By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Everyone is waiting to find out who will be named the MVP and the EuroLeauge Best Defender, as well as who will make the All-EuroLeague teams, but what about the unsung moments that took place during the season and deserve to be highlighted again? Don’t they also deserve an award?
For sure they do!
And that’s how we ended up here. Eurohoops presents its first-ever EuroLeague Quirky Awards.
Best social media presence
Dwayne Bacon (Panathinaikos Athens)
There’s no right or wrong way to do social media nowadays. Everyone is fighting for attention and that’s why we decided to go with one player that is as real as they come on Instagram: Panathinaikos forward Dwayne Bacon.
The American always wears his heart on his sleeve, and this season he’s held multiple Q&A sessions with fans – this is where he first expressed his wish to sign for Panathinaikos – and he also opened up about the psychological burden of being away from his kids. In an era when mental health is finally being prioritized, using social media as an outlet and communicating with fans without any barrier in between is something that should be celebrated and saluted due to the bravery it requires.
Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.
Best celebration with the fans
Mathias Lessort (Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade)
He was born in Fort-de-France, Martinique, which is probably a really exotic spelling for Belgrade. Lessort is already a part of Partizan fans’ folklore, as he gets a ton of love from the “Grobari” and he repays them with not only his performances on the court but also the way in which he celebrates with them afterward. Typically, following a game at Stark Arena, you will see Lessort banging the drum and wanting to join in with the crowd and enjoy the moment. This is a match made in heaven for both sides.
Mathias Lessort is already part of Partizan’s lorepic.twitter.com/oBEXQReYDP
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) March 2, 2023
Best one-liner
Andrea Trinchieri (FC Bayern Munich)
There have been a lot of interesting phrases said throughout the season, however, nothing caused more wry smiles than when Bayern head coach Andrea Trinchieri compared his side’s defensive efforts to that of X-rated movies: “Our one-on-one defense was close to pornography.”
Brutally honest Andrea Trinchieri pic.twitter.com/9F6M4j5NG0
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) January 31, 2023
That comment came after Bayern lost 82-73 at Valencia Basket in Round 22, and it was another insight into the fascinating world of Coach Trinchieri. There were other funny moments involving the Bayern tactician, who is very much the EuroLeague’s version of legendary San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich during his flash interviews, be that before, during or after the games. Coach Trinchieri, this award deservedly goes out to you!
Best post-game flash interviews
Ergin Ataman (Anadolu Efes Istanbul)
You can’t go wrong with Ergin Ataman in any kind of interview. He had close competition from Coach Trinchieri, but Ataman narrowly beat him to this prize. The Efes coach’s way of speaking, always unfiltered and making bold and short statements, is ideal for any reporter trying to get a headline.
«Δεν θα παίξουμε στα playoffs. Καλή τύχη στις άλλες ομάδες». Ίσως το τελευταίο τρικ του Εργκιν Αταμαν ώστε να θίξει τον εγωισμό των παικτών του. pic.twitter.com/Ul7wHbWlRS
— Mihalis Stefanou 🏀 (@mstef80) March 23, 2023
On some occasions, the meaning behind Coach Ataman’s comments is ambiguous, like when he prematurely wished the best of luck to the teams that will play in the playoffs, implying that Efes was out of the race after losing to ALBA Berlin. Was it purely that he was disappointed and truly thought that, or just another clever mind game in the hope of giving one last dose of motivation to his stars? Coach Ataman is often must-watch TV and makes the whole experience a lot more fun.
Best pre-game entrance
Olympiacos Piraeus
You might have seen the videos from Olympiacos‘s official social media accounts, and now it has become a tradition. Just before the start of a game, the players come out from the locker room one by one, getting into a huddle in the corridor before entering the arena.
There is no way to make @moustaphafall15 smile before a game! 😠
Let's do this!!! 🤪🤪🤪#OlympiacosBC #WeAreOlympiacos #TogetherWeFight pic.twitter.com/iyZCSHP2L9
— OLYMPIACOS BC (@Olympiacos_BC) April 20, 2023
As the season progressed and Olympiacos won more and more games, things got even spicier, with barks being heard and the pushing becoming more and more aggressive with the goal of getting the players fired up. Moustapha Fall, however, was always the voice of reason, adding a bit of tranquility to the whole pre-game ritual.
Best arena DJ
Pierre “Big Salz” Salzmann-Crochet (LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne)
Arena DJs are usually the unsung heroes of European basketball, but we have to give credit to Pierre for creating an amazing moment. In the team’s Round 29 fixture against Panathinaikos at the Astroballe, Pierre decided to play the song “Imagine” by John Lennon during a replay of George Papagiannis moving toward Dee Bost and other players trying to keep them separated.
Give a raise to Astroballe’s DJpic.twitter.com/Ui8SZrbrvL
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) March 16, 2023
It’s a totally underrated moment of the season and it deserves to go viral once again.
Best pre-game/presentation show
Zalgiris Kaunas
Having a sold-out arena always helps a pre-game presentation appear even cooler, and Zalgiris knows that it can rely on its basketball-crazy fans in Kaunas to turn up in big numbers. Add into the mix Lithuanian actor Andrius Ziurauskas, who has the passion and the training to get everyone pumped up before tipoff, and it becomes a show for those in attendance, as well as those watching at home.
After all, basketball in Lithuania is the unofficial religion of the country, and Ziurauskas has been the announcer of Zalgiris games for almost 20 years, bringing a unique touch and also the occasional flashy costume.
Best uniforms
Real Madrid’s Marvel jerseys
You simply can’t go wrong with Marvel, and even if some of the latest movies have been misfires, this simply doesn’t apply to the costume-inspired jerseys created for Los Blancos. On this case, of course, the jerseys were black with red lines and traced Marvel Heroes.
They were unique, they were interesting, they were unexpected, and they might provide inspiration for Real Madrid to go all the way this season.
Best trash talker
Giannoulis Larentzakis (Olympiacos)
This is the quirkiest of the quirky awards. It’s not the first time that trash-talking gets an award and, frankly speaking, even as an interview question, getting to know more about trash-talking and trash-talkers, at this point, it can be quite tedious.
But the version of trash-talking applied by Larentzakis is as quirky as it comes, and those sitting courtside at Peace and Friendship Stadium can verify this. No matter the opponent, Larentzakis decides to trash talk exclusively in Greek. So, imagine the surprise of the opposition player, who probably hears Greek for the first time, when they have someone constantly talking in their ear and it not making any sense AT ALL.