MBC Dynamo Moscow
Encyclopedia
MBC Dynamo Moscow is a Russian professional basketball team from Moscow, Russia.
means 'power in motion'. The club was backed by the State Political Directorate
(GPU), a police apparatus of the USSR. That is why the team has always been thought of as the police club, while cross-town rival CSKA Moscow
was the army club
. However, the connection between the police and the sportsmen at Dynamo has been almost non-existent in recent years. Dynamo quickly earned a reputation outside the Soviet Union borders due to its success in major sports such as football, handball
, ice hockey
and, of course, basketball. Dynamo Moscow won the USSR Championship in 1937 and 1948 and also made it to the final in 1944 and 1990.
was a member of the Olympic Team that won the gold medal
in Munich 1972
. Furthermore, Vladimir Zhigili, one of the most famous players in Dynamo's history, was World Champion
in Puerto Rico
in 1974
.
semi-final in 1991, losing to eventual champ PAOK Thessaloniki
. The team also qualified for the Korać Cup
in 1992. 1994 and 1995 without much success, despite having players like Sergei Bazarevich
, Pavel Astakhov, Sergei Babenko or Evgeniy Pashutin
. Things changed in 1996, however, as Dynamo shone in the 1996 Saporta Cup. The club brought in players like Bazarevich, Vitaly Nosov, and Valeri Daineko. Dynamo went all the way from the previous round, survived the group stage and made it to the best-of-three semi-finals playoffs. TAU Cerámica swept the series with a 87-98 road win in Moscow and a 104-93 home thriumph in Vitoria
, and it went on to win the title against PAOK Thessaloniki. The club could not live up to the expectations and one year after that, in 1997, Dynamo Moscow disappeared due to financial reasons despite having played the Euroleague
for the first time in club history.
It was not until 2001 when Dynamo reappeared in the Russian basketball scene. MBC Dynamo Moscow was created under the support of the Dynamo society and its chairman Vladimir Pronichev
. Dynamo entered the Russian League second division in the 2001-02 season and won the title that very same year, returning to the elite of Russian basketball. The club had to face new financial problems but once again the Dynamo organization, led by chairman Viktor Zakharov and his assistant Vladimir Mikhalevsky, stepped up to solve all troubles and give the team the economic stability it needed. MBC Dynamo Moscow joined the Dynamo organization in Moscow City and found a new president in his ex-coach Evgeny Gomelsky, brother of the legendary coach and former CSKA president, the late Alexander Gomelsky
. Dynamo finished sixth in the 2002-03 Russian League with players like Nikita Morgunov
, Martin Müürsepp
, Bazarevich, Aleksander Milosserdov or Dmitri Domani
, who remains now as the team captain
. Dynamo did even better in the 2003-04 season, in which players like Nikos Ekonomou
, Jimmy Oliver
, Nikolay Padius
, Damir Mršić and the late Kenyon Jones
helped the team to make it to the Russian League semi-finals.
Dynamo continues taking steps forward and making a big financial effort to incorporate some of the best European players in the market. As such, for 2004-05, Dynamo signed the Euroleague all-time top rebounder, Mirsad Türkcan, the 2003-04 Euroleague regular season top scorer Lynn Greer, center Lazaros Papadopoulos
and solid, well-rounded veterans such as Ariel McDonald
, Trajan Langdon
, Kšyštof Lavrinovič
and Andrei Fetisov
. Dynamo won difficult Group D in the ULEB Cup
regular season and was considered a top candidate to go far in the elimination rounds, especially when the team won the first leg of the two-way eighth-finals series on the road against Hemofarm
, 81-84, but lost 96-75 on their own home court. Dynamo once again has a competitive roster in which Papadopoulos, Domani and Valentin Koubrakov returned to be joined by some team-oriented players such as Ruben Douglas
, Mire Chatman
, Bojan Popović
, Hanno Möttölä
and Antonis Fotsis
. Moreover, Dynamo landed one of the best head coaches in European basketball history, none other than the legendary Dušan Ivković
. With the right environment, a solid roster, a great coach and the hunger to win its first-ever European title, in 2006 the team won the ULEB Cup
.
In 2006 the club moved to its new arena in the Krуlatskoe Sports Center
.
On June 18, 2011 the club was expelled from the PBL.
Dušan Ivković
-
David Blatt
Sergei Bazarevich
Early Years
Created in 1923 when Russia was part of the Soviet Union, Dynamo is among the oldest sports clubs in the country. Its name was chosen because DynamoDynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
means 'power in motion'. The club was backed by the State Political Directorate
State Political Directorate
The State Political Directorate was the secret police of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1934...
(GPU), a police apparatus of the USSR. That is why the team has always been thought of as the police club, while cross-town rival CSKA Moscow
PBC CSKA Moscow
PBC CSKA Moscow is a Russian professional basketball team that is based in Moscow, Russia. The club is a member of the VTB United League. It is often referred to in the West as "Red Army" for its past affiliation with the Soviet Army. CSKA has won two titles between 2006 and 2009 in Europe's...
was the army club
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. However, the connection between the police and the sportsmen at Dynamo has been almost non-existent in recent years. Dynamo quickly earned a reputation outside the Soviet Union borders due to its success in major sports such as football, handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and, of course, basketball. Dynamo Moscow won the USSR Championship in 1937 and 1948 and also made it to the final in 1944 and 1990.
1960s and 1970s
Over the decades, Dynamo earned a reputation for being among the strongest teams nationally and around the continent. Dynamo finished third in the Soviet Union League standings in 1946, 1957 and 1958, as well as making it to the 1950 and 1952 USSR Cup final. Years of domestic obscurity followed in which the team could not achieve any remarkable domestic success. A few former Dynamo players participated in some of the most historic moments in USSR sport. Aleksandr BoloshevAleksandr Boloshev
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Boloshev was a Soviet and Russian basketball player who won gold with the Soviet basketball team in Basketball at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He trained at Dynamo in Moscow and played for Dynamo Moscow ....
was a member of the Olympic Team that won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in Munich 1972
Basketball at the 1972 Summer Olympics
-Group B:-Medal bracket:-Classification brackets:5th–8th Place9th–12th Place13th–16th Place Forfeited match.-Gold Medal Match controversy:...
. Furthermore, Vladimir Zhigili, one of the most famous players in Dynamo's history, was World Champion
FIBA World Championship
The FIBA World Championship is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body...
in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in 1974
1974 FIBA World Championship
The 1974 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974.-Venues:- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:-Final round:...
.
Modern Era
The team found new success outside its domestic borders in the mid-1990s. Dynamo made it all the way to the Cup Winners' CupSaporta Cup
Saporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, where the National Cup winners from all over Europe played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA Europe...
semi-final in 1991, losing to eventual champ PAOK Thessaloniki
PAOK BC
P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki B.C. is the professional basketball department of the Greek multi-sports club P.A.O.K., originally founded in 1926 and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues...
. The team also qualified for the Korać Cup
Korac Cup
The Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971-72 and 2001-02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the European Champions' Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup...
in 1992. 1994 and 1995 without much success, despite having players like Sergei Bazarevich
Sergei Bazarevich
Sergei Valerianovich Bazarevich is a retired Russian professional basketball player. He played in 10 games for the Atlanta Hawks during the 1994–95 NBA season. He was a 6'2" and 168 lb point guard...
, Pavel Astakhov, Sergei Babenko or Evgeniy Pashutin
Evgeniy Pashutin
Eugeny Pashutin is a retired Russian basketball player and current coach of UNICS Kazan.-Playing career:Pashutin has played in five teams during his career but hasn't won any major title...
. Things changed in 1996, however, as Dynamo shone in the 1996 Saporta Cup. The club brought in players like Bazarevich, Vitaly Nosov, and Valeri Daineko. Dynamo went all the way from the previous round, survived the group stage and made it to the best-of-three semi-finals playoffs. TAU Cerámica swept the series with a 87-98 road win in Moscow and a 104-93 home thriumph in Vitoria
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital city of the province of Álava and of the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain with a population of 235,661 people. It is the second largest Basque city...
, and it went on to win the title against PAOK Thessaloniki. The club could not live up to the expectations and one year after that, in 1997, Dynamo Moscow disappeared due to financial reasons despite having played the Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
for the first time in club history.
It was not until 2001 when Dynamo reappeared in the Russian basketball scene. MBC Dynamo Moscow was created under the support of the Dynamo society and its chairman Vladimir Pronichev
Vladimir Pronichev
General of the Army Vladimir Yegorovich Pronichev is the current head of the Border Guard Service of the Russian Federation. Pronichev also holds the title of First Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service , the successor organization to KGB....
. Dynamo entered the Russian League second division in the 2001-02 season and won the title that very same year, returning to the elite of Russian basketball. The club had to face new financial problems but once again the Dynamo organization, led by chairman Viktor Zakharov and his assistant Vladimir Mikhalevsky, stepped up to solve all troubles and give the team the economic stability it needed. MBC Dynamo Moscow joined the Dynamo organization in Moscow City and found a new president in his ex-coach Evgeny Gomelsky, brother of the legendary coach and former CSKA president, the late Alexander Gomelsky
Alexander Gomelsky
Alexander Yakovlevich Gomelsky was a great Soviet and Russian basketball coach.Gomelsky was Jewish. He began his coaching career in 1948 in Leningrad with LGS Spartak...
. Dynamo finished sixth in the 2002-03 Russian League with players like Nikita Morgunov
Nikita Morgunov
Nikita Leonidovich Morgunov is a Russian professional basketball player. He plays both the power forward and center positions. He is 2.11 m in height and he weighs 125 kg...
, Martin Müürsepp
Martin Müürsepp
Martin Müürsepp is an Estonian retired professional basketball player and basketball coach.-Club career:...
, Bazarevich, Aleksander Milosserdov or Dmitri Domani
Dmitri Domani
Dmitri Viacheslavovich Domani is a Russian professional basketball player. He is 2.00 m tall and he weighs 98 kg. He currently plays in Krasnye Krylya Samara and formerly played for Saint Joseph's University in the US.-External links:**...
, who remains now as the team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
. Dynamo did even better in the 2003-04 season, in which players like Nikos Ekonomou
Nikos Ekonomou
Nikos Ekonomou is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was a power forward, who played for many teams in his career. He also runs Basket4All, a basketball camp for young children.- Basketball career :...
, Jimmy Oliver
Jimmy Oliver
Jimmy Allen Oliver is an American professional basketball player who was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2nd round of the 1991 NBA Draft.-1987-1989:...
, Nikolay Padius
Nikolay Padius
Nikolay Padius is a Russian professional basketball player. He is 1.97 m in height and he weighs 91 kg . He plays at the shooting guard position...
, Damir Mršić and the late Kenyon Jones
Kenyon Jones (basketball)
Kenyon Jones was an American basketball player. He played four seasons in Greece's top league, HEBA A1.Jones, a 6'10 center from Beach High School in Savannah, Georgia, signed with coach Todd Bozeman at the University of California, Berkeley...
helped the team to make it to the Russian League semi-finals.
Dynamo continues taking steps forward and making a big financial effort to incorporate some of the best European players in the market. As such, for 2004-05, Dynamo signed the Euroleague all-time top rebounder, Mirsad Türkcan, the 2003-04 Euroleague regular season top scorer Lynn Greer, center Lazaros Papadopoulos
Lazaros Papadopoulos
Lazaros Papadopoulos , is a Greek professional basketball player. He is 7 ft 280 lbs. and he plays at the center position.-Personal:...
and solid, well-rounded veterans such as Ariel McDonald
Ariel McDonald
Ariel Rene McDonald is an American-Slovenian basketball player, playing the point guard position for the Italian club Montepaschi Siena...
, Trajan Langdon
Trajan Langdon
Trajan Shaka Langdon is a retired American professional basketball player. A 210 lb. shooting guard, he gained fame in the U.S. while playing college basketball at Duke University with the Duke Blue Devils.-Biography:...
, Kšyštof Lavrinovič
Kšyštof Lavrinovic
Kšyštof Lavrinovič Kšyštof Lavrinovič Kšyštof Lavrinovič (born November 1, 1979 in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a Polish-Lithuanian professional basketball player. He plays at the power forward and center positions. He is 2.10 m (6' 10¾") in height...
and Andrei Fetisov
Andrei Fetisov
Andrei Fetisov is a Russian professional basketball player. He was a second round pick of the Boston Celtics in the 1994 NBA Draft, at which time he was playing for the Spanish Forum Valladolid. He later attended training camp with the Milwaukee Bucks, but has not played in the NBA.-References:...
. Dynamo won difficult Group D in the ULEB Cup
ULEB Cup
Eurocup Basketball is the second-tier level transnational professional basketball competition in Europe. The Eurocup is the level that is one tier below the Turkish Airlines Euroleague level...
regular season and was considered a top candidate to go far in the elimination rounds, especially when the team won the first leg of the two-way eighth-finals series on the road against Hemofarm
KK Hemofarm
Košarkaški klub Hemofarm is a professional basketball club from Vršac, Serbia. The club currently participates in the Adriatic League and Serbian League...
, 81-84, but lost 96-75 on their own home court. Dynamo once again has a competitive roster in which Papadopoulos, Domani and Valentin Koubrakov returned to be joined by some team-oriented players such as Ruben Douglas
Ruben Douglas
Ruben Enrique Douglas is a Panamanian-American professional basketball player. He is a 1.96 m 210 lb point guard-shooting guard.-Amateur career:...
, Mire Chatman
Mire Chatman
Mire De Juan Chatman is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for Pınar Karşıyaka. The 1.87 m point guard is a Texas Pan American University alumnus.-Pro career:...
, Bojan Popović
Bojan Popovic
Bojan Popović is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is a 1.91 m tall point guard, currently playing as a starter at Red Star Belgrade.-Professional career:Popović is a product of FMP's youth system...
, Hanno Möttölä
Hanno Möttölä
Hanno Aleksanteri Möttölä is a Finnish professional basketball player. Möttölä previously played for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association , in the power forward position, where he became the first player from Finland to play in the NBA.Möttölä attended the University of Utah in...
and Antonis Fotsis
Antonis Fotsis
Antonis Fotsis is a Greek professional basketball player. He is a 2.09 m power forward...
. Moreover, Dynamo landed one of the best head coaches in European basketball history, none other than the legendary Dušan Ivković
Dušan Ivkovic
Dušan "Duda" Ivković is a Serbian former professional basketball player and current coach. In 2008, he was named one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in Euroleague history....
. With the right environment, a solid roster, a great coach and the hunger to win its first-ever European title, in 2006 the team won the ULEB Cup
ULEB Cup
Eurocup Basketball is the second-tier level transnational professional basketball competition in Europe. The Eurocup is the level that is one tier below the Turkish Airlines Euroleague level...
.
In 2006 the club moved to its new arena in the Krуlatskoe Sports Center
Krylatskoe Sport Palace
Krylatskoe Sport Palace is an indoor sporting arena located in Moscow, Russia. The seating capacity of the arena is for 5,000 people and it was opened in 2006. It is the home arena of the MBC Dynamo Moscow basketball team.-External links:***...
.
On June 18, 2011 the club was expelled from the PBL.
Honors and titles
- 1 ULEB CupULEB CupEurocup Basketball is the second-tier level transnational professional basketball competition in Europe. The Eurocup is the level that is one tier below the Turkish Airlines Euroleague level...
Championship: 2006 - 2 USSR League Championships: 1937, 1948
- 2-time USSR League silver medalists: 1944, 1990
- 3-time Russian LeagueRussian Basketball Super LeagueThe Russian Basketball SuperLeague is a men's professional basketball league that was the pre-eminent league of Russian professional basketball until 2010...
silver medalists: 1995, 1996, 2005 - 8-time USSR League bronze medalists: 1946, 1957, 1958, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1982
- 1-time CIS Championship bronze medalists: 1992
- 2-time Russian LeagueRussian Basketball Super LeagueThe Russian Basketball SuperLeague is a men's professional basketball league that was the pre-eminent league of Russian professional basketball until 2010...
bronze medalists: 2004, 2008 - 2-time USSR Cup Finalists: 1950, 1952
- 2-time Saporta CupSaporta CupSaporta Cup was the name of the second-tier level European professional club basketball competition, where the National Cup winners from all over Europe played against each other. The competition was organized by FIBA Europe...
Semi-finalists: 1991, 1996
Notable players
| Ruben Douglas Ruben Douglas Ruben Enrique Douglas is a Panamanian-American professional basketball player. He is a 1.96 m 210 lb point guard-shooting guard.-Amateur career:... Obinna Ekezie Obinna Ekezie Obinna Ralph Ekezie is a Nigerian professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA. His name, Obinna, means "Father´s heart".-Career:... Martin Müürsepp Martin Müürsepp Martin Müürsepp is an Estonian retired professional basketball player and basketball coach.-Club career:... Boštjan Nachbar Kšyštof Lavrinovič Kšyštof Lavrinovic Kšyštof Lavrinovič Kšyštof Lavrinovič Kšyštof Lavrinovič (born November 1, 1979 in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a Polish-Lithuanian professional basketball player. He plays at the power forward and center positions. He is 2.10 m (6' 10¾") in height... Darjuš Lavrinovič Darjuš Lavrinovic Darjuš Lavrinovič Darjuš Lavrinovič Darjuš Lavrinovič (alternate spelling: Darius Lavrinovič; ; Russian Cyrillic: Дарюс Лавринович ; born November 1, 1979 in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a Polish-Lithuanian professional basketball player. His twin brother Kšyštof is also a professional basketball... Robertas Javtokas Robertas Javtokas Robertas Javtokas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. Javtokas is 2.11 m in height and weighs 122 kg . He plays the center position. He has been a member of the Lithuanian national team since 2000... Hanno Möttölä Hanno Möttölä Hanno Aleksanteri Möttölä is a Finnish professional basketball player. Möttölä previously played for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association , in the power forward position, where he became the first player from Finland to play in the NBA.Möttölä attended the University of Utah in... Giorgi Tsintsadze Giorgi Tsintsadze Giorgi Tsintsadze is a Georgian basketball player currently playing for Tartu Ülikool/Rock in KML.- Biography :Giorgi is native of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. He is a member of Georgian national basketball team since 2004 and has played for CSKA Moscow and Dynamo Moscow prior to transferring... Damir Mršić Asım Pars Asim Pars Asım Pars is a Bosnian born Turkish national basketball player... Mirsad Türkcan Nikos Ekonomou Nikos Ekonomou Nikos Ekonomou is a retired Greek professional basketball player. He was a power forward, who played for many teams in his career. He also runs Basket4All, a basketball camp for young children.- Basketball career :... Antonis Fotsis Antonis Fotsis Antonis Fotsis is a Greek professional basketball player. He is a 2.09 m power forward... Lazaros Papadopoulos Lazaros Papadopoulos Lazaros Papadopoulos , is a Greek professional basketball player. He is 7 ft 280 lbs. and he plays at the center position.-Personal:... Nikola Prkačin Nikola Prkacin Nikola Prkačin is a Croatian professional basketball player. He resides in Zagreb, Croatia, with his wife and three children. He plays for Croatia's most successful basketball club Cibona and is team captain.... Marino Baždarić Marino Baždaric Marino Baždarić is a Croatian professional basketball player currently a member of KK Cedevita in Croatian A-1 Liga top division.- Clubs :* Rijeka - HKS - 1995/1996... Miroslav Raičević Miroslav Raicevic Miroslav Raičević also known as Miroslav Marinos-Raitsevits is a Serbian-Greek professional basketball player. He plays as both a power forward and center. He is 2.08 m in height and he weighs 106 kg .-Pro career:Raičević began his career playing with the youth teams of the Budućnost Peć... Miloš Vujanić Miloš Vujanic Miloš Vujanić is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is a 1.90 m tall point guard.-Pro career:Vujanić started his professional career with KK Crvena zvezda in 1999. After two seasons at the club, he signed for KK Partizan in summer 2001... Bojan Popović Bojan Popovic Bojan Popović is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is a 1.91 m tall point guard, currently playing as a starter at Red Star Belgrade.-Professional career:Popović is a product of FMP's youth system... Nenad Mišanović Nenad Mišanovic Nenad Mišanović is a Serbian professional basketball player.-Career: Hemofarm Crvena zvezda Dynamo Moscow Budućnost Podgorica Igokea Radnički Kragujevac PBG Basket Poznań OKK Beograd Towzin Electric Kashan OKK Beograd... |
Notable coaches
Zvi SherfZvi Sherf
Zvi Sherf , known almost universally by his nickname Zvika , is an Israeli basketball coach and former player. He is currently the coach of the Spartak St. Petersburg of the Russian Super League....
Dušan Ivković
Dušan Ivkovic
Dušan "Duda" Ivković is a Serbian former professional basketball player and current coach. In 2008, he was named one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in Euroleague history....
-
David BlattDavid Blatt
David Blatt is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach, and a former professional basketball player. Today, Blatt is one of the most successful American coaches in European basketball, and is currently the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Russia national basketball team.-Playing...
Sergei Bazarevich
Sergei Bazarevich
Sergei Valerianovich Bazarevich is a retired Russian professional basketball player. He played in 10 games for the Atlanta Hawks during the 1994–95 NBA season. He was a 6'2" and 168 lb point guard...