Olympiakos Wins Euroleague for the Fourth Time
Olympiakos are EuroLeague champions again. The Piraeus club beat Real Madrid 92-85 on Sunday night in Athens, claiming their fourth European title and ending a 13-year wait since their back-to-back crowns in 2012 and 2013.
The game was a fight from the opening tip. Real Madrid, shorthanded after losing all three of their centers to injury, came out swinging and led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter (15-3). Olympiakos clawed back, took their first lead in the 18th minute, and went into halftime up 44-42 in front of a crowd of around 18,000 fans who turned Telekom Center Athens into a sea of red.
The score stayed tight all the way to 80-80 before the Greeks pulled away for good.
Madrid pushed back in the third quarter and led by six heading into the final period. Olympiakos retook the lead at 67-65, and the score stayed tight all the way to 80-80 before the Greeks pulled away for good.
Evan Fournier top-scored for Olympiakos with 20 points and was named the Final Four MVP. Alec Peters added 16 and Sasha Vezenkov contributed 12. For Madrid, Trey Lyles finished with 24 points and Mario Hezonja with 19.
Coach Giorgos Bartzokas and captain Kostas Papanikolaou were both part of the 2013 title run and were on the bench and floor again Sunday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo watched from the stands.
Before the final, police in riot gear were deployed outside the arena as hundreds of ticketless Olympiakos fans tried to force their way in. Several fans were detained for drug and flare possession, and at least some security staff were arrested for letting people through without tickets. Fenerbahce, who lost to Olympiakos in the semis, filed a formal protest with the EuroLeague over the ticketing chaos.
Olympiakos have now won in 1997, 2012, 2013, and 2026. Real Madrid remain the all-time leaders with 11 titles.
