EuroLeague Final Four
The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, following the 2001 FIBA SuproLeague Final Four, which was the last final four held by FIBA Europe. In the original FIBA Europe competition, as seen below, the final four was used for the first time at the 1966 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four. The final four format was used again the next year, with the 1967 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four, but was then abandoned.
The final four finally returned as the format of choice, for the first time during its modern era, with the 1988 FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four. It is known as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four for name sponsorship reasons. Panathinaikos has been the most successful team at the EuroLeague Final Four, since the modern final four era began in the 1987–88 season, winning the title 6 times.
The EuroLeague Final Four is broadcast on TV in up to 213 countries and territories.
History
Names of the Final Four
- FIBA era :
- *FIBA European Champions Cup Final Four
- *FIBA European League Final Four
- *FIBA EuroLeague Final Four
- *FIBA SuproLeague Final Four
- Euroleague Basketball era :
- *Euroleague Final Four
- *EuroLeague Final Four
Historical changes
The EuroLeague Final Four has been held every year since, with FIBA Europe organizing it until 2001, and the Euroleague Basketball Company organizing it since 2002.
There were two separate competitions during the 2000–01 season. The SuproLeague, which was organized by FIBA, and the EuroLeague, which was organized by Euroleague Basketball Company. Euroleague Basketball Company's EuroLeague competition, in its inaugural year, used a playoff format, with the two professional teams from Bologna, AEK, and TAU reaching the tournament's semifinals. Virtus was the winner of the 2001 Euroleague Finals.
EuroLeague Final Four by season
Statistics
Performance by club
- Including original FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague Final Four competitions.
| Club | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
 Panathinaikos | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
 Maccabi Tel Aviv | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
 CSKA Moscow | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 19 |
 Real Madrid | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 11 |
| Olympiacos | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
 Split | 3 | – | – | – | 3 |
| FC Barcelona | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
 Virtus Bologna | 2 | 2 | – | – | 4 |
| Olimpia Milano | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 4 |
 Fenerbahçe | 1 | 2 | – | 2 | 5 |
| Joventut Badalona | 1 | 1 | – | – | 2 |
 Partizan | 1 | – | 1 | 2 | 4 |
 Limoges CSP | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 3 |
 Žalgiris | 1 | – | 1 | – | 2 |
| Treviso | – | 2 | 2 | – | 4 |
| Baskonia | – | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Efes Pilsen | – | 1 | 2 | – | 3 |
| AEK | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Fortitudo Bologna | – | 1 | – | 2 | 3 |
 Slavia VŠ Praha | – | 1 | – | 1 | 2 |
| Mens Sana 1871 | – | – | 3 | 1 | 4 |
 Olimpija | – | – | 2 | – | 2 |
| Aris | – | – | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| PAOK | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Málaga | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Lokomotiv Kuban | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Victoria Libertas | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Estudiantes | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| ASVEL | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 140 |
Performance by nation
- Including original FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague Final Four competitions.
| Nation | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
| Greece | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 28 |
| Spain | 7 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 35 |
| Italy | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 20 |
| Israel | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Russia | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 19 |
 SFR Yugoslavia /  FR Yugoslavia | 4 | – | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Turkey | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| France | 1 | – | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Lithuania | 1 | – | 1 | – | 2 |
| Czechoslovakia | – | 1 | – | 1 | 2 |
 Soviet Union | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Slovenia | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Serbia | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 140 |