Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes S.K. looks back through some of his most important photos in the EuroLeague to date.

Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes: ‘Another day that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life’

For modern-day fans of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, [Shane Larkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/shane-larkin/007200/) of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is among the best players to have stepped foot in the competition. After playing an important role in Efes’s back-to-back EuroLeague-winning seasons in 2020-21 and 2021-22, the 31-year-old looks back through some of his most poignant photos to date.

Larkin’s EuroLeague journey began back in the 2016-17 campaign as he wore the jersey of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, and curiously enough his debut came against Efes. That night, October 14, 2016, the American had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in a thrilling 85-84 victory, and it is a game that he remembers well.

“It was a nice introduction into the EuroLeague, for sure,” says Larkin. “I was nervous, I just didn’t know what to expect. You get into a game like this and you start understanding this is a completely different level than I even thought it was. I had an awakening in that game as to what was ahead of me.”

### Making history

After spending a season back in the NBA, Larkin returned to the EuroLeague in the 2018-19 campaign by joining Efes. He made an instant impact for the team, but one season later – in 2019-20 – he set the EuroLeague scoring record by netting 49 points in a 104-75 win over FC Bayern Munich on November 29, 2019. It’s a night that he’ll never forget.

“I remember, after making that shot, running back and looking at the team and seeing everybody excited and celebrating,” he explains. “That was a highlight of my career, an individualized moment. Just to see all my teammates happy for me and celebrating as if they were doing it themselves was a very nice moment.”

### Going back-to-back

Another season on, Larkin would help inspire Efes to its first-ever EuroLeague title, playing an important role throughout the campaign and also in the postseason. At last, following a couple of years in which Efes was building and building, the Turkish team managed to get over the line.

“There’s so many emotions going through my head. I’m probably at this very moment like, ‘What just happened? Did we actually finally just do it?’” Larkin recalls. “Thinking of all the things that we had been through as a team and myself individually. To finally be there, to finally accomplish the ultimate goal as a team was amazing. I think this picture has all of my emotions wrapped up into one.”

Then, in the 2021-22 campaign, Efes became just the third team this century to secure back-to-back EuroLeauge crowns, with Larkin again playing a vital role. Efes had a tough start to the season but managed to bounce back en route to making history.

“Everybody was saying that we weren’t going to be able to get back to the Final Four, that we were done,” Larkin comments. “For us to persevere through these moments and solidify ourselves as one of the greatest teams in EuroLeague history, I was just looking at them with the second trophy in my hand like, ‘What have they got to say now?’ Another great memory, another great moment, another day that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”

More Efes News

For modern-day fans of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul is among the best players to have stepped foot in the competition. After playing an important role in Efes’s back-to-back EuroLeague-winning seasons in 2020-21 and 2021-22, the 31-year-old looks back through some of his most poignant photos to date.

Shane Larkin, Efes: ‘Another day that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life’

The two-time EuroLeague champion looks through some of the key photos in his career to date.

Shane Larkin career album: ‘Another day that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life’

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade teenage sensation Nikola Topic suffered a knee injury in an 88-72 win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Thursday night. He left the game with 6 minutes to go in the third quarter, and never returned.

Zvezda youngster Topic suffers knee injury

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade teenage sensation [Nikola Topic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-topic/010985/) suffered a knee injury in an 88-72 win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Thursday night. He left the game with 6 minutes to go in the third quarter, and never returned.

Test on Friday determined that Topic will be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks, the club announced.

The 18-year old re-joined the team just last week, after spending the first part of the season on loan. And in two games with him in the lineup, Zvezda registered two resounding victories.

First, on Tuesday, Zvezda beat Fenerbahce on the road 76-85, with Topic collecting 4 points and 4 assists in 19 minutes on the floor. Last night, Topic played 11:31 before leaving the game, and in that time had 3 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, both on offensive glass, and a steal.

Topic spent the last three years in Crvena Zvezda youth system, and had signed a four-year deal with the club this past summer before he was sent on-loan to a fellow Serbian side Mega Mis Belgrade. Prior to this season, Topic had three brief EuroLeague appearances, while starring for U18 Zvezda.

He was voted to the All-Tournament Team at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals, where in three games he averaged 30.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 39.3 PIR, and was the MVP of the ANGT Belgrade event, having posted 26.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 2.0 steals for an average PIR of 33.5. This past summer, Topic was also tournament MVP for leading Serbia to a gold medal at the U18 European Championship.

The morning after a big win over its archrival, Crvena Zvezda learned that it's new young star will be missing in action in upcoming weeks.

After the latest Belgrade Derby, Adam Hanga and Nemanja Nedovic of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade gave their takes on the 88-72 win over archrival Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and the experience as a whole.

 Belgrade Derby winners: 'Unbelievable atmosphere' 

Anyone who witnessed the Belgrade Derby on Thursday saw the one-of-a-kind atmosphere it generates, which makes you wonder what it's like to be at Stark Arena in the Serbian capital for the spectacle as one of the competitors on the floor.

We spoke post-game to two of the derby victors, [Adam Hanga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/adam-hanga/005099/) and [Nemanja Nedovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nemanja-nedovic/000848/) of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, to get their takes on the[ 88-72 win over archrival Partizan ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade-partizan-mozzart-bet-belgrade/E2023/163/#boxscore)Mozzart Bet Belgrade and the experience as a whole.

Both were instrumental to the triumph, with Nedovic scoring a team-high 16 points.

"Unbelievable, really. Unbelievable atmosphere in the gym," Nedovic said afterwards. "I'm very happy that we got this win and that we played the way we played because of the people that came to support us. They are here since the beginning, and we really want to pay them back. For some time they will have some joy because we beat our rivals."

Hanga put up 11 points and had a game-high plus/minus rating of +22.

"When you're present and you feel the vibe and you feel the atmosphere, it's something that I think is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Hanga said. "Everybody should experience that, and I'm super happy that I was part of it and I'm super happy, of course, for the win."

Game News

Some victories resonate more than others, and with the gush of emotion that accompanies the Belgrade Derby, the winners can tell you just how much more.

Belgrade Derby winners: 'Unbelievable, really'

Some victories resonate more than others, and given the gush of emotion that accompanies the Belgrade Derby, the winners can tell you just how much more.  

Belgrade Derby winners: 'Unbelievable atmosphere'

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade v Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (2024-01-04T19:00:00.000Z)

And on Thursday night at a packed Peace and Friendship Stadium, Olympiacos Piraeus leaned on a smothering fourth-quarter defense and a remarkably versatile performance from Thomas Walkup to grind out a valuable 75-73 victory over fellow title contender AS Monaco. 

All-action Thomas Walkup eager to re-watch win over Monaco 

There is more than one way to win a game of basketball and more than one way to star as that game’s most important player.

And on Thursday night at a packed Peace and Friendship Stadium, Olympiacos Piraeus leaned on a smothering fourth-quarter defense and a remarkably versatile performance from [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) to grind out a valuable 75-73 victory over fellow title contender AS Monaco.

Olympiacos trailed nearly all of the game, at one stage by 8 points, but just refused to go away. Despite struggling to find fluent ball movement or smooth penetration against an excellent Monaco defense, the Reds just about scored often enough to stop the game from escaping them, and then gradually stepped up the pressure – with the help of the raucous home crowd – in the decisive latter stages.

Eventually, a halfcourt prayer from Mike James on the final buzzer fell short, and Olympiacos claimed the win after restricting the dangerous visiting offense to just 15 points in the final quarter and 2 field goals in the last 5minutes.

Thomas Walkup's best plays against Monaco

A key to that defensive effort – and everything else – was the all-action Walkup, who flirted with a triple-double as he recorded 9 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 1 steal for a game-high PIR of 22, also spending more time on the floor than any other player with more than 33 minutes of action in a relentlessly grueling contest.

Other key numbers to emerge from Walkup’s performance are seen in the performance of Mike James, who came into the game as the competition’s leading scorer and top-ranked player. But on this occasion, the suffocating defense of Walkup meant that James could only score 10 points on 4-of-14 field goal shooting, with his only three-pointer coming in the final seconds when the margin was 4 points and Olympiacos elected not to defend him closely in order to avoid the danger of conceding a shooting foul.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bwinMVP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bwinMVP</a>, Thomas Walkup! 🥇⚡<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/WeAreOlympiacos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreOlympiacos</a> <a href="https://t.co/JItOOqc7vn">pic.twitter.com/JItOOqc7vn</a></p>&mdash; OLYMPIACOS BC (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1743026579314278405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Walkup’s combination of defense, distribution and scoring meant that he was never far away from the action, and after the game he insisted that he had enjoyed every second. 

“Hell of a game!” he laughed. “Man, I wanna watch that one back as just a neutral fan of basketball. That was a really fun game. Hell of a crowd today, we fought back and really showed our character.” 

Generously, Walkup downplayed his defensive efforts on James, pointing out that the Monaco star exploited the extra attention paid by Olympiacos to stop him from scoring by focusing more on distributing, dishing 7 assists.  

“Mike played really great,” said Walkup. "He facilitated really well and made a lot of good passes. But our team played really well tonight. Guys made shots, guys defended, we showed guts when we needed to. That's a huge team effort.” 

Nobody made a bigger effort than Walkup, who admitted slight regret that he didn’t quite achieve a triple-double after falling 1 point, 1 assist and 3 rebounds short. “I want it!” he asserted. "I wish I would have known that I was on a triple-double watch there!” 

Considering the all-around skillset that Walkup possesses, more chances for that honor will probably come along. And the next time it does, somebody on the Olympiacos bench better be ready to let him know. 

Game Videos

The veteran guard flirted with a triple-double and played stellar defense to lead the Reds. 

Olympiacos Piraeus v AS Monaco (2024-01-04T19:15:00.000Z)

Fall, Lee and Luwawu-Cabarrot’s career nights lifted ASVEL to first home win

The fans of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne were finally able to celebrate a win by their team at their home court. They had to wait till Round 19 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after witnessing nine consecutive home losses before Thursday night.

But, this time, the ones who exited the Astroballe with a smile on their face were not the visitors, but the locals. ASVEL had a strong performance against Zalgiris and secured the win with authority, building double-digit leads early in the first quarter and never trailing.

One of the reasons that explained such a dominant display was the extraordinary contribution of its starting five, as it provided 85 points, against only 8 coming from the bench. Among them were Paris Lee, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Youssoupha Fall all registering career nights.

Lee finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds for a PIR of 31, which was the best in his Euroleague career. Luwawu Cabarrot posted career-highs in points (27) and PIR (29), while Fall recorded a double-double of 22 points and 12 boards that elevated him to a career-high PIR of 36.

Fall was especially relieved when asked about the meaning of this home win, after such a long period: “It's really good for the mentality because we lost a lot of close games, and it was tough for everybody”, he admitted. “This one is really good for us and for the fans, you know. We will keep going and try to win the most games possible”.

Luwawu-Cabarrot was also happy after clinching the win for the fans. “We've been waiting a long time, but I think we did a great job from the beginning to the end,” he celebrated. “It feels good to win again in front of our fans.”

The feeling was even sweeter than the one he had in the previous 88-91 win against Zalgiris in Kaunas, as Luwawu-Cabarrot also finished as the team’s best scorer with 19 points. “They found me, my teammates found me”, he explained. “I made threes and I felt good going to the basket and shooting mid-range. So, I mean, it was great today.”

Asked about how comfortable he feels against the Lithuanian powerhouse, he praised his opponent’s spirit. “It was not easy against Kaunas. They never gave up. It was tough towards the end. They were more aggressive, but we stayed together. Of course, we stayed focused, and our game plan was great”, he explained. “We knew what they were doing in defense and we had the answers. I feel like we were playing great defense.”

The trio combined for 71 points and 96 PIR to lead ASVEL to a 93-79 victory over Zalgiris.

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-01-04T19:00:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus’s exciting 75-73 victory over AS Monaco was effectively sealed with 22 seconds remaining when Shaquielle McKissic netted a nerveless three-pointer to give the Reds a lead they would protect through free-throw shooting the rest of the way. 

20 on a 10 scale: McKissic thrilled by winning score 

Olympiacos Piraeus’s exciting 75-73 victory over AS Monaco was effectively sealed with 22 seconds remaining when Shaquielle McKissic netted a nerveless three-pointer to give the Reds a lead they would protect through free-throw shooting the rest of the way. 

And it was also the crowning moment of a dynamic performance from McKissic, who has endured a largely frustrating season including nearly two months on the sidelines through injury and a longer-than-hoped return to full fitness. 

But McKissic’s modest statistical contribution – averaging just 5 points per game so far this season – do not tell the story of his importance to the team, with his energy and endless optimism always helping to lift his teammates and, when playing in Piraeus, offering a big dose of energy for the fans to feed off. 

He did exactly that in the second quarter, pulling his team back from an 8-point deficit with a three-pointer, a fierce slam in transition and another eye-catching dunk off a backdoor cut – all in less than 5 minutes. 

Shaquielle McKissic's top plays against Monaco

He saved the best for the last, however. The game had been tied at 69-69 for nearly 2 minutes when Olympiacos looked to break the deadlock inside the final 30 seconds. After a dribble from Isaiah Canaan, the ball was handed to Alec Peters who drove menacingly to the basket before kicking it out to McKissic, waiting patiently near the right corner. 

How did McKissic feel in that moment, with the game on the line and the ball heading into his hands? Pretty good, he said after the game. 

“From 1 to 10, it was a 20!” he beamed. "I knew it was coming to me and I knew it was going in! I’m here before practice every single day, putting the reps in, and hard work is always rewarded.” 

It was certainly rewarded on Thursday night and now, after a tough first half of the season, we can say it without any doubt: Shaq is Back. 

Shaquielle McKissic matched his season-high with 13 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer. 

Ioannis Sfairopoulos masterstroke propelled Zvezda to emphatic win in Belgrade derby

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade celebrated a comfortable 88-72 win over traditional rival Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in an emotional city derby, gaining sweet revenge for losing the reverse fixture and rekindling its hopes of making the post-season.

Zvezda improved to 8-11 after completing a perfect double-round week, having pulled off a shock 76-85 win at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Tuesday. Partizan dropped to 10-9 with its third defeat in the last four games after head coach Zeljko Obradovic was outwitted by his counterpart Ioannis Sfairopoulos.

The Greek tactician started with a small-ball outfit including three guards and Dejan Davidovac as the power forward, with Joel Bolomboy expectably deployed as the rim protector. That unit stifled Partizan’s offense early on, allowing Zvezda to dictate the pace.

The home team pulled away when its offensive striking pins Milos Teodosic and Rokas Giedraitis came off the bench and did some damage from the perimeter, while back-up center Freddie Gillespie enjoyed a field day in the first half in only his second game for Zvezda.

Gillespie, who joined Zvezda from Bayern Munich last week, netted 10 points in the opening two quarters as he dominated the paint at both ends. Obradovic chopped and changed throughout but was unable to find a unit capable of holding its own in the opening two quarters, with Partizan contained to a mere 2 assists in the first half while Zvezda dished out a whopping 15 like confetti.

“We showed from the start that we wanted this win and we controlled the game throughout the 40 minutes,” Teodosic said after posting 13 points and 7 assists in the game. “We are starting to play more as a team and we are starting to grow as a team. We needed this win a lot after the one in Istanbul in order to keep boosting our confidence.”

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sl" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/adidasPlayeroftheGame?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#adidasPlayeroftheGame</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> R19 🏀 <br><br>⭐️ MILOŠ TEODOSIĆ<br><br>📊 13 pts, 8/9 2FG, 8/10 FT, 7 ast, 2 reb; PIR 23 <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/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/pVhTHY03zT">pic.twitter.com/pVhTHY03zT</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1743018715954786739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Sfairopoulos was delighted with his team’s effort. “It was very important to win the derby and I want to congratulate the players as they headed into the game fully focused and they stuck to the plan,” he said. “The first half was one of our best halves we’ve played so far. The second half was different but we were always in control and deserved to win.”

With Zvezda seemingly in cruise control. Partizan stealthily closed the gap to 77-68 in the fourth quarter and then squandered a chance to further slash the deficit, with the visitors missing a pair of second-chance three-pointers. Seconds later, Giedraitis sank a baseline triple and it was lights out for Partizan.

Obradovic conceded the damage was done in the first half, when Partizan was trampled in every department.

“Congrats to Red Star, we tried to react but it wasn’t enough and they deserved to win the game,” he said. “The first half was probably our worst in the EuroLeague this season and I cannot explain why we were so poor.

“Gillespie benefited from playing alongside the likes of Teodosic, Nedovic and Yago, who understand basketball. Clearly, we were bereft of any creativity and the fact that we had 9 turnovers and only 2 assists in the first half showed that in no uncertain terms.”

Zvezda finished on 21 assists and 12 turnovers, while Partizan had 11 assists and 16 turnovers, demonstrating the difference in how the two teams handled the ball. Also, Zvezda made 11 of 25 shots from behind the three-point arc while Partizan was 6 of 22, with many of its sharpshooters enduring a torrid night.

Sfairopoulos lauded his team’s effort at both ends of the court. “It was very important to limit the competition’s best offense to just 72 points,” he said. “At the other end, we had free-flowing offense and six players scoring in double digits. I am very satisfied how everybody approached the game and played it. We can’t get ahead of ourselves though and we will only look forward to the next one.”

The home team’s head coach outfoxed his more heralded Partzian counterpart Zeljko Obradovic.

Ioannis Sfairopoulos masterstroke propelled Zvezda to emphatic derby win

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne defeated Zalgiris Kaunas 93-79 in Round 19 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

ASVEL ends slide with 93-79 triumph over Zalgiris

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EuroLeague Live Blog: LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne vs. Zalgiris Kaunas.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Youssoupha Fall and Paris Lee combined for 71 points to lead the winners. 

Olympiacos B.C. held off AS Monaco Basket 75-73 in a thriller in Round 19 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Olympiacos holds off Monaco, 75-73, in thriller

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EuroLeague Live Blog: Olympiacos Piraeus vs. AS Monaco.

Shaq McKissic broke a 69-69 tie with a three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining.