Saski Baskonia

1959–1969: start in the provincial basketball In 1959, the Club Deportivo Vasconia founded a basketball program under the presidency of Félix Ullivarriarrazua. Vicente Elejalde was appointed as head coach. A previous attempt to establish a basketball program, in 1951, had ended in failure. In its first season, the team finished second in the provincial championship behind Corazonistas. In the 1963–64 season, the team won its first provincial titles, taking both the league and cup. The team went on to win the provincial championship in five of its first ten seasons of competition (1959–69) and achieved the promotion to the 3rd division after Pepe Laso took over as head coach, prevailing over city rival Deportivo Alavés. The team opened the 1972–73 season in the 1st division by defeating Breogán 89–67. The Basque team went on to reach the semifinals of the Copa del Rey where they were eliminated by Estudiantes. In the 1973–74 season, the club reached 1,400 supporters and signed its first foreign player, the Canadian Phil Tollestrup. The team finished in eighth place and gained the right to play in the Korać Cup but declined to participate on financial grounds. In the summer of 1981, José Antonio Querejeta, who had returned to the team after passing through Real Madrid and had been tested by FC Barcelona, was transferred to Joventut. The direction of Iñaki Iriarte from the bench and the contribution of Cambronero Peio, Txomin Sautu, Salva Diez, Mikel Cuadra, Xabier Jon Davalillo and Luis Mari Junguitu allowed the team to promote to the 1st division and return to the place that it had occupied among the great teams for almost a decade. A new change in the presidency of the club allowed the arrival of José Antonio Apraiz. The season of the return to the top league was not very positive in terms of results, the team ended up in relegation positions with a baggage of three wins, three draws and twenty defeats. Spanish basketball was preparing to enter a new stage marked by professionalism, and the creation of the Liga ACB made it possible for the team to avoid relegation back to the 2nd Division. The team started the 21st century with Duško Ivanović on the bench. In his first year, they then found quick success in the newly reborn EuroLeague. With a deep roster featuring Elmer Bennett, Saulius Štombergas, Victor Alexander, Fabricio Oberto and a young Luis Scola, Baskonia reached the 2001 Euroleague Finals, before losing to Virtus Bologna in the fifth and final game on the road. With winning momentum and the additions of Dejan Tomašević and Andrés Nocioni, the team achieved its first double in the next season, with another Spanish King's Cup trophy and its first Spanish League title ever. Baskonia snatched two more Spanish King's Cups, in 2004 and 2006, as Luis Scola and Pablo Prigioni played decisive roles, and success followed the team in the EuroLeague. Baskonia's arrival to its first EuroLeague Final Four in 2005 couldn't have been louder, as the team upset favored host CSKA Moscow in the semi-finals, but couldn't overcome defending champ Maccabi in the title game. Back home, Baskonia again reached the Spanish League finals, only to lose in dramatic fashion. Baskonia returned to the EuroLeague Final Four in 2006, but once again Maccabi stood in its way, this time in the semi-final. The team also made it to the Spanish League finals, but was swept there. The next season, Baskonia won its EuroLeague regular season and Top 16 groups before sweeping Olympiacos in the Playoffs, as Scola became the Euroleague Basketball's top all-time scorer at that time. Nonetheless, eventual champion Panathinaikos downed Baskonia in the semi-finals and once home again in Spain, Baskonia lost in the semi-finals. In the third place game, Baskonia lost to Russian side Lokomotiv Kuban. In the 2016–17 season, the EuroLeague adopted a new league-style format in which a round-robin season of sixteen teams was played. In the first season in the new format, the team changed its core of players and also its head coach, but still remained deep in the playoff zone for most of the regular season and ended up advancing to the next phase with a 17–13 record and seventh place. A four-game winning streak in December and another in March covered up for a negative run of six losses in seven games between Rounds 17 and 23. Baskonia clinched a playoff berth for the 10th time in 12 seasons, but there the team was swept by CSKA Moscow after three tough games. Ádám Hanga was one of the team leaders and was chosen as the EuroLeague Best Defender by the league's head coaches, and Baskonia showed, once again, its innate ability to sign talent that seemed to go under the radar for everybody else with names like Shane Larkin, Johannes Voigtmann and Rodrigue Beaubois playing major roles. The 2018–19 season was an important season for the club with the Final Four taking place on its home court. A slow start caused Baskonia to part ways with head coach Pedro Martínez and bring back club legend Velimir Perasović to replace him. Baskonia kept struggling on the road, but won 10 of its last 11 regular season games – including victories against playoff-bound teams CSKA Moscow, Panathinaikos and Real Madrid – to reach the playoffs from sixth place. Baskonia managed to do something no team had done in over a decade – steal home-court advantage in a playoff series against CSKA, but the Russian powerhouse recovered with back-to-back wins at Buesa Arena to qualify for the Final Four and eventually win the title. Vincent Poirier was chosen to the All-EuroLeague Second Team. Baskonia had early exits in its two main domestic competitions; it lost against Joventut in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals and against Zaragoza in the Spanish League quarterfinals. On 30 June 2020, ten years after their last title, Baskonia won the 2019–20 ACB season, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. == Sponsorship naming ==

The club was often referred to for years as TAU Cerámica, a Spanish brand name of ceramics manufacturer TAULELL, which name sponsored the club from 1987 to 2009. Originally, TAULELL used another of its brand names, Taugrés, as the name of the team, before changing the name to TAU Cerámica in 1997. TAU, Taugrés and TAU Vitoria were also frequently used to refer to the team. Baskonia, Saski Baskonia, and Saski Baskonia, S.A.D. refer to the name of the actual sports club itself. In 2009, the Spanish credit union Caja Laboral became the new name sponsor of the club and increased the amount of money that the name sponsor contributes to the sports club's budget. In 2016, Laboral Kutxa end its sponsorship naming to Baskonia. Baskonia has received diverse sponsorship names along the years: • Caja Álava (1983–1987) • Taugrés (1987–1997) / Tau Cerámica (1997–2009) • Caja Laboral / Laboral Kutxa (2009–2016) • Kirolbet Baskonia (2018–2020) • TD Systems Baskonia (2020–2021) • Bitci Baskonia (2021–2022) • Cazoo Baskonia (2022–2023) • Kosner Baskonia (2025–) == Arena ==

during the 2019 EuroLeague Final Four. Since 1991, Baskonia has played its home games at the Fernando Buesa Arena, which has a seating capacity of 15,504 people for basketball games. The arena was originally called the Pabellón Araba, from 1991 to 2000. The arena was extensively renovated and expanded in the year 2012. The arena hosted the 1996 FIBA European Cup Final, in which Baskonia won the title and also hosted the 2010 Eurocup Finals, before hosting the EuroLeague Final Four in 2019. == Players ==

Retired jerseys Despite not having retired any number in its history, five of the club's most notable players have a jersey with the number they wore in their time with the team hung at the Fernando Buesa Arena. These are Pablo Prigioni (#5), whose shirt was put on display in 2017; Igor Rakočević (#8) and Sergi Vidal (#9), who followed suit in 2020; Luis Scola (#4), who was inducted in 2023; and Tiago Splitter (#21), who was inducted in 2024. Current roster Depth chart == Notable players ==

• Carlos Cabezas • José Calderón • Carlos Cazorla • Ilimane Diop • Jorge Garbajosa • Roberto Íñiguez • Pablo Laso • Fernando San Emeterio • Pau Ribas • Sergi Vidal • Walter Herrmann • Marcelo Nicola • Andrés Nocioni • Fabricio Oberto • Pablo Prigioni • Luis Scola • Luca Vildoza • Mirza Teletović • Marcelo Huertas • Tiago Splitter • Georgi Glouchkov • Velimir Perasović • Zoran Planinić • Darko Planinić • Roko Ukić • Maik Kotsar • Sander Raieste • Jim Bilba • Laurent Foirest • Thomas Heurtel • William Phillips • Kevin Séraphin • Hanno Möttölä • Tornike Shengelia • Tibor Pleiß • Johannes Voigtmann • Ioannis Bourousis • Christos Charissis • Nikos Rogkavopoulos • Kornél Dávid • Ádám Hanga • Pat Burke • Lior Eliyahu • Andrea Bargnani • Simone Fontecchio • Achille Polonara • Stefano Rusconi • Dāvis Bertāns • Jānis Timma • Simas Jasaitis • Rimantas Kaukėnas • Arvydas Macijauskas • Saulius Štombergas • Mindaugas Timinskas • Rokas Giedraitis • Predrag Drobnjak • Chima Moneke • Thomas Kelati • Maciej Lampe • David Logan • Ramón Rivas • Miroslav Berić • Nemanja Bjelica • Vladimir Micov • Dejan Tomašević • Igor Rakočević • Richard Petruška • Goran Dragić • Zoran Dragić • Jaka Blažič • Ender Arslan • Serkan Erdoğan • Kaya Peker • Andrew Betts • Victor Alexander • Jerome Allen • J. J. Anderson • Joe Arlauckas • Wade Baldwin IV • Ken Bannister • Scooter Barry • Elmer Bennett • Anthony Bonner • Ryan Bowen • Rickey Brown • Chase Budinger • Lionel Chalmers • Chris Corchiani • Pat Durham • Rashard Griffith • Travis Hansen • Pierriá Henry • Darrun Hilliard • Essie Hollis • Casey Jacobsen • Mike James • Linton Johnson • Jalen Jones • Randolph Keys • Shane Larkin • Will McDonald • Jordan McRae • Larry Micheaux • Pete Mickeal • Drew Nicholas • Dan O'Sullivan • Lamar Odom • Lou Roe • Brent Scott • James Singleton • Matt Steigenga • Darius Thompson • Nikita Wilson • David Wood Players at the NBA draft == Head coaches ==

• Vicente Elejalde 1959–1969 • Pepe Laso 1969–1977, 1985–1987 • Juan Antonio Ortiz de Pinedo 1977–1978, 1982–1983 • Iñaki Iriarte 1978–1980, 1981–1983, 1992–1993 • Manu Moreno 1980–1981, 1987–1989 • Txema Capetillo 1983–1984 • Xabier Añúa 1984–1985 • Željko Pavličević 1989–1990 • Herb Brown 1990–1992 • Manel Comas 1993–1997 • Sergio Scariolo 1997–1999, 2013–2014 • Salva Maldonado 1999 • Julio Lamas 1999–2000 • Duško Ivanović 2000–2005, 2008–2012, 2019–2021, 2023–2024 • Pedro Martínez 2005, 2017–2018 • Velimir Perasović 2005–2007, 2015–2016, 2018–2019 • Natxo Lezkano 2007 • Božidar Maljković 2007 • Neven Spahija 2007–2008, 2021–2022 • Žan Tabak 2012–2013 • Marco Crespi 2014 • Ibon Navarro 2014–2015 • Sito Alonso 2016–2017 • Pablo Prigioni 2017 • Joan Peñarroya 2022–2023 • Pablo Laso 2024–2025 • Paolo Galbiati 2025–present Source: baskonistas.com == Logos ==

TAU Ceramica.png|Tau sponsorship logo (1987–2009) Caja Laboral Logo.png|Caja Laboral sponsorship logo (2009–2013) Saski Baskonia Logo.gif|Non commercial logo (2010–2016) Saski Baskonia.png|Non commercial logo (2016–present) == Season by season ==

Domestic competitions • Spanish League : Winners (4): 2001–02, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2019–20 : Runners-up (5): 1997–98, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2017–18 • Spanish Cup : Winners (7): 1995, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2026 : Runners-up (3): 1994, 2003, 2008 • Spanish Supercup : Winners (4): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 : Runners-up (2): 2011, 2018 • Association Cup : Winners (1): 1985 • 2nd Division : Winners (1): 1971–72 • Basque Cup : Winners (4): 2010–11, 2011–12, 2018–19, 2022–23 European competitions • EuroLeague : Runners-up (2): 2000–01, 2004–05 : 3rd place (1): 2005–06 : 4th place (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2015–16 : Final Four (6): 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2016 • FIBA Saporta Cup : Winners (1): 1995–96 MVP Ramón Rivas : Runners-up (2): 1993–94, 1994–95 Other competitions • Trofeo Diputación / Álava : Winners (29): 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 • Estella, Spain Invitational Game : Winners (1): 2007 • Logroño, Spain Invitational Game : Winners (1): 2007 • Ourense, Spain Invitational Game : Winners (1): 2008 • Tudela, Spain Invitational Game : Winners (1): 2008 • Torneo de Lleida Stagepro : 3rd Place (1): 2009 • Switzerland Invitational Game : Winners (1): 2010 • Torneo Angers : Winners (1): 2010 • Lanzarote, Spain Invitational Game : Winners (1): 2011 • Bergara, Spain Invitational Game : Winners (1): 2015 • Torneo Fundacion CID : Runners-up (1): 2016 == Individual awards ==

All-EuroLeague First Team • Dejan Tomašević – 2002 • Arvydas Macijauskas – 2005 • Luis Scola – 2006, 2007 • Tiago Splitter – 2008 • Igor Rakočević – 2009 • Fernando San Emeterio – 2011 • Ioannis Bourousis – 2016 • Tornike Shengelia – 2018 All-EuroLeague Second Team • Andrés Nocioni – 2003, 2004 • Luis Scola – 2005 • Pablo Prigioni – 2006, 2007 • Igor Rakočević – 2007 • Tiago Splitter – 2009, 2010 • Vincent Poirier – 2019 • Darius Thompson – 2023 EuroLeague Best Defender • Ádám Hanga – 2017 EuroLeague Top Scorer "Alphonso Ford" • Igor Rakočević – 2007, 2009 • Markus Howard – 2024 ACB Most Valuable Player • Kenny Green – 1997 • Andrés Nocioni – 2004 • Luis Scola – 2005, 2007 • Tiago Splitter – 2010 • Fernando San Emeterio – 2011 • Ioannis Bourousis – 2016 ACB Finals MVP • Elmer Bennett – 2002 • Pete Mickeal – 2008 • Tiago Splitter – 2010 • Luca Vildoza – 2020 All-ACB First Team • Andrés Nocioni – 2004, 2013 • Luis Scola – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 • José Calderón – 2005 • Pablo Prigioni – 2006, 2007, 2009 • Igor Rakočević – 2009 • Tiago Splitter – 2010 • Marcelo Huertas – 2011 • Fernando San Emeterio – 2011 • Mirza Teletović – 2012 • Darius Adams – 2016 • Ioannis Bourousis – 2016 • Ádám Hanga – 2017 • Tornike Shengelia – 2018 • Pierriá Henry – 2021 • Darius Thompson – 2023 • Markus Howard – 2023, 2024 All-ACB Second Team • Ádám Hanga – 2016 • Shane Larkin – 2017 • Tornike Shengelia – 2019, 2020 • Vincent Poirier – 2019 • Rokas Giedraitis – 2021 ACB Top Scorer • Ray Price – 1974 • Webb Williams – 1979 • Claude Gregory – 1983 • Igor Rakočević – 2009 • Darius Adams – 2016 • Markus Howard – 2024 ACB Rising Star • Mirza Teletović – 2008 ACB Most Spectacular Player • Tornike Shengelia – 2019 Spanish Cup MVP • Joe Arlauckas – 1993 • Velimir Perasović – 1994 • Pablo Laso – 1995 • Elmer Bennett – 1999 • Dejan Tomašević – 2002 • Pablo Prigioni – 2007 • Mirza Teletović – 2009 Supercup MVP • Luis Scola – 2005 • Tiago Splitter – 2006, 2007 • Pablo Prigioni – 2008 == Matches against NBA teams ==

Baskonia B is the reserve team of Baskonia. It currently plays in Tercera FEB, the fourth tier of Spanish basketball. == Notes ==