MVP Emma Meesseman sets Belgian record with fifth EuroLeague Basketball win

Emma Meesseman won the women's EuroLeague basketball with the Turkish team Fenerbahçe on Sunday. In an all-Turkish final, Fenerbahçe beat Mersin by 99-60.

The win is Meesseman's fifth title and sees her break the Belgian record of four EuroLeague trophies, set by Ann Wauters. Meesseman previously won the tournament in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021, each time with Russia's Yekaterinburg.

She was voted the league's player of the season on Saturday. "It's an honour, but it's not why I play basketball," Meesseman said. "I simply love the game immensely. I want to thank everyone who voted for me. I also thank my family for all their support."

One of the sport's top players, Meesseman was voted Most Valuable Player of the WNBA in 2019 and led the Belgian national team to the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics the following year.

Kim Mestdagh, another Belgian who plays in the EuroLeague, took third place with her Italian team, Schio. She lost the semi-final to Meesseman's Fenerbahçe last Friday.

^{Emma Meesseman (L), Astou Ndour (C) and Breanna Stewart in the EuroLeague semi-final match between Fenerbahçe and Schio in Prague, Czech Republic, on 14 April 2023 © PHOTO MICHAL CIZEK / AFP}