Basketball player Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk makes history as the second Ukrainian to win NBA championship
Photo: Associated Press
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, a Ukrainian basketball player, won the National Basketball Association championship as a member of the American team "Boston Celtics." This achievement marks the second time a Ukrainian has become an NBA champion in over two decades.
The Basketball Federation of Ukraine reported this.
The fifth game of the final playoff series was held on the night of June 18. The 27-year-old Ukrainian basketball player's team beat the "Dallas Mavericks" at their home court with a score of 106 to 88 (28 to 18, 39 to 28, 19 to 21, 20 to 21).
According to the results of the final series of the season, the "Boston Celtics" beat the "Dallas Mavericks" 4:1.
Boston has finally claimed their first championship title in 16 years. This win has solidified their position as the most successful NBA team, boasting a total of 18 championships.
At the same time, this is Mykhailiuk's first championship in his career. He became the second Ukrainian in history to win an NBA season.
The first was Stanislav Medvedenko, who, as part of the Los Angeles Lakers, became a champion twice – in 2001 and 2002.
According to "Suspilne Sport," Mykhailiuk played in three games during the last series of the NBA season. He was on the court for a total of nearly 15 minutes and managed to score 5 points and make two assists.
During the season, Sviatoslav was a player in the deep rotation of "Boston" who:
- played 42 matches for the team,
- started the game twice,
- spent an average of 10 minutes in a match and scored 4 points per match.
It is worth mentioning that the Denver Nuggets won their first NBA championship last season, defeating the Miami Heat by 4:1 in the final playoff series.
Довбик став найкращим бомбардиром чемпіонату Іспанії: випередив основного конкурента на один гол
For reference:
Mykhailiuk began the 2022/23 season playing for New York but ended up finishing it with Charlotte. During his time there, the Ukrainian showed strong performances, averaging 10.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 0.7 steals per game in 22.5 minutes of play.
In September, Mykhailiuk signed a one-year contract with Boston that was not guaranteed. He turned down an offer from Athens' "Panathinaikos" due to his performances overseas. Shortly before the season began, his contract became guaranteed, and his salary increased by $1.17 million.
During the pre-season matches, Mykhailiuk performed exceptionally well. He appeared in three matches for the Celtics, playing his most impressive game against Philadelphia with 15 points, six rebounds, and two assists in nearly 19 minutes of playtime.
Earlier, Rubryka reported that Boston guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk became the second Ukrainian in history to reach the finals of the National Basketball League.
