Cedevita Olimpija is back on top

Cedevita Olimpija defeated Krka Novo mesto (80:68) in the third game of the finals of the Nova KBM League. For the Dragons this is the 18th title in history and first after 2018.

Cedevita Olimpija is back on top. For the first time since 2018, for the eighteenth time since Slovenia’s independence and for the first time under the name Cedevita Olimpija, the Dragons are earned the title of national champions. The Ljubljana team defeated Krka from Novo mesto (80:68) in the third game of the finals of the Nova KBM League in the home Arena Stožice, thus ending the 2020/21 competition season in the best possible way.

The team of head coach Jurica Golemec ended the playoffs without a single defeat in seven matches. For the first time since the 2008/09 season, the Ljubljana club defeated its rivals in the finals in three games. For the Dragons, the title of national champion, after winning the Super Cup 2020, is the second trophy this season.

This is the second season for Cedevita Olimpija since Ljubljana’s Olimpija and Zagreb’s Cedevita joined forces. For the first time, the Dragons managed to break through among the top 16 teams of the 7DAYS EuroCup and concluded the regional ABA League in fifth place after being in the fight for a place in the playoffs until the last moments. The same goes for the fights in Europe. In both competitions, the last game day was fatal for the Ljubljana team.

The fact is that for the first time since 2018, Ljubljana can look forward to the title of national basketball champion.

The Dragons faced stubborn rivals from Novo mesto in the last showdown of the season, who did not give up easily. Nevertheless, the Ljubljana team spent most of the match in the lead and decided the final result in their favor before the last minutes of the match.

The best scorer of the Ljubljana team was the captain, Jaka Blažič, who scored 11 of his 20 points in the last quarter and finished the match with six rebounds. He was followed by the MVP of the Nova KBM League final, Kendrick Perry, who collected 18 points. Mikael Hopkins posted 13 alongside five rebounds.

STATEMENTS AFTER THE GAME:

Jurica Golemac, Head Coach of KK Cedevita Olimpija:
“Congratulations to the boys for an amazing season. I am exhausted, we can only imagine how they feel. Deserved victory, we were a better competitor throughout the championship and returned the title of the national champion to Ljubljana. We must try to make it a habit.”

Kendrick Perry, Nova KBM League Finals MVP:
“I feel like I’m on top of the world. The season was full of ups and downs. Coronavirus, empty arenas- the season was long. After ten months, I’m extremely proud of how we fought and how stubborn our team is. I am proud of the club that gave him the opportunity to lead this team. I have been through a lot in my career, just like on a personal level in the last year and such an end to the season is perfect. What has happened in the past is behind us. All we have is this moment that I will cherish. “

Jaka Blažič, kapetan KK Cedevita Olimpija:
“Now it’s hard to think about the whole season. I’m happy with the victory and the title of the national champion. It’s a reward for us and for our efforts we put in this season. We took a step forward, fought every game and showed a healthy character that Ljubljana needs. We have competed with Krka nine times this season, there were no secrets. We respected our competitors and were a little afraid of the last matches. They came to fight and win. In the end this is a nice victory for us and the title of national champions.”

NOVA KBM LEAGUE, FINALS

GAME 3

Arena Stožice (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Sunday, May 30:

CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – KRKA 80:68 (24:20, 19:14, 18:21, 19:18)
Cedevita Olimpija: Radović, Perry 18, Hopkins 13 (5 rebounds), Duščak, Murić 5, Blažič 20 (6 rebounds), Brown 4, Hodžić 4, Jones 4, Dimec 6 (5 rebounds), Marinković, Rupnik 6.

STATS
GALLERY