Real Madrid Baloncesto

Infobox Basketball club
color1 =#FFFFFF
color2 =#003366
name =Real Madrid
nickname =The Meringues
The Whites
logo =Logo Real Madrid.svg
imagesize =120px
leagues =1st - Spanish ACB
Euroleague
founded =1932
history =1932 - present
arena =Palacio Vistalegre(capacity: 15,000)
location =Madrid, Spain
colors =white and purple
president =flagicon|Spain Emiliano Rodríguez
(for Ramón Calderón)
coach =flagicon|Spain Joan Plaza
championships ="Also See Trophies"
"'(8) European Championships
"'(4) Cup Winner's Cups
"'(4) Intercontinental Cups
"'(1) ULEB Cup
"'(1) Korac Cup
"'(1) Latin Cup
"'(1) World Clubs Championship
"'(30) Spanish Championships
(22) Spanish Cups
website = [http://www.realmadrid.com/ www.realmadrid.com]
h_body=FFFFFF
h_pattern_b=_thinbluesides
h_shorts=FFFFFF
h_pattern_s=
a_body=4B0082
a_pattern_b=_thinwhitesides
a_shorts=4B0082
a_pattern_s=

Real Madrid is a Spanish professional basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club. As successful as the football club, the basketball team has been the most successful of its peers in both Spain and Europe. The Real Madrid squads have won a record 30 Spanish League championships, including 7-in-a-row and 10-in-a-row sequences. They have also won a record 22 Spanish Cup championships, a record 4 Cup Winners' Cups, and a record 4 Intercontinental Cups.

Real has won a record 8 Euroleague Championships. Star players have included: Arvydas Sabonis, Dražen Petrović, Dejan Bodiroga, and Dražen Dalipagić.

History

With a record of success that exceeds that of any other team in European basketball, Real Madrid has always lived willingly with high expectations. For at least half a century, Madrid has been a standard-bearer in European basketball, accumulating a record eight continental titles based on its dominance in the 1960s. Its early dominance in Spain has resulted in another untouchable cache of 30 domestic league and 22 cup trophies. And almost every time that Madrid did not play in Europe's top competition, it won a different continental trophy - four Saporta Cups, a Korac Cup and a ULEB Cup - as a stepping-stone back to the big time.

Players like Emiliano Rodriguez, Clifford Luyk, Wayne Brabender, Walter Szczerbiak, Juan Antonio Corbalan, Drazen Petrovic, 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 legend, and even when it took the club 15 years to win it again, it found success in other European competitions, too.

Madrid downed Milano the 1984 Cup Winners' Cup on free throws by Brian Jackson, than Petrovic had 62 points in the 1989 Cup Winners' Cup final against Snaidero Caserta, in one of the best games ever seen in Europe ever. Madrid added a 1988 Korac Cup title against Cibona, and a 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, beating Olympiacos BC in the final. Madrid still won the 1997 Saporta Cup title against Verona, but no more European trophies came in the next decade.

Madrid still found success at home, winning Spanish League titles in 2000 and 2005, both in shocking fashion. It all has changed in 2007 when Joan Plaza was promoted to head coach and with the help of players like Louis Bullock, Felipe Reyes or Alex Mumbru. 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 75-87 in the final. Moreover, Madrid won the Spanish regular season and stayed strong in Palacio Vistalegre to lift its 30th league trophy, besting archrivals Winterthur FC Barcelona 3-1 in the title series.

Major Trophies

*European Championships : 8 "(Record)"
** 1963/64 1964/65 1966/67 1967/68 1973/74 1977/78 1979/80 1994/95
*Spanish League : 30 "(Record)"
** 1956/57 1957/58 1959/60 1960/61 1961/62 1962/63 1963/64 1964/65 1965/66 196768 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
*Copa del Rey de Baloncesto : 22 "(Record)"
** 1950/51 1951/52 1953/54 1955/56 1956/57 1959/60 1960/61 1961/62 1964/65 1965/66 1966/67 1969/70 1970/71 1971/72 1972/73 1973/74 1974/75 1976/77 1984/85 1985/86 1988/89 1992/93
*European Cup Winner's Cup : 4 "(Record)"
** 1983/84 1988/89 1991/92 1996/97
*ULEB Cup : 1
** 2006/2007
*Korac Cup : 1
** 1987/88
*World basketball clubs championship : 1
** 1980/81
*Intercontinental Cups : 4 "(Record)"
** 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981
*Copa Latina de Baloncesto : 1
** 1966/67
*Spanish Supercup: 1
**1984/85
*International Christmas tournaments (Campeón Torneo de Navidad): 25 [ [http://www.realmadrid.com/articulo/rma33635.htm (Raimundo Saporta Trophy)] Realmadrid.com] "(Record)"
**1967/68, 1968/69, 1969/70, 1970/71, 1972/73, 1973/74, 1974/75, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1977/78, 1978/79, 1980/81, 1981/82, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/,97 1997/98, 2000/01, 2003/04, 2004/05.

Current Squad

"The numbers are established according to the official website: [http://www.realmadrid.com www.realmadrid.com]

*Head of Operations:
** flagicon|Spain Antonio Martín Espina
*General Manager:
** flagicon|Spain Alberto Herreros

Famous Players

"see also cl|Real Madrid basketball players"

Famous Coaches

*flagicon|ESP Joaquín Hernández
*flagicon|ESP Pedro Ferrándiz
*flagicon|ESP Lolo Sainz
*flagicon|USA George Karl
*flagicon|ESPflagicon|USA Clifford Luyk
*flagicon|SRB Željko Obradović
*flagicon|ITA Sergio Scariolo
*flagicon|SRB Bozidar Maljkovic

Notes and References

External links

* [http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/es/1193040472450/SubhomeEquipo/Baloncesto.htm Realmadrid.com - Official Real Madrid Baloncesto website] es icon / en icon / jp icon
* [http://www.acb.com Official ACB league page]
* [http://www.euroleague.net/ Euroleague official webpage]
* [http://www.realmadrid.com Official Real Madrid webpage]
* [http://www.leyendasbaloncestorealmadrid.es/ 75 Years of Real Madrid ex-players webpage]
* [http://www.realmadridbasket.galeon.com Unofficial Real Madrid webpage]
* [http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/basketball-madrid.html Real Madrid Basketball visitors & matchday guide]
* [http://www.basketpedya.com/Acc002InfEq.php?ideq=19&idioma=3 Completed list of former Real Madrid Baloncesto players (1957-2007) by basketpedya.com]