Fenerbahçe Basketball (Turkish: Fenerbahçe Basketbol Tak?m?), for sponsorship reasons Fenerbahçe Do?u?, commonly known as Fenerbahçe, is a professional basketball team and the men's basketball department of Fenerbahçe SK, a major Turkish multi-sport club based in Istanbul, Turkey. They are one of the most successful clubs in Turkish basketball history, the only Turkish team to have won the EuroLeague, as well as 12 Turkish League championships (9 titles in the Turkish Super League and 3 in the former Turkish Basketball Championship), 5 Turkish Cups, and 7 Turkish Super Cups, among others. They play their home matches at the club's own Ülker Sports Arena.
Besides the European championship title in 2017, which was secured by a convincing 80-64 win against Greek powerhouse Olympiacos in the final, Fenerbahçe have also been EuroLeague runners-up in 2016 and 2018. Fener also have played in four consecutive EuroLeague Final Fours (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), a record in Turkish basketball.
Currently, Fenerbahçe are dominating the Turkish Super League, which is considered to be one of the best European national domestic basketball leagues. The club swept through the Turkish League playoffs in the 2017-18 season with only one defeat, defeating Tofa? in the finals, with a 4-1 series sweep. The team lost only four Turkish League matches in the whole season.
Many great players in European basketball have played for Fenerbahçe over the years, some of which have included: ?brahim Kutluay, Mirsad Türkcan, ?ar?nas Jasikevi?ius, ?an Tabak, Conrad McRae, Nemanja Bjelica, Ömer A??k, Thabo Sefolosha, Linas Kleiza, Ömer Onan, David Andersen, Harun Erdenay, Damir Mr?i?, Bojan Bogdanovi?, Semih Erden, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Tanoka Beard, Nikos Zisis, James Gist, Gordan Giri?ek, Mike Batiste, Marko Mili?, Will Solomon, Bo McCalebb, Ekpe Udoh, Pero Anti?, Luigi Datome, Nikola Kalini?, Kostas Sloukas, Jan Veselý, Ali Muhammed, and Bogdan Bogdanovi?.
Since 2013 the coach of the team is ?eljko Obradovi?, who is generally considered to be the greatest European coach in basketball history.
Video Fenerbahçe Basketball
History
The men's basketball department of Fenerbahçe was initially founded in 1913, but could not persist due to the Balkan Wars and World War I. Eventually, under the initiative of Muhtar Sencer and Cem Atabeyo?lu, it was founded in its current permanent form in 1944 and achieved considerable success when the sport established itself in Turkey. Fenerbahçe won Turkish Basketball Championship titles in 1957, 1959, and 1965, just before the current professional Turkish Super League was founded in 1966, and made it to the European Champions Cup in 1960 and 1966. Their fans had to wait until 1991 for another title, when Levent Topsakal, Larry Richard, and head coach Çetin Y?lmaz led Fenerbahçe to the Turkish League title over Tofa?.
Fenerbahçe returned to the EuroLeague in 1992, but lost in the preliminary round. Fenerbahçe was back in the Turkish League finals in 1992, 1993, and 1995, but could not find a way to win the championship for some time. A third-place finish in the 1997-98 season allowed the club to return to the EuroLeague, and with players like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Marko Mili?, ?an Tabak, ?brahim Kutluay, and the late Conrad McRae, Fenerbahçe advanced to the eighth-final playoffs, losing there to Real Madrid. The club made it to the Saporta Cup quarter-finals in 1994-95. The following season Fenerbahçe reached the quarter-finals of the Kora? Cup in 1995-96 and repeated this achievement in 2000-01. Eventually they finished in fourth place in the 2004-05 FIBA Europe League.
In the summer of 2006, the basketball club acquired a main sponsorship deal with Ülker, to form Fenerbahçe Ülker. After the sponsorship agreement, Fenerbahçe dominated the Turkish League and became the league champions two times in a row. After losing the Turkish League championship to Efes Pilsen in the 2008-09 season, in a closely contested playoff finals, Fenerbahçe became Turkish League champions again in the 2009-10 season, this time by defeating Efes Pilsen in the finals 4-2.
Fenerbahçe headed into the 2010-11 season with five new transfers: Engin Atsür, ?ar?nas Jasikevi?ius, Marko Tomas, Kaya Peker, and Darju? Lavrinovi?.
New transfers for the 2011-12 season included: Bojan Bogdanovi?, Curtis Jerrells, James Gist, Hakan Demirel, and also Thabo Sefolosha, who returned to the NBA after the 2011 NBA lockout ended. With head coach Neven Spahija, Fenerbahçe Ülker became the Turkish League champions again. After two disappointing seasons, legendary coach ?eljko Obradovi? was then signed as the team's head coach, and the roster was strengthened with the likes of former Toronto Raptor Linas Kleiza, promising power forward Nemanja Bjelica, consistent center Luka ?ori?, and hot Turkish prospects Kenan Sipahi and Melih Mahmuto?lu. Fenerbahçe became the Turkish League champions once again, after beating eternal rivals Galatasaray in the playoff's finals of the 2013-14 season.
At the top of Europe (2014-present)
In the 2014-15 season, Fenerbahçe reached the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in their history. In the quarterfinals, Fenerbahçe knocked out Maccabi Tel Aviv with three straight wins. In the semifinals, the team lost to Real Madrid, and eventually finished fourth. At the end of the season, the club's sponsorship agreement with Ülker ended. In the 2015-16 season, Fenerbahçe impressed in the EuroLeague Regular Season and Top 16, and qualified once again for the Final Four tournament, by eliminating the defending champions, Real Madrid, in the playoffs, again with a score of 3-0. During their first Final Four match against Laboral Kutxa, Fenerbahçe faced risking elimination once again before Kostas Sloukas made a game-tying lay-up to force the game into overtime, where Bogdan Bogdanovi? would help lead the team in overtime to win 88-77. The club became the first Turkish team to ever make it to the EuroLeague Final game. Their final opponent in the EuroLeague competition was CSKA Moscow. Fenerbahçe lost 101-96 after overtime.
In the following 2016-17 season, Fenerbahçe won its first European championship. The club beat Greek powerhouse Olympiacos 80-64 in the championship game of the Final Four, that was held in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe became the first and only Turkish team in history to win the EuroLeague title. Center Ekpe Udoh was named EuroLeague Final Four MVP.
Following their European title, Fenerbahçe acquired a new main sponsor deal in the 2017 off-season. Do?u? Group signed a three-year contract with the club, worth an amount of EUR45 million euros, which guaranteed the club the largest name sponsorship deal in European basketball history.
In the 2017-18 season, Fenerbahçe finished second at the regular season of the EuroLeague. In the Playoffs, they faced off against Kirolbet Baskonia, whom they eliminated with 3-1 in the best-of-five series. Thus the club managed to reach the EuroLeague Final Four for the fourth time in a row, improving their record.
Maps Fenerbahçe Basketball
Sponsorship naming
Due to sponsorship deals, Fenerbahçe has been also known as:
- Fenerbahçe Ülker (2006-2015)
- Fenerbahçe Do?u? (2017-present)
Home courts
Players
Current roster
Depth chart
Retired numbers
Honours
Domestic competitions
- Turkish Super League
- Winners (9): 1990-91, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18
- Runners-up (8): 1967-68, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1982-83, 1984-85, 1992-93, 1994-95, 2008-09
- Turkish Championship (1946-1967)
- Winners (3): 1957, 1959, 1965
- Runners-up (6): 1954, 1956, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1967
- Turkish Cup
- Winners (5): 1966-67, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2016
- Runners-up (4): 1993-94, 1996-97, 1998-99, 2014-15
- Turkish Presidential Cup
- Winners (7): 1990, 1991, 1994, 2007, 2013, 2016, 2017
- Runners-up (7): 1985, 1988, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014
- Federation Cup (defunct)
- Winners (5): 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961
- Runners-up (2): 1948, 1951
European competitions
- EuroLeague
- Winners (1): 2016-17
- Runners-up (2): 2015-16, 2017-18
- 4th place (1): 2014-15
- Final Four (4): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Regional competitions
- Istanbul League (defunct)
- Winners (7): 1954-55, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66
- Runners-up (3): 1950-51, 1953-54, 1957-58
- Istanbul Second League (defunct)
- Winners (2): 1945-46, 1948-49
Individual club awards
- Continental Treble
- Winners (1): 2016-17
The road to the EuroLeague victory
European history
Fenerbahçe participated in European competitions numerous times throughout their history and became the most successful Turkish club ever. By winning the former Turkish Basketball Championship, the club represented Turkey for their first time in the FIBA European Champions Cup in 1959-60 and again in 1965-66. Some years later, they made it to the FIBA European Cup quarter-finals in the 1994-95 season. The following season Fenerbahçe reached the quarter-finals of the FIBA Kora? Cup in 1996 and repeated this achievement in 2001. In the 1998-99 season of the FIBA EuroLeague, they reached the Top 16 stage, but lost there to Real Madrid. The club became fourth in the 2004-05 season of the FIBA EuroChallenge. The first major success in the modern era EuroLeague was achieved in the 2007-08 season, where Fenerbahçe reached the quarter-finals. The first Final Four participation in the history of the club followed some years later, in the 2014-15 season, when the team eliminated reigning European champions Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv in the play-offs with three straight victories under the guidance of legendary coach ?eljko Obradovi?. In the semi-final game they lost against Real Madrid and eventually finished fourth. In the next season, the club reached the final of the competition with a convincing overall performance, again by eliminating the reigning champions (Real Madrid) with three straight wins, and lost dramatically against CSKA Moscow in overtime. Then eventually, in 2017, Fenerbahçe managed to win the EuroLeague trophy as the first and only Turkish club ever, in their own city, by defeating Greek giants Olympiacos in the final game with a score of 80-64. From the quarter-finals onwards, the club eliminated their opponents in dominating fashion, first sweeping Panathinaikos Superfoods with 3-0 wins despite the home-court disadvantage, and then defeating European powerhouses Real Madrid and Olympiacos with being behind only for a few seconds in total in the Final Four in Istanbul.
Against NBA teams
On 5 October 2012, Fenerbahçe became the first and only Turkish basketball club to win against an NBA team, having beaten the Boston Celtics by a score of 97-91 at the Ülker Sports Arena. By defeating the Brooklyn Nets 101-96 in Barclays Center on 5 October 2015, Fenerbahçe became the first and only Turkish basketball club and only third club in basketball history to win against an NBA team in the United States.
Season by season
Individual awards and achievements
Sponsorship and kit manufacturers
Team captains
Head coaches
Main article: Fenerbahçe basketball head coaches list
Notable players
Notable coaches
- Samim Göreç (1951-66)
- Çetin Y?lmaz (1989-93)
- Ayd?n Örs (2004-07)
- Bogdan Tanjevi? (2007-10)
- Neven Spahija (2010-12)
- ?eljko Obradovi? (2013-)
See also
- Fenerbahçe SK
- Fenerbahçe Women's Basketball Team
References
External links
- Official website (in Turkish) (in English)
- TBLStat.net Profile (in English)
- Eurobasket.com Profile
Source of article : Wikipedia
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