Carl Tamayo made sure Changwon LG Sakers stayed on the right side of history.
The Sakers avoided becoming just the third professional basketball team to blow a 3-0 series lead, escaping with a 58-54 win over the Seoul SK Knights in Game 7 of the 2025 KBL Finals on Saturday at the Jamsil Students’ Gymnasium.
More importantly, the victory marked the Sakers’ first championship in 28 years, ending nearly three decades of heartbreak and near-misses.
Tamayo delivered a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds in the decider before fouling out with 1:58 left, sending Kim Taehoon to the line. Kim made one of two free throws, trimming LG’s lead to just 55-54.
With 38.9 seconds remaining, Assem Marei cleaned up a missed shot by Yang Hongseok to extend the lead to three.
The Sakers then hit key free throws down the stretch to seal the title and fend off a historic collapse.
Yoo Kisang also chipped in 12 points, while Yang added 11 for Changwon LG.
The Sakers dominated the first three games of the series with an average winning margin of 10.33 points before the Knights finally found their rhythm.
Seoul SK roared back with consecutive blowout wins in Games 4 and 5, then eked out a 54-51 win in Game 6 to force the rubber match.
Tamayo, a former UP Fighting Maroon standout, averaged 15.57 points and 7.57 rebounds throughout the Finals series.
Seoul’s import Jameel Warney was limited to just 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting in the do-or-die game, unable to provide his usual scoring punch.
Meanwhile, Juan Gomez de Liaño did not see action in Game 7. His best performance came in Game 2, where he tallied 19 points off the bench.
With the win, Changwon LG successfully avoided the same fate that befell the Alaska Aces in the 2015–16 PBA Philippine Cup Finals and the SG Apes in the 2024–25 MNBA The League Semifinals — both of whom infamously squandered 3-0 series leads.
