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2024-25 BKT EuroCup Finals MVP: Johnathan Motley, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv

He dominated as the Israeli team swept its series against Gran Canaria

A truly dominant showing in the BKT EuroCup Finals has seen Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv big man Johnathan Motley become the EuroCup Finals MVP, with the 29-year-old playing an integral role in guiding his team to a 2-0 series win over Dreamland Gran Canaria.

Motley had the joint highest PIR of any player in the series with a 23.5 average index rating across the two games, together with teammate Antonio Blakeney. His 19 PIR in Game 1 was the highest of any player that took to the floor, while he followed that up with a 28 PIR – his fourth-highest index rating of the season – in Game 2. He was also tied with Blakeney as the highest scoring player in the series with an average of 22.0 points in the EuroCup Finals.

After spending two years in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Motley returned to the EuroCup – where he first debuted with Lokomotiv Kuban in the 2021-22 campaign – with one thing in mind: leading Hapoel to a championship. In the EuroCup Finals, Motley showed his EuroLeague-level talent by starring in all facets of the game, particularly on offense.

In Game 1, Motley had 18 points on 7-of-14 two-pointers and 4-of-5 free throws, as well as 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and a 19 PIR. He followed that up with 26 points on 7-of-12 two-pointers and 12-of-16 free throws, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and a 28 PIR in Game 2.
Motley had 14 points in the first half of Game 2 to help his team take a 44-53 lead into the break, then another 7 points in the third and 5 in the fourth as Hapoel’s offense showed no sign of slowing down until the final buzzer sounded.

This EuroCup title is the first continental trophy of Motley’s career, and he got to lift the trophy alongside a college teammate of his, Ish Wainright, who also joined Hapoel last summer.

“I was very confident in my team,” Motley told EuroLeague TV afterward. “We worked real hard, we have a great locker room, everybody trusts each other, so right now I’m calm. I’m just glad we got it done. I envisaged myself doing the trophy thing all week. It’s just crazy that I’m in it right now. I’m just out of body right now, to be honest.”

Euroleague Basketball (EB) is a global leader in the sports and entertainment business, devoted to running the top European competitions of professional basketball clubs under a unique and innovative organizational model. Owned and administered by some of the most successful and historic clubs in the world, EB manages the continent’s two premier men’s basketball competitions, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the BKT EuroCup, as well as the sport’s premier under-18 showcase, the EB Adidas Next Generation Tournament.

The EB competitions bring the elite of European basketball to all five continents and to the entire sports community through the OTT platform EuroLeague TV. EB also organizes a series of community and educational activities, led by the One Team program, in alignment with the United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. On the academic side, the EB Sports Business MBA trains future professionals in sports management.