Fenerbahce won the Turkish championship on Friday night with a dramatic 77-75 victory over Besiktas, sealing the title thanks in part to a spectacular assist by Wade Baldwin. The former Maccabi Tel Aviv guard drove into the lane and, with 5.7 seconds left and his team trailing by one, delivered a behind-the-back pass to Nicolo Melli for an uncontested three-pointer.
The play stunned coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, who was shown on camera reacting with, “Oh my God.” Turkish basketball fans described the sequence as one of the greatest in the country’s history.
The article explains that Baldwin entered the paint after a screen by Melli, then found himself facing a triple team. When he rose as if for a layup, Anthony Brown jumped to block the shot, prompting Baldwin to drop the ball and, in a split second, feed Bibrovic instead. The shooter was in his preferred spot and converted the key basket.
Bibrovic shot 48.9% from three-point range in the league this season and 41.9% in the EuroLeague. Baldwin said after the game that an assist only counts if the shot goes in, adding that Bibrovic’s basket delivered the championship and calling it “the moment of the season.” He also said, “Istanbul is amazing, we will win many more titles.”
