Fenerbahçe Basketball


Fenerbahçe Basketball, commonly known as Fenerbahçe, currently also known as Fenerbahçe Beko for sponsorship reasons, are 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 championships, 7 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 five consecutive EuroLeague Final Fours to date, 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 Tofaş in the finals, with a 4–1 series sweep. The team lost only four Turkish League matches in the whole season.
Many memorable players in European basketball have played for Fenerbahçe over the years, some of which have included: Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Žan Tabak, Conrad McRae, Nemanja Bjelica, Ömer Aşık, Thabo Sefolosha, Linas Kleiza, Ömer Onan, David Andersen, Harun Erdenay, Damir Mršić, Bojan Bogdanović, Semih Erden, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Tanoka Beard, Nikos Zisis, James Gist, Gordan Giriček, Mike Batiste, Marko Milič, Will Solomon, Bo McCalebb, Ekpe Udoh, Pero Antić, Luigi Datome, Nikola Kalinić, Kostas Sloukas, Jan Veselý, Ali Muhammed, Nicolò Melli, and Bogdan Bogdanović.
Željko Obradović was the most recently head coach, who is generally considered to be the greatest European coach in basketball history. Obradović was replaced by former Phoenix Suns head coach Igor Kokoškov on 2.7.2020

History

Early history and first titles

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 Atabeyoğlu, 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. Under the leadership of memorable coach Samim Göreç, the team also won several titles in the Istanbul Basketball League, which was the strongest regional league in Turkey.

Struggle against corporation teams and beginning of the rise (1970s–2014)

They remained a solid team in the rest of the 1960s, but had mixed success in the following decades, especially the 70s and 80s. Those decades were dominated by the likes of Efes Pilsen and Eczacıbaşı, and later also Ülkerspor, who won most of the titles. As these teams belonged to notable corporations with a solid financial background and support, traditional sports clubs such as Fenerbahçe had difficulties keeping up with them. The fans of Fener had to wait until 1991 for another title, when Levent Topsakal, Larry Richard, and head coach Çetin Yılmaz led Fenerbahçe to the Turkish League title over Tofaş. Fenerbahçe returned to the EuroLeague in 1992, but lost in the preliminary round. The club were back in the Turkish League finals in 1992, 1993, and 1995, but could not find a way to win the championship for some time. Fenerbahçe continued to have success in the late 90s. 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 Milič, Žan Tabak, İbrahim 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 Korać Cup in 1995–96 and repeated this achievement in 2000–01. The early 2000s, however, were with very limited success. In 2005, Fenerbahçe returned to the Turkish League semifinals and had a great return to European competitions, finishing 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 and the team returned to the EuroLeague. 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 Ülker headed into the 2010–11 season with five new transfers: Engin Atsür, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Marko Tomas, Kaya Peker, and Darjuš Lavrinovič. With new head coach Neven Spahija, Fenerbahçe Ülker continued their domination in the Turkish League, winning both the Turkish Cup and the Turkish League, over long time rivals Beşiktaş and Galatasaray, respectively.
After two disappointing seasons, in 2011–12 and 2012–13 where Fenerbahçe Ülker finished in fifth place in the Turkish league, legendary coach Željko Obradović 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 Žorić, and hot Turkish prospects Kenan Sipahi and Melih Mahmutoğlu. Fenerbahçe became the Turkish League champions once again, after beating eternal rivals Galatasaray in the playoff's finals of the 2013–14 season. Success in the EuroLeague, however, continued to elude the team.

At the top of Europe: Golden age with Obradović (2014–2020)

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 Bogdanović 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 their 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. Doğuş Group signed a three-year contract with the club, worth an amount of €45 million, 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. The team eventually lost against Real Madrid in the championship final. Fenerbahçe also continued their domination of the Turkish Super League - after a setback in 2015, Fenerbahçe won the 2016, 2017, and 2018 championships in dominating fashion.
Before the beginning of the 2018–19 season, Doğuş withdrew from the sponsorship deal which originally was projected for three years. Following the unexpected retraction, a new main sponsorship agreement with Beko was initiated. During the 2018–19 season, Fenerbahçe became the only team who stayed undefeated at home after a 30-game regular season and secured the best record after a regular season under the new EuroLeague format. Fener also became the earliest EuroLeague Playoffs qualifiers ever in the modern EuroLeague era. Domestically, the Yellow-Navy Blues defeated rivals Anadolu Efes in the 2019 Turkish Cup final to claim their sixth title. Fenerbahçe defeated BC Žalgiris, 3–1, in the EuroLeague quarterfinals, qualifying to their fifth consecutive Final Four.

Sponsorship naming

Due to sponsorship deals, Fenerbahçe have been also known as:
#CourtCapacityPeriod
1
Istanbul Sports and Exhibition Palace
7,0001949–1988
2Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Center7,0001988–1989
3
Abdi İpekçi Arena
12,2701989
4Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Center7,0001989–1992
5
Abdi İpekçi Arena
12,2701992–2010
6
Sinan Erdem Dome
16,0002010–2012
7
Ülker Sports Arena
13,800
2012–present

Players

Current roster

Depth chart

Squad changes for the 2020–21 season

Retired numbers

Honours

Domestic competitions

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 Korać 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 Željko Obradović. 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 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 Greek giants 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.
CompetitionParticipationYears
FIBA European Champions Cup / EuroLeague
16
1959–60, 1965–66, 1991–92, 1998–99, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup / FIBA Saporta Cup
8
1967–68, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1999–2000
FIBA Korać Cup
9
1984–85, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 2000–01, 2001–02
FIBA EuroChallenge
2
2004–05, 2005–06
FIBA EuroCup Challenge
1
2003–04
North European Basketball League
1
2001–02

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

Retired Numbers
50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors
Chosen:
Nominated:
EuroLeague Legends
EuroLeague Basketball 2000–10 All-Decade Team
Chosen:
Nominated:
EuroLeague Basketball 2010–20 All-Decade Team
Chosen:
Nominated:
EuroLeague MVP
EuroLeague Final Four MVP
All-EuroLeague First Team
All-EuroLeague Second Team
EuroLeague MVP of the Month
EuroLeague Rising Star
EuroLeague Coach of the Year
EuroLeague Executive of the Year
EuroLeague Magic Moment of the Season
EuroLeague records since 2000–01
EuroLeague Top Scorer
EuroLeague Rebounding Leaders
EuroLeague Blocked Shoots Leaders
Turkish Super League Finals MVP
Turkish League Top Scorer
Turkish Cup Final MVP
Turkish Super Cup MVP'''
PeriodKit sponsors
2003–2005:tr:Aras Kargo|Aras Cargo
2005–2006Alpella1 / :tr:Aras Kargo|Aras Cargo2
2006–2012Ülker1 / içim2/3
2012–2013Ülker1 / metro2
2013–2015Ülker1 / metro2 3
2015–2016Ülker1 / :tr:Odeabank|OdeaBank2 / metro3
2016–2017metro1 / QNB Finansbank2 / Borajet Airlines4
2017–2018Doğuş1 / QNB Finansbank2
2018–Beko1 / QNB Finansbank2

1 Main sponsorship
2 Back sponsorship
3 Short sponsorship
4 Transportation sponsor
One Embraer 195 jet is painted with Fenerbahçe SK's livery
PeriodKit manufacturers
–2000Adidas
2000–2013:tr:Fenerium|Fenerium
2013–Nike

Team captains

PeriodCaptain
1986–1990 :tr:Necdet Ronabar|Necdet Ronabar
1990–1993 :tr:Ali Limoncuoğlu|Ali Limoncuoğlu
1993–1995 Hüsnü Çakırgil
1995–1998 Güray Kanan
1998–2003 Zaza Enden
2003–2006 Zeki Gülay
2006–2010 Damir Mršić
2010–2014 Ömer Onan
2014–2015 Emir Preldžić
2015–present Melih Mahmutoğlu

Head coaches

''Main article: :tr:Fenerbahçe basketbol takımı koçları listesi|Fenerbahçe basketball head coaches list

Notable players

Notable coaches