Basketball player Tornike Shengelia crowned Spanish champion with Baskonia
Team captain Tornike Shengelia (centre) celebrates the 2019-2020 season title with his teammates. Photo via Baskonia club official Facebook.
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Georgian national basketball team player Tornike Shengelia has been crowned the champion of Spain's top-flight league after leading his club Baskonia to a 69-67 win against Barça on Tuesday.
Shengelia, captain of the Basque team, led by example in the final of the 2019-2020 season, scoring 14 points in addition to four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Combined with efforts from his teammates, his play meant Baskonia earned their fourth Spanish title, repeating the achievements in 2002, 2008 and 2010.
Hosted at Valencia's Pabellon Municipal Fuente San Luis, the match saw the Basque team go ahead early in the first quarter 15-9, however their opponents soon upped their game and the caught up in score.
See highlights from the final of the Liga Endesa and the awards ceremony for the champions:
At half-time, the Catalan club was leading 39-33, leading to a nail-biting final where the score wa tied at 67-67 in the final minute. Baskonia's Argentinian guard Luca Vildoza tipped it in the favour of the team with his title-winning shot in the dying seconds.
Shengelia, in his capacity as the captain, collected the champion's cup of the Liga Endesa league while draped in the Georgian national flag, before proceeding to "trim" one of the two baskets of the arena with scissors - a long-standing international tradition for basketball champions.
The Georgian player joined the team in 2014, becoming the captain of the club through his on-court contributions and leadership. His move to the team came after spells at clubs including the Spanish championship's Valencia and the National Basketball Association's Brooklyn Nets.
Earlier this year the forward received the Spanish league's Giant of the Year prize, with Baskonia awarded the equivalent prize among clubs.
Coached by Duško Ivanović, Baskonia also boasts six Spanish Cups, four Spanish Supercups and one FIBA European Cup in their silverware. The 1959-founded team also plays in the EuroLeague continent-wide competition.
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