BADALONA (Spain) - The Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, has always been about crazy moments, unbelievable games, and movie-like scenarios.
But what happened on Saturday in Badalona was simply on another level.
In front of a 10,372-fan fantastic atmosphere in Badalona's Palau Municipal d'Esports, Rytas Vilnius came back from a 20-point deficit to win their first-ever BCL title, beating AEK BC 92-86.
We all just witnessed one of the most astonishing games ever.
YouTube highlights
Turning point
Everything looked secured for AEK after the first twenty minutes, as nobody else in the history of the competition had gone to halftime on a 17-point margin (42-25).
In the third quarter, the Queen kept on rolling, building a 55-35 lead, but Rytas' fighting spirit emerged in the fourth, where they went on a 35-17 run to tie the game at 80-80, forcing overtime following Simonas Lukosius' crazy dagger.
That's when the heart of the captain, Arturas Gudaitis, went out. The experienced Lithuanian center scored five points in a row, while Lukosius had another one of his crazy shots to bring Rytas up by eight (88-80).
At that point, AEK's energies weren't enough to come back once again into the picture. Rytas, instead, fought on every possession, eventually coming out on top after 45 minutes of crazy action.
MVP of the Final Four
One would have thought Jerrick Harding, who led Rytas to the BCL Final with 29 points against La Laguna Tenerife in the Semi-Finals. Maybe Ignas Sargiunas, after his clutch season at club and national team level.
Instead, Rytas' hero of the century ended up being Simonas Lukosius, who was unconscious in Badalona.
The 23-year-old Lithuanian guard, who was scoreless in the Semi-Final against Tenerife, finished with 23 points over 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. His seven threes are the most-ever in a BCL Final.
Only three players - Jimmy Baron (10), Kasey Shepherd (8), and Sasu Salin (8) - had scored more three-pointers while coming off the bench in any BCL game. Talking about history.
Stats don't lie
38:27 minutes. That's how long AEK had the lead in the BCL Final.
27-0. AEK's record in BCL games in which they led by 20+ points, before Season X's BCL Final.
These two stats are self-explanatory on how crazy Rytas' victory in the 2025-26 Championship Game. However, another one is particularly impressive.
The 35 points scored by the Lithuanians in the fourth quarter indeed represent the joint-highest scoring quarter by any team in a BCL Final, alongside San Pablo Burgos' 35 points in the second quarter in 2020.
Against? AEK.
Bottom line
Rytas wrote history in Badalona.
Not only did they become the first Lithuanian team in the history of the competition capable of getting to the BCL Final Four and the BCL Final, but also the first Lithuanian team to win it all.
They became the 7th different BCL Champions, the first to overturn a disadvantage of more than 10 points to go on to win the BCL title.
Alongside Lukosius, Jerrick Harding (16 points and 6 assists) and Kay Bruhnke (10 points and 12 rebounds) were crucial too.
On the other hand, AEK lost two of their three BCL Finals after their previous win in 2018 and defeat in 2020.
A clutch performance by James Nunnally (23 points over 9-of-9 FT) and a solid contribution by the MVP of the Season, Frank Bartley (20 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds), weren't enough.
They said
"I feel amazing. I can't say what happened because I still have to figure it out myself. Our work throughout the season has paid off today. I'm just so happy for the team and for everyone around this amazing club. We made something special." - Rytas' Simonas Lukosius.
"This is the best day of my career, for sure. What can I say? We came back from -20. It's unheard of. This is the definition of what this team is. We showed it." - Rytas' Jerrick Harding.
"First of all, these guys are a special group. All season long, they never quit, especially in the toughest moments of the season. Big credit to AEK, they are a great team, a really talented team. They really started the game with big power, with very big confidence, but we didn’t panic." - Rytas' head coach, Giedrius Zibenas.
"For sure, this is well-deserved. We didn’t panic. I think this was the superpower for us in this game: that nobody on the bench or on the court panicked. We just knew that we needed one good run." - Zibenas again.
"Credit to Rytas. We were up for the majority of the game, but we got out of our flow in the early fourth. They made a big run and couldn't stop it. They had a lot of momentum going into overtime. They made all the right plays, huge shots. I'm proud of my team, we were excited to be here." - AEK's Frank Bartley.
"It's a Championship environment. Both clubs really wanted to be here. Rytas fans really showed out; our fans came out and were huge. It was a special moment to be here, something I will remember for the rest of my life." - Bartley again.
"I want to shout out to the fans for travelling. We always have great fans. I’m just proud of the team for making it this far. I came in midway through the season, I’m just happy to be a part of this team." - AEK's Keyshawn Feazell.
"First of all, I have to congratulate Rytas because they played until the end. In basketball, you have to play 40 minutes. Sometimes 45 is necessary. They did it better than us in the end." - AEK's head coach, Dragan Sakota.