Summary
FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08)[2] was the 3rd-tier continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run by FIBA Europe. It is not to be confused with the FIBA EuroCup Challenge – the defunct 4th-tier competition, which was also organized and run by FIBA Europe, played between 2002–03 and 2006–07. In 2015, FIBA dissolved the EuroChallenge, in order to start the Basketball Champions League (BCL) and FIBA Europe Cup (FEC), in order to extend opportunities outside the competitions organized by the Euroleague Basketball.[3]
 Primary logo (2013–2015)[1] | |
| Formerly | FIBA Europe League (2003–2005) FIBA EuroCup (2005–2008) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Ceased | 2015 |
| Replaced by | FIBA Europe Cup |
| Motto | We Are Basketball |
| No. of teams | 32 |
| Country | FIBA Europe member associations |
| Continent |  FIBA Europe (Europe) |
| Last champion(s) |  Nanterre (1st title) |
| Most titles | 12 teams (1 title each) |
| Level on pyramid | 3 (2004–15) |
| Promotion to | EuroCup (finalists) |
| Official website | EuroChallenge |
History edit
The competition was created in 2003, following the defections of most of the top European basketball teams from the former FIBA SuproLeague, which heralded the formation of the new version of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, under the umbrella of Euroleague Basketball. FIBA was aiming to create a competition similar to the former Suproleague to rival the Euroleague. From the 2004–05 season and after FIBA sanctioned the Euroleague and the ULEB Cup, the EuroChallenge was considered to be the 3rd strongest international professional basketball competition for men's clubs in Europe, after both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the EuroCup (both of which fall under the supervision of Euroleague Basketball). Though, during the first two seasons of the competition's coexistence with the EuroCup, the EuroChallenge (under the name FIBA Europe League) was favored by Italian, Russian and Greek teams, making both competitions quite comparable in strength.
Since the 2007-08 and following am agreement between ULEB and FIBA the two EuroChallenge finalists were promoted to the next season's 2nd tier level, the EuroCup competition.
In 2015, FIBA Europe dissolved the EuroChallenge, to start a new self-anointed second-tier competition, called the Basketball Champions League (BCL), in an attempt to compete with the EuroCup.[4]
Final Fours edit
Finals/Final Four MVP award winners (2004–2015) edit
Records and statistics edit
Performances by club edit
| Club | Won | Runner-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Krasnye Krylia Samara
|
1 | 1 | 2013 | 2010 |
| Nanterre
|
1 | 0 | 2015 | – |
 Pallacanestro Reggiana
|
1 | 0 | 2014 | – |
 Beşiktaş
|
1 | 0 | 2012 | – |
 Krka Novo mesto
|
1 | 0 | 2011 | – |
 BG Göttingen
|
1 | 0 | 2010 | – |
| Virtus Bologna
|
1 | 0 | 2009 | – |
 Barons LMT
|
1 | 0 | 2008 | – |
 Girona
|
1 | 0 | 2007 | – |
| Joventut Badalona
|
1 | 0 | 2006 | – |
| Dyanmo Saint Petersburg
|
1 | 0 | 2005 | – |
| UNICS Kazan
|
1 | 0 | 2004 | – |
 Maroussi
|
0 | 1 | – | 2004 |
 Kyiv
|
0 | 1 | – | 2005 |
| Khimki
|
0 | 1 | – | 2006 |
| Azovmash
|
0 | 1 | – | 2007 |
 Dexia Mons-Hainaut
|
0 | 1 | – | 2008 |
| Cholet
|
0 | 1 | – | 2009 |
| Lokomotiv Kuban
|
0 | 1 | – | 2011 |
| Élan Chalon
|
0 | 1 | – | 2012 |
| Pınar Karşıyaka
|
0 | 1 | – | 2013 |
| Triumph Lyubertsy
|
0 | 1 | – | 2014 |
| Trabzonspor
|
0 | 1 | – | 2015 |
| Total | 12 | 12 |
Performances by country edit
| Country | Won | Runner-up | Winning clubs | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia
|
3 | 4 | Krasnye Krylia Samara (1), BC Dynamo Saint Petersburg (1), UNICS Kazan (1) | Krasnye Krylia Samara (1), Lokomotiv Kuban (1), BC Khimki (1), Triumph Lyubertsy (1) |
| Italy
|
2 | 0 | Virtus Bologna (1), Pallacanestro Reggiana (1) | – |
| Spain
|
2 | 0 | CB Girona (1), Joventut Badalona (1) | – |
| France
|
1 | 2 | JSF Nanterre (1) | Élan Chalon (1), Cholet Basket (1) |
| Turkey
|
1 | 2 | Beşiktaş (1) | Pınar Karşıyaka (1), Trabzonspor (1) |
| Germany
|
1 | 0 | BG Göttingen (1) | – |
| Latvia
|
1 | 0 | Barons LMT (1) | – |
| Slovenia
|
1 | 0 | KK Krka (1) | – |
| Ukraine
|
0 | 2 | – | BC Kyiv (1), BC Azovmash (1) |
| Greece
|
0 | 1 | – | Maroussi B.C. (1) |
| Belgium
|
0 | 1 | – | Dexia Mons-Hainaut (1) |
| Total | 12 | 12 |
Individual records and statistical leaders edit
All-Star Game edit
Winning rosters edit
FIBA Europe League edit
FIBA EuroCup edit
FIBA EuroChallenge edit
See also edit
References and notes edit
- ^ "EuroChallenge Logo Unveiled | FIBA Europe".
- ^ "ULEB, FIBA Europe announce new competitions names, formats – News – Welcome to Eurocup". Archived from the original on 2008-07-22. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^ "FIBA Europe Board pushes ahead with attractive club competitions model - FIBA.basketball". Archived from the original on March 10, 2018.
- ^ "FIBA Europe Board pushes ahead with attractive club competitions model - FIBA.basketball". Archived from the original on March 10, 2018.
External links edit
- FIBA EuroChallenge official website