By Antonis Stroggylakis/ [email protected]
ABU DHABI– Back in January and just after his third EuroLeague game with Fenerbahce Beko, Errick McCollum explained to Eurohoops how he wanted to become the “extra piece” that this team needed to finally win the EuroLeague championship.
A couple of months later, McCollum spoke his desire into existence.
“I manifested it,” McCollum told Eurohoops after the win of Fenerbahce in the championship game against AS Monaco. “I believed we could win the EuroLeague.”
It was quite the ride this season for McCollum. He started 2024-25 with Izmir side Pinar Karsiyaka, leaving the club amid financial problems that caused a massive exodus of players. Fenerbahce, that needed to sign a guard due to injury problems, picked up the veteran player to add experience and quality to their backcourt lineup.
McCollum made the game of Fener more flavorful and added some extra dimensions along with an out-of-the-box element on offense. He delivered this kind of impact in the most pivotal manner during the semifinal vs. Panathinaikos, when he scored 13 points over the last 13 minutes to push his team to the win.
Two days later, McCollum was crowned EuroLeague champion. It was perhaps a long time coming for the 37-year-old scoring specialist who began his pro journey overseas in 2010.
He wasn’t the only veteran on the team to finally lift the trophy after spending more than a decadein European basketball. Nicolo Melli was chasing it for ages after previously playing with Fener in the 2018 and 2019 Final Four. 2025 MVP Nigel Hayes-Davis had also made the Final Four trip two times (2022, 2024) before winning it this year.
As for Fener coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, he was carrying the weight of fifth losses in Final Four tournaments. The Lithuanian coach had been there in 2018 with Zalgiris Kaunas, 2021, 2022 and 2023 with Barcelona along with 2024 with his current team.
“They earned it, they deserved it,” McCollum said. “The last title was in 2017. For a club with such a prestige, they needed another title, they needed to fill that. Saras had been to the promised land and needed to get over that hump. I had been playing for 15 years. Nigel never had one. Nicolo Melli. There were so many of us. All on the same page, all on the same timeline. When you think about that… you may never get this chance. This game has injuries. This game has unfortunate things. Players leave, players come, players stay. You never know. This was the year that we knew we were capable.”
McCollum’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season. For the player, there are no second thoughts on whether he wants to stay with Fenerbahce and potentially finish his career with the Yellow jersey.
“A lot of that isn’t up to me,” McCollum said. “They have to talk to my agent and extend an offer. I know they said they wanted to talk after the Final Four, so we’ll see what happens. I enjoy my time here. And I love winning. I’d like to continue winning and being comfortable. And I love Turkey. We’ll see what happens. At the end of the day, I know it’s business. If it works out and I can come back – great. If it doesn’t, I’m appreciative for my time here and the chance to win the championship. I’m going to cherish it forever.”
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball