The Gala of the XXXVII edition of the giant awards, held on Tuesday at the auditorium of Endesa, was a joyous celebration of a 2024 that saw the female 3×3 Olympic silver in the Paris Games. It was a night where basketball came together, recognizing merits and promoting a better future. This year, 2025, marks four decades of Giants informing about basketball, and it gathered a lot of friends.
Surrounded by an outstanding payroll of winners and personalities of the sport, Elena Cascales and Quique Peinado were the dynamic masters of ceremonies. The women’s Olympic Spain team and Juancho Hernangómez, Euroleague champion with Panathinaikos, were the giants of the year, commanding a wide list of winners. A total of 32 awards were distributed in 27 categories.
Legend Giants
The evening was also a special moment to admire the legends of the sport: Chacho Rodríguez, Pepu Hernández, Jordi Bertomeu, Leo Rodríguez, Theo Papaloukas, and the referees Juan Carlos Mitjana and Eduardo Sancha. There was a closed ovation for Tomás Bellas for his spirit of overcoming adversity. Other winners included Valencia Basket female, Baxi Manresa masculine, Ibon Navarro as Coach, Ante Tomic, and Bruno Fitipaldo. The new generations were also represented, with winners like De Larrea, Mario Saint Site, Maker Bol, and Sara Okeke.
The past year was commemorated, with a special mention to the bond between the great Loquillo and the sport. It was a night that showed the camaraderie and empathy between Elisa Aguilar, Jorge Garbajosa, and Antonio Martín, demonstrating the exciting present that basketball lives. The event was closed by José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, Secretary of State for Sports.
List of the Giant Awards of 2025
The winners of the Giant Awards included:
– Giant of the Female Year: Spain 3×3 (Vega Gimeno, Sandra Ygueravide, Gracia Alonso de Armiño, and Juana Camilión)
– Giant of the Male Year: Juancho Hernangómez (Panathinaikos)
– Giant Liga Endesa: Ante Tomic (Joventut)
– Giant Best Coach: Ibon Navarro (Unicaja)
– Best Giant Young: Mario Saint Supéry
– Giants Best Debutant Liga Endesa: Sergio de Larrea
– Giants Major Female Progression: Claudia Soriano (Ensino Lugo)
– Giants Major Male Progression: Emir Sulejmanovic (Zaragoza)
– Women’s Giant Club: Valencia Basket
– Male Giant Club: Baxi Manresa
– Giant Best Sports Directorate: Juanma Rodríguez (Unicaja)
– Giant Legend: Jordi Bertomeu
– Giant Male Legend: Sergio Rodríguez
– Giant Female Legend: Leonor Rodríguez
– Giant Legend Coach: Pepu Hernández
– Giant International Legend: Theodoros Papaloukas
– Giant Legend Referee: Juan C. Mitjana and Eduardo Sancha
– Giant Directive Trajectory: Chus Bueno
– Giant Fan Experience: Baskonia
– Giant in Memoriam: José Ramón Ramos, José Antonio Arizaga, ‘Legs’ Beltrán, Jerrod Mustaf, Carme Famadas, Maite Méndez, and Vicente Tarancón
– Latin American Giant: Bruno Fitipaldo (La Laguna Tenerife)
– Giant Junior Greater Progression: Juom Maker Bol (Baskonia) and Sara Okeke (Estudiantes)
– Honor Giant: Loquillo
– Giant Overcoming: Tomás Bellas (Fuenlabrada)
– Giant Communication: Basket Cantera
– Giant Institutional Support: RENFE
