By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Valencia’s Jean Montero has been officially named the Motorola Magic Moment owner for the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season.
Euroleague Basketball shared additional details on Tuesday.
Per the press release: “The 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season saw some of the most outstanding plays in recent memory. EuroLeague fans once again had their say, voting Jean Montero of Valencia Basket as the winner of the 2025-26 Motorola Magic Moment of the Season.
The fans choose Jean Montero’s ankle-breaker as #MotorolaMagicMoment of the season 🏆
A regular season filled with brilliant moments, the fans had their say and crowned the winner Montero ahead of the Wade Baldwin winner in Athens, the alley-oop connection between Codi… pic.twitter.com/qUYSRxniva
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) April 28, 2026
In overtime during a Round 27 game on the road at Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, Montero took the ball as the shot clock was winding down. As Hapoel’s Vasilije Micic switched to defend him off a pick-and-roll, Montero used one dribble to send Micic left, then another to break his ankles, before sinking a shot-clock-beating three-pointer. It was a key moment that gave Valencia a 91-93 lead, and it never trailed again, pulling out a 99-104 victory in a thriller.
Just like in previous seasons, the winning play had fierce competition. Of all the Motorola Magic Moments throughout the regular season, four were selected for fan voting.
Montero secured the most fan votes – cast through the EuroLeague website and across social media – ahead of Wade Baldwin IV of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and his game-winner in Athens, the alley-oop connection between Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade duo Codi Miller-McIntyre and Joel Bolomboy, and Kendrick Nunn’s game-winner for Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens at Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Montero, 22, who also won the EuroLeague Rising Star award this season, is the 10th winner of this honor, joining Nunn, who claimed it last year. The other Magic Moment of the Season winners are: Anthony Randolph, who won the award in its inaugural 2016-17 season in a Real Madrid jersey; Jan Vesely, then of Fenerbahce, who is the only player to win it multiple times, having done so in 2017-18, 2018-19 and again in 2020-21; Deni Avdija with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2019-20; Kostas Sloukas, then with Olympiacos, who claimed the award for 2021-22; Dante Exum with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in 2022-23; and Moses Wright, then of Olympiacos, who was the 2023-24 winner.”