One of the main storylines heading into Round 7 of the EuroLeague was undoubtedly TJ Shorts’ return to Paris, this time at the helm of Valencia Basket. It was not the first time the American point guard had faced his former team —Shorts recorded 13 points and six rebounds nearly a year ago, on November 11, 2025, when he took on Paris with Panathinaikos— but the responsibility he has reclaimed since taking the reins at Valencia Basket had raised expectations ahead of his return to the Adidas Arena. All eyes were on the undersized American guard to see how he would perform back in the French capital.
Shorts arrived in Paris in 2023 after lighting up the German league with Telekom Baskets Bonn, with whom he won the Basketball Champions League that same year. Under Tuomas Iisalo, the German side had become one of the teams setting the pace in European basketball. When the Finnish coach moved to Paris —he is now in charge of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies— several of his former players followed him from Germany, bringing with them the speed, scoring punch, ability to create advantages and exceptional court vision that had made Shorts such a standout performer.
What had already proved to be a winning formula in Bonn became even more successful on the banks of the Seine. EuroCup glory, with Shorts named MVP, and the Leaders Cup title in 2024 capped a remarkable season in which Paris fell to Monaco in the French League Finals, only for its electric floor general to be named the competition’s MVP once again. The following season, with Iisalo gone and Tiago Splitter taking over as head coach, Shorts brought his Paris chapter to a spectacular close. In their EuroLeague debut, the French side emerged as one of the competition’s top teams, reaching the playoffs while Shorts earned a spot on the All-EuroLeague First Team. Paris Basketball also completed a remarkable domestic double, winning both the French Cup and the league title, with Shorts once again named MVP of the regular season and the Finals.
As Paris Basketball’s all-time leading scorer and arguably the driving force behind the club’s transformation into one of European basketball’s rising powers, Shorts moved to Panathinaikos. His performances there were inconsistent, much like the level of trust placed in him by Ergin Ataman during the Turkish coach’s final season in charge of the Athens-based club. After Panathinaikos failed to reach the EuroLeague Final Four —and with Olympiacos going on to lift the trophy at the OAKA Arena— Shorts was among those caught up in the Greek powerhouse’s sweeping rebuild last summer.
The Californian therefore joined another project undergoing significant change, taking on a leading role once again at Valencia Basket. The Spanish side needed new leaders after several of its key players were poached by Europe’s biggest clubs following an outstanding previous season. So far, Shorts has more than lived up to expectations. At 5-foot-9, the point guard has already shown that he can be the driving force Valencia needs.
In any case, this game in Paris was always going to be special. These are the kinds of occasions when emotion and overexcitement can get the better of a player. But Shorts’ determination and competitive edge proved far more powerful. By halftime alone, the American had already poured in 16 points, surpassing his solid EuroLeague scoring average of 15.7 points per game heading into the contest. He had also dished out three assists, good for an efficiency rating of 18.
Shorts’ masterclass against his former team continued after the break, as he led Valencia Basket to an important 93-104 win, snapping the two-game losing streak that Xavi Albert’s side had been enduring. With 25 points and nine assists, the elusive Californian finished with an efficiency rating of 33, reigning supreme once again in the city where he truly established himself as a European star —a role he is determined to reclaim in this new chapter of his career.