Jean Montero was named the 2026 EuroLeague Playoffs MVP after leading Valencia Basket through a comeback series that will be remembered for years, the league announced on Saturday. Valencia erased a 0-2 deficit against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens to reach the club’s first-ever Final Four, and Montero’s production matched the scale of the moment.
The 22-year-old guard led all players in average PIR at 26.8, ranked second in scoring at 18.6 points per game, tied for second in steals at 1.4, and finished third in assists at 5.8. He also shot 73.1% on two-pointers, 42.3% from three and 81.5% from the free-throw line, accounting for 21.5% of Valencia’s points in the series.
Montero said the bigger picture mattered more than the individual award. “We have to keep that same mentality: we ain’t got nothing to lose. Making a Final Four – not a lot of people get to do that,” he told Dane Arlauckas on the EuroLeague & Friends: MVP Talk podcast. “We’ve just got to go there, enjoy the environment, enjoy everything, and especially compete. If we compete and have fun, and keep in mind that we’ve got nothing to lose, I think we can win every game.”
Even before the series turned, Montero was carrying Valencia’s offense and shot creation. He opened with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal in a 67-68 Game 1 loss, then followed with 21 points, six assists and one steal in an overtime defeat in Game 2. Down 0-2 and heading to Athens, he answered in Game 3 with 16 points, nine assists, three rebounds and two steals to keep Valencia alive.
“After that Game 2 loss, honestly, everybody was still so positive,” Montero said. “Because when you’re down 0-2 going to Athens, with Panathinaikos fans going crazy, it’s not easy to win there. But in the locker room, people kept saying, ‘Yeah, we can do this.’”
That belief fueled one of the best games of the EuroLeague Playoffs era in Game 4. Montero posted 29 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals for a PIR of 45, the highest index rating ever recorded in the EuroLeague Playoffs since the 2004-05 format change. Valencia won 86-89 to force a decisive Game 5.
“We won Game 3 and I remember saying to the guys, ‘They’re scared now,’” he said. “We ain’t got nothing to lose. Let’s just play, enjoy the game, and have fun with it. I’m hitting threes, layups, free throws – everything. My rhythm was good, my feel for the game felt good. I was just having fun. Every time I’m having fun playing basketball, it’s a wrap.”
In Game 5, Montero showed he could shape the game without dominating the ball every possession. He finished with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and a career-high three blocks as Valencia pulled away 81-64 to complete the comeback.
Montero’s award adds to a special season that already included the Rising Star trophy and a place on the All-EuroLeague First Team. For Valencia, it is the reward for a breakthrough run; for Montero, it is the latest sign that his rise is not slowing down.