Maccabi Tel Aviv celebrated late into the night after beating Hapoel Tel Aviv 83-79 in Game 4 to clinch its 58th championship. The title came in a season that lasted more than 10 months from the start of training, and the team moved from Menora Mivtachim Arena to Restaurant 206, its traditional trophy-celebration spot, as fans lingered long after the final buzzer.
Captain John DiBartolomeo called it perhaps the sweetest championship of his career. He said, "Maybe the sweetest title, maybe the longest season I have had, and to win the double in this situation with everything we went through and the level of the league, it is very impressive. I am proud of everyone." He added that the shortened playoff rotation made the title even more meaningful and praised the team for sticking together.
Finals MVP Iffe Lundberg carried the trophy out with his wife and young son and said he came to Maccabi to make an impact. The Danish guard said he had hoped to win the championship after the team missed the EuroLeague playoffs, and thanked the fans for supporting the club through good and bad. He said that despite having played in the NBA and for CSKA, Maccabi stands among basketball's elite because of its history and tradition.
Roman Sorkin also played a starring role, following two poor games with a clutch three-pointer and a huge dunk that sealed the result. He said, "I owed the team, I had a bad game and a half, mentally and everything. It passed." Sorkin credited coach Oded Kattash and the staff, and said the win felt especially sweet given the long season, the constant travel, and the team’s difficulties.
The celebrations will continue with one final team meal before most foreign players leave Israel within 24 hours, many of them having been away from home since August. But Maccabi still faces uncertainty for next season: DiBartolomeo, Tamir Blatt and Lundberg do not have contracts or agreements in place. The club expects at least two of the three to stay, but significant gaps remain.
