As the reign of terror for the Bad Boy Pistons was ending in the NBA, a similar threat had taken form in the European basketball courts during the early 90s. At Limoges basketball club, where Božidar Maljković had elevated the " suffocation " of opponents into an artform & had based everything on the team’s defensive prowess, Michael Young, with his unique scoring talents, was the one entrusted by Boža to take on the bulk of the 1993 European champions' offensive duties.

While defense is indeed crucial, basketball isn’t soccer so that it ends end in a 0-0 bore draw. The "Silent Assassin," as Young was nicknamed during his Houston years, continued doing in France what he had mastered: scoring. That’s how Michael, celebrating his 64th birthday today (January 2nd), earned his bread, starting from his time as a member of the legendary "Phi Slama Jama" Houston Cougars. Alongside Hakeem, Clyde Drexler, and Larry Micheaux, he reached two consecutive NCAA finals in 1983 and 1984, only to come up empty-handed. Young's time for title victories hadn’t yet arrived. When the Boston Celtics selected him 24th in the 1984 draft, he could not have imagined his professional future lay on the other side of the world. In Boston, the 6'7" left-handed forward failed to prove he could wear the "Celtics" jersey. Same thing happened in Phoenix, which parted ways with him in November after just two brief appearances. Over the next two years, he shone in the CBA, awaiting a call from an NBA team. When the Philadelphia 76ers eventually came calling, the outcome didn’t change. Young stepped onto the "Spectrum" court just twice and eventually got the message - there was no actual prospect for him in his homeland. Surprisingly for a player of his scoring prowess, the gates of European basketball didn’t immediately open; he had to play two seasons in the Philippines, earning the MVP award, before appearing on the radar of European teams. 

By the summer of 1987, at 26, Young had joined Valladolid in northwestern Spain. Averaging 24 points per game, he helped the team to comfortably retain their spot in the ACB during his two seasons in the original Castilian capital. In a summer 1988 preparation friendly, Božidar Maljković first saw him and was impressed enough to note his name down. However, this was still a few years away from the summer of 1992. In this period, Boža became a two-time European champion, while Young made one last (45-game) failed attempt for an NBA contract with the Clippers in 1989–90 before crossing the Atlantic again. This time to Italy -not a new place for him- after a short stint in Udine in early 1989. In the "Spaghetti Circuit," playing for Reggio Calabria, Michael led the Serie A in scoring, but even that couldn’t prevent relegation. Coach Charlie Recalcati relied on the "Silent Assassin" for the team's immediate return to Serie A, and Young justified this trust with an average of 34 points per game during their championship-winning 1991–92 season.

Now at 31, Michael sought a new career challenge; a team offering European competition opportunity. Meanwhile, Maljković, at Limoges' helm since January, was making radical roster changes. Boža "cleaned house," replacing nearly the entire team that lost the finals to Orthez. His plan: a defensive grind and slow-paced offense. He brought in Jurij Zdovc, and when he heard Young was available, he requested his signing. With Young, Zdovc, and the veteran Richard Dacoury standing out, Boža began building a team destined to reach the European basketball Everest.

Limoges battled to make it to the Final Four at the Peace and Friendship Stadium without being favorites, especially after narrowly qualifying from the Champions Cup group stage against the English Guildford Kings. They advanced to the quarterfinals as group runners-up behind PAOK, with Young carrying much of the offensive load. Their final hurdle before the Piraeus Final Four was Olympiacos. In the first game, held in Patras due to Olympiacos' homecourt ban, Young struggled against defenders Sigalas and Stamatis, scoring just 8 points. Limoges couldn’t contend for the win on that game. Things however would drastically change at Beaublanc... Young scored 20 points in the second game and delivered a crucial 30-point performance in the decisive third match, remembered for Zdovc's game-winning basket after Paspalj’s infamous step on the line.

Limoges secured their ticket to the Faliron Stadium, with few giving them even a slim chance against Real Madrid -featuring Sabonis- in the semifinal. Yet Maljković's team made a statement, beating the Spaniards by 20 points with Young contributing 20 points of his own. On April 15th, 1993, the "night basketball died" (according to Petar Skansi), Michael Young became the villain of an upset in a final of underdogs. Benetton, the favorite led by Kukoc, was expected to claim the European crown after eliminating PAOK. However, Maljković brought the final to his desired pace. A low scoring game, physical defense bordering on unsportsmanlike, while relying on Young to lead offensively. Although not very accurate, Young's 18 points were enough to keep Limoges in the game. Zdovc's free throws following Forte’s steal from Kukoc sealed a narrow 55–59 victory for the French. Limoges became European champions, and in his third Final Four attempt, Young finally won a major trophy (if you could call the FIBA statuette that) and was the true MVP of the final.

After winning two championships with Limoges and playing another Final Four in Zaragoza, Young spent a year in Lyon before briefly returning to Italy with Fabriano. He concluded his career in Israel with Maccabi Giv'at in 1998, retiring at 37 with a career average of 26 points per game. Michael Young was a "machine gun" on the court, a great scorer with a killer instinct. I’ll close with Maljković’s very rare words of praise:

"When Young stepped onto the court, he was already a threat to opponents. A great shooter and one of the best players and people I worked with in my career. He’s the only player to whom I gifted a gold coin as a token of my appreciation."

A tremendous badge of honour for an extraordinary player like Michael Young.