans into the streets of the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening.

Madrid opened its arms to the EuroLeague champions!

Their team's thrilling capture of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague trophy with a game-winning shot in the waning seconds of the Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania, over the weekend inspired an outpouring of Real Madrid fans into the streets of the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening.

They were there to celebrate as the players paraded the EuroLeague champions trophy from the city hall to the regional government headquarters and everywhere in between.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">📸 Foto de familia en la sede de la Comunidad de Madrid.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zxd5lA11bi">pic.twitter.com/Zxd5lA11bi</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661001627585888257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">⏮️🏆 ¡Nuestro equipo ofreció esta mañana la 1️⃣1️⃣º !<br>📍 Comunidad de Madrid<br>📍 Ayuntamiento de Madrid <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/LaHxc8mQ9o">pic.twitter.com/LaHxc8mQ9o</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661084724637384730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



"It's very exciting for all of us to share with all the people of Madrid, including all our club's supporters, this new accomplishment that will stay forever in the memories and hearts of all basketball fans," club president Florentino Perez said.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🙌🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/23Llull?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@23Llull</a> 🙌🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/7UzowMqBnc">pic.twitter.com/7UzowMqBnc</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661054392244776960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">😀🏆 ¡Nuestros <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> ofrecen la Undécima a los <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madridistas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madridistas</a>! 😀🏆 <a href="https://t.co/gBgZsYJez1">pic.twitter.com/gBgZsYJez1</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1660990907028500486?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Looking sharp in their suits and ties for the occasion, the Real Madrid stars mixed with the fans at each stop along the way, signing autographs and taking pictures and letting them touch the trophy, symbol of the club's 11th continental club title and third in the last eight editions.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/SergioRodriguez?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SergioRodriguez</a>: &quot;Muchas gracias a todos y ¡Hala Madrid!&quot;.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/Evi8VUo06l">pic.twitter.com/Evi8VUo06l</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1660984233501020161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">🤩 <a href="https://twitter.com/DzMusa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DzMusa</a> y Adam Hanga, desde el balcón de la sede de la Comunidad: ¡HALA MADRID!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/yVYDsALZym">pic.twitter.com/yVYDsALZym</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1660981102570352640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

"We are very happy to be here again to present you with this EuroLeague title, which has come with a huge effort," team captain Sergio Llull said. "It has been a very difficult season for various reasons. We had a playoff series that was a very steep uphill climb. In fact, no team had previously recovered from 0-2 deficit, and it couldn't be other than Real Madrid to do it. Later, in the Final Four, every last player has been incredible. We made one more demonstration of what it means to wear this jersey."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">👏 El MVP de la Final Four, <a href="https://twitter.com/waltertavares22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@waltertavares22</a>, da las gracias a los <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madridistas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madridistas</a> por el apoyo recibido. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> <a href="https://t.co/aqWduDtRHZ">pic.twitter.com/aqWduDtRHZ</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1660977742416867329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Walter Tavares, who also took home the Final Four MVP trophy, thanked the crowd for their support from afar.

"We felt the energy that all of you transmitted from Madrid," Tavares said. "We were there \[in Kaunas\], but we always felt you close to us at every moment. The \[game-winning shot by Sergio Llull\] signified the positive energy that you were sending, and it went in clean, so thank you to everyone."

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> ❤ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madridistas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madridistas</a> <a href="https://t.co/5UIdUn9LgL">pic.twitter.com/5UIdUn9LgL</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661024182946131970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">🤲 <a href="https://twitter.com/FCauseur1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCauseur1</a> 🤲<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHAMP11ONS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHAMP11ONS</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madridistas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madridistas</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qna0Ypfa9s">pic.twitter.com/Qna0Ypfa9s</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1661042805786152962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Lotus watch brand, Official Timekeeper of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, has gifted an exclusive watch to Real Madrid center Walter Tavares, the Final Four MVP.

 Lotus awards exclusive Final Four MVP watch 


The Lotus watch brand, Official Timekeeper of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, has gifted an exclusive watch to Real Madrid center Walter Tavares, the Final Four MVP.

Tavares received his specially crafted watch soon after Real Madrid defeated Olympiacos Piraeus 78-79 in the thrilling, down-to-the-wire Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game on Sunday in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Lotus, which joined the Euroleague Basketball family of partners before the Final Four, enjoyed exposure as the competition's official timekeeper with a presence on all the 24-second shot clocks around the baskets at Zalgirio Arena.

Lotus watches are known for their contemporary urban and trendy styles, which are befitting of EuroLeague athletes. Just as the EuroLeague stands out on the sporting scene, so too will young consumers seeking a timepiece that marries innovative technology, quality materials and cutting edge design find Lotus unique.

Lotus awards exclusive Final Four MVP watch

Olympiacos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2023-05-21T17:00:00.000Z)

The force of nature that is Walter "Edy" Tavares is the MVP of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four after leading Real Madrid to the championship. 

Edy Tavares crowned as Final Four MVP

The force of nature that is Walter "Edy" Tavares is the MVP of the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four after leading Real Madrid to the championship. Tavares posted double-doubles in both games at the Final Four in Kaunas and in doing so became the first player with three double-doubles in the modern era of the Final Four.

The 2.20-meter center posted 13 points and 10 rebounds in the 78-79 victory over Olympiacos Piraeus after roaring with 20 points, 13 boards and 4 blocks as his team upended archrival FC Barcelona 66-78 in the semifinal. Tavares led all players in Kaunas in rebounds (25) and blocks (4), while coming in second in scoring (33 points). His average PIR of 29.5 was also the best at the Final Four.

Walter Tavares | Final Four MVP | 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

The award caps another magnificent season for the 31-year-old from Cabo Verde. Tavares was selected to the All-EuroLeague First Time for the third time and also chosen as the EuroLeague Best Defender for the third time. He set the single-season record for blocked shots with 88 and most importantly of all, was at his best with the season on the line. Tavares was chosen as the EuroLeague MVP for April and May and now the MVP of the Final Four.

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