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 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 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.