Daniel Theis and AS Monaco lose the Final Four final in Abu Dhabi against Fenerbahce Istanbul.
A good three months after his departure from the NBA, world champion Daniel Theis missed out on triumph in the Basketball EuroLeague. In the final of the Final Four in Abu Dhabi, the center with AS Monaco lost 70:81 (33:35) against Fenerbahce Istanbul; it would have been the first title win in the most important European club competition for the club from the Principality.
Theis, who left North America in February after eight years, could have won the crown as the third German after record national player Patrick Femerling (2003 with Barcelona) and Tibor Pleiß (2021 and 2022 with Anadolu Istanbul). Pleiß, with defending champion Panathinaikos Athens, had already failed in the semi-finals of the tournament for the fourth time against the Turkish club Fenerbahce.
Theis Misses EuroLeague Title
At the Abu Dhabi premiere of the event, Theis was in the starting five for Monaco, and AS initially dominated in front of numerous stars from sports and show business. Above all, Mike James, the best scorer in EuroLeague history, quickly heated up and scored safely from the three-point line.
Fener, led by former Munich player Wade Baldwin, held back and kept in contact, and no team was able to pull away in the head-to-head duel; the lead changed again and again in the Etihad Arena. It wasn’t until the beginning of the last quarter that the picture changed; Monaco now had problems, especially in offense, and Istanbul, led by top scorer Nigel Hayes-Davis (23 points), pulled away by double digits (62:51/34th minute). Monaco unsuccessfully resisted the impending bankruptcy in the final phase; Fenerbahce won their second title after 2017.
Theis, who had twelve points and eight rebounds, decided to withdraw from the NBA in the spring after being released by Oklahoma City Thunder, despite offers from other clubs. The move paid off; unlike recently in the USA, the 33-year-old is a real pillar at Monaco – and was now allowed to play directly for a title. It wasn’t far off.