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The EuroLeague is a professional basketball club competition that is widely recognised as the top-tier men's league in Europe. The league consists of 18 teams, 16 of which are given long-term licences and wild cards. Real Madrid has been the most successful team in the history of the EuroLeague, having won the competition a record 11 times. They last won the EuroLeague in 2023, overcoming a 0-2 deficit in a playoff series to lift the trophy for the 11th time. Panathinaikos of Athens are the current holders of the EuroLeague championship, having won the 2023-24 edition.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current champion | Panathinaikos of Athens |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Current season | 2024-25 |
| Most successful team | Real Madrid (11 times) |
| First winner | Real Madrid (1964) |
| Latest winner | Real Madrid (2023) |
| Back-to-back champions | Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympiacos, Anadolu Efes |
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What You'll Learn
Real Madrid: the most successful team with 11 wins
Real Madrid Baloncesto, or Royal Madrid Basketball, is a Spanish professional basketball club founded in 1931 as a division of Real Madrid CF. They are the most successful team in the history of the EuroLeague, having won the competition a record 11 times. The club is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball clubs in Europe and is currently ranked first in the European professional basketball club rankings.
Real Madrid won four EuroLeague titles between 1964 and 1968, establishing themselves as a dominant force in European basketball. They claimed more continental crowns in 1974, 1978, and 1980. After a 15-year drought, they won their eighth EuroLeague title in 1995, beating Olympiacos in the final. Real Madrid added two more EuroLeague championships to their tally in 2015 and 2018, bringing their total to ten at the time.
The club has also found success in other European competitions. They won the 1984 and 1989 Cup Winners' Cup, the 1988 Korać Cup, and the 1992 Saporta Cup. Additionally, Real Madrid has an impressive record in domestic competitions, with 37 Spanish League championships and 29 Spanish Cup titles to their name.
In the 2022-23 season, Real Madrid added another EuroLeague title to their collection, defeating Olympiacos in the championship game. This was their eleventh EuroLeague championship and further solidified their position as the most successful team in the history of the competition. Real Madrid achieved this feat after losing the previous season's championship game to Anadolu Efes by a single point.
Real Madrid's success in the EuroLeague can be attributed to the many talented players who have represented the club over the years. Notable names include Emiliano Rodriguez, Clifford Luyk, Wayne Brabender, Walter Szczerbiak, Juan Antonio Corbalan, Drazen Petrovic, Arvydas Sabonis, and Dejan Bodiroga. With a strong core of players and a history of success, Real Madrid continues to be a top contender in the EuroLeague and will be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming seasons.
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Panathinaikos: current champions
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is the current holder of the EuroLeague Championship, winning the 2023-2024 season. This is their seventh EuroLeague title, with their previous wins in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011. They are the only team on the European continent to win as many as seven EuroLeague titles since the establishment of the modern-era EuroLeague Final Four format in 1988. No other club has won more than four EuroLeague championships in this period.
Panathinaikos was created in 1919, making it one of the oldest basketball teams in Greece. They are the most successful basketball club in Greek basketball history and one of the most successful in Europe. They have also won forty Greek Basket League Championships, twenty-one Greek Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, one Greek Super Cup, and two Triple Crowns. They hold the record for the most consecutive Greek League titles, with nine consecutive championships from 2003 to 2011. They also hold the record for the most consecutive Greek Basketball Cup titles, winning six from 2012 to 2017.
Panathinaikos's first EuroLeague title was in 1996, when they became the first Greek team to lift the FIBA European League championship (now called the EuroLeague). They won 67-66 against Banca Catalana FC Barcelona in the tournament's final. Their second EuroLeague trophy arrived in 2000, with a win over Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 2002, they beat Kinder Bologna on its home court to secure another EuroLeague title. They beat CSKA Moscow twice in the 2007 and 2009 championship games to add two more EuroLeague titles. In 2011, Dimitris Diamantidis led Panathinaikos to its sixth EuroLeague crown.
Panathinaikos ended a five-year absence from the EuroLeague Playoffs before winning the 2023-2024 EuroLeague Championship. They beat Real Madrid, an eleven-time winner, in the title decider in Ergin Ataman’s first season. Real Madrid is the most successful team in the EuroLeague, with eleven championship wins. Panathinaikos is now looking to become just the fourth club to win back-to-back EuroLeague titles this century.
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Back-to-back winners: Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympiacos, Anadolu Efes
Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympiacos, and Anadolu Efes are the only teams to have won the EuroLeague twice in a row, becoming back-to-back EuroLeague champions in the Euroleague Basketball era (2000–01 season onwards).
Maccabi Tel Aviv won the EuroLeague in both the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons. The team has also had success in other competitions, such as the FIBA SuproLeague, which it won in 2001. Maccabi Tel Aviv's 2003–04 victory saw them defeat Tracer Milan, Italy, 71-69 in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a top-scoring performance from Lee Johnson, who scored 24 points.
Olympiacos won back-to-back EuroLeague championships in the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons. The team was one of the top clubs that joined the EuroLeague competition during the 2000–01 season, which was a transition year with the best European teams splitting into two leagues.
Anadolu Efes became back-to-back EuroLeague champions in the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons. Efes, based in Istanbul, is one of nine clubs from the city to have participated in the EuroLeague, the others being Beşiktaş, Darüşşafaka, Eczacıbaşı, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Istanbul Technical University, Modaspor, and Ülker.
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Top Scorers: Žarko Varajić, Vladimir Andreev, Dražen Petrović
The EuroLeague, officially the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, is a European men's professional basketball club competition. It is widely recognised as the top-tier men's league in Europe. The league consists of 18 teams, 12 of which are held by licensed clubs that have long-term licences and are members of the Shareholders Executive Board. The remaining six EuroLeague places are held by associated clubs that have annual licences.
Real Madrid has been the most successful team in the EuroLeague, having won the competition 11 times, most recently in 2023. However, this article focuses on the top scorers in the EuroLeague: Žarko Varajić, Vladimir Andreev, and Dražen Petrović.
Žarko Varajić played for Bosna and scored 45 points against Emerson Varese in the 1978-79 Final, the highest-scoring performance in a EuroLeague Finals game. Bosna won the EuroLeague championship that year, beating Emerson Varese by a score of 96-93. Varajić was also named the EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer that season.
Vladimir Andreev played for CSKA Moscow and scored 37 points against Real Madrid in the 1968-69 Final. This is the second-highest scoring performance in a EuroLeague Finals game. CSKA Moscow won the EuroLeague championship that year, defeating Real Madrid by a score of 103-69. Andreev was also named the EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer that season.
Dražen Petrović played for Cibona and scored 36 points against Real Madrid in the 1984-85 Final. This is the third-highest scoring performance in a EuroLeague Finals game. Cibona won the EuroLeague championship that year, defeating Real Madrid by a score of 87-78. Petrović was also named the EuroLeague Finals Top Scorer that season.
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2000-01 season: two competing leagues
The 2000-01 Euroleague season was a significant one in the history of European basketball, marking a transition in the structure of the top-tier club competitions. This season witnessed the emergence of two competing leagues: the FIBA SuproLeague (previously known as the FIBA EuroLeague) and the Euroleague, organised by the Euroleague Basketball Company. This division arose due to a dispute between the previous governing body, FIBA, and the newly established Euroleague Basketball Company.
The Euroleague Basketball Company was formed in 2000 by clubs from the ULEB, which at the time included Spain, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Portugal, England, and Switzerland. Notably, clubs from Lithuania, Croatia, Russia, Israel, and Slovenia chose to compete in the Euroleague, despite their leagues not being members of ULEB. This decision further intensified the competition between the two leagues.
The inaugural Euroleague Basketball Company's Euroleague season commenced on October 16, 2000, with a game between Real Madrid Teka and Olympiacos in Madrid, Spain. It concluded on May 10, 2001, with the championship finals held at the PalaMalaguti arena in Bologna, Italy. It is important to note that this season did not feature all the top-tier European club basketball teams, as some opted to remain with the FIBA SuproLeague.
The 2000-01 season culminated in a best-of-five playoff series, showcasing the talent of the top European clubs. Ultimately, Europe crowned two continental champions that year: Maccabi Tel Aviv of the FIBA SuproLeague and Kinder Bologna of the Euroleague Basketball Company's Euroleague. This unusual situation highlighted the need for a unified competition, leading to negotiations between the Euroleague Basketball Company and FIBA.
As a result of these negotiations, the Euroleague Basketball Company emerged as the dominant force, and the Euroleague competition became the sole premier tournament for European men's professional basketball clubs. The FIBA SuproLeague teams joined the Euroleague, and from that point on, European professional club competitions fell under the Euroleague Basketball Company's authority.
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Frequently asked questions
Real Madrid won the 2023 EuroLeague championship.
Real Madrid has won the EuroLeague championship 11 times, more than any other club.
Yes, three teams have won the EuroLeague championship consecutively: Maccabi Tel Aviv (2003-04, 2004-05), Olympiacos (2011-12, 2012-13), and Anadolu Efes (2020-21, 2021-22).
Žarko Varajić of Bosna scored 45 points in the 1978-79 EuroLeague Finals, the most of any player in the 2000-01 season.
Panathinaikos of Athens won the 2023-24 EuroLeague championship.
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