Cup 2026 Final: Baskonia returns to glory 17 years later
In 2026, the Copa del Rey was held in Valencia, giving us a high-octane tournament in which Baskonia, against all odds, managed to beat Real Madrid in the final (89-100). Trent Forrest, who came close to a triple-double in the decisive game, was named MVP
Real Madrid got off to a better start in the final, with Mario Hezonja opening the scoring and a quick 13-2 run forcing Baskonia to call a timeout. However, the Vitoria-based side reacted thanks to Luwawu-Cabarrot and managed to tie the first quarter (26-26), balancing out a clearly dominant start by the Whites. In the second period, Madrid went on a 14-0 run that seemed to break the game open, but Baskonia resisted and stayed alive before the break (52-47). Luwawu-Cabarrot was already the offensive leader and kept his team in the game with a high-level performance. After the break, the Vitoria-based team quickly tied the game and turned the third quarter into a back-and-forth affair. Hezonja and Garuba kept Madrid ahead, but Baskonia did not lose momentum and left everything open for the final period (72-67). In the final stretch, Omoruyi and Forrest stepped up. A decisive 2+1 by Forrest put Baskonia ahead, and the Vitoria-based team was more solid in the final minutes to seal the victory 89-100. Luwawu-Cabarrot, who was eliminated due to personal fouls, finished as the top scorer with 28 points, and Baskonia deservedly lifted the title.
Before…
Quarterfinals Valencia Basket 95 - Joventut 84 Real Madrid 100 - Unicaja Málaga 70 Baskonia 91 - Tenerife 81 Barcelona 91 - Murcia 85
Semifinals Valencia Basket 106 - Real Madrid 88 Barcelona 67 - Baskonia 70
Baskonia 100 *Forrest - 22p, 11a, 9r *Howard - 6p *Radzevicius - 2p, 5r *Frisch - 0p, 2r, 1t *Diakite - 9p, 5t, 3r Villar - 0p Spagnolo - 6p, 2a, 1r Luwawu-Cabarrot - 28p, 5r, 2t Kurucs - 4p, 1r Omoruyi - 23p, 3a, 2r Bol - Joksimovic -
Real Madrid 89 *Campazzo - 14p, 5a, 2r *Llull - 3p, 1r, 1br *Hezonja - 15p, 3a, 3r *Deck - 8p, 2r, 1a *Tavares - 9p, 7r, 1t Feliz - 15p, 9r, 1a Maledon - 12p, 3a, 2r Abalde - 0p, 3r Lyles - 4p, 4r, 2t Garuba - 5p, 2r Len - 4p, 3r, 1t Kramer -
