His three-pointer helped AS Monaco come away with a 92-89 win.
Monaco’s Okobo relives game-winner vs. ALBA: ‘I just don’t miss that’
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The heroics of AS Monaco guard Elie Okobo in Round 14 of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season saw him earn applause from royalty in the stands. With Monaco tied 89-89 at home to ALBA Berlin, the 25-year-old Okobo drained a stepback three-pointer with time expiring to give the French side a 92-89 victory.
It was just another example of the Monaco guard’s progression as a player, as he took over the responsibility while usual go-to man Mike James watched on. ALBA had focused most of its defense around stopping James all night long, but Okobo was ready to stick a dagger in their hearts with his walk-off triple.
“We were struggling all game long with the combined defense from ALBA, with the main idea being to take Mike out of the game – and they actually did it pretty good,” admits Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic.
“They tied the game and we had a timeout. It’s kind of like the moment of truth. It’s time to win the game,” states Okobo.
“We wanted him to [have the final shot] and I really have a lot of trust in the player. I know he can do it,” adds Coach Obradovic.
As they say, the rest is history. Okobo carried the ball up the floor, swung the ball to Jaron Blossomgame and, upon receiving it back, he sat down then-ALBA guard Maodo Lo before stepping back to nail the three-pointer from the EuroLeague logo.
“When Jaron passed me the ball back, I just did a stepback,” Okobo explains. “I just grabbed the ball, jabbed left. Without hesitation, I did my move. It’s just when the ball is in the air, I was like, ‘Man, I just don’t miss that.’”
“As a player, that’s what you dream of: a crazy move, make the defender fall, game-winner with no time left,” says Monaco guard Jordan Loyd. That’s like an ideal dream situation. Elie has a lot swag to his game, so I wasn’t too surprised he did that.”
It was quite the moment for Okobo, who ended up playing an important role as Monaco reached the 2023 Final Four for the first time in its history. Expectation levels are even higher for the French club this season, and Okobo will no doubt be hoping to add another game-winner or two to his resumé in the 2023-24 campaign.