By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Jean Montero fueled a legendary turnaround from two games down against Panathinaikos Aktor to secure the Playoffs Most Valuable Player award, presented by Motorola, of the 2025-26 edition of the EuroLeague.
Euroleague Basketball shared additional details on Saturday.
Per the press release: “Jean Montero was the standout player of the 2026 EuroLeague Playoffs, starring in a historic comeback series as Valencia Basket eliminated Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens from a 0-2 deficit to reach the club’s first-ever Final Four – and earning the Playoffs MVP award, presented by Motorola, in the process.
Clutch moments. Elite numbers. Leading @valenciabasket to its first-ever #F4GLORY.
Jean Montero named 2026 EuroLeague Playoffs MVP ✨
Brought to you by @MotorolaESP pic.twitter.com/dpWn1LdJPn
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 16, 2026
Montero’s numbers told only part of the story. He led all players in average PIR (26.8), ranked second in scoring (18.6 ppg.), joint second in steals (1.4 spg.) and third in assists (5.8 apg.), while shooting 73.1% on two-pointers, 42.3% from three and 81.5% from the free-throw line. He accounted for 21.5% of Valencia‘s total points in the series, yet his 5.8 assists per game made clear that his impact extended well beyond his own shot.
The award caps a remarkable individual season for the 22-year-old, who had already claimed the Rising Star trophy and earned a place on the All-EuroLeague First Team before adding Playoffs MVP to his collection. It is only the second time Euroleague Basketball has presented the honor, but Montero made it his own.
Standout player of the 2026 EuroLeague Playoffs 🫡
Jean Montero led @valenciabasket to the Final Four after a stunning series comeback against Panathinaikos 👀 pic.twitter.com/u0Ul9qFOOo
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 16, 2026
“We have to keep that same mentality: we ain’t got nothing to lose. Making a Final Four – not a lot of people get to do that,” Montero told Dane Arlauckas on the EuroLeague & Friends: MVP Talk podcast. “We’ve just got to go there, enjoy the environment, enjoy everything, and especially compete. If we compete and have fun, and keep in mind that we’ve got nothing to lose, I think we can win every game.”
Even in defeat, Montero showed his quality early in the series. He posted 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in a narrow 67-68 loss in Game 1 and followed that with 21 points, 6 assists and 1 steal in a 105-107 overtime defeat in Game 2. Facing elimination on the road in Game 3, he responded with 16 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals to lead Valencia to an 87-91 win, keeping it alive.
“After that Game 2 loss, honestly, everybody was still so positive,” Montero said. “Because when you’re down 0-2 going to Athens, with Panathinaikos fans going crazy, it’s not easy to win there. But in the locker room, people kept saying, ‘Yeah, we can do this.’”
Then came a performance for the ages in Game 4. With Valencia trailing 1-2 and facing the prospect of elimination, Montero delivered 29 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals for a PIR of 45 – the highest index rating ever recorded in the EuroLeague Playoffs since the format was adopted in the 2004-05 season, and just the sixth time any player competing in the playoffs had reached a PIR of 40 or more in that span. Valencia won 86-89 to level the series at 2-2, and a do-or-die Game 5 at Roig Arena awaited.
“We won Game 3 and I remember saying to the guys, ‘They’re scared now.’ Because if they lose Game 4, they’ve gotta go back to Valencia again,” he said. “We ain’t got nothing to lose. Let’s just play, enjoy the game, and have fun with it. I’m hitting threes, layups, free throws – everything. My rhythm was good, my feel for the game felt good. I was just having fun. Every time I’m having fun playing basketball, it’s a wrap.”
The assumption heading into Game 5 was that Montero would need to pour in points again. He didn’t – at least not straight away. Instead, he shaped the game in other ways from the opening tip, racking up 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 2 fouls drawn for a PIR of 8 without taking a shot in the first three minutes. He saved half of his 12 points for the fourth quarter, finishing with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a career-high 3 blocks as Valencia pulled away to an 81-64 win and a historic Final Four berth.
Montero has shown throughout this playoff run that he elevates his game when the stakes are highest. Valencia and its fans will be hoping he does exactly that again in Athens.”