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[Saba Sports News] Matthew Dellavedova once made headlines as a scrappy, relentless irritant on the court — but this past weekend, he went viral for something entirely different: a moment of pure class.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers guard, now playing in his native Australia for Melbourne United in the NBL (National Basketball League), delivered an incredible gesture following his team’s season-ending loss in the NBL Grand Final series against the Illawarra Hawks.
In Sunday’s decisive Game 5 — the winner-take-all of the best-of-five series — Illawarra defeated Melbourne 114–104 to capture the championship. Despite the loss, Dellavedova was named NBL Grand Final MVP, becoming the first player from the losing team to receive the honor since 1993.
But in a touching twist, Dellavedova chose to give the MVP trophy to Illawarra guard Will “Davo” Hickey instead.
“Davo, this really belongs to you,” Dellavedova said during the postgame ceremony. “You had a hell of a series. Congratulations on the win.”
He continued, “To our boys, thanks for a fun season. To our families, we appreciate everything that you do. But Davo, this is yours.”
Dellavedova then personally handed the trophy to Hickey, who had just wrapped up an outstanding Game 5 performance with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. While Dellavedova had an impressive series himself — averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists — he believed Hickey was the rightful MVP.
At 34, Dellavedova is far removed from his days as the gritty role player who helped the Cavaliers win the 2016 NBA title. And though he was once a polarizing figure on the court, this sportsmanlike moment left no room for debate — it was all class.