By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos Aktor guard T.J. Shorts II has been named the Most Valuable Player of the EuroLeague Play-In Showdown of the 2025-26 season.
Euroleague Basketball announced Shorts as the Play-In MVP on Saturday.
Per the press release: “TJ Shorts saved his best performance in a Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens jersey for just the right moment, sending the Greens through to the EuroLeague Playoffs at the first time of asking. His 24 PIR was the highest index rating of any player whose team advanced to the postseason.
The Play-In had one standout 🤩 @TjShorts5, who led @Paobcgr to a convincing win over @ASMonaco_Basket on Tuesday, earning Play-In MVP honors.#EveryGameMatters pic.twitter.com/PHxX02kTTN
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) April 25, 2026
It is the second straight year Shorts has claimed Play-In MVP honors, having led Paris Basketball to the playoffs the previous season – also with a first-round win in the Play-In Showdown.
Shorts posted 21 points, matching his season high, on 8-of-11 two-pointers, 1-of-2 triples and 2-of-2 free throws as Panathinaikos defeated AS Monaco 87-79 at Telekom Center Athens. He also contributed 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 fouls drawn, and did not commit a single turnover.
“It was a huge performance, obviously from the team, from myself,” Shorts told EuroLeague TV afterward. “It feels good to finally be able to punch our ticket. We talked about how we didn’t want to be in this position, but this is what it is. We had to show up and win today.
“It’s been a long year of adjusting, figuring out each other. Today, everything kind of clicked. Overall, it was a good performance. I was happy to be able to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
Individual highs: Mike James, Monaco, 25 points
AS Monaco guard Mike James’s 25 points against Panathinaikos were the most scored by any player in the Play-In Showdown. Olympiacos Piraeus star Sasha Vezenkov enters the playoffs as the league’s leading scorer, averaging 19.4 points per game.
Jaron Blossomgame, also of Monaco, pulled down 10 rebounds – the most of any player – in his team’s playoff-clinching win over FC Barcelona. Olympiacos big man Nikola Milutinov leads the league with 7.1 rebounds per game.
James also dished out 10 assists – more than anyone else – as Monaco eliminated Barcelona. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade’s Codi Miller-McIntyre, whose team did not reach the playoffs, leads the league with 7.5 assists per game.
Two players – Panathinaikos’s Cedi Osman and Barcelona’s Jan Vesely – recorded 3 steals apiece in the first round of the Play-In Showdown, more than anyone else. Virtus Bologna’s Luca Vildoza, whose team did not reach the postseason, leads the league with 1.4 steals per game.
Eleven players posted 1 block each. Real Madrid‘s Walter Tavares enters the EuroLeague Playoffs as the league’s leading shot-blocker, averaging 1.9 per game.
Mike James (13 points, 10 assists) and Blossomgame (11 points, 10 rebounds) were the only players to record a double-double, both coming in Monaco’s second-round play-in win over Barcelona on Friday night.”
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