We will discover the 2024-25 EuroLeague champion on Sunday night
At a glance: Monaco, Fenerbahce ready to battle for the EuroLeague title
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The long-awaited climax of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season arrives with the drama and emotion of Sunday’s championship game, preceded by the consolation prize of the third-place game. Here’s your guide to the final action of the 2024-25 season.
Championship Game: AS Monaco vs. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (19:00 CEST)
Title glory will be up for grabs as Fenerbahce chases a second EuroLeague title against a Monaco team which is appearing in the championship game for the first time.
The Turkish team delivered a dominant display to lead nearly all the way and depose former champion Panathinaikos in Friday’s first semifinal, 82-76, and Sarunas Jasikevicius’s team will look to reproduce the same kind of offensive control that allowed them to pair 17 assists with just 9 turnovers in that triumph.
Monaco was similarly impressive to earn a convincing victory over regular season standings leader Olympiacos, winning every quarter on the way to a well-deserved 78-68 success that was powered by defensive excellence and physical prowess, with 25 two-pointers converted.
Both teams can call upon plenty of potential game-winners, with Fenerbahce’s semifinal victory featuring strong performances from backcourt trio Devon Hall (18 points), Errick McCollum (13 points) and Wade Baldwin (10 points and 5 assists), all of whom were making their Final Four debuts.
But Monaco’s collection of guards is arguably the strongest in the competition, with the competition’s all-time leading scorer Mike James (17 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds on Friday night) complemented by assists king Nick Calathes, plus dangerous scorers Elie Okobo and Matthew Strazel.
Fener’s top performer over the course of the season, Nigel Hayes-Davis (16.5 points per night) will look to recover his usual standards after scoring just 7 on Friday night, and he faces a great battle with Monaco’s do-it-all dynamo Alpha Diallo, who excelled with 22 points to lead his team in the semifinal.
Plenty of attention will fall on the sidelines, where two of the continent’s most iconic players seek their first continental coaching crown. Fener’s Coach Jasikevicius is appearing in his second title game after losing with FC Barcelona against Anadolu Efes Istanbul four years ago, while Vassilis Spanoulis is aiming to conclude his first season at Monaco in the best possible fashion.
The Roca Team won both games between the teams in the regular season, including an astonishing 69-99 triumph in Istanbul in December, but that will count for little when the ball goes in the air with the title on the line at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
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Third-Place Game: Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens vs. Olympiacos Piraeus (16:00 CEST)
The consolation prize of third place will be contested with perhaps more intensity than usual as the day begins with a Greek derby between eternal rivals Panathinaikos and Olympiacos.
Greens coach Ergin Ataman could take the opportunity to give more playing time to big man Mathias Lessort, who returned to action following a five-month injury absence by netting 7 points in Friday’s semifinal.
Enhanced roles could be given to experienced trio Lorenzo Brown, Ioannis Papapetrou and Omer Yurtseven after they played a combined total of less than10 minutes against Fenerbahce.
Only Evan Fournier (31 points) performed well in Olympiacos’s disappointing defeat to Monaco on Friday, and scoring star Sasha Vezenkov will be particularly keen to rediscover his rhythm after netting just 7 points in that loss.
Olympiacos is looking to complete a hat-trick of triumphs over Panathinaikos after winning both regular season games, but with local pride on the line and plenty of frustration to work off following Friday’s setbacks, this should be a fiercely contested clash.