The “Alphonso Ford” trophy for the top scorer in this season’s EuroLeague has gone to Baskonia’s guard, Markus Howard.
In just his second season in the EuroLeague, Markus Howard from Baskonia has etched his name in the history books by winning the Alphonso Ford Trophy for the EuroLeague’s top scorer, thanks to an outstanding average of 19.5 points per game.
Howard set a EuroLeague record for most points in a single season with a total of 759 points in 38 games. Howard led the scoring ahead of Mike James, who averaged 17.9 points per game, and third was Wade Baldwin with 17.4.
The season Markus Howard had for Baskonia is also reflected in the fact that he became the first scorer in EuroLeague history to score at least 30 points five times in a single season.
Markus Howard is the second youngest player ever to win the award
At 25 years old, Howard is the second youngest player ever to win the award. Drew Nicholas was 24 when he won the trophy in 2006 while playing for Benneton.
The award is named after Alphonso Ford, who passed away from leukemia in September 2004 after a brilliant career where he was the league’s top scorer twice, in 2000/2001 and 2001/2002, both seasons with Olympiacos Piraeus. Later, he led Montepaschi Siena as the top scorer when the team reached the Final Four in 2003. Ford holds the all-time EuroLeague record with an average of 22.2 points in 54 career games.
Howard is the 15th winner of the Ford trophy since it was first awarded in 2005 and the second to win it with Baskonia, after Igor Rakocevic, who had the honor in 2007 and 2009. Rakocevic is one of three players with multiple Ford trophies, having won his third with Anadolu Efes in 2011.
Keith Langford won with Olimpia Milano in 2014 and UNICS Kazan in 2017, while Alexey Shved won with Khimki in 2018 and 2021.
Other winners of the Ford trophy include Sasha Vezenkov with Olympiacos last season, Vasilije Micic with Anadolu Efes (2022),Mike James with Milano (2019), Nando De Colo with CSKA Moscow (2016), Taylor Rochestie with Nizhny Novgorod (2015); Bobby Brown (2013) and Bo McCalebb (2012), both with Montepaschi Siena, Linas Kleiza (2010), Marc Salyers with Roanne (2008), Drew Nicholas with Benetton Treviso (2006), and Charles Smith with Skipper Bologna in the inaugural season of the award, 2005.