The Supercopa Endesa, the first official tournament of the season in Spanish basketball, has produced several major storylines. First and foremost was Joventut Badalona’s triumph, with the historic club —widely regarded as one of the country’s leading talent factories— lifting a trophy for the first time since 2008. That year, Joventut won both the Copa del Rey and the ULEB Cup with an Aíto García Reneses-coached team featuring young talents such as Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernández.
One of the keys to the ‘Penya’s’, as the Badalona club is popularly known in Spain, success was undoubtedly the outstanding performance of Argentine point guard Nicolás Laprovittola. He enjoyed an exceptional weekend, putting up 27 points and 10 assists in the semifinal against Kosner Baskonia before becoming the driving force behind the hosts’ victory over Barça in the final, pouring in 31 points while shooting an outstanding 9-for-13 from three-point range.
The Morón native, who returned to Joventut after previously playing for the club during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, was subsequently named tournament MVP. Laprovittola’s award came after he played a starring role in defeating the team he had represented until just a few weeks ago, having spent four seasons with Barça between 2021 and 2025.
The new Joventut signing was one of the casualties of Barça’s summer overhaul, which saw much of the team’s veteran core depart, including players such as Jan Vesely, Tomas Satoransky, Willy Hernangómez and Will Clyburn.
The move came as something of a surprise to Laprovittola at the age of 36, as he has acknowledged on several occasions since leaving Barça. His comments after Joventut’s Supercopa Endesa triumph —and his MVP award— only reinforced that feeling.
Asked at the postgame press conference whether he had been particularly motivated facing his former team, as new Barça head coach Aleksander Sekulic had suggested beforehand, the Argentine was unequivocal.
“Without a doubt, without a doubt. It was very difficult for me to process it this summer [leaving Barça], but these things happen and you have to move on,” Laprovittola admitted.
He then took a subtle swipe at his former team with a half-smile: “I was probably much more motivated than Sekulic thought,” he said ironically.
Whatever the case, one thing is clear: Nico Laprovittola, a hugely popular figure among Barça fans, has opened up the debate over whether the Catalan club made a mistake by deciding not to renew his contract for the new season.