CLEVELAND, Ohio — Respect isn’t given; it’s earned. And sometimes, it’s passed on. Over Matthew Dellavedova’s nine-year NBA career — six with the Cavs — he was never the most athletic, nor the most skilled, but he was relentless. His pestering defense against Stephen Curry in the 2015 NBA Finals endeared him to Cleveland and helped etch his name into the Cavaliers’ championship lore the following year. As a role player, he earned his respect the hard way. But on Sunday night — playing in another league and at a later stage of his career — it was Dellavedova’s turn to give it. Melbourne United had just fallen 114-104 to the Illawarra Hawks in Game 5 of the National Basketball League (NBL) championship series, a winner-takes-all battle that secured Illawarra’s first championship since 2001. After scoring just five points and recording seven assists in the final contest of the season, Dellavedova was named NBL championship series MVP. He finished with 34 votes, narrowly edging out Will Hickey, who had 31. And something about that didn’t sit right with the 34-year-old. Only once in NBA history has a player from the losing team taken home Finals MVP — Jerry West in 1969, when the Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics. But standing at the podium, holding the trophy in his hands, Dellavedova had already made up his mind. “This really belongs to you, you had a hell of a series,” Dellavedova said to Hickey, pointing the trophy at him during his postgame press conference. “You had a hell of a series.” How to watch the Cavs: See how to watch the Cavs games with this handy game-by-game TV schedule. As Dellavedova walked off the stage, he made a beeline for Hickey, extending the award to the player he believed truly deserved it. The 25-year-old had 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. He also took part in slowing down Dellavedova during the final game by guarding him up the floor and suffocatingly in the halfcourt to close out United. The award considers performances throughout the series, and statistically, both players had a case. Dellavedova averaged 14 points per game in the series, Hickey slightly more at 15.4. But beyond the numbers, it was Hickey who had shifted the balance of the series. He came off the bench for four games before stepping into a starting role in the decisive contest and delivering. The championship for Illawarra is only the second in 47 years for the NBL’s last remaining foundation club. Even after losing a Game 5 championship for the second year in a row, Dellavedova knew some things were bigger than basketball. While no official record will ever change what happened in that moment, as Dellavedova will always be listed as the 2025 NBL championship series MVP, the championship trophy and the symbolic MVP trophy are Hickey’s to keep. And serve as a reminder. Because sometimes, respect isn’t just about earning it. It’s about knowing when to give someone else credit when it’s due. “You win with class, and you lose with class,” United head coach Dean Vickerman said. “That was one of the classiest things I’ve ever seen in an awards ceremony. Delly had an amazing series himself, but for him to go and do that was exceptional.”