By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominance in the NBA Finals and Nikola Jokic becoming one of the league’s most unlikely MVPs. Anadolu Efes finally getting its dues, Luka Doncic writing a new historic chapter for Slovenia and France climbing at the Olympic podium after a long absence.
These are the Top 10 basketball moments of 2021 in no particular order. From a European (mostly) angle.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the Promised Land
From the neighborhood of Sepolia, Athens to the NBA, from selling stuff in the streets to make a living, to becoming an NBA superstar and from the humble rookie beginnings to the top of the basketball world. The shiniest of pages (until the next one) in the Giannis Antetokounmpo saga was written in the 2021 NBA Finals when the Greek Freak handed the Milwaukee Bucks their first championship title in 50 years.
Giannis delivered the promise he had made time and again to the Bucks franchise and the Milwaukee fans that looked at him as the hero who would give them what they have been craving for so long. His performances in the Finals were outstanding and packed with some true epics: The 41 points in the Game 3 win and the beginning of the Bucks’ turnaround (while becoming the third player ever with back-to-back 40+point outputs in the Finals), the massive block on Phoenix Suns center DeAndre Ayton with 1:14 to play in Game 4 and the 50-point masterpiece in the decisive Game 6.
Nikola Jokic named 2021 NBA MVP
For the third year in a row, the NBA MVP came from Europe. After Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2019 and 2020, Nikola Jokic was named league MVP, an absolutely well-deserved honor for one insanely powerful individual season performance.
It wasn’t just a reward for how Jokic registered huge production rates, how he toyed with opponents, the richly diverse ways he influenced the game of the Denver Nuggets or the numerous highlights he created. It was also a recognition of the Serbian big man’s endurance, refusing to sit out a game and insisting that his place is on the floor and not on the sidelines. Going against the “load management” trend to ultimately participate in every regular-season match, the first-ever MVP to do so.
France back at the Olympic podium after 21 years
France had all their stars on board (Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, Nando De Colo) but there were murmurs that they would flop in the Olympic Games after some disappointing performances in exhibition games and especially following a loss to Japan in the last match before the launch of the official tournament.
The Olympics opener was enough to change that negativity into mighty optimism. France beat USA, showing how they mean serious business and that they could even be considered a favorite for the gold. They proceeded to win all of their other games and down Slovenia to get to the Final where they fell to Kevin Durant’s greatness. Still, the silver medal was quite the success for the French national team one that further enhanced Les Bleus’ appetite for the gold medal goal of Paris 2024.
Luka Doncic pushing Slovenia to the Olympic Games for the first time ever
After a four-year absence from his national team’s games, Luka Doncic was fully committed to making some history happen for Slovenia this summer. And that’s exactly what he achieved.
Doncic produced one of the most outstanding performances ever in international basketball with a triple-double against hosts (and arguably favorite) Lithuania in the Final of the Olympic Qualifiers in Kaunas as Slovenia won the tournament and got the ticket to the Olympic Games. Sure, Doncic is collecting triple-doubles in the NBA quite easily, but registering one in FIBA basketball of this level was quite rare and absolutely incredible.
Slovenia became a contender for a medal in Tokyo but didn’t manage to make the Final and lost also to Australia in the third-place game. Doncic didn’t finish the summer the way he wanted, but his return to national team was combined with another historic achievement for Slovenia. There are likely many of those in the future as well.
Anadolu Efes sitting on the throne of EuroLeague
It has been a long time coming for the best team in EuroLeague for more than two years. Efes made the Final in 2019 and was destroying all competition in 2020 until the novel coronavirus halted what looked like an unstoppable run towards winning the championship.
Then came 2021. And they went all the way.
Efes didn’t start the campaign well but with Shane Larkin’s incorporation and Vasilije Micic raising the level of his game to MVP proportions, the Turkish team began winning one game after the other to enter the playoffs as third in the standings. Real Madrid gave Efes a scare but Ergin Ataman’s squad managed to advance to the Final Four for a second time in a row.
After a hard-earned win over CSKA Moscow in the semifinal, Efes faced top-seeded Barcelona in the championship game. Micic and Larkin were more or less unstoppable to lead their team to the first EuroLeague title in the history of the club and second-ever in Turkish basketball.
Vasilije Micic sweeping all individual and team titles
If “winning everything there is to win” had a face in 2021, that would be the one of Anadolu Efes star guard Vasilije Micic: EuroLeague season MVP, Final Four MVP, All-EuroLeague First Team and Turkish League champion.
It was a bit surprising that he didn’t leap to the NBA last summer and in ultimately a big “win” for European basketball that didn’t lose one of its stars. For a change. Micic stayed with Efes, we naturally picked him to for first place on our annual “Euroleague’s Top 100 Players” and we wait to see if he will manage to steer Efes to an illustrious and uncommon repeat.
Legends hanging their shoes
2021 can also be remembered as “retirement year” in European basketball: Pau Gasol, Vassilis Spanoulis, Luis Scola, Felipe Reyes, Nikos Zisis, David Andersen, Giannis Bourousis, Stratos Perperoglou, Jonas Maciulis, Omri Casspi, Fernando San Emeterio, Alexis Ajinca and Carlos Cabezas are just some of the names that called it a day this year.
Steph Curry becomes NBA’s new all-time 3-point King
On December 15, Steph Curry entered the game of the Golden State Warriors at the New York Knicks with 2,972 career 3-pointers. He needed just two more to set a new record for the most 3-pointers made in NBA history and didn’t take him long to achieve it.
Curry drained a quick one to tie the record and then fired another with 7:33 left in the first quarter to break it. The previous record-holder Ray Allen was there and so was third-placed Reggie Miller, both standing up to join the crowd in a standing ovation for the best shooter the world has ever seen.