EuroLeague Final Four

Summary

The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, following the 2001 FIBA SuproLeague Final Four, which was the last final four held by FIBA Europe. In the original FIBA Europe competition, as seen below, the final four was used for the first time at the 1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four. The final four format was used again the next year, with the 1967 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four, but was then abandoned.

The final four finally returned as the format of choice, for the first time during its modern era, with the 1988 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four. It is known as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for name sponsorship reasons. Panathinaikos has been the most successful team at the EuroLeague Final Four, since the modern final four era began in the 1987–88 season, winning the title 6 times (1996, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011). Real Madrid are the most recent winners, having clinched their fifth Final Four title in 2023.[1]

The EuroLeague Final Four is broadcast on TV in up to 213 countries and territories.[2]

History edit

Names of the Final Four edit

  • FIBA era (1958–2001):
    • FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four (1966–1967, 1988–1991)
    • FIBA European League Final Four ("FIBA EuroLeague Final Four") (1992–1996)
    • FIBA EuroLeague Final Four (1997–2000)[3]
    • FIBA SuproLeague Final Four (2001)
  • Euroleague Basketball era (since 2000):
    • Euroleague Final Four (2002–2016)
    • EuroLeague Final Four (since 2017)

Historical changes edit

The first time the EuroLeague used a Final Four format to decide its league champion, was at the conclusion of the 1965–66 and 1966–67 seasons, when it held the 1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four, and the 1967 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four. Those first two final fours were won by Simmenthal Milano (1966) and Real Madrid (1967). FIBA Europe did not use the final four format again until the 1987–88 season, when it held the 1988 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four, which was also won by Tracer Milano.

The EuroLeague Final Four has been held every year since, with FIBA Europe organizing it until 2001, and the Euroleague Basketball Company organizing it since 2002.

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. Euroleague Basketball Company's EuroLeague competition, in its inaugural year, used a playoff format, with the two professional teams from Bologna (Virtus and Fortitudo), AEK, and TAU reaching the tournament's semifinals. Virtus was the winner of the 2001 Euroleague Finals.

EuroLeague Final Four by season edit

Final Fours organized by FIBA
Final Fours organized by EuroLeague Basketball
Year Host city Champion Runner-up Third place Fourth place
FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four (early events)
1966   Bologna   Simmenthal Milano   Slavia VŠ Praha   CSKA Moscow   AEK
1967   Madrid   Real Madrid   Simmenthal Milano   Slavia VŠ Praha   AŠK Olimpija
FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four
1988   Ghent   Tracer Milano   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv   Partizan   Aris
1989   Munich   Jugoplastika   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv   Aris   FC Barcelona
1990   Zaragoza   Jugoplastika   FC Barcelona Banca Catalana   Limoges CSP   Aris
1991   Paris   POP 84   FC Barcelona Banca Catalana   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv   Scavolini Pesaro
FIBA European League Final Four
1992   Istanbul   Partizan   Montigalà Joventut   Philips Milano   Estudiantes Argentaria
1993   Piraeus   Limoges CSP   Benetton Treviso   PAOK   Real Madrid Teka
1994   Tel Aviv   7up Joventut   Olympiacos   Panathinaikos   FC Barcelona Banca Catalana
1995   Zaragoza   Real Madrid Teka   Olympiacos   Panathinaikos   Limoges CSP
1996   Paris   Panathinaikos   FC Barcelona Banca Catalana   CSKA Moscow   Real Madrid Teka
FIBA EuroLeague Final Four
1997   Rome   Olympiacos   FC Barcelona Banca Catalana   Smelt Olimpija   ASVEL
1998   Barcelona   Kinder Bologna   AEK   Benetton Treviso   Partizan Zepter
1999   Munich   Žalgiris   Kinder Bologna   Olympiacos   Teamsystem Bologna
2000   Thessaloniki   Panathinaikos   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv   Efes Pilsen   FC Barcelona
FIBA SuproLeague Final Four*
2001*   Paris   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv   Panathinaikos   Efes Pilsen   CSKA Moscow
Euroleague Final Four
2002   Bologna   Panathinaikos   Kinder Bologna   Benetton Treviso   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
2003   Barcelona   FC Barcelona   Benetton Treviso   Montepaschi Siena   CSKA Moscow
2004   Tel Aviv   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv   Skipper Bologna   CSKA Moscow   Montepaschi Siena
2005   Moscow   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv   Tau Cerámica   Panathinaikos   CSKA Moscow
2006   Prague   CSKA Moscow   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv   Tau Cerámica   Winterthur FC Barcelona
2007   Athens   Panathinaikos   CSKA Moscow   Unicaja   Tau Cerámica
2008   Madrid   CSKA Moscow   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv   Montepaschi Siena   Tau Cerámica
2009   Berlin   Panathinaikos   CSKA Moscow   Regal FC Barcelona   Olympiacos
2010   Paris   Regal FC Barcelona   Olympiacos   CSKA Moscow   Partizan
2011   Barcelona   Panathinaikos   Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv   Montepaschi Siena   Real Madrid
2012   Istanbul   Olympiacos   CSKA Moscow   FC Barcelona Regal   Panathinaikos
2013   London   Olympiacos   Real Madrid   CSKA Moscow   FC Barcelona Regal
2014   Milan   Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv   Real Madrid   FC Barcelona   CSKA Moscow
2015   Madrid   Real Madrid   Olympiacos   CSKA Moscow   Fenerbahçe Ülker
2016   Berlin   CSKA Moscow   Fenerbahçe   Lokomotiv Kuban   Laboral Kutxa
EuroLeague Final Four
2017   Istanbul   Fenerbahçe   Olympiacos   CSKA Moscow   Real Madrid
2018   Belgrade   Real Madrid   Fenerbahçe Doğuş   Žalgiris   CSKA Moscow
2019   Vitoria-Gasteiz   CSKA Moscow   Anadolu Efes   Real Madrid   Fenerbahçe Beko
2020   Cologne
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021   Cologne   Anadolu Efes   FC Barcelona   AX Armani Exchange Milan   CSKA Moscow
2022   Belgrade   Anadolu Efes   Real Madrid   FC Barcelona   Olympiacos
2023   Kaunas   Real Madrid   Olympiacos   AS Monaco   FC Barcelona
2024   Berlin TBD TBD TBD TBD

* The 2000–01 season was a transition year, with the best European teams split into two different major leagues, the SuproLeague 2000–01, held by FIBA, and the Euroleague 2000–01, held by Euroleague Basketball. That season's Euroleague Basketball tournament, the Euroleague 2000–01 season, did not end with a Final Four tournament. Instead, it ended with a 5-game playoff series. The EuroLeague now officially recognizes both the 2001 FIBA SuproLeague, and the 2001 Euroleague, in its statistics.

Statistics edit

Performance by club edit

  • Including original FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague Final Four competitions.
Club 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
  Panathinaikos 6 1 3 1 11
  Maccabi Tel Aviv 4 6 1 1 12
  CSKA Moscow 4 3 7 6 20
  Real Madrid 4 3 1 4 12
  Olympiacos 3 6 1 2 12
  Split [a] 3 3
  FC Barcelona 2 5 4 6 17
  Virtus Bologna [b] 2 2 4
  Anadolu Efes 2 1 2 5
  Fenerbahçe 1 2 2 5
  Olimpia Milano [c] 1 1 2 4
  Joventut Badalona 1 1 2
  Partizan 1 1 2 4
  Limoges CSP 1 1 1 3
  Žalgiris 1 1 2
  Treviso [d] 2 2 4
  Baskonia [e] 1 1 3 5
  AEK 1 1 2
  Fortitudo Bologna [f] 1 1 2
  Slavia VŠ Praha 1 1 2
  Mens Sana 1871 [g] 3 1 4
  Olimpija 2 2
  Aris 1 2 3
  PAOK 1 1
  Málaga [h] 1 1
  Lokomotiv Kuban 1 1
  AS Monaco 1 1
  Victoria Libertas [i] 1 1
  Estudiantes 1 1
  ASVEL 1 1
Total 36 36 36 36 144

Performance by nation edit

  • Including original FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague Final Four competitions.
Nation (Domestic League) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
  Greece (GBL) 9 8 6 6 29
  Spain (LEB / ACB) 7 10 7 14 38
  Israel (ISBL) 4 6 1 1 12
  Russia (RSL / PBL / VTB) 4 3 7 6 20
  SFR Yugoslavia (FFBL) 4 2 1 7
  Italy (LBA) 3 6 7 3 19
  Turkey (BSL) 3 3 2 2 10
  France (Pro A) 1 2 2 5
  Lithuania (LKL) 1 1 2
  Czechoslovakia (CSBL) 1 1 2
  Soviet Union (PBL) 1 1
  Slovenia (SKL) 1 1
  Serbia (ABA/KLS) 1 1
Total 36 36 36 36 144

Opening press conference venues edit

Year Venue Host city Country
2008 Community of Madrid Sports Centre Madrid   Spain
2009 O2 World Berlin   Germany
2010 Hôtel de Ville Paris   France
2011 Gothic Quarter (City hall) Barcelona   Spain
2012 Çırağan Palace Istanbul   Turkey
2013 London City Hall London   England
2014 Piazza del Duomo Milan   Italy
2015 Cybele Palace Madrid   Spain
2016 Alexanderplatz Berlin   Germany
2017 Çırağan Palace Istanbul   Turkey
2018 Kalemegdan Fortress Belgrade   Serbia
2019 Plaza Nueva Vitoria-Gasteiz   Spain
2020
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

EuroLeague Final Four MVPs edit

Season Final Four MVP Club Ref.
  Bob McAdoo   Tracer Milano
  Dino Rađa   Jugoplastika
  Toni Kukoč   Jugoplastika
  Toni Kukoč (2)   POP 84
  Sasha Danilović   Partizan
  Toni Kukoč (3)   Benetton Treviso
  Žarko Paspalj   Olympiacos
  Arvydas Sabonis   Real Madrid Teka
  Dominique Wilkins   Panathinaikos
  David Rivers   Olympiacos
  Zoran Savić   Kinder Bologna
  Tyus Edney   Žalgiris
  Željko Rebrača   Panathinaikos
    Ariel McDonald   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
  Dejan Bodiroga   Panathinaikos
  Dejan Bodiroga (2)   FC Barcelona
  Anthony Parker   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
  Šarūnas Jasikevičius   Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv
  Theo Papaloukas   CSKA Moscow
  Dimitris Diamantidis   Panathinaikos
  Trajan Langdon   CSKA Moscow
  Vassilis Spanoulis   Panathinaikos
  Juan Carlos Navarro   Regal FC Barcelona
  Dimitris Diamantidis (2)   Panathinaikos
  Vassilis Spanoulis (2)   Olympiacos
  Vassilis Spanoulis (3)   Olympiacos
    Tyrese Rice   Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv
  Andrés Nocioni   Real Madrid
  Nando de Colo   CSKA Moscow
  Ekpe Udoh   Fenerbahçe
  Luka Doncic   Real Madrid
  Will Clyburn   CSKA Moscow
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
  Vasilije Micić   Anadolu Efes
  Vasilije Micić (2)   Anadolu Efes
  Edy Tavares   Real Madrid

EuroLeague All-Final Four Team edit

EuroLeague Final Four records edit

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Playing under the name of "Jugoplastika" and "POP 84" due to sponsorship reasons.
  2. ^ Playing under the name of "Kinder Bologna" due to sponsorship reasons.
  3. ^ Playing under the name of "Tracer Milano", "Philips Milano" and "AX Armani Exchange Milan" due to sponsorship reasons.
  4. ^ Playing under the name of "Benetton Treviso" due to sponsorship reasons.
  5. ^ Playing under the name of "Tau Cerámica" and "Laboral Kutxa" due to sponsorship reasons.
  6. ^ Playing under the name of "Teamsystem Bologna" and "Skipper Bologna" due to sponsorship reasons.
  7. ^ Playing under the name of "Montepaschi Siena" due to sponsorship reasons.
  8. ^ Playing under the name of "Unicaja" due to sponsorship reasons.
  9. ^ Playing under the name of "Scavolini Pesaro" due to sponsorship reasons.

References edit

  1. ^ Eternal Llull gives to Real Madrid its 11th EuroLeague title
  2. ^ Record broadcast reach for 2017 Final Four!
  3. ^ The European Cup For Men's Champion Clubs – The Early Years
  4. ^ European club champions: 1958-2014.
  5. ^ Nocioni named bwin MVP of Euroleague Final Four.
  6. ^ De Colo celebrates title as Final Four MVP.
  7. ^ Udoh caps historic Final Four with MVP award.
  8. ^ Doncic chosen Final Four MVP.
  9. ^ Will Clyburn, CSKA: 'Heart had to carry me'.
  10. ^ Micic is chosen Final Four MVP
  11. ^ Micic repeats as Final Four MVP!
  12. ^ "Edy Tavares named EuroLeague Final Four MVP".

External links edit

  • EuroLeague Official Website
  • Euroleague's channel on YouTube