Euroleague Final 4 in Serbia
In this YouTube vlog, professional basketball player Elijah Bryant takes viewers behind the scenes of the 2022 EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade, Serbia. He documents travel logistics, hotel challenges, practice sessions, and game day experiences, interspersed with playful moments with his child (referred to as "Blue"). Throughout the video, Elijah shares personal reflections on mindset, spirituality, and motivation, citing a Kyrie Irving interview about embracing the journey over the destination. He offers advice to aspiring players, emphasizing the importance of defense, focusing on one possession at a time, and studying opponent tendencies. Game commentary highlights the semifinal win over Olympiacos, the dramatic finish, and anticipation of the championship against Real Madrid. Elijah also showcases his gear (Kyrie shoes, New Balance, Adidas), celebrates the victory with his family, and delivers a concluding message about faith, dreaming big, and contributing to the team beyond scoring. The vlog blends casual family interaction, motivational monologue, and live sports commentary, providing a holistic view of a professional athlete’s experience at a major basketball event.
Chapters
Thank you.
Wait, Blue, what's over there? Who is that?
Go, Blue! Blue, go!
I remember you.
Blue! Blue bear! Give her huggies! Kiss, kiss. He had to make sure Mommy was okay with it.
Oh, big huggies.
Oh, kisses. He used to be going, you know what I mean?
He's nervous.
Are you nervous?
I missed Give her big huggies.
Give her big huggies. You looking like you want some? Look!
Oh, those are nice!
Look at these little grippers. Those are so cute. Whoa!
Say thank you.
You want to put it on Elijah? That camera, that little bag. Will you get my other thing out of there?
Say lovey. Say love you. Say love you. Say love you.
Hey, hey, show how you dribble.
Come on, break it down, OG.
You saved this one. That's nasty. Oh, Elijah gave me— you gave me the worst Dang, you almost done.
What's up guys, welcome back to the channel. I know it's been a while in terms of me putting out consistent content for you guys, but it's been a lot different. I'm not basketball-wise, but you know, having a family. So hope you guys can understand that, but I'm gonna take you guys along on this Final Four journey trip. Regardless of the outcome, because in life it's not about the outcome, it's about the systems you develop, about the habits you develop. So win or lose, it's still a journey, and the journey always continues. So come along.
Ew, that boy ugly.
Um, is there any way they can make my room go colder? I don't know how many OGs I have here, um, that have watched me for a while, but if you know me, you know that no matter where I am, no matter what the temperature is outside, I have to have my room cold. So with that being said, we made it to Serbia. Everyone's here, everyone's safe. Yeah, it's a business trip. Let's get locked in, get focused. I got Boston going to beat Miami, by the way.
I hope that ages well.
Good morning, it is 9:13. I have my interviews that start at 9:15. Today is like different guys have different time slots. Of course, since I'm quote unquote the rookie at the Final Four, I probably got one of the worst times to do the interviews, um, early in the morning. But grateful to be here, excited for this opportunity, and let's go, let's go to these interviews. What, what'd you say? You said he's going long enough for you.
Elijah, you really have to work on your dressing. I show you guys here.
I can't wear this one, it's too hot, and they gave me 3XL pants.
That's true. All right, so today is our first day at the final 4, and we're at the hotel, and this is our first final 4, so I actually want to ask Super grateful, super excited.
Obviously it's a business trip and it's super focused, but trying to enjoy it at the same time. We talked about this earlier. If you guys are OGs, you know me, that I run hot and I always need the AC to be on full blast. I'm not a big complainer, but how do I get the only hotel room in the whole hotel The AC's broken. All right, we're about to go to our first practice. In Serbia. I know there'll be some like media availability before, but let's get to it. Oh, and I changed my room too, so that's a plus. Do something. I need something for the— they asked about you. Do something. I need something for the camera.
Gelato. Hey. Who are you talking to? Uh-oh. What? He's looking at your toes.
He said, oh, who are you talking to?
Who is that? I'll save you. Look, post your— all your pillows up there. Ready? Ready? Please don't worry, I'm not going to the hospital. Watch. 1, move. 2, save. 3.
That one's harder for us.
Sike. That one doesn't even work. Hey, stinky stinkies.
Aww, I love you, Stinky Stinky. Good morning. Today is the game day for the Final Four. Obviously we play Olympiacos. If you're wondering why I walked to the other room to get my clothes, because the equipment manager still thinks I'm in the other room, obviously. So, but I just wanted to share something that I listened to last night, and I know there's not a lot of people that watch these videos, but it just really stuck with me. Kyrie Irving did an interview on this podcast called I Am Athlete. I'll link it below for you guys to go check out. A lot of people say Kyrie Irving's, you know, flat earth, all this weird stuff, but I personally, like they said, think he's misunderstood. He actually didn't say it. The wide receiver from the Broncos, Marshall, said it, but it stuck with me. He said, embrace the journey, not the destination. And I think a lot of times, especially in basketball careers, I know athletics, you're always like chasing that next high. And Kyrie Irving talks about how in 2016 when he won the championship with LeBron, He felt empty. I can relate to that. I feel like a few years ago, before I really locked in on my spirituality, being more like they say than an athlete, being a dad, being a husband, being a follower of Christ, I would have a good game, I'd feel good. I would have a bad game, I would feel bad. I didn't like it. Like, I'm always chasing the result instead of really embracing that journey. That's what my whole motto is now, you know, One Cent Club. My logo with the dots. It's all about the journey. It's all about getting better each and every single day. As I'm about to play a really big game in my career, I thought I would share that with you guys just to really put everything in perspective. I know you guys are probably dealing with stuff too in sports. Your coaches ain't playing you, you had a bad game, all that stuff. Really embrace that journey. And it's cliché to say, but when you look at the bigger picture, it makes sense. But with that being said, let's go get a win.
18 points in 17 minutes against Monaco.
Here's Bryant, the little floater in the lane is up and good. Elijah Bryant with the deuce. As you said, this is the 8th Final Four for Costas. Not overwhelmed by the moment, FS with the perfect riposte, they come right Good with the basketball in their hands. Larkin to Dunston. Good, quick ball movement to Bryant. Nice passing from FS.
He's got ball in his hands awful lot of time.
Dunston to Bryant. Bryant, the perfect response for FS, the corner 3-pointer from Elijah Bryant. FS a chance to get their largest lead tonight this trip down the floor. Bryant kicks again, and another 3 from the corner. Here we go, at less than 6, Mičić keeps the ball in his hands. Clock is running out. Mičić rises, if it goes, it wins! Vasilija Mičić with the Troika in Belgrade to win the semifinal here! What a dramatic finish! In the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Vasilje Mitic, who's the Alphonso Ford scoring leader at the end of the season, with a 3 to win it. It's elation for FS and a wry smile from Coach Ataman.
Bluey, he's okay.
Bluey.
Did you have fun at the game?
No.
We got the dubski. Okay, Bluey, what do you have to say to the people? It was your first Final Four experience.
What do you have to say?
Was it fun?
Fun.
Fun. Did you see Dada? Did you see ball?
Ball. Was it loud? Loud. Loud.
Did you have fun?
Fun. Fun. I got bite. Look at that.
Here, I'll put it in your mouth.
No, let me do it. Oh, here. Oh no, it's good. You're going to like— wait, now get Daddy.
This is how we celebrate the win. Don't mind the cream stuff on my face. It's, uh, because I got scratched here during the game. I got scratched in another game, but obviously you guys saw we won the game. Crazy game. Everyone keeps asking, oh, how'd you do it? What'd you do? Don't think, just go out there and play. Like basketball, you're gonna make shots, miss shots, but saw my first one go in. Then just don't think. And young basketball players who are watching this and who want to play in the NBA, want to play in EuroLeague, defense— or play anywhere professional— play directly. Defense gets you on the court. You're gonna make shots, you're gonna miss shots, but defense gets you on the court. So if you can't play defense and you're not the best player on your team, no matter what, at some point you're not going to be the best player on your team and you're find a way to get on the court.
That's defense.
So learn defense, study defense. And defense really starts with energy and knowing stuff like don't help strong side. I did that tonight, messed up. Uh, bump the roller. It's little things that keep on the court for longer. Let's see, I got a voice message from Elico. Let's see what Ellie said. Play, my friend. I'm so happy to see you. And, uh, let's see what— with, uh, who will you meet in the final. Hello, El—
El—
El— thank you so much, my brother. Obviously we'll be playing Madrid.
Much love.
You guys know that's Elie from my old team, Maccabi. Love that guy, love my people at Maccabi. Um, but yeah, so played defensively on the court, but there's still one more game. You gotta stay focused. Madrid's a great team. And another thing is, is like, once you get in the game, you're so focused and locked in that even when you're looking at the score, like, you're not thinking about, oh, we're down by 2 or up by 6, or you're just playing every possession one possession at a time. And if you're not doing that, you need to get to where you are doing that. Because if you get too caught up in the score, then you can't focus on what the task is at hand, whether that's bumping the roller, whether that's shooting your shot. You're so focused on the score. Learn to take one possession at a time in your game. Peace and love.
Tamar is not happy. We take another topic. Oh wow, they're starting terrific double pump on the inside. Good morning, guys.
So today's after winning the semifinal game, but I wanted to show you guys something, something cool with that. I think it's super cool for basketball in general. I don't know if you guys can see, but Far off in the distance, Jokic MVP. How cool is that? The MVP's from Serbia and we're playing in Serbia. Basketball is growing, guys. Basketball is growing. Over here, over here! Look, look, look, look, look!
Why don't you look it up?
Oh, okay, just got back. Show you guys what I got. Hey, show you the hair. The new Kyries, these ones. So got these guys and these guys. So I have 3 pairs of Kyries total, these new ones total right now. Kyrie's probably my favorite shoe. After that, I like, uh, the New Balance. Adidas has some shoes I like. But yeah, so everybody was— we went in the city, walked around a little bit, got some ice cream, relaxed, enjoyed the vibes. But now relax, watch some more film, get ready for practice, chill out. Practice makes not perfect. Practice makes progress. Just finishing up my last session of film. I like to watch the opponent's tendencies. That way, if I get in a situation in the game, it's more— I can react better, you know. I'm eating these spring rolls like every day. All right, I'm about to go shoot around. Today's the EuroLeague Championship, and God willing, in about, in about 10 hours, should be EuroLeague champion.
In contact, 14, number 6, Elijah Bryant.
Holding on to the ball too long, it's going to be just him with a sidestep. Off the back iron rebound, Shane Larkin trying to thread the needle to Elijah Bryant. Mid-range J from the wing from T-Ball Blythe is money.
Back to back, baby! NBA, EuroLeague, what's next? Hey, Bucky, kiss! You had a great ballgame.
What would you like to say?
Defense wins championships. We have great offensive players. I trusted our defense. We were able to get some stops at the end.
Glad we won.
Whoa.
Everyone doubted us. No one had faith, but when there's will, there's always a way.
Hold it up over your head. Do it, just do it, go! Yeah, like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got the fake trophy in there. Come here.
All I got to say is, kids, dream big. Don't ever underestimate Obviously the power of the Lord, power of manifesting, power of your faith. Dream big. EuroLeague champ, NBA champ last year. And last thing I'll say, I said this before, it's a team sport. If you're not scoring, you're not doing that, find ways to affect the game. I had 0 points tonight, 0 for 3 from the field, but find ways to affect the game. Rebounding, talking, energy, getting defensive stops, encouraging guys. I don't know what the rest of the night entails, but I hope you guys enjoyed this video. I hope it inspires you guys to be your best self each and every single day. I love you guys, and, um, put some respect on my name, G.
What it do, man?
Bro, crazy, man.
Yeah, back to back, bro.
OD, bro, bro. This is how OD was. Like, after the game, bro, I started crying. I was like, what the—
why am I crying?
Hey, it's me again, NBA champion, EuroLeague champion. For those of you who are new here and you're just watching this video, this is how I celebrate. A lot of people go out, drink, all that stuff. Obviously I went out with the guys, but I don't drink. This is how I celebrate. This is like, yes, because I don't eat this all the time. Are you kidding me?
God is good. Oh my goodness, look at his face. He looks just like his daddy.
Good job, like a man. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. That's right.
Good job.
I love you.
She's your good luck.
Better hope.
Well, I think I'll be golden chip.
Hey, someone takes care of you, huh? VIP service, huh?
I love you. Love you.
Say bye.
Love you.
It's okay.
Bye. Thank you.
Say bye. Say bye.
Double check it's yours.
Hey, come on, he has to go. Say bye.
Love you. Bye.
Wave, wave, wave, wave, wave. Say bye-bye.
Say bye-bye.
Say love you. You'll see your mom.
We're gonna go to Lovie's house soon. Um, okay.
Larkin, Larkin, Larkin.
Hey, me, they put two stones asymmetrically. Mhm. You use your phone or you just break it? That's what I was asking. I don't want to get in trouble. On the right now. Look, going in a little bit. This is me. This is me. Yes, thank you.
