Real Madrid Baloncesto

Real Madrid players during a fixture in 1965

For at least half a century, Madrid has been a standard-bearer in European basketball, accumulating a record ten continental titles, based on its dominance in the 1960s. Its early dominance in Spain has resulted in another untouchable cache of 35 national domestic league and 28 national cup trophies. And almost every time that Madrid did not play in Europe's top-tier level competition, it won a different continental trophy – four Saporta Cups, a Korać Cup, and a ULEB Cup – as a stepping-stone back to the big time.

Players like Emiliano Rodríguez, Clifford Luyk, Wayne Brabender, Walter Szczerbiak, Juan Antonio Corbalán, Dražen Petrović, Mirza Delibašić, Arvydas Sabonis, and Dejan Bodiroga have turned Real Madrid into one of the biggest basketball clubs in the world. Madrid won as many as 7 EuroLeague titles between 1964 and 1980, becoming a European basketball club legend, and even when it took the club 15 years to win it again, it found success in other European competitions, too.

Madrid downed Olimpia Milano in the 1984 Cup Winners' Cup, on free throws made by Brian Jackson, then Petrović had 62 points in the 1989 Cup Winners' Cup final, against Snaidero Caserta. Madrid added a 1988 Korać Cup title, against Cibona Zagreb.

Louis Bullock in 2008

Real Madrid won the 1992 Saporta Cup trophy against PAOK, on a buzzer-beating jumper by Rickey Brown. It was not until Sabonis arrived in Madrid, when Real won its last EuroLeague title in 1995, by beating Olympiacos in the final. Madrid next won the 1997 Saporta Cup title against Verona, but no more European-wide trophies came for the club in the next decade.

Madrid still found success at home, winning Spanish League titles in 2000 and 2005. It all changed in 2007, when Joan Plaza was promoted to the club's head coach position. With the help of players like Louis Bullock, Felipe Reyes, and Álex Mumbrú, Madrid added a new trophy to its roll of honours, the ULEB Cup, as it won 12 of its last 13 games, and downed Lietuvos Rytas, by a score of 75–87, in the 2007 ULEB Cup Final. Moreover, Madrid finished in 2nd place in the 2006–07 Spanish League regular season, and stayed strong in its play in Palacio Vistalegre, during the Spanish league playoffs; to lift its 30th national league trophy, by besting their arch-rivals, Winterthur FC Barcelona, 3–1 in the Spanish League title series in 2007.

Sergio Llull grew as player under Laso to become one of the most valuable ACB guards.[1]

In Pablo Laso's era, Real Madrid Baloncesto managed to find consistent success. Spanish top-tier level players of the time, like Sergio Rodríguez and Rudy Fernández, were acquired by the club. Also, ACB Rising Star winner Nikola Mirotić was a part of the team's mix, along with Sergio Llull and Felipe Reyes, to give Real Madrid a strong home grown core of players. This group of players gave Real Madrid Baloncesto 6 Copa del Reys (Spanish Cup) titles, 5 Spanish Super Cup titles, 5 Liga ACB (Spanish League) titles, 2 EuroLeague championship, and an FIBA Intercontinental Cup championship.

On May 17, 2015, after waiting 20 years to win another EuroLeague championship, Real Madrid won the 2015 EuroLeague championship against Olympiacos. Madrid's Andrés Nocioni was named the Final Four MVP. This title was called La Novena.[2] Following the EuroLeague title, the 2014–15 ACB season's championship was also won by Real. Because Real also won the national Spanish Cup and the national Spanish Supercup that season, the club won its first "Quadruble crown".[3]

On September 27, 2015, 34 years after their last FIBA Intercontinental Cup title, Real Madrid won their fifth FIBA Intercontinental Cup trophy, after defeating the Brazilian League club Bauru. Sergio Llull was named the MVP of the tournament. Real Madrid thus made it a record five FIBA Intercontinental Cup titles won, and with the Intercontinental Cup title.

On 20 May 2018, Real Madrid conquered again the EuroLeague, achieving their tenth title ever. The considered major leader of the team that season would be a Slovenian guard/forward named Luka Dončić, who became the designated MVP of the EuroLeague on all accounts at 19 years old.

The following former Real Madrid players are inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:

• Dražen Dalipagić, G, 1982–1983, Inducted 2004
• Antonio Díaz-Miguel, F, 1958–1961, Inducted 1997
• Pedro Ferrándiz, coach, 1959–1962, 1964–1965, 1966–1975, Inducted 2007
• Dražen Petrović, G, 1988–1989, Inducted 2002
• Arvydas Sabonis, C, 1992–1995, Inducted 2011

• Spanish League

Winners (35): 1957, 1958, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19

• Spanish Cup

Winners (28): 1951, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020

• Spanish Super Cup

Winners (6): 1984–85, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019

• EuroLeague

Winners (10): 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1994–95, 2014–15, 2017–18

Runners-up (8): 1961–62, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1984–85, 2012–13, 2013–14

Semifinalists (7): 1958, 1960–61, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1980–81, 1986–87

Third place (2): 1982–83, 2018–19

Fourth place (7): 1976–77, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1992–93, 1995–96, 2010–11, 2016–17

Final Four (11): 1967, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019

• FIBA Saporta Cup (defunct)

Winners (4): 1983–84, 1988–89, 1991–92, 1996–97

Runners-up (2): 1981–82, 1989–90

• FIBA Korać Cup (defunct)

Winners (1): 1987–88

Runners-up (1): 1990–91

• EuroCup

Winners (1): 2006–07

Runners-up (1): 2003–04

• Latin Cup

Winners (1): 1953

Runners-up (1): 1966

• European Basketball Club Super Cup (semi-official, ACB International Tournament "Memorial Héctor Quiroga", defunct)

Winners (3): 1984, 1988, 1989

Runners-up (1): 1986

Third place (2): 1983, 1985

• Triple Crown

Winners (3): 1964–65, 1973–74, 2014–15

• FIBA Intercontinental Cup

Winners (5): 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 2015

Runners-up (2): 1968, 1970

Third place (2): 1966, 1975

Fourth place (3): 1969, 1974, 1980

• McDonald's Championship

Runners-up (1): 1988

Third place (1): 1993

Fourth place (1): 1995

• Torneo Comunidad de Madrid

Winners (20): 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

• Campeonato de Castilla

Winners (11): 1933, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957

• Trofeo Marca

Winners (8): 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967