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Turkish Airlines EuroLeague RS - Round 1 MVP: Maik Kotsar, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

Maik Kotsar had a memorable Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut on Thursday night, leading Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz to a 71-81 road win at Valencia Basket and, in the process, earning the MVP honor for Round 1. His performance index rating of 31 topped all players in the opening round of the season. The Baskonia center scored 21 points on 10-for-12 two-point shooting. He also grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds and dished 4 assists, while adding a steal and a block. With his super debut, Kotsar became the first Estonian ever to become MVP of the Round.

The second-best performance on Thursday and Friday belonged to a familiar face, AS Monaco guard Mike James, who led his team to a 66-83 road win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna by scoring 26 points and dishing 6 assists for PIR of 30. Another debutante, Bonzie Colson of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv had PIR of 29, collecting 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals in a thrilling 84-83 win over Zalgiris Kaunas. Rounding out the opening round's top performers were Othello Hunter of FC Bayern Munich and Luke Sikma of ALBA Berlin, each with a PIR of 27. Sikma had 15 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds in a 100-84 win over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, while Hunter had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in a 62-74 loss against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

Individual highs: Georgios Kalaitzakis, Panathinaikos, 5 steals

James was the top scorer in Round 1 with 26 points. Gabriel Deck of Real Madrid pulled down 13 rebounds, more than any other player in the opening round. Lorenzo Brown of Maccabi and Darius Thompson of Baskonia each had 11 assists to lead all players in Round 1. Panathinaikos Athens forward Georgios Kalaitzakis had 5 steals, while two players had 4 blocks: Colson and Real center Walter Tavares. The two double-doubles belong to Maccabi's Brown, with 13 points and 11 assists, and ALBA's Louis Olinde, who collected 11 points and 10 rebounds.

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 7DAYS 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.