By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
BERLIN — During the press conference ahead of the EuroLeague championship game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos Aktor, Blancos star Dzanan Musa heard – perhaps to his surprise – coach Ergin Ataman acknowledging that he made a mistake with him a couple of years ago.
Ataman admitted that it was wrong of him to give Musa scarce playing time during the 2020-21 season at Anadolu Efes. The Bosnian wing was really appreciative of his former coach’s comment.
“To be honest, it means a lot to me,” Musa told Eurohoops. “It means a lot to me. Because that was something that’s not easy for that big of a coach to come on this stage and admit the mistake. He won the back-to-back and that’s something that you have to respect and I respect him a lot and I respect him too that he admitted he made a mistake. I wish him all the best of course.”
Musa had just returned to Europe after a forgettable NBA stint he had with the Brooklyn Nets from 2019 to 2020. While he signed a multiyear deal with Efes, being considered a great young talent that the club could invest in for the future, Ataman didn’t trust him enough to play him in more than four EuroLeague games.
That summer, Musa exercised an exit clause in his contract to leave and ultimately joined Spanish ACB club Rio Breogan. He made the correct choice and took great advantage of that situation, winning ACB MVP.
Real Madrid came knocking at his door and present Musa with exactly the opportunity he was looking for. He adapted beautifully to the demands of such powerhouse and quickly emerged as a EuroLeague star.
By the end of the season, Musa was one of the most important players of Real Madrid as the team won the “Undecima.”
“It’s all kinds of things,” Musa said on overcoming all sorts of adversities which helped shape him up both as player and person. “It’s not just not playing in Efes. I wanted to prove to people that I belong here and that I belong in the biggest stages with the biggest clubs. But right now, to be honest, I don’t feel there’s something else to prove. I think that people know what kind of player I am right now. I’m just having fun playing basketball and enjoying it with my teammates.”
Musa’s rise over the years has been meteoric. From following the NBA at a young age and failing to adjust in the league towards starting from scratch once more in Europe and climbing the ranks towards establishing himself as member of the EuroLeague elite.
Now, Musa has the opportunity to win the back-to-back EuroLeague championship with the Real Madrid. He’s also laid an early claim to the Final Four MVP title after the 20 points he dropped on Olympiacos Piraeus in the semifinal.
“Everybody was asking me about that today,” Musa said on the possibility of winning Final Four MVP. “I swear I’m not even thinking about it. All I’m thinking of is just getting a win. Just do whatever is possible in helping my team win and that’s the most important thing. I think that all the hard work over the summer helps me a lot be with my teammates, for them to trust me and now be in this position to win back-to-back.”
Panathinaikos is a rather interesting case of an opponent for Real Madrid in the Blancos’ pursuit for the 12th EuroLeague championship in the history of the club . The Greens, led by veteran star Kostas Sloukas, former NBAer Kendrick Nunn and two-time All-EuroLeague center Mathias Lessort, were the first team to beat Real Madrid on the road in the EuroLeague regular season.
It was a rather unexpected loss for Real Madrid – that still went on to get the first seed – and what many at Panathinaikos consider the turning point of the season for them
Musa isn’t really surprised by this. He also believes that’s makes him and his teammates extra aware ahead of the Final.
“I think they should’ve,” Musa mentioned. “We were unbeatable at home, they came, they beat us. That makes them more dangerous than any other team. Also we know that and we know how to approach the game now. We’ll see what’s going to happen. I expect a great game with great fans. Let’s enjoy basketball.”
Sloukas and Nunn consist the offensive backbone of Panathinaikos, a pair of outstanding guards that can dismantle any defense. Asked who’s more important to stop, Musa picked the Greek player.
“That’s very tough,” Musa said. “For them, I think Kostas is more of a leader. I think he’s a little bit more important. I think Nunn is having an amazing season and if he gets going it’s very hard to stop him. We’ll try our best to stop, not just him. Any player can go off on that team.”
Given his enormous growth as player and that he’s just 25 years of age, it would be only natural for Musa to have in his mind that he can find himself back in the NBA and, this time, show beyond any doubt that he truly belongs there.
“You never know,” Musa mentioned when told that NBA teams will be paying attention to the Final Four. “As you said, I just turned 25 this month. You never know what’s going to happen. I’m happy here right now. I’m happy with my performance in the semifinals. Whoever watched the game, I showed I can play in the highest level in the world. I’m happy with Real Madrid. We’ll see.”