Croatian basketball representative Mario Hezonja, a 31-year-old member of Real Madrid, was declared the most valuable player (MVP) of the Spanish league on Monday, the organizer of the Liga ACB competition reported.
After the 34 rounds of the league part of the competition were played, Hezonja was recognized based on the votes of the coach, team captain, media and fans via the Internet, in which each group participated with 25 percent.
Hezonja put the icing on his historic league season winning the MVP award. During the season, he showed the best basketball of his career to become the leader of Real Madrid, which finished at the very top of the tableit was stated in the press release.
The Croatian player won most player votes (30 points) i media (35.5). He finished second in the coach’s vote (24) and repeated second place, this time tied with David De Julius in the public vote (14).
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El MVP de la #LigaEndesa 2025-26 es…🏆 MARIO HEZONJA!@mariohezonja | @RMBaloncesto pic.twitter.com/0E2McnEcpD
— Liga Endesa (@ACBCOM) June 1, 2026
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“Great Mario“, as he is fondly called by the media, received a total of 103.5 points, which surpassed the 74.5 points of Jean Montero from Valencia and the 73.3 points of De Julius from Murcia.
During 28 games, the Croatian player spent an average of 23:32 minutes on the court. He was scoring 17.5 baskets with 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and one steal each. He finished the games with an average performance of 18.8 valorization points.
Hezonja was declared the MVP player, although the Croatian representative Luka Božić played for the last-placed Granada and had an average valorization performance of 24.2 points, the highest in the league. This is also the most that someone has achieved on average during the league part of the season since 2008.
Hezonja is for the leading Real Madrid played the best game a month ago against Murciasecond place at the time, to which he scored 40 points in a 131-123 victory. That meeting ended with 53 valorization points.
Now begins the playoffs for the champion, in which the eight best teams from the league part of the competition participate. Real Madrid will play the first leg of the quarter-finals against Tenerife on Tuesday, hoping to defend last year’s title.
Hezonja and Christmas in the top five
Mario Hezonja and Luka Božić they were selected in the top five of the Spanish championship after excelling while playing for Real Madrid and Granada.
After 34 rounds of the league part of the competition, Jean Montero (Valencia), David DeJulius (UCAM Murcia) and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (Baskonia) were also in the top five. Hezonja (31) was also in the best line-up of the league last season, which also included Croatian center Ante Tomić from Joventut.
Božić, whose contract with With a grenadeis the most valuable player in the Spanish league with an average of 24.26 valuation points. The wing center was also the second-leading rebounder (with an average of 6.56 rebounds), the fourth-leading scorer (16.18 points), the player who made the most free throws (6.97) and the one who spent the most minutes on the court (29.16).
He played his best game two weeks ago in Granada’s 85-121 loss away to Baskonia. Then, in 29.15 minutes on the floor, he scored 24 points, along with seven rebounds and six assists.
The Spanish championship now enters the playoff phase, in which the eight best teams from the league part of the competition.
Croatian national team player Micheal Ružić (19), who will play with Catalan Joventut in the quarter-finals of the playoffs against Baskonia, was selected in the best five of young players.
(Hina | Photo: X)
