Thursday's night 88-74 win over visiting ALBA Berlin was a relatively quiet night for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade center Mathias Lessort, whose 10 points and 6 rebounds were both below his season averages. Nonetheless, Lessort's PIR of 18 was the highest on the team as it improved to 14-12 on the season and 9-4 at home.
Not only has Lessort been a key player for his team on the floor, but he has also developed a special relationship with the Partizan faithful. As has become a tradition after wins at Stark Arena, after the game Partizan players went into the stands and celebrated the victory with the die-hards. And as usual, Lessort was at the heart of it all.
It is a post-game party that takes place behind the basket on the home team's side of the floor. Led by Lessort and team captain Kevin Punter, players jump the fence, grab the megaphone and start leading the chants, well-known to every Partizan fan, while the rest of the stands join in, going wild.
In addition to its domestic players, Partizan has Americans, an Israeli, an Australian, a Greek and a Frenchman on the team, and they have all made effort to learn the words of the chants.