By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
AEK, the reigning Basketball Champions League champion, has also become the Intercontinental Cup champion and the players themselves recognize they are a part of a very important period in the club’s history.
“We’re proud to have written another page in our club’s rich history. This is the first title of our club at a world level, so for us this is something very big. We wanted this very much – not only to go to the history books, but so that it also helps us during the rest of the season, which will be very difficult”, AEK captain Dusan Sakota said, per fiba.basketball.
The ‘Queen’ has won two trophies last season and one in the ongoing having a chance at a few more but Sakota doesn’t want to give any of it a special status: “Each title has its importance within the moment that it’s achieved. I can’t say if it’s more valuable than other previous club conquests. Each one has their place in the history of the club.”
His teammate Giannoulis Larentzakis agreed they must value each won championship but also called this one “the most transcendent title in the history of AEK because to get here we had to win the Basketball Champions League, which was also very important.”
Dusan’s father Dragan Sakota was coaching the club for five years and led them to three titles. He joined the team in Rio and shared this great moment with the squad: “It’s very special that my father, who was a champion coach, has been here to share this tournament with us. He’s a very important part of the history of this team and he deserved this acknowledgment.”
This trophy also had a very special place in the MVP Jordan Theodore’s heart because of all the hardship he had to overcome for the past year:
“I spent almost a year off the court due to an injury and because I didn’t have a place later at Olimpia Milano. So now that I was once again inside a court, the moment I desired arrived. I wanted to show everyone that I’m still one of the best guards of the continent. I’m very happy for what my teammates and I achieved. The MVP prize is not something that really matters to me. The most important thing is to win and to get all group goals. The individual accolades are secondary aspects that aren’t achieved without the help of everyone else in the team.”