Real Madrid Baloncesto


Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball club that was founded in 1931, as a division of Real Madrid CF. They play domestically in the Liga ACB, and internationally in the EuroLeague. They are widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball clubs in Europe. Real Madrid currently ranks third in the European professional basketball club rankings.
Similarly to the Real Madrid athletic association football club, the basketball team has been the most successful of its peers in both Spain and Europe. Real Madrid CF is the only European sports club to have become the European champions in both football and basketball in the same season.
The Real Madrid squads have won a record 38 Spanish League championships, including in 7-in-a-row and 10-in-a-row sequences. They have also won a record 29 Spanish Cup titles, a record 11 EuroLeague Championships, a record 4 Saporta Cups, and a record 5 Intercontinental Cups. Madrid has also won 3 Triple Crowns, which constitute a treble of the national league, cup, and continental league won in a single season. Some of the club's star players over the years have included: Carmelo Cabrera, Arvydas Sabonis, Dražen Petrović, Rudy Fernández, Sergio Rodriguez, Sergio Llull, Felipe Reyes, Serge Ibaka, Mirza Delibašić, Dražen Dalipagić, Nikola Mirotić, Juan Antonio Corbalán, Fernando Martín, Alberto Herreros, Dejan Bodiroga, Luka Dončić, Edy Tavares, Facundo Campazzo, Džanan Musa and Mario Hezonja.
Real Madrid also has a developmental basketball team, called Real Madrid B, that plays in the amateur-level Spanish 4th-tier Liga EBA.

History

Early years

In March 1931, Ángel Cabrera, one of the earliest promotors of basketball in Spain, placed and advertisement in the newspaper ABC to recruit players for a new basketball team. The first team existed of Eric Hermes, Luis Hoyos, Emilio Gutiérrez Bringas, Juan Castellví, Jenaro Olives, Máximo Arnáiz, Juan Negrín, Midel, Delgado, Llano, and German player Midelman. The squad was officially formed on 22 March 1931, and was officially named Real Madrid Baloncesto.
As the Real Madrid club already had a firm presence with its football section, President Luis Usera wanted to expand the number of sports the club was playing to expand its reach.
In the debut season, Real Madrid won the Copa Chapultepec and played in the Castilla regional league. The first official game was played on 22 March 1931, against Dumping BC, and was lost by 19–5, despite Cabrera's 5 points. One month later, Real inaugurated its new home court in the Chamartín district.
The 1930s saw the first regional title in 1933, as well as the establishment of the women's team. The following years Real Madrid would dominate the regional league, and as such gained access to the national level. They played their first top-level game against Iluro, being defeated 21–17. The following years, the team saw an influx of international talent from Spanish colonies, including Freddy Borás, Rafael Deliz, Johnny Báez, among others, which led the team to their first three Spanish national championships, in 1957, 1958 and 1960.

History of great success: 1950s to 1980s

For at least half a century, Madrid has been a standard-bearer in European basketball, accumulating a record ten continental titles, based on its dominance in the 1960s. Its early dominance in Spain has resulted in another untouchable cache of 38 national domestic league and 29 national cup trophies. And almost every time that Madrid did not play in Europe's top-tier level competition, it won a different continental trophy – four Saporta Cups, a Korać Cup, and a ULEB Cup – as a stepping-stone back to the big time.
Players like Emiliano Rodríguez, Clifford Luyk, Wayne Brabender, Walter Szczerbiak, Juan Antonio Corbalán, Dražen Petrović, Mirza Delibašić, Arvydas Sabonis, and Dejan Bodiroga have turned Real Madrid into one of the biggest basketball clubs in the world. Madrid won as many as 7 EuroLeague titles between 1964 and 1980, becoming a European basketball club legend, and even when it took the club 15 years to win it again, it found success in other European competitions, too.
Madrid downed Olimpia Milano in the 1984 Cup Winners' Cup, on free throws made by Brian Jackson, then Petrović had 62 points in the 1989 Cup Winners' Cup final, against Snaidero Caserta. Madrid added a 1988 Korać Cup title, against Cibona Zagreb.

1990–2010

Real Madrid won the 1992 Saporta Cup trophy against PAOK, on a buzzer-beating jumper by Rickey Brown. It was not until Sabonis arrived in Madrid, when Real won its eighth EuroLeague title in 1995, by beating Olympiacos 1995 [EuroLeague Final Four|in the final]. Madrid next won the 1997 Saporta Cup title against Verona, but no more European-wide trophies came for the club in the next decade.
Madrid still found success at home, winning Spanish League titles in 2000 and 2005. It all changed in 2007, when Joan Plaza was promoted to the club's head coach position. With the help of players like Louis Bullock, Felipe Reyes, and Álex Mumbrú, Madrid added a new trophy to its roll of honours, the ULEB Cup, as it won 12 of its last 13 games and downed Lietuvos Rytas by a score of 75–87 in the 2007 ULEB Cup Final. Moreover, Madrid finished in 2nd place in the 2006–07 Spanish League regular season, and stayed strong in its play in Palacio Vistalegre during the Spanish league playoffs; they lifted the club's 30th national league trophy by besting their arch-rivals, Barcelona Bàsquet|Winterthur FC Barcelona], 3–1 in the Spanish League title series in 2007.

2011–2022: Pablo Laso era

In Pablo Laso's era, Real Madrid Baloncesto managed to find consistent success. Spanish top-tier level players of the time, like Sergio Rodríguez and Rudy Fernández, were acquired by the club. Also, ACB Rising Star winner Nikola Mirotić was a part of the team's mix, along with Sergio Llull and Felipe Reyes, to give Real Madrid a strong home grown core of players. This group of players gave Real Madrid Baloncesto 6 Copa del Reys titles, 7 Spanish Super Cup titles, 6 Liga ACB titles, 2 EuroLeague championships, and an FIBA Intercontinental Cup championship.
On 17 May 2015, after waiting 20 years to win another EuroLeague championship, Real Madrid won the 2015 EuroLeague championship against Olympiacos. Madrid's Andrés Nocioni was named the Final Four MVP. This title was called La Novena. Following the EuroLeague title, the 2014–15 ACB season's championship was also won by Real. Because Real also won the national Spanish Cup and the national Spanish Supercup that season, the club won its first "Quadruble crown".
On 27 September 2015, 34 years after their last FIBA Intercontinental Cup title, Real Madrid won their fifth FIBA Intercontinental Cup trophy, after defeating the Brazilian League club Bauru Basketball Team|Bauru]. Sergio Llull was named the MVP of the tournament. Real Madrid thus made it a record five FIBA Intercontinental Cup titles won, and with the Intercontinental Cup title.
On 20 May 2018, Real Madrid conquered again the EuroLeague, achieving their tenth title ever. The considered major leader of the team that season would be a Slovenian guard/forward named Luka Dončić, who became the designated MVP of the EuroLeague on all accounts at 19 years old.
On 5 June 2022, Pablo Laso suffered a heart attack. Exactly one month later, Real Madrid parted ways with him citing "medical reasons exclusively" and adding that keeping him as a coach in his health condition would have been "a risk that this institution cannot assume". Laso left Real Madrid as one of the greatest coaches in the club's history, having won 22 titles, which ties him with Lolo Sainz in the second place for most trophies won with Real Madrid, only behind Pedro Ferrándiz with 27. Laso is also the coach who has managed the most games for Madrid, having won 659 of them. He was succeeded at Real Madrid's helm by his assistant Chus Mateo.

2022—present Post-Laso era

In the 2022–23 season, Chus Mateo became the new head coach for the team. They signed additional players including Petr Cornelie, Mario Hezonja, Džanan Musa, with Sergio Rodríguez returning for the team, which ranked third in EuroLeague standings. In the playoffs, they faced Partizan in the quarterfinals. Madrid lost its first two games at home. In Game 2 of the quarterfinals, in 1 minute and 40 seconds, Sergio Llull drew a flagrant foul on Kevin Punter; and both teams, as well as players on the bench, went on the court to fight. Guerschon Yabusele slammed Danté Exum, leading Exum injured with a ruptured tendon in his toe and an injured lip and leaving on crutches. The game ended in a brawl. The EuroLeague gave suspensions to Gabriel Deck and Guerschon Yabusele from the Real side and Punter and Mathias Lessort from Partizan's side. Madrid won the next 3 games and became the first EuroLeague team to come back from a 2–0 deficit in the playoffs to qualify to the 2023 EuroLeague Final Four. In the semifinals, they beat Barcelona 78–66 in the semifinals. Real Madrid won their record–extending eleventh EuroLeague title, beating Olympiacos in the championship game, the first in 5 years. The previous year, they lost the championship game versus Anadolu Efes 57–58 in the final, Sergio Llull winning with a clutch 2-point shot with 3.1 seconds to go. Real Madrid beating Olympiacos 79–78 in the final. In Liga ACB, the team ended third in regular season but they lost to Barcelona 0–3 in the finals.
In the following 2023–24 EuroLeague season, Real ended as a top seed during the regular season with a 27-7 which whom they defend the EuroLeague title again. In the Quarterfinals, they faced Baskonia with a perfect 3-0 which whom the first team to qualified to the 2024 EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin. In the semifinals, they faced Olypiacos once again, which is the rematch of the previous year's final and Real won 87–76 in the semis. In the final they faced Panathinakos AKTOR. Despite an early start in the first quarter, Panathinakos returned a comeback in the next three quarters. In the third quarter, Real only scored 7 points. Then in the fourth quarter Panathinaikos went a massive game outscoring 31 points out of Real's 19 points in the fourth and final quarter and Real did not comeback afterwards which Panathinakos won with a big win 95-80 and won its first EuroLeague trophy after after thirteen years. Despite that, they won the 2023–24 ACB season beating Murcia CB|Murcia] 3–1 in the finals.

Sponsorship naming

Current roster

Depth chart

Retired numbers

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers

The following former Real Madrid players are inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:

Head coaches

Domestic competitions

* Unofficial edition

Regional competitions

  • Torneo Comunidad de Madrid
  • Campeonato de Castilla
  • '''Trofeo Marca'''

    Friendly competitions

  • FIBA International Christmas Tournament
  • 7 Trofeo [Costa del Sol (basketball)|Trofeo Costa del Sol]: 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022.
  • 3 Trofeo Gol: 1941–42, 1942–43, 1943–44.
  • 3 Trofeo Teresa Herrera: 1987, 1989, 1991.
  • 3 Trofeo Ciudat de Zaragoza: 2005, 2011, 2014.
  • 2 Trofeo Montbrisson: 1959, 1960.
  • 2 Trofeos Open de París: 1961–62, 1962–63.
  • 2 Torneo de Navidad de Bruselas: 1948, 1950.
  • 2 Trofeo Diputación Valladolid: 1997, 2009.
  • 2 Torneo Ciudad de Córdoba: 2013, 2015.
  • 2 Trofeo de Torneig de Bàsquet Junior Ciutat de L'Hospitalet: 2015, 2016.
  • 1 Copa Chapultepec: 1931.
  • 1 Torneo Primavera de Madrid: 1934.
  • 1 Trofeo Cupones Cork: 1946.
  • 1 Torneo Inauguración : 1951.
  • 1 Torneo Bodas de Oro del Real Madrid: 1952.
  • 1 Torneo Bodas de Oro del Club: 1952.
  • 1 Trofeo Homenaje a Luis Moreno Melilla: 1952.
  • 1 Torneo Bodas de Plata de la Sección: 1955.
  • 1 Torneo Internacional de Portugal: 1955.
  • 1 Torneo de Vigo: 1956.
  • 1 Torneo Triangular: 1956.
  • 1 Torneo de Gijón: 1956.
  • 1 Trofeo XII Juegos del Sudeste : 1960.
  • 1 Torneo de Casablanca: 1962.
  • 1 Trofeo Open de París: 1962.
  • 1 Trofeo Bodas de Plata del Canoe: 1965.
  • 1 Trofeo Breogán: 1967.
  • 1 Galardón As de Oro: 1977–78.
  • 1 Trofeo Nuevo Banco : 1978.
  • 1 Torneo de la Pollinica : 1985–86.
  • 1 Trofeo Memorial Gasca : 1985–86.
  • 1 Torneo de San Julián : 1986–87.
  • 1 Trofeo 50 Aniversario Diario Sur: 1988.
  • 1 Trofeo Canal +: 1991.
  • 1 Trofeo Ciutat de Palma: 2007
  • 1 Torneo de Diada de Mallorca : 2008.
  • 1 San Sebastian, Spain Invitational Game : 2009.
  • 1 La Nucia, Alicante, Spain Invitational Game: 2010.
  • 1 Torneo Sportquarters de Guadalajara: 2012.
  • 1 Torneo Spa Porta Maris & Suites del Mar: 2012.
  • 1 Trofeo Grupo Dalmau Vaquer: 2014.
  • 1 Copa EuroAmericana: 2014.
  • 1 Arganda del Rey, Spain Invitational Game: 2017.
  • 1 Burgos, Spain Invitational Game: 2018.
  • 1 Torneo San Mateo: 2019.
  • 1 Trofeo Memorial Jose Luis Abos: 2019.

    Individual awards

ACB [Most Valuable Player Award|ACB Most Valuable Player]
ACB Finals MVP
All-ACB First Team
All-ACB Second Team
ACB Three Point Shootout Champion
ACB Slam Dunk Champion
ACB Most Spectacular Player of the Year
Spanish Cup MVP
Spanish Supercup MVP
EuroLeague MVP
EuroLeague Final Four MVP
FIBA Intercontinental Cup MVP
All-EuroLeague First Team
All-EuroLeague Second Team
EuroLeague Rising Star
EuroLeague Best Defender

International record

Notable players

Players who are currently on the team are in boldface. Players who are still active, but in other team, are in italics.
PositionPlayerYearRoundPickDrafted by
PF/C

Historical uniforms

Matches against NBA teams