2025 EuroLeague Final Four#Third place game

{{For|the preceding rounds|2025 EuroLeague Playoffs}}

On 28 January 2025, the EuroLeague, the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, and Etihad Arena reached an agreement that the Final Four would be played at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on 23–25 May 2025,{{Cite web|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2588242/sport|title=Abu Dhabi to host 2025 EuroLeague Final Four|date=January 29, 2025|website=Arab News}} marking the first time the event would take place outside of Europe in the competition's history in 21 years. The venue has a basketball capacity of 12,000. Three-time EuroLeague Final Four MVP and former NBA player Toni Kukoč was involved in marketing the tournament in Abu Dhabi.{{Cite web|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2601895/amp|title=Chicago Bulls legend Toni Kukoc hails 'phenomenal' move to bring EuroLeague Final Four to Abu Dhabi|website=Arab News}} Thousands of Turkish and Greek basketball fans traveled to Abu Dhabi out of personal expense to cheer on their favorite teams.{{Cite web|url=https://en.protothema.gr/2025/05/26/abu-dhabi-2025-fenerbahce-crowned-at-the-final-four-reflections-for-panathinaikos-and-olympiacos/|title=Abu Dhabi 2025: Fenerbahçe crowned at the Final Four – Reflections for Panathinaikos and Olympiacos|date=May 26, 2025}}

{{#invoke:RoundN|main|columns=2|bold_winner=high|score-boxes=1|3rdplace=yes

|RD1=Semifinals

|RD2=Championship game

|RD3=Third place game

|score-width=25

|23 May|{{bkaicon|GRE}} Olympiacos| 68 |{{bkaicon|FRA}} Monaco | 78

|23 May|{{bkaicon|TUR}} Fenerbahçe Beko| 82 |{{bkaicon|GRE}} Panathinaikos AKTOR| 76

|25 May|{{bkaicon|FRA}} Monaco | 70 |{{bkaicon|TUR}} Fenerbahçe Beko | 81

|25 May|{{bkaicon|GRE}} Olympiacos| 97 |{{bkaicon|GRE}} Panathinaikos AKTOR | 93

}}

{{basketballbox collapsible

| date = 23 May 2025

| time = 20:00 (CEST)

| report = https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/olympiacos-piraeus-as-monaco/E2024/327/

| teamA = Olympiacos {{bkaicon|GRE}}

| scoreA = 68

| scoreB = 78

| teamB = {{bkaicon|FRA}} Monaco

| Q1 = 17–17

| Q2 = 15–18

| Q3 = 19–22

| Q4 = 17–21

| points1 = Fournier 31

| rebounds1 = Vezenkov 8

| assist1 = three players 2

| rating1 = Fournier 27

| points2 = Diallo 22

| rebounds2 = James 7

| assist2 = James 7

| rating2 = James 29

| arena = Etihad Arena

| place = Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

| attendance = 10,218

| referee = {{bkaicon|SRB}} Ilija Belošević, {{bkaicon|ESP}} Emilio Pérez, {{bkaicon|SLO}} Milan Nedović

| class = expanded

}}

File:Evan Fournier (cropped).jpg scored a EuroLeague career-high 31 points in the loss.]]

Olympiacos' Evan Fournier scored a EuroLeague career-high 31 points, but his team still lost to Monaco 78–68.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tovima.com/sports/olympiacos-bc-bested-by-monaco-in-euroleague-f-4-semi-final/|title=Olympiacos BC Bested by Monaco in Euroleague F-4 Semi Final|date=May 23, 2025|website=tovima.com}} Nigel Williams-Goss was the only other Olympiacos player to reach double figures in scoring, with 12 points. Sasha Vezenkov had a difficult game offensively, with only 7 points and 8 rebounds; he also missed all six of his three-point field goal attempts. Aside from Fournier, Olympiacos was 1 of 19 on three-pointers. Monaco was ahead for most of the game, led by the scoring of Mike James and Alpha Diallo, with 22 and 17 points respectively. The game was tied at 17 apiece at the end of the first quarter. Monaco scored the first four points of the second quarter, but Olympiacos' head coach Georgios Bartzokas' small ball lineup of three guards responded with their own 6–0 run to take the lead. Nikola Milutinov of Olympiacos contributed with some help on offense and rebounding, but this was not enough compared to his team's shooting woes combined with Monaco's fast break, as Monaco went ahead by five (31–26).

Olympiacos entered halftime just 2 of 12 on three pointers, with seven assists and eight turnovers, all far worse than their typical performance. Monaco increased their lead throughout the second half by taking advantage of Olympiacos' low shooting percentage and questionable decisions.{{Cite web|url=https://neoskosmos.com/en/2025/05/24/sport/basketball/final-four-olympiacos-falls-to-monaco-bartzokas-everything-went-completely-wrong/|title=Final Four: Olympiacos falls to Monaco – Bartzokas: 'Everything went completely wrong'|date=May 23, 2025}} Several key baskets to open the third quarter from Monaco's Daniel Theis, Diallo, and Jaron Blossomgame pushed their lead to twelve, but Olympiacos' Fournier answered with his own scoring surge to cut Monaco's lead down to four (55–51). Fournier alone had trouble keeping up, as he received little scoring help from teammates in the fourth quarter, while Monaco expanded their lead into double digits highlighted by Mike James dishing out crowd-pleasing assists. With two minutes remaining and his team down by seven, Fournier committed a crucial turnover, which Monaco converted into a basket to increase their lead to nine (74–65) with 79 seconds left.{{Cite web|url=https://en.protothema.gr/2025/05/23/olympiacos-monaco-live-coverage-of-the-2nd-semifinal-of-the-final-four-in-abu-dhabi/|title=Euroleague: "Cold shower" in Abu Dhabi for Olympiacos, who lost 68-78 to Monaco - Monaco will face Fenerbahce in the final|date=May 23, 2025}}

{{basketballbox collapsible

| date = 23 May 2025

| time = 17:00 (CEST)

| report = https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/fenerbahce-beko-istanbul-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2024/328/

| teamA = Fenerbahçe Beko {{bkaicon|TUR}}

| scoreA = 82

| scoreB = 76

| teamB = {{bkaicon|GRE}} Panathinaikos AKTOR

| Q1 = 22–14

| Q2 = 16–19

| Q3 = 17–15

| Q4 = 27–28

| points1 = Hall 18

| rebounds1 = Melli 6

| assist1 = Hayes-Davis, Baldwin 5

| rating1 = Hall 18

| points2 = Osman 22

| rebounds2 = Osman 6

| assist2 = Grant 4

| rating2 = Grant 17

| arena = Etihad Arena

| place = Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

| attendance = 10,218

| referee = {{bkaicon|ESP}} Carlos Peruga, {{bkaicon|GER}} Robert Lottermoser, {{bkaicon|FRA}} Mehdi Difallah

| class = expanded

}}

File:Mathias Lessort 26 Panathinaikos BC 20241025 (6) (cropped).jpg played in his first game after sitting out 150 days due to a broken leg.]]

Fenerbahçe won 82–76 over Panathinaikos, who lacked consistency on both offense and defense, and struggled with little to no scoring from several key players: Juancho Hernangómez (5 points), Ömer Yurtseven (2), Kostas Sloukas (2), and Dinos Mitoglou (0). For offensive help, they relied on Cedi Osman and Jerian Grant, who scored 22 and 15 points respectively, though these two players alone had difficulty establishing momentum for the team. Fenerbahçe won the game with proficient three point shooting and timely scoring runs, as well as successfully executing plays during clutch moments. Panathinaikos' guards being outmatched by Fenerbahçe's was another deciding factor in the game's outcome.

Panathinaikos had five first-quarter turnovers, which gave Fenerbahçe the chance to grab an early lead. Panathinaikos continued to be behind for the majority of the first half, but were able to trim the lead down to five by halftime.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tovima.com/sports/panathinaikos-bc-eliminated-in-euroleague-f-4-semi-final/amp/|title=Panathinaikos BC Eliminated in Euroleague F-4 Semi Final|date=May 23, 2025|website=tovima.com}} A turning point came when Kendrick Nunn of Panathinaikos, the game's top scorer at the time with 19 points, fouled out with 5:45 remaining; his consistent scoring output had kept the game close. Without their main scoring threat, Panathinaikos was subsequently unable to overcome Fenerbahçe's high-percentage three-point shooting, which had persisted all game long. Clutch perimeter shots from Devon Hall and Errick McCollum following Nunn's disqualification maintained the lead for Fenerbahçe until game's end.{{Cite web|url=https://neoskosmos.com/en/2025/05/24/sport/basketball/final-four-panathinaikos-falls-to-fenerbahce-giannakopoulos-vows-we-will-come-back/|title=Final Four: Panathinaikos falls to Fenerbahçe – Giannakopoulos vows 'We will come back'|date=May 24, 2025}} The game marked the return of Mathias Lessort, the Panathinaikos center who had sat out the preceding 150 days due to a broken left leg;{{Cite web|url=https://www.leparisien.fr/sports/basket/monaco-olympiakos-78-68-lexploit-des-monegasques-qualifies-pour-la-finale-de-leuroligue-23-05-2025-VBY74SGYLJA2VAUGJW6FB3FGCY.php|title=Monaco - Olympiakos (78-68) : l'exploit des Monégasques, qualifiés pour la finale de l'Euroligue|date=May 23, 2025|website=leparisien.fr}} he had 14 minutes of action and scored seven points.

{{-}}

{{see also|Derby of the Eternal Enemies (basketball)}}

{{basketballbox collapsible

| date = 25 May 2025

| time = 16:00 (CEST)

| report = https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/olympiacos-piraeus-panathinaikos-aktor-athens/E2024/329/

| teamA = Olympiacos {{bkaicon|GRE}}

| scoreA = 97

| scoreB = 93

| teamB = {{bkaicon|GRE}} Panathinaikos AKTOR

| Q1 = 33–20

| Q2 = 24–26

| Q3 = 18–18

| Q4 = 22–29

| points1 = Peters 32

| rebounds1 = Peters 7

| assist1 = Vildoza 9

| rating1 = Peters 31

| points2 = Yurtseven 23

| rebounds2 = Yurtseven 8

| assist2 = Brown 12

| rating2 = Yurtseven 25

| arena = Etihad Arena

| place = Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

| attendance =

| referee = {{bkaicon|ITA}} Carmelo Paternicò, {{bkaicon|SRB}} Ilija Belošević, {{bkaicon|LTU}} Artūras Šukys

| class = expanded

}}

File:2022-11-22 ALBA Berlin gegen KK Crvena zvezda (EuroLeague 2022-23) by Sandro Halank–008.jpg broke the Final Four single-game team record for most assists with 34, led by Luca Vildoza who had nine.]]

The third place game was contested between two Greek rivals, with Olympiacos defeating Panathinaikos 97–93. Fans of the two clubs clashed before the game, though these incidents were quelled by security forces prior to the opening tip-off.{{Cite web|url=https://greekreporter.com/2025/05/25/olympiacos-wins-third-place-euroleague-2025/|title=Olympiacos Wins EuroLeague Bronze After Victory Over Panathinaikos|first=Paula|last=Tsoni|date=May 25, 2025}} In spite of this, the gameplay on the court was considered to have a "friendly exhibition feel", with soft defense, minimal ball pressure, and few fouls. Olympiacos took the early lead by making several open shots from long range, and enjoyed leads of up to 15 points on two different occasions. Panathinaikos had to rely on their bench (led by Alexandros Samodurov) to score enough to keep the game close.

Panathinaikos was able to reduce the lead in the final two minutes, but consistent free throw shooting from Giannoulis Larentzakis and Alec Peters helped clinch the victory for Olympiacos.{{cite web | url=https://www.tovima.com/sports/olympiacos-tops-panathinaikos-97-93-in-euroleague-third-place-game/amp/ | title=Olympiacos Tops Panathinaikos 97-93 in EuroLeague Third-Place Game }} Olympiacos was ahead the entire game; Peters led all scorers with 32 points, tying a tournament record.{{Cite web|url=https://greekherald.com.au/sports/olympiacos-clinches-euroleague-bronze-over-panathinaikos-in-all-greek-showdown/|title=Olympiacos clinches Euroleague bronze over Panathinaikos in all-Greek showdown|date=May 25, 2025}} Olympiacos displayed proficient ball movement and offensive efficiency with 25 assists in the first 25 minutes. By game's end, they set the Final Four single-game team record for most assists with 34, led by Luca Vildoza with nine and Thomas Walkup with eight; this broke the previous high of 31 assists accomplished by Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2004 championship game.{{Cite web|url=https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/olympiacos-ends-season-on-winning-note-with-assist-record/|title=Olympiacos ends season on winning note with assist record | EuroLeague|date=May 25, 2025|website=Euroleague Basketball}}

{{-}}

{{basketballbox collapsible

| date = 25 May 2025

| time = 19:00 (CEST)

| report = https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/game-center/2024-25/as-monaco-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/E2024/330/

| teamA = Monaco {{bkaicon|FRA}}

| scoreA = 70

| scoreB = 81

| teamB = {{bkaicon|TUR}} Fenerbahçe Beko

| Q1 = 20–18

| Q2 = 13–17

| Q3 = 18–19

| Q4 = 19–27

| points1 = Diallo 19

| rebounds1 = Theis 8

| assist1 = Okobo 5

| rating1 = Diallo 13

| points2 = Hayes-Davis 23

| rebounds2 = Hayes-Davis 9

| assist2 = Baldwin 3

| rating2 = Hayes-Davis 30

| arena = Etihad Arena

| place = Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

| attendance =

| referee = {{bkaicon|ESP}} Carlos Peruga, {{bkaicon|GER}} Robert Lottermoser, {{bkaicon|SLO}} Milan Nedović

| bg = #ffffd0

| class = expanded

}}

File:Nigel Hayes 11 Fenerbahçe Basketbol Euroleague 20250325 (1).jpg was awarded the EuroLeague Final Four MVP.]]

Turkish squad Fenerbahçe claimed the championship by defeating French team Monaco 81–70. The title game began with intense defense from both teams, though Monaco hit several buckets (led by Mike James) to build early leads of 13–4 and 16–8.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tovima.com/sports/fenerbahce-triumphs-over-monaco-in-a-thrilling-euroleague-final/amp/|title=Fenerbahçe Triumphs Over Monaco in a Thrilling EuroLeague Final|date=May 25, 2025|website=tovima.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/sports/basketball/fenerbahce-beat-monaco-to-clinch-turkish-airlines-euroleague-crown/amp|title=Fenerbahçe beat Monaco to clinch Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown|date=May 25, 2025|website=Daily Sabah}} Production from the Fenerbahçe bench by Wade Baldwin, Tarik Biberović, and Nicolò Melli reduced this gap down to a two-point 20–18 lead for Monaco by first quarter's end. Baldwin opened the second quarter's scoring with a three pointer to put Fenerbahçe ahead by one, but Monaco responded with a 7–0 run sparked by Alpha Diallo, compelling Fenerbahçe to call a timeout; when play resumed, Diallo answered with another basket, this one a deep three-pointer to put Monaco ahead by nine, 32–23. In response, Devon Hall led Fenerbahçe offensively on a 12–1 run to close out the first half while the defense stepped up, putting the team ahead 35–33 at halftime.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/basketball/articles/cq85egj1l2xo|title=Fenerbahce defeat Monaco to claim second EuroLeague title|date=May 26, 2025|website=BBC Sport}}

Monaco's offensive rebounding and free throw opportunities kept the game close throughout the third quarter, with the lead changing back and forth on multiple occasions; key three-pointers towards the end of the quarter by Marko Gudurić and Nigel Hayes-Davis put Fenerbahçe up 54–51 at the break. The defenses succeeded at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but then a Baldwin three-pointer and Errick McCollum three-point play concluded an 11–0 run that gave Fenerbahçe the game's first double-digit lead.{{Cite web|url=http://jordantimes.com/news/sports/fener-clinched-the-second-euroleague-title-with-convincing-win-against-monaco|title=Fener clinched the second EuroLeague title with convincing win against Monaco|website=Jordan Times}} Additional clutch offensive performances from Hayes-Davis and Hall increased and preserved Fenerbahçe's lead which they did not relinquish.{{Cite web|url=https://www.turkiyetoday.com/sports/fenerbahce-beko-clinches-2nd-euroleague-title-with-71-64-win-over-monaco-3201943|title=Fenerbahce Beko clinches 2nd EuroLeague title with 81-70 win over Monaco|website=Türkiye Today}}

File:Šarūnas Jasikevičius Fenerbahçe Basketbol TBSL 20241006 (1).jpg won his first EuroLeague championship as head coach.]]

Hayes-Davis was awarded the Final Four MVP. In the championship game, he did not shoot well, making only 4 of 13 field goal attempts, but went a perfect 14 of 14 from the free throw line. He was the game's leading scorer and rebounder, with 23 points and nine rebounds respectively, and also had two steals, a block, and an assist.{{Cite web|url=https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/news/final-four-mvp-nigel-hayes-davis-fenerbahce-beko-istanbul/|title=Final Four MVP: Nigel Hayes-Davis, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | EuroLeague|date=May 25, 2025|website=Euroleague Basketball}} Monaco head coach Vassilis Spanoulis said, "We didn't distribute the ball properly. They hit some important shots, we played good defense, but their offense was better."[https://en.vijesti.me/amp/759986/spanulis--congratulations-to-Fenerbahce--we-played-good-defense-and-they-hit-important-shots Spanoulis: Congratulations to Fenerbahce, we played good defense, and they hit important shots]. Vijesti This was the second EuroLeague championship for Fenerbahçe, following their 2017 title, and the first for Šarūnas Jasikevičius as a head coach.

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