Will Hickey sees Matthew Dellavedova's viral handover of the NBL championship series MVP as something that "didn't need to happen."
Following the Hawks 114-104 game five grand-final victory on Sunday, Dellavedova was named as the MVP of the series.
Moments after stepping onto the stage, the 34-year-old Boomer said "Davo (Hickey) this really belongs to you. You had a hell of a series."
With cheers cascading from the Illawarra fans, he walked off stage, shook Hickey's hand and gave him the honour, even though it wouldn't change what goes in the record books .
The 25-year-old respects the guard for his gesture, but said that he shouldn't have had to do it in the first place.
"We both got put in an awkward position, that's what I think," he told AAP.
"It speaks for itself. We didn't need to be there, but we were there and now we're talking about it."
"I didn't expect it to happen, but Dellavedova had a great season. He was very classy."
Hickey was instrumental for the Hawks as they took out the epic best-of-five series dropping 77 points, 29 rebounds and 30 assists across the matches.
In the penultimate fixture the 25-year-old shined bright, netting 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Along with a 26-point contribution from American import Trey Kell, the Hawks claimed their first championship in 24 years, something punters wouldn't have expected after their campaign started 2-7.
Dellavedova had a memorable season himself, finishing second assists on average and netting 60 points across the grand final series, thrusting himself into conversations that the Boomers should keep him on their books.
But his efforts came to an emotional end, with his side unable to win a second-consecutive championship.
For Hickey, who featured in the NBL's second division NBL1 competition two seasons ago, the win capped a momentous rise in Australian basketball.
"I woke up (the day after) and it was all a dream. It's been euphoric," he said.
"I've had random men come up to me and scream in my face. You can understand how much it means to them.
"I'm glad I've been able to do something like this in my career.
"I want to take this as far as possible. I want to push myself and play at the highest level I can."
