Valencia Basket Club S.A.D.,[1] commonly known as Valencia Basket (pronounced [baˈlenθja βasˈket]), is a professional basketball team based in Valencia, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup, with home games played at the Font de Sant Lluís. The club is owned by retail tycoon Juan Roig.[2]

Valencia Basket
Valencia Basket logo
NicknameTaronges (Oranges)
LeaguesLiga ACB
EuroCup
Founded27 September 1986; 38 years ago (1986-09-27)
HistoryValencia Basket
(1986–Present)
ArenaFont de Sant Lluís
Capacity9,000
LocationValencia, Spain
Team colorsOrange, Black, White
     
PresidentVicent J. Solá
Head coachPedro Martínez
OwnershipJuan Roig
Championships1 Spanish League
1 Spanish Cup
1 Spanish Supercup
4 EuroCup
Retired numbers2 (11, 15)
Websitevalenciabasket.com

History

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1986–1997

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Valencia Basket was founded on 27 September 1986, after Valencia CF decided to fold its basketball section.[3]

On 4 May 1988, while in its second season in the Primera División B, which was the second-tier league of Spanish basketball at that time, the team won its first promotion to the Spanish top-tier level ACB,[4] where the team remained until the 1994–95 season. In 1995, Valencia was relegated to the Spanish 2nd-tier level EBA League, after falling in the league's relegation playoff against Somontano Huesca. In the next season, after being the runner-up in Liga EBA, in a non-promoting season, Valencia BC bought Amway Zaragoza's ACB place to join the top league, where it has remained until nowadays.

1998–2014

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On 2 February 1998, Pamesa Valencia won its first Spanish national title, after beating Pinturas Bruguer Badalona, by a score of 89–75, in the final of the 1998 Copa del Rey, which was played in Valladolid. One year later, on 13 April 1999, the club played in the final of the 1998–99 FIBA Saporta Cup, but was defeated by Benetton Treviso, 64–60, in the final played in Zaragoza. Three years later, the club repeated the same success, but Montepaschi Siena won the final of the 2001–02 FIBA Saporta Cup, by a score of 81–71, in Lyon, France.

Continuing on with some of the club's best years, the 2001–02 ACB season was historic for the club, as it reached the Spanish ACB League finals, where they could not win any games in their series against FC Barcelona. Before this first success in reaching the finals of the Spanish league's playoffs, Pamesa Valencia won its first European-wide title, by defeating Krka Novo Mesto in the 2002–03 ULEB Cup, which would then also allow the club to make its debut in the European top-tier level EuroLeague.

In its first EuroLeague participation, Pamesa Valencia qualified for the Top 16, but was eliminated there, after not contesting its game at Nokia Arena against Maccabi Tel Aviv, adducing security issues in Israel.[5]

On 18 April 2010, Power Electronics Valencia won its second European title, by beating Alba Berlin, 67–44, in the 2010 EuroCup Finals, which was played in Vitoria-Gasteiz.[6] This allowed the club to come back to the top level EuroLeague, seven years after its first participation in the tournament. This time, Valencia reached the EuroLeague quarterfinals, where it was eliminated by Real Madrid, who won the playoff series by a 3–2 margin.

The club's third European-wide 2nd-tier level EuroCup title arrived on 7 May 2014, when Valencia beat UNICS Kazan, in the double-legged finals.

2015–present

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On 5 June 2017, Valencia Basket qualified for its second Spanish Liga ACB Finals series, after defeating Baskonia in the semifinals of the 2017 national league playoffs. This time, the club won its first ever Spanish national domestic league championship, on 16 June 2017, by defeating Real Madrid with a 3–1 series score in the ACB league's finals.[7] In the same season, the club also reached the finals of both the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup), and the EuroCup, but they lost those finals to Real Madrid, and fellow Spanish side, Unicaja, respectively. By winning the Spanish League championship, Valencia also sealed their return to the next season's top-tier level EuroLeague competition, for the 2017–18 season.

The club's fourth European-wide 2nd-tier level EuroCup title arrived on 16 April 2019, when Valencia beat Alba Berlin, in the double-legged finals.

Arena

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External and internal view of La Fonteta

During its first season of existence, the team played its home games at the La Canaleta Sports Complex in the municipality of Mislata.[8]

Since 1987 Valencia Basket plays its home games at the 8,500 seat Font de Sant Lluís arena.[9] The arena is better known as La Fonteta.

The club is expected to move to a new 15,600-seat arena called Roig Arena (previously proposed as Casal España Arena),[10] with the inauguration scheduled for 2024.[11][12]

Sponsorship naming

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Valencia Basket has had several sponsorship names over the years:

  • Valencia-Hoja del Lunes: 1986–1987
  • Pamesa Valencia: 1987–2009
  • Power Electronics Valencia: 2009–2011

Logos

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Players

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Retired numbers

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Valencia Basket 2017-18 Euroleague season roster in pre-match
Valencia Basket retired numbers
No Nat. Player Position Tenure
11   Nacho Rodilla PG 1994–2003
15   Víctor Luengo SG/SF 1992–2007

Current roster

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Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Valencia Basket roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Age
G 0   Badio, Brancou 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 25 – (1999-02-17)17 February 1999
G/F 2   Puerto, Josep (C) 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 25 – (1999-03-08)8 March 1999
C 3   Reuvers, Nate 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) 26 – (1998-09-30)30 September 1998
F/C 4   Pradilla, Jaime 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) 23 – (2001-01-03)3 January 2001
PG 5   de Larrea, Sergio 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 19 – (2005-12-04)4 December 2005
SF 6   López-Arostegui, Xabier 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 27 – (1997-05-19)19 May 1997
G 7   Jones, Chris 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 31 – (1993-04-10)10 April 1993
PG 8   Montero, Jean (Y) 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 21 – (2003-07-03)3 July 2003
PG 16   Jović, Stefan 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 34 – (1990-11-03)3 November 1990
C 22   Happ, Ethan 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 28 – (1996-05-14)14 May 1996
F/C 24   Costello, Matt 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 31 – (1993-08-05)5 August 1993
C 35   Brimah, Amida 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 30 – (1994-02-11)11 February 1994
F 37   Ojeleye, Semi 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 30 – (1994-12-05)5 December 1994
PF 77   Sestina, Nate 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 27 – (1997-05-12)12 May 1997
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  •   Xavi Albert
  •   Juan Maroto
  •   Adrián Kovács

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (Y) Youth player
  •   Injured

Updated: November 13, 2024

Depth chart

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Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Inactive
C Matt Costello Amida Brimah Nate Reuvers *  
PF Jaime Pradilla † Nate Sestina * Ethan Happ  
SF Semi Ojeleye Xabier López-Arostegui † Josep Puerto †
SG Jean Montero ‡ Brancou Badio
PG Chris Jones Stefan Jović Sergio de Larrea †

Notes: Blue † – homegrown player[a]; Red * – overseas player[b]; Green ‡ – youth player[c]

FIBA Hall of Famers

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Valencia Basket Hall of Famers
Players
No. Nat. Name Position Tenure Inducted
44   Antoine Rigaudeau G 2003–2005 2015[13]

Head coaches

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Season by season

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Season Tier Division Pos. W–L Copa del Rey Other cups European competitions
1986–87 2 1ª División B 19th 14–20
1987–88 2 1ª División B 8th 24–19
1988–89 1 Liga ACB 16th 12–27 First round
1989–90 1 Liga ACB 10th 27–12 Round of 16
1990–91 1 Liga ACB 9th 18–22 Second round
1991–92 1 Liga ACB 9th 21–19 Second round
1992–93 1 Liga ACB 10th 19–15 Second round
1993–94 1 Liga ACB 12th 15–17 First round
1994–95 1 Liga ACB 19th 16–26 First round
1995–96 2 Liga EBA 2nd[d] 28–10
1996–97 1 Liga ACB 11th 17–17
1997–98 1 Liga ACB 7th 21–17 Champion
1998–99 1 Liga ACB 6th 20–19 Quarterfinalist 2 Saporta Cup RU 17–2
1999–00 1 Liga ACB 6th 20–17 Runner-up 2 Saporta Cup QF 13–3
2000–01 1 Liga ACB 5th 23–15 Semifinalist 2 Saporta Cup SF 11–5
2001–02 1 Liga ACB 6th 22–16 Quarterfinalist 2 Saporta Cup RU 13–4
2002–03 1 Liga ACB 2nd 32–13 Semifinalist 2 ULEB Cup C 14–4
2003–04 1 Liga ACB 5th 24–14 Quarterfinalist 1 Euroleague T16 13–7
2004–05 1 Liga ACB 9th 18–16 Semifinalist 2 ULEB Cup SF 11–1–4
2005–06 1 Liga ACB 9th 16–18 Runner-up
2006–07 1 Liga ACB 7th 20–18
2007–08 1 Liga ACB 5th 23–14 Quarterfinalist 2 ULEB Cup QF 10–5
2008–09 1 Liga ACB 7th 16–18 Quarterfinalist 2 Eurocup QF 10–3
2009–10 1 Liga ACB 5th 23–13 Semifinalist 2 Eurocup C 14–2
2010–11 1 Liga ACB 5th 24–12 Semifinalist Supercopa RU 1 Euroleague QF 10–11
2011–12 1 Liga ACB 4th 23–18 2 Eurocup RU 12–4
2012–13 1 Liga ACB 6th 23–14 Runner-up Supercopa SF 2 Eurocup SF 11–5
2013–14 1 Liga ACB 3rd 34–8 Semifinalist 2 Eurocup C 15–9
2014–15 1 Liga ACB 4th 23–18 Quarterfinalist Supercopa SF 1 Euroleague RS 3–7
2 Eurocup QF 5–5
2015–16 1 Liga ACB 3rd 31–9 Quarterfinalist 2 Eurocup L32 13–3
2016–17 1 Liga ACB 1st 31–12 Runner-up 2 EuroCup RU 18–5
2017–18 1 Liga ACB 5th 23–14 Quarterfinalist Supercopa C 1 EuroLeague 9th 12–18
2018–19 1 Liga ACB 3rd 25–15 Quarterfinalist 2 EuroCup C 20–3
2019–20 1 Liga ACB 3rd 16–13 Semifinalist Supercopa SF 1 EuroLeague 12–16
2020–21 1 Liga ACB 4rd 27–15 Quarterfinalist 1 EuroLeague 9th 19–15
2021–22 1 Liga ACB 5th 24–13 Quarterfinalist Supercopa SF 2 EuroCup SF 14–7
2022–23 1 Liga ACB 8th 17–19 Quarterfinalist 1 EuroLeague 9th 15–19
2023–24 1 Liga ACB 5th 22–15 Semifinalist 1 EuroLeague 13th 14–20

Honours

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The Copa del Rey and the three EuroCups conquered by the club.

Trophies and awards

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2017
Runners-up (1): 2003
1998
Runners-up (4): 2000, 2006, 2013, 2017
2017
Runners-up (2): 1999, 2002
2003, 2010, 2014, 2019
Runners-up (2): 2012, 2017

Friendly trophies

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  • Torneo de Lleida Stagepro: (1)
2009
  • Valencia, Spain Invitational Game: (1)
2009
2014
  • Trofeo Feria de Albacete: (1)
2019
  • Castello, Spain Invitational Game: (1)
2019
  • Salou, Spain Invitational Game: (1)
2020

Individual awards

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Notable players

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Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Women's team

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The women's team of Valencia Basket was created in 2014 and promoted to Liga Femenina in 2018, winning the final game against Real Club Celta de Vigo in Valencia. This access to the first division and the relegation of CB Estudiantes made Valencia Basket the only club with masculine and feminine representation in the first division in the 2018–2019 season.

In the first season competing on the first division, Valencia Basket achieved a ticket to their first Copa de la Reina de baloncesto, celebrated in Vitoria between the 28th of February and the 3 of June. Also, they achieve a spot to participate in the playoffs, losing against Perfumerías Avenida on the semifinals, but achieving the opportunity to play his first European tournament the next season.

Notes

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  1. ^ A homegrown player is a player that played for at least three years before the age of 20 on a Spanish team. In Liga ACB, the team must register at least four homegrown players in rosters of 10–12 players or at least three homegrown players in rosters of 8–9 players. In EuroCup, the team did not have any limitations regarding the number of homegrown players.
  2. ^ A overseas player is a player from outside EEA, FIBA Europe or ACP states. In Liga ACB, the team may register at most two overseas players. In EuroCup, the team did not have any limitations regarding the number of overseas players.
  3. ^ In Liga ACB, the team may register under-22 players linked to the youth system.
  4. ^ Bought the ACB berth to Amway Zaragoza.

References

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  1. ^ "Relación de SAD — Portal del Consejo Superior de Deportes" (in Spanish). Consejo Superior de Deportes. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  2. ^ Olvídese de la Masía de Messi: bienvenidos a L'Alqueria de Juan Roig (in Spanish).
  3. ^ "Valencia Basket cumple 30 años" (in Spanish). ACB.com. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  4. ^ 23 years from the promotion of Valencia Basket ACB.com May 4, 2011
  5. ^ "El Pamesa no viaja a Tel Aviv y perderá (20-0) el partido" (in Spanish). El País. 25 March 2004. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Power Electronic Valencia Champ!". Eurocup Basketball. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Valencia Basket reescribe su historia (87-76)" (in Spanish). ACB.com. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Será el primer precedente en la ACB pero el Burgos jugó en Mislata en 1986". Las Provincias (in Spanish). 2017-11-05. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  9. ^ MUNICIPAL COURT FUENTE DE SAN LUIS CAPACITY: 8.500 spectators
  10. ^ "The new home of Valencia Basket will be called Roig Arena". Eurohoops. 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  11. ^ valència, jorge valero (2022-03-16). "El Casal España Arena de València se retrasa a 2024". Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  12. ^ "Valencia's new €280M home arena should be ready in 2024". basketnews.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  13. ^ "FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
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