Former Big Ten Star Celebrates Major Achievement on Sunday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated May 25, 2025 7:02 PM ET

On Sunday, the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi bore witness to a landmark moment in European basketball history.

Fenerbahçe Beko Istanbul secured its second Turkish Airlines EuroLeague title with an 81-70 victory over AS Monaco, fueled by an outstanding performance from American forward Nigel Hayes-Davis.

In a game that remained contested until the final quarter, Hayes-Davis poured in a game-high 23 points and hauled down nine rebounds, adding two steals and a block en route to the coveted EuroLeague Final Four MVP award.

Hayes-Davis was a member of the Wisconsin Badgers from 2013-17 and played a key role in the team's run to the 2015 National Championship game, which they lost 68-63 to Duke.

Fenerbahçe Beko took to X after the game to celebrate the historic achievement for the former Big Ten star.

MVP MVP MVP! @NIGEL_HAYES #Yellow7egacy #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/GXmoJZnars
— Fenerbahçe Beko (@FBBasketbol) May 25, 2025

A native of Westerville, Ohio, Hayes-Davis emerged as one of the Big Ten’s most decorated players over his four years at Wisconsin.

He was named the Sixth Man of the Year and to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2014, Third-team All-Big Ten selections in 2015 and 2017, and First-team All-Big Ten in 2016, after leading the Badgers with 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

He helped carry Wisconsin to the 2014 Final Four, the 2015 NCAA title game, and the Sweet Sixteen in 2016 and 2017.

Undrafted in 2017, Hayes-Davis carved out a professional path that took him from the NBA G League and brief stints with the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers (2018) and Toronto Raptors (2018) to elite European clubs.

After seasons with Galatasaray, Žalgiris Kaunas, and FC Barcelona, he signed with Fenerbahçe in July 2022.

Since then, he has racked up numerous accolades, including All-EuroLeague First Team honors in 2024 and 2025, Turkish League Champion (2024), Turkish Cup Winner (2024, 2025) and Turkish Cup Final MVP (2025).

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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