The marathon continues for TJ Shorts, the Bonn leader 'vocally and by example'

MALAGA (Spain) - On the eve of the biggest game of the season, Telekom Baskets Bonn point guard TJ Shorts was already posing with trophies. These were for the MVP of the Season and the Star Lineup first team in Season Seven of the Basketball Champions League.

The theme of the season was about the lucky number seven in all our graphics and social media posts. The 25-year-old from Irvine, California will definitely agree that season seven of the BCL was his seventh heaven, lucky number seven, magnificent seven and all of the above.

With 18.9 points and 7.1 assists per game, selecting him as the MVP of the season was an easy choice. This was Shorts' rookie season in the Basketball Champions League, and he needed just five games to make history. Shorts scored 25+ points in his first five games of the season, becoming the first player with five straight 25+ point games in BCL history.

How big of an achievement is that? The previous record holder, with three such games, was Kevin Punter, one of the most explosive scorers European basketball has ever seen, and Shorts torched that record with ease.

TJ started the season strong, and plans to finish it the same way, as it became evident by his 21 points and 7 assists in a slim two-point Semi-Finals win over the hosts Unicaja in Malaga.

"He's the heart and soul. He's a great leader, vocally and he leads by example. He just showed how tough of a player he is and that he's been all year, consistent. We look at him, he trust us, we trust him, and we put our trust in everybody on the team," Javontae Hawkins praised his point guard after the game.

"With his leadership and his tenacity on both ends of the floor, we're happy to get the win, and we're happy that he's playing the way he's playing," 

The fact that everybody expected Shorts to do his thing in front of a capacity crowd in Malaga speaks volumes on where his hard work got him. From a guy who had no college scholarship offers, to a guy who built his identity in Latvia and Germany, to a guy who's on everybody's radar within a few years.

"The journey has been crazy, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions. I'm grateful to be up here, to my mom and dad who are out there in the crowd, coming all the way out here to Spain to support me, to my teammates welcoming me from the first day I got here in August, along with the coaching staff. I'm just grateful for everything that I've experienced, and I just can't be thankful enough for everyone who supported me along this journey," TJ said upon receiving the MVP of the Season trophy.

His biggest fan all season long was none other than last season's BCL MVP. Chima Moneke and TJ Shorts were college teammates at UC Davis. Which prompts the question: Who's our next year's MVP coming out of the UC Davis program?

"I don't follow UC Davis as much anymore, but my guy Chima Moneke last year... He was in my ear a lot. Just giving me confidence about this season, giving me some tips and keeping me sane throughout the season, but I'm also grateful to him. I can't say thank you enough," Shorts said.

Of course, being selected to the team of the season as the best player of the season is much more than just one player excelling. His accolades wouldn't have been possible without the help of the newly unveiled Coach of the Season, Tuomas Iisalo, the coaching staff, and of course, his teammates.

"Credit to my teammates, my coaches for just believing in the things that I'm able to do on the court, putting me in positions to be successful on the court. This award is a credit to them," Shorts said on Saturday.

Sunday will provide him with another opportunity to take photos with a trophy. But a different one, the spiky one, reserved for the newest Basketball Champions League winner, either Telekom Baskets Bonn from Germany or Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem from Israel.

"It will be another good matchup on Sunday. We know they've got a lot of key pieces over there in Hapoel, we'll break down that film, we'll get ready for that. It will be a good matchup, I'm looking forward to Sunday and ready to play again," the season MVP said.