Anadolu Efes Istanbul reclaimed the Turkish League title in dominant fashion on Saturday by sweeping Pinar Karsiyaka with a 74-83 road win in Izmir to take their best-of-five series 3-0. Vasilije Micic paced the winners with 29 points and was named MVP of the finals, while Shane Larkin scored 15. Both dished 7 assists.

 Anadolu Efes sweeps to Turkish League crown! 

Anadolu Efes Istanbul reclaimed the Turkish League title in dominant fashion on Saturday by sweeping Pinar Karsiyaka with a 74-83 road win in Izmir to take their best-of-five series 3-0. It was the 16th national title overall for Efes and its fourth in the last five editions. Efes led by 1 or 2 points after each of the first three quarters before pulling away in the fourth. Vasilije Micic paced the winners with 29 points and was named MVP of the finals, while Shane Larkin scored 15. Both dished 7 assists.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="tr" dir="ltr">Kupa 16. kez Anadolu Efes oyuncularının ellerinde! 🏆 <br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HouseOfBlue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HouseOfBlue</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BenimYerimBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BenimYerimBurası</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kupan%C4%B1nYeriBuras%C4%B1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KupanınYeriBurası</a> <a href="https://t.co/oTFLMG134D">pic.twitter.com/oTFLMG134D</a></p>&mdash; Anadolu Efes SK (@AnadoluEfesSK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnadoluEfesSK/status/1670149763000328192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

The victory also marked the departure of head coach Ergin Ataman, acknowledged after Saturday's win that his next destination is Panathinaikos Athens. Ataman had also led Efes to back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles in 2021 and 2022.

"All my life, I’ve been challenged. Panathinaikos is also a new challenge for me. I will try to represent my country in the best way in Greece," Ataman said, post-game. "Anadolu Efes is my home in basketball and I wish them success for the upcoming season. We wrote a great story for five years."

Anadolu Efes sweeps to Turkish League crown!

No two players have the same experience in their rookie seasons in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. And how different players grow into their second season can also vary. The hope is always that with one year of experience under a player’s belt, he will blossom in the sophomore season and that was the case for a handful of key contributors in 2022-23. Here’s a look at some of the best seasons by second-year players in the campaign that just came to a close.

The sophomore success stories from 2022-23

### Keenan Evans, Zalgiris Kaunas

One of the breakout players in the first half of the season, [Keenan Evans](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/keenan-evans/011218/) was on pace to rank third in the league in both scoring and performance index rating when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Zalgiris’s Round 17 game against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Evans averaged 16.8 points and 3.9 assists for a PIR of 18.6 through 16 rounds, although his end-of-season numbers were lower since he only played 57 seconds in that final game of the season.

Evans made his EuroLeague debut with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv during the 2021-22 campaign, but played a largely complimentary role. With Zalgiris, he became a go-to guy and did not miss a beat. His scoring on a per-minute basis rose from season to season by 53.8% and his PIR per minute went up by 61.2%. A healthy Evans should be a difference-maker again in 2023-24. 

Keenan Evans's best plays for Zalgiris Kaunas in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Keenan Evans's best plays in 2022-23

### Dante Exum, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade

The 2022-23 season was [Dante Exum](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dante-exum/011302/)’s first full season in the competition after he joined FC Barcelona in December of the previous campaign and had to adjust on the fly. With Partizan, Exum stepped into a key role to help the team reach the playoffs as a force off the bench. He played more than twice as many minutes with Partizan (873:55) as he did with Barça (424:16), yet Exum more than tripled his scoring output and saw his total PIR rise by 269%.

Exum averaged 13.2 points and 2.7 assists for a PIR of 14.3 with Partizan with excellent shooting numbers. He connected on 59.3% of his two-point attempts, 39.3% of his shots from downtown and 85.8% of his free throws. The EuroLeague is now on notice that Exum is a true star. 

Dante Liman Exum Top Plays from 01/30/2023 to 02/21/2023

February MVP candidate: Dante Exum, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade

### Kevarrius Hayes, Zalgiris Kaunas

Unlike the other players on this list, [Kevarrius Hayes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevarrius-hayes/010390/) played a season in the EuroCup between his first two EuroLeague campaigns. He debuted in the EuroLeague with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in 2020-21 and averaged 3.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks over 10:50 minutes in 20 games. Hayes joined Frutti Extra Bursaspor the next year and emerged as a force in the paint to help the team reach the EuroCup Finals. That led to his return to the EuroLeague with Zalgiris and a key role on a playoff team. 

Hayes started more than three-quarters of his games with Zalgiris and posted 5.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. His scoring rose 12% on a per-minute basis between his two EuroLeague seasons to an average of 12.1 points per 40 minutes this past season. Add in his rim protection and intimidation inside and Hayes is well on his way to becoming a top-tier EuroLeague center. 

Kevarrius Hayes Top Plays from 08/31/2022 to 03/15/2023

Kevarrius Hayes highlights, 2022-23

### Paris Lee, Panathinaikos Athens

After helping AS Monaco reach the 2022 playoffs, [Paris Lee](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/paris-lee/011225/) joined the Greens and took on a larger role. Lee averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals as a part-time starter with Panathinaikos. He proved to be a much more aggressive player with the Greens, as his scoring, free throw attempts and assists all rose considerably between the two seasons. The bump in scoring was 11% to 16.4 points per 40 minutes, in assists he improved by 16% to 5.7 assists per 40 minutes and in free throws attempted he went to 4.2 per game, which was a rise of nearly 45%.

When Lee was at his best, so was Panathinaikos. The Greens were 4-0 this season when he scored at least 20 points and he set single-game personal bests in nearly every major statistical category. As he enters his third EuroLeague campaign, Lee has established himself as a very dangerous weapon. 

Paris Lee, 11 Assists from Panathinaikos Athens vs. FC Bayern Munich, 03/28/2023

Paris Lee with 11 assists vs. FC Bayern Munich

### Andreas Obst, FC Bayern Munich

[Andreas Obst](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/andreas-obst/004508/) came into the EuroLeague with a reputation as an elite three-point shooter and justified that in his rookie season with Bayern by ranking second in the league in threes per minute with 4.6 prorated over 40 minutes. Last season, not only did he increase that rate to lead the league with 5.3 triples per 40 minutes, but Obst saw a significant rise in nearly all his major numbers and he did so with more playing time, too. 

Obst went from less than 7 minutes per game to 20 minutes in 2022-23. He more than tripled his PIR per 40 minutes to 13.8 last season and doubled his assists to 2.6 per 40 minutes. His scoring rose to 19.8 and his rebounds to 3.7. Obst proved himself to be a capable all-around player while reminding all that he is a deadeye shooter by making at least 4 triples in eight of his 25 appearances. 

Andreas Obst makes it rain

### Jaleen Smith, ALBA Berlin  

Very little changed in [Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jaleen-smith/011192/)’s role in his first two seasons in the EuroLeague, but his production clearly jumped forward in Year 2. The ALBA guard started more than half of his games in 2021-22 and averaged 21:02 minutes per game. Last season he started most of the games and played 24:37 on average. The big difference was improved three-point shooting and fewer turnovers. Smith made 2.6 threes per 40 minutes at a 31.7% success rate as a EuroLeague rookie. He knocked down 3.7 threes while shooting at a 37.4% clip in 2022-23. 

His scoring increased 18% to 18.7 points per 40 minutes last season, much of which can be explained by those triples. While shooting better, Smith also cut his turnover rate to 2.3 per 40 minutes, down from 2.9 the year before. Altogether that led to a 38% spike in his PIR per 40 minutes to 17.4 and showed that Smith is a player to keep an eye on. 

Jaleen Smith 3-pointers for ALBA Berlin vs. Anadolu Efes, 03/23/2023

Jaleen Smith hits 7 three-pointers vs. Efes

### Roman Sorkin, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

A bit of a late bloomer, [Roman Sorkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/roman-sorkin/011219/) was already 25 when he debuted with Maccabi, but he continued to improve and left his mark through a few strong efforts late in the 2021-22 season. This past season, Sorkin was already an important part of Coach Oded Kattash’s rotation and his numbers made the case for him. He ranked 30th in the league last season in per-minute PIR with 21.8 per 40 minutes. That is a significant jump considering that he played more than three times as many total minutes as the year before, while nearly doubling his per-game average to 16:18 minutes.

Sorkin also posted significant jumps in scoring (16.8 per 40) and two-point accuracy 69.6% and his block rate of 1.9 per 40 minutes was eighth best in the league. As he prepares to enter his prime, the unanswered question is: just how good is the best Sorkin has to offer?

Roman Sorkin's top plays 2022-23

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne strengthened its roster by inking versatile forward Mbaye Ndiaye, the club announced Friday. Ndiaye (2.03 meters, 24 years old) arrives from ADA Blois Basket 41, where he averaged 10.1 points on 62.7% two-point shooting, 6.5 rebonds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 blocks in 34 French League games last season. He also played for Senegal in the World Cup African Qualifiers, averaging 8.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 6 games. 


ASVEL adds versatile forward Ndiaye 

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne strengthened its roster by inking versatile forward Mbaye Ndiaye, the club announced Friday. Ndiaye (2.03 meters, 24 years old) arrives from ADA Blois Basket 41, where he averaged 10.1 points on 62.7% two-point shooting, 6.5 rebonds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 blocks in 34 French League games last season. He also played for Senegal in the World Cup African Qualifiers, averaging 8.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 6 games. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Mbaye NDIAYE première recrue ! ✍️<br><br>Jeune poste 3-4 en devenir (24 ans, 2m03), l’International Sénégalais arrive en provenance de Blois et devient la première recrue de l’effectif 2023-2024 de LDLC ASVEL. <br><br>📄 <a href="https://t.co/4t6eRVhvHW">https://t.co/4t6eRVhvHW</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LDLCASVEL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LDLCASVEL</a> <a href="https://t.co/t1bbPUlK4v">pic.twitter.com/t1bbPUlK4v</a></p>&mdash; LDLC ASVEL (@LDLCASVEL) <a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL/status/1669698216701353987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Ndiaye started his career with USG Rail of his native Senegal and has played in France ever since, first for Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse and then for Blois, where he played for the last three seasons. He helped Blois get promoted the French elite in 2022. Ndiaye is set to make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut with ASVEL next season.

ASVEL adds versatile forward Mbaye Ndiaye 

Winning the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title is always a great feeling and even more so when you played a key part in getting your team over the line. That was the case for Mario Hezonja in his first season with Real Madrid, as the 28-year-old took his game to another level to become a EuroLeague champion for the first time in his career. Hezonja, a former No. 5 pick in the NBA Draft, started just 12 of his 39 appearances in the 2022-23 campaign, displaying a team-first mentality that proved to be pivotal in the closing stages of the season.

Tribute to the Champs: Mario Hezonja

Winning the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title is always a great feeling and even more so when you played a key part in getting your team over the line. That was the case for [Mario Hezonja](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mario-hezonja/003108/) in his first season with Real Madrid, as the 28-year-old took his game to another level to become a EuroLeague champion for the first time in his career. Hezonja, a former No. 5 pick in the NBA Draft, started just 12 of his 39 appearances in the 2022-23 campaign, displaying a team-first mentality that proved to be pivotal in the closing stages of the season.

The best plays of Real Madrid forward Mario Hezonja in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Mario Hezonja's best plays, 2022-23

The Croatian entered the playoffs in red-hot fashion, reaching double digits for points in each of the last six games of the regular season, during which he averaged 16.7 points per game. Once the postseason got underway, Hezonja had 8 and 16 points, respectively, in Games 1 and 2 against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, but Real found itself down 0-2 and faced the real prospect of being eliminated. Following the debacle that came at the end of Game 2, Hezonja kept a cool head and got to work in Game 3 in Belgrade, having a 12-point, 14-rebound double-double. Real won that game and went on to win the next two, with *Los Blancos'* No. 11 scoring 13 points in Game 5 as the club secured its place in the Final Four.

Once in Kaunas, Hezonja came off the bench in both the semifinal against FC Barcelona and the championship game against Olympiacos Piraeus, but he played starters' minutes with 33:11 and 34:03, respectively. Hezonja came close to a double-double against Barca, his former team, by pairing 14 points with 9 rebounds, which helped Real return to the championship game for the second year in a row. There, he had 12 points – all of which came in the first half – as Real wrestled back control against Olympiacos. Despite not scoring again, Hezonja kept *Los Blancos* afloat at a time when Olympiacos threatened to pull away; without his efforts, it's probable that Real would not have become the champion for a record 11th time.

Hezonja had the perfect debut season at Real and, at 28, he is in the prime of his career. Real's veterans of Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodriguez, in particular, grabbed many of the headlines after the Final Four, but Hezonja was just as key in Kaunas. Heading into year two with *Los Blancos*, don't be surprised if you see Hezonja go to another level again.

Olympiacos Piraeus has won its second consecutive Greek League title with a 3-1 series win over the arch-rival Panathinaikos Athens. Olympiacos had a 35-63 lead with 2:46 left in the third quarter in Game 4 of their best-of-five final series on Thursday night when the game was suspended, and never continued, due to fan violence. Sasha Vezenkov and Alec Peters scored 11 apiece, and Thomas Walkup scored 10 points for Olympiacos, which made 11-of-17 three-pointers in the game. Olympiacos completed this season's domestic double, having won Greek Cup title back in February. This is the Reds' 14th Greek League title, and second consecutive after a Panathinaikos' run of five straight league titles between 2017 and 2021.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="el" dir="ltr">ΠΡΩΤΑΘΛΗΤΕΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ 2023!! 🏆🔴⚪<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/Back2BackDouble?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Back2BackDouble</a> <a href="https://t.co/IuyYPnzv9D">pic.twitter.com/IuyYPnzv9D</a></p>&mdash; OLYMPIACOS BC (@Olympiacos_BC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Olympiacos_BC/status/1669455843404685317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

The Reds took control of the game in the first quarter, with Walkup scoring 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, before back-to-back triples by Shaquielle McKissic and Kostas Sloukas helped make it 17-32 early in the second. Basket were few and far between for Panathinaikos, and Olympiacos closed the half with a 2-11 run, taking 26-48 lead into halftime. Olympiacos went on to score the first 7 points of the third quarter, increasing the margin to 31-63, before the game was suspended.

Olympiacos defends its Greek throne

AS Monaco has made history, lifting its first-ever French League title by sweeping Metropolitans 92 with an 85-92 win in Game 3 of their best-of-five series. Monaco has won its premier French League crown in style, not only with a clean sweep by winning all eight of its playoff games, but also at none other than Philippe-Chatrier court at the famous Roland-Garros tennis complex. Jordan Loyd and Jaron Blossomgame netted 22 points apiece, and Elie Okobo scored 16 in a victory, while Victor Wembanyama had 22 for the hosts.

This win marks Monaco finally crossing the final hurdle, having previously lost the French League final series in five games in both in 2019 and 2022. Coach Sasa Obradovic men also completed the most successful season in club history, having also reached the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, and have won the 2023 French Cup.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">🇲🇨 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐂𝐎 𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 🏆<br><br>Pour la première fois de son histoire, la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RocaTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RocaTeam</a> remporte le championnat 👏 Un énorme bravo à nos Roca Boys, à jamais dans l’histoire du club ❤️🤍 <a href="https://t.co/RPWBx3MJRe">pic.twitter.com/RPWBx3MJRe</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1669441717857144843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

Metropolitans was on fire early and led 32-16 after just 8 minutes of play. But Monaco scored the last 7 points of the first quarter behind Yoan Makoundou, and cut within 34-29 early in the second. Teams traded blows the rest of the quarter and Metropolitans took 53-44 into the break. The hosts had another double-digit lead midway through the third, but Monaco replied with back-to-back threes from Okobo and Blossomgame. Metropolitans remained in front and Wembanyama's dunk made it 75-67 with 8 minutes to go, but Okobo and Blossomgame combined to score 15 points to give Monaco its first lead of the night, 81-82 with 3:37 to go. A triple from Loyd entering the final minute made it 85-88, and Loyd knocked down another one with under 30 seconds left, sealing a historic win for Monaco.

Monaco wins historic French League crown

Euroleague Basketball announced on June 15 that Dejan Bodiroga will remain as Euroleague Basketball President while Paulius Motiejunas will be the new acting Chief Executive Officer for the 2023-24 season.

Dejan Bodiroga extended as Euroleague Basketball President, Paulius Motiejunas named new acting CEO

### All 13 shareholders unanimously appointed Motiejunas and Bodiroga.

Euroleague Basketball announced on June 15 that Dejan Bodiroga will remain as Euroleague Basketball President while Paulius Motiejunas will be the new acting Chief Executive Officer for the 2023-24 season.

Dejan Bodiroga, who was appointed Euroleague Basketball President on September 14, 2022, will continue to focus on increasing the quality of the competition for clubs, players, fans, partners and all EB stakeholder while playing a key role in strengthening relationships with the wider basketball community, including the EuroLeague Players Association, the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board, the Union of Euroleague Basketball Officials, FIBA, domestic leagues and other basketball-related institutions.

Motiejunas, 42, was unanimously appointed by Euroleague Basketball shareholders and will replace Marshall Glickman, who was acting CEO during the 2022-23 season.

Motiejunas has extensive experience within the Euroleague Basketball ecosystem, having spent most of his career to date in various capacities with Euroleague Basketball shareholder Zalgiris Kaunas. He started with Zalgiris in 2007 as the director of communications, later became general manager, and has been the club president and owner since 2013. He is also the director of Zalgirio Arena.

Under Motiejunas's management, Zalgiris has experienced some of its most successful moments on the court by qualifying multiple times to the EuroLeague Playoffs and reaching the Final Four for the first time this century in 2018. Zalgiris has thrived by developing some of Lithuania's top young prospects and combining them with a mix of the country's best and most experienced players and foreign talents looking to take their careers to the next level.

Off the court, too, Motiejunas brought the club to a new level, positioning Zalgiris among the EuroLeague leaders in ticket sales and revenue growth while boasting a legendary game-day experience at one of the finest arenas on the continent.

Paulius was recognized by his peers with the EuroLeague Executive of the Year award over two consecutive seasons, 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Championship Sunday in Kaunas was the third time that Adam Hanga woke up in the morning with a chance to become a EuroLeague champion that day and this time he finally sealed the deal to win his first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown. Hanga had previously played in three Final Fours, one each with Baskonia, FC Barcelona and Real, and lost in the championship games in both 2021 and 2022. 

Tribute to the champs: Adam Hanga

Championship Sunday in Kaunas was the third time that [Adam Hanga](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/adam-hanga/005099/) woke up in the morning with a chance to become a EuroLeague champion that day and this time he finally sealed the deal to win his first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown. Hanga had previously played in three Final Fours, one each with Baskonia, FC Barcelona and Real, and lost in the championship games in both 2021 and 2022. 

"Finally, right? Now I can retire", an elated Hanga jokingly said, still in disbelief, holding his trophy in Real Madri's locker room at Zalgirio Arena after the championship game win over Olympiacos Piraeus.

The 34-year-old do-it-all guard, a veteran of nine EuroLeague campaigns, had to make quite an adjustment this season because Hanga played the fewest minutes since his rookie season in 2013-14, and had statistically his worst season since then. But Hanga, a former EuroLeague Best Defender, adjusted on the fly and used his experience, both on and off the floor, to provide Los Blancos numerous times with a timely spark, whether as a starter or in limited minutes off the bench, making plays on either end of the floor. And when Real's season was hanging by a thread, Coach Chus Mateo turned to Hanga to start Game 4 of the best-of-five series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, a move that immediately paid off. Hanga responded with 15 points on 3-for-6 two-point shooting, 3-for-5 on three-pointers and 3 assists in 21 minutes on the floor.

It was fourth time the charm at the Final Four for Adam Hanga.

Tribute to the Champs: Adam Hanga

Hanga remained in that starting role for the rest of the season, with Mateo leaning on Hanga's toughness, calm and veteran savvy, as well as his ability to disrupt the flow of opposing offenses. Hanga also had important contributions, like scoring 7 points in Game 5 of the playoffs and collecting 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a block in the Final Four semifinals against his former club Barcelona. 

Naturally, Hanga was on the floor for Real's final defensive stand in the championship game, defending the inbound pass and helping deny the ball to the hot hand of EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov. When the final buzzer sounded, Hanga had made history as the first Hungarian to become a EuroLeague champion!

Tribute to the champs

The 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season has seen players produce like never before, with more than a half-dozen single-season individual records broken, while many other players came close to rewriting the statistical history books.

Single-season records were aplenty in 2022-23

The 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season has seen players produce like never before, with more than a half-dozen single-season individual records broken, while many other players came close to rewriting the statistical history books.

No player was busier breaking records than the MVP himself, [Sasha Vezenkov](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/sasha-vezenkov/003469/). The Olympiacos Piraeus forward first broke the single-season mark in total PIR. In his 40 appearances during the 2022-23 campaign, Vezenkov accumulated 859 index rating points, trashing the previous mark of 765 set by [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) of FC Barcelona from a season before. [Mathias Lessort](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mathias-lessort/003842/) of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and [Walter Tavares](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/walter-tavares/005791/) of Real Madrid also finished with top 5 single-season PIR marks.

Vezenkov also set a single-season record for field goals made, sinking a total of 261 shots from the field during the 2022-23 season. The previous best was 239, set by Khimki Moscow Region's Alexey Shved in 2017-18.

The Reds' forward surpassed Mirotic's and Shved's previous PIR and field goals made records during the playoffs, then set one more single-season mark at the Final Four in Kaunas when Vezenkov grabbed 10 defensive rebounds to finish the season with 210, more than any other player before him. The previous season-long mark was held by Ioannis Bourousis, who grabbed 202 defensive boards playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz during the 2015-16 season.

Vezenkov's teammate [Thomas Walkup](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/thomas-walkup/008855/) also set a record by finishing the season with 73 steals, besting the previous record, which belonged to [John Brown](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/john-brown/010588/) who had 69 in the 2021-22 campaign while playing for UNICS Kazan.

Walter Tavares's top blocks of the 2022-23 season

Tavares had a single-season record 88 blocks in 2022-23

Tavares also etched his name into the record books while leading his team to the crown. The Real Madrid center blocked 88 shots in the just-finished campaign, 77 of which came during the regular season. No player before blocked more than 68 shots in one season, which Ekpe Udoh did with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in 2016-17.

Tavares was not the only 2023 champion who broke a single-season record. His teammate [Dzanan Musa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dzanan-musa/006540/) shattered two all-time marks. Musa made 178 free throws during the 2022-23 season, topping the previous single-season record of 168 set by Keith Langford with UNICS in the 2016-17 season. Musa attempted 207 foul shots, which was also a new record, but one that he shares with AS Monaco guard [Mike James](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-james/005985/), who also attempted that many free throws during the 2022-23 season.

James made 162 free throws, which is third most behind Musa and Langford. He was one of a handful of EuroLeague players who recorded top-five single-season marks this season.

Vezenkov finished the season with 703 points, becoming only the second man in EuroLeague history to score at least 700 points in a single season. Shved remains the all-time leader with 740 in the 2017-18 campaign.

Fenerbahce's first-year center [Johnathan Motley](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/johnathan-motley/011157/) made 204 two-point shots, which was second-most behind only Jalen Reynolds, who had 222 in an FC Bayern Munich jersey in 2020-21. No other player ever made at least 200 two-pointers in a season. However, this season Vezenkov scored 182, which made him fourth all-time, while Tavares had 173 (seventh) and Lessort 163 (10th).

Tavares corraled the third-best single-season mark in rebounds (276), with Vezenkov's 274 being fourth and Lessort's 268 fifth most in a single season. Lessort also came just 2 offensive rebounds shy of a single-season record, posting the third-best mark ever of 116, while Tavares's 106 offensive rebounds were fifth-best.

Lessort's Partizan teammate Zach LeDay played a total of 1,206:07 minutes in the 2022-23 season, the second most ever behind only Shane Larkin's 1243:51, which he set during the 2021-22 season with Anadolu Efes Istanbul.  Fenerbahce's Nigel Hayes-Davis played 1188:10 minutes this season, which was the fourth-most ever, Vezenkov played a sixth-most 1169:44 minutes, James spent 1153:27 on the floor, which is seventh all-time, and Lessort was ninth all-time having played 1146:52 minutes this season.