He became the fourth person in EuroLeague history to lift the championship both as a player and coach
Coach Jasikevicius enters EuroLeague history books, leads Fenerbahce to glory
Published 1 day ago• 3 minute read
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Final Four
Final Four
AS Monaco
ASM
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul
FBB
Not many Turkish Airlines EuroLeague legends can boast having won the trophy both as a coach and player. In fact, only three had done it before Sunday’s Championship Game between Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and AS Monaco. That exclusive group which consisted of Armenak Alachachian, Lolo Sainz and Svetislav Pesic now has a new member in Fenerbahce boss Saras Jasikevicius.
Having won four EuroLeague championships with three teams as a player, Jasikevicius made history after Fenerbahce’s playoff sweep over Paris Basketball by becoming the first coach to reach five consecutive Final Fours.
Participation with Zalgiris Kaunas (2018) was followed by three straight Final Fours with FC Barcelona (2021, 2022, 2023) and two in row with Fenerbahce (2024, 2025). The Turkish side bounced back from last year’s semifinal defeat at the hands of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens by beating the Greens this season to reach the Championship Game. This time, Jasikevicius wouldn’t let the opportunity slip through his hands.
“It feels amazing. I’ve been chasing this trophy for a while now,” he told EuroLeague TV after the game. “I had a lot of heartbreaks. Stuck with it and these guys got the job done.”
His task this term has been anything but easy. Scottie Wilbekin’s season-ending injury two minutes into the season was followed by several setbacks that forced him to adapt and react. His team grew through adversity and finished the regular season in style. Fenerbahce hit the ground running in the new calendar year, winning 18 of its 22 games to earn Saras the 2024-25 Aleksander Gomelskiy Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
“It was difficult at times,” Jasikevicius added. “We found a way to stick together. We went through the bad times and survived in some parts of the season. And I believe that from January on we played good basketball.”
That good basketball paid off as Fenerbahce secured its second-ever EuroLeague trophy. And Saras can now cherish the moment by celebrating his fifth championship.
“I got a big monkey off my shoulders,” he told the post-game press conference. “After being so close for so many years, consistently being here and not being able to get over the hump.
"I can’t win championships as a player anymore. As Billy [Spanoulis] said, I wish I’d have the f***ing ball in my hands this weekend, but we are on the sidelines. [The feeling of winning it as a player and coach] is the same. It’s the greatest feeling in the world to be a champion.”
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