The Turkish Airlines Euroleague, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the
highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition
in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA
Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–11, it
is named the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. The competition is
controlled by the privately held Euroleague Basketball Company, and
features clubs that come from a Europe-wide consortium of leading
professional basketball leagues, called ULEB. During the season, the Euroleague
is broadcast on television in 199 countries and territories. It can be
seen by up to 245 million households weekly in China. It is also televised in
the United States and Canada on NBA TV and available online through ESPN3. The
Euroleague Final Four is broadcast on television in 201 countries.
History The Euroleague was originally
established by FIBA and it operated under its umbrella from 1958 until the
summer of 2000, concluding with the 1999–00 season. That was when Euroleague
Basketball Company was created. FIBA had never trademarked the
"Euroleague" name, even though it had used that name for the competition since
1996. Euroleague Basketball simply appropriated the name, and since FIBA
had no legal recourse to do anything about it, it was forced to find a new
name for its championship series. Thus, the following 2000–2001 season started
with 2 separate top European professional club basketball
competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague and the brand new Euroleague 2000–01 season.
The rift in European professional club basketball initially showed no signs of
letting up. Top clubs were also split between the two leagues: Panathinaikos,
Maccabi Tel Aviv, CSKA Moscow and Efes Pilsen stayed with FIBA, while
Olympiacos, Kinder Bologna, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Baskonia and Benetton
Treviso joined Euroleague Basketball. In May 2001, Europe had two continental
champions, Maccabi of the FIBA SuproLeague and Kinder Bologna of the
Euroleague. The leaders of both organizations realized the need to come
up with a unified competition. Although only a year old, Euroleague Basketball
negotiated from a position of strength and dictated proceedings. FIBA
essentially had no choice but to agree to Euroleague Basketball's terms. As a
result, European club competition was fully integrated under Euroleague
Basketball's umbrella and teams that competed in the FIBA SuproLeague during
the 2000–01 season joined it as well. In essence, the authority in European
professional basketball was divided over club-country lines. FIBA stayed in
charge of national team competitions, while Euroleague Basketball took over
the European professional club competitions. From that point on, FIBA's
Korać Cup and Saporta Cup competitions lasted only one more season before
folding, which was when Euroleague Basketball launched the ULEB Cup, now
known as the Eurocup. = Names of the competition=
FIBA era: FIBA European Champions Cup:
FIBA European League: FIBA Euroleague:
FIBA SuproLeague: Euroleague Basketball era:
Euroleague: *There were two separate competitions
during the 2000–01 season. The SuproLeague, which was organized by
FIBA, and the Euroleague, which was organized by Euroleague Basketball
Company. Turkish Airlines name sponsorship
On 26 July 2010, Turkish Airlines and Euroleague Basketball announced a €15
million strategic agreement to sponsor the top European basketball competition
across the globe. According to the agreement, starting with the 2010–11
season, the top European competition will be named Turkish Airlines
Euroleague Basketball. Similarly, the Euroleague Final Four will be named the
Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four, whereby the new league title will appear
in all media accordingly. This title partnership will run for five seasons,
with the option of extending it to an additional five. On 23 October 2013,
Turkish Airlines and Euroleague Basketball have agreed to extend their
partnership up until 2020. Format
Since the 2009–10 season, the Euroleague's first phase has been the
Qualifying Rounds, which involve eight clubs bracketed into a knockout
tournament consisting of two-legged matches. The four survivors of the First
Qualifying Round are paired against one another for the Second Qualifying Round,
with the two winners playing for the last spot in the Euroleague Regular
Season. All losing clubs in the Qualifying Rounds parachute into ULEB's
second-tier Eurocup. The next phase is the Regular Season, in
which 24 teams participate; from 2009–10, the participants will include
23 clubs automatically entered into the Regular Season plus the Qualifying Round
winner. Each team plays two games against every other team in its group.
At the end of the Regular Season, the field is cut from 24 to 16. Before
2008–09, the teams were divided into three groups of eight teams each, with
the top five teams in each group plus the top sixth-place finisher advancing.
Now, the Regular Season involves four groups with six teams each, with the
first four teams in each group advancing. Since the 2013–14 season, the
eight eliminated teams in this stage are dropped to the Eurocup.
The second phase, known as the Top 16, then begins, featuring the 16 survivors
of the Regular Season, drawn into eight-team groups. As in the Regular
Season, each Top 16 group is contested in a double round-robin format.
The third phase, the Quarterfinal round, has been played since the 2004–05
season. Before, only the group winners advanced to the Euroleague Final Four.
Now, the first- and second-place teams from each group advance. In the
quarterfinal round, the first-place team from each group is matched against a
second-place team from another group in a playoff series. Through the 2007–08
season, the series was best-of-three, and expanded to best-of-five for
2008–09. Home advantage in the series goes to the first-place team.
The Final Four, held at a predetermined site, features the winners of the four
quarterfinal series in one-off knockout matches. The semifinal losers play for
third place; the winners play for the championship.
The 2010 Final Four was held on 7 and 9 May at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
in Paris. The 2011 Final Four was held at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.
For the 2012–13 Euroleague season the Top 16 was changed from four groups of
four teams to two groups of eight teams. The four best teams in each group will
go on the quarterfinals. = Qualifications=
The league usually, but not always, includes domestic champions from the
leading countries. Depending on the country, places in the Euroleague may be
awarded on the basis of: Performance in the previous season's
domestic league. Performance over the previous two or
three domestic seasons. Contracts with Euroleague Basketball
Company. In addition, the winner of the previous
season's Eurocup receives a place. For example, two 2007–08 domestic
champions from ULEB member countries did not compete in the 2008–09
Euroleague—Zadar and Hapoel Holon. Zadar played in the second-level Eurocup in
2008–09. Hapoel Holon, however, did not compete in any of the three European
continental club competitions—not even the third-tier EuroChallenge—because of
financial difficulties. Starting with the 2009–10 season, the
entrance criteria changed: A number of clubs chosen via a formula
based on competitive performance, television revenues, and home
attendance, receive "A Licenses", giving them automatic entry into the Euroleague
regular season phase. Originally, 13 clubs received A Licenses, with Asseco
Prokom Gdynia of Poland becoming the 14th before the 2011–12 season. A
Licenses are awarded for three years, meaning that the next adjustment of A
Licenses will not take place until 2012–13. However, Euroleague Basketball
Company suspended the A License of Virtus Roma after the club finished in
the bottom half of its domestic league in 2010–11.
Eight clubs receive one-year "B Licenses" into the Euroleague regular
season. Seven of them are directly based on the ranking of the domestic league in
which the club competes. The eighth is a three-year "wild card" license based on
similar factors to the A Licenses; the first such license was awarded to ASVEL
Basket of France. The winner of the previous year's
Eurocup receives a one-year "C License" into the Euroleague regular season. If
the club qualifies for a direct B License into the regular season via its
domestic league, the C License will be awarded to the club not already
qualified for the regular season that is highest on the Euroleague entry list.
Eight other clubs receive one-year "B Licenses" into the Euroleague qualifying
rounds, with two advancing into the regular season.
= Teams with A license= Teams that lost the A license
Asseco Prokom Virtus Roma
Unicaja = Arena standards=
Effective as of the 2012–13 season, Euroleague clubs with an "A License"
must host their home matches in arenas that have a seating capacity of at least
10,000 people. In 2008, Euroleague Basketball Company decided to increase
the arena seating requirement to 10,000 within four years time in order to force
clubs to move into and/or build bigger arenas. This was done in hopes of
increasing revenues through more ticket sales. Non "A License" Euroleague clubs
must play in arenas that seat at least 5,000 people.
= Current teams= These are the teams that participate in
the 2015–16 season: Finals
Titles by club Titles by nation
Euroleague awards Records
Real Madrid has been the most successful team, having won the competition a
record nine times. Split, is the only team to have won the
competition three times in a row, in the Euroleague Final Four era.
ASK Riga as a soviet club in late '50s and early '60s, is the only team to have
won the competition three times in a row, in the pre-Euroleague Final Four
era. Real Madrid & with Varèse & are the only
teams to have won the European Championship twice in a row for two
times in the pre-Euroleague Final Four era.
Cantù, Cibona and Olimpia Milano are the other three teams to have won the
European Championship twice in a row in the pre-Euroleague Final Four era.
Maccabi Tel Aviv and Olympiacos are the only teams to have won the Euroleague
twice in a row, becoming back-to-back Euroleague champions in the Euroleague
Basketball Company era. Athens is the only city, from which
seven different clubs: AEK, Maroussi, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Panellinios,
Panionios, and Peristeri have participated in the Euroleague.
Although Israel is located in the Middle East, its teams play in the Euroleague,
as its national federation is a member of FIBA Europe and its top professional
league is a member of ULEB. In the small area of less than 40 km² in
the northern metropolitan area of Milan, there are 3 clubs that have won a total
of 10 European Champions' Cups, and played in a total of 16 finals: Olimpia
Milano, Cantù, and Varèse. The record score differential for a
final game was achieved in the 2004 finals, in Tel Aviv, where the home club
Maccabi Tel Aviv, defeated Skipper Bologna, by a score of 118–74.
A crowd of 22,567, which filled Belgrade Arena on 5 March 2009 for a 2008–09 Top
16 match between Partizan and Panathinaikos is the official record.
Before that 19,700 fans filling OAKA, achieved at a Panathinaikos home match
at the Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens, against Tau Cerámica on 12 April 2006,
for the 2005–06 third quarterfinal playoff game.
The most points ever scored in a single game is 99, by Radivoj Korać, on January
14, 1965. Euroleague versus NBA games
Statistical leaders = All-time leaders=
Since the beginning of the 2000–01 season:
Individual performances Media coverage
Sponsors Turkish Airlines
Bwin Intersport
Efes Spalding
See also 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors
Euroleague Awards Euroleague Basketball 2001–10 All-Decade
Team Euroleague Basketball Manager
Euroleague Finals Euroleague Final Four
EuroLeague Women European Cup and Euroleague records and
statistics European national basketball league
rankings FIBA European Champions Cup and
Euroleague history FIBA EuroStars
FIBA Festival Rosters of the top basketball teams in
European club competitions NBA 2K14
References External links
Official website List of Winners with Rosters
Euroleague history – stats InterBasket.net Euroleague basketball
forum Euroleague's Youtube channel