Wisconsin Badgers' Nigel Hayes steals the ball from American's Tony Wroblicky in the 2015 NCAA tournament Milwaukee Journal Sentinel files, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Former Wisconsin Badgers forward Nigel Hayes-Davis wins MVP in EuroLeague Final Four

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Lorin Cox | Last updated May 25, 2025 7:06 PM ET

Nigel Hayes-Davis was part of the 2015 Wisconsin Badgers team that made a run to the Final Four and came up short in the championship game.

10 years later, he went on a different type of Final Four run, and he made sure to have a better outcome.

Playing in the EuroLeague Final Four, his Turkish team Fenerbahçe won the championship trophy on Sunday, and Hayes-Davis was named MVP.

What a season, what a player! @NIGEL_HAYES is the #F4GLORY MVP pic.twitter.com/lKGZf38rve
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 25, 2025

His team beat the Italian team AS Monaco, which includes his former Wisconsin teammate Vito Brown.

Hayes-Davis led his team with 23 points and nine rebounds, playing almost 37 minutes out of the 40-minute contest.

In a post-game interview, he talked about how hard he worked to get that point despite being overlooked at every step along the way.

Nigel Hayes Davis' journey from being underestimated in highschool and college, not getting drafted, to being EuroLeague champion and F4 MVP is truly an inspiring one ️#F4GLORY pic.twitter.com/ieWQ0O2Dae
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 25, 2025

It might not have been the NBA career that he grew up dreaming about, but Hayes-Davis can take a lot of pride in leading his team to the top and seeing the payoff for all of his hard work.