Markus Howard and Baskonia have officially extended their contract, confirmed by the Spanish team through an official statement.
This hasn’t been the best season for Baskonia. The Spanish team reached the playoffs in the EuroLeague but ended the top 8 phase without a win and were eliminated by Real Madrid.
To avoid characterizing the season as successful, they focused on the Liga Endesa. Specifically, Baskonia won’t play in the quarterfinals for the first time in 30 years, and this season they also failed to secure a playoff spot.
Despite this situation, it’s clear that the project with Dusko Ivanovic has potential, as shown by their strong performances in the EuroLeague. The central part of that project is undoubtedly Markus Howard. The diminutive American was arguably the team’s best player, making it clear that retaining him was the primary goal. They succeeded in doing so, extending his contract until 2028.
Howard led the EuroLeague in scoring in 2023-24, averaging 19.5 points per game, while shooting three-pointers at 40%, making 3.8 of them per game. He made at least 5 three-pointers 16 times while shattering the EuroLeague competition record with 148 three-pointers made for the season.