Suproleague
Encyclopedia
FIBA SuproLeague was the FIBA
professional club basketball
Champions' Cup for the 2000-01 season. Up until that season, there was one cup, the FIBA European Champions' Cup (which is now called the Euroleague
), though in this season of 2000-01, the leading European teams split into two competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague and the ULEB
's Euroleague 2000-01
.
(or historically called, the European Champions' Cup) was originally established by FIBA
, and it operated under its umbrella from 1958 until the summer of 2000, including the 1999-00 season. That was when ULEB
, short for the Union of European Leagues of Basketball, was created by the 24 richest European club teams, most of them from Spain, Italy and Greece.
Amazingly, FIBA had never trademarked the Euroleague name and ULEB simply used it without any legal ramifications because FIBA had no legal recourse
to do anything about it, so they had to find a new name for their league. Thus, the following 2000-01 season started with 2 separate top European basketball competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague (known previously as the FIBA Euroleague up to that point) and the brand new ULEB Euroleague.
The rift in European club basketball initially showed no signs of letting up. Top clubs were also split between the two leagues: Panathinaikos, Maccabi Tel Aviv
, CSKA Moscow
and Efes Pilsen stayed with FIBA, while Olympiacos Piraeus
, Kinder Bologna
, Real Madrid
, FC Barcelona, TAU Cerámica
and Benetton Treviso
joined ULEB.
, which was held in the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
, Paris on 10–13 in May 2001.
* if necessary
(
Maccabi Tel Aviv )
Ariel McDonald
( Maccabi Tel Aviv )
of the FIBA SuproLeague and Kinder Bologna
of the ULEB
Euroleague
. The leaders of both organizations realized the need to come up with a new single competition. Negotiating from the position of strength, ULEB dictated proceedings and FIBA essentially had no choice but to agree to their terms. As a result, the Euroleague was fully integrated under ULEB's umbrella and teams that competed in the FIBA SuproLeague during the 2000-01 season joined it as well. It is today officially admitted that European basketball had two champions that year, Maccabi of the FIBA SuproLeague and Kinder Bologna of the ULEB Euroleague.
would also organize a European league for third tier level teams, known as the FIBA Europe League
competition, while ULEB would also organize its own second tier level league, combining FIBA's long-time Korać Cup
and Saporta Cup
competitions into one new competition, the ULEB Cup
. In 2005, ULEB and FIBA decided to cooperate with each other and have been jointly cooperating since then.
In essence, the authority in European professional club basketball was divided over club-country lines. FIBA stayed in charge of national team competitions (like the EuroBasket
, the FIBA World Championship
, and Summer Olympics Basketball
) while ULEB took over the European professional club competitions. From that point on, FIBA's Korać Cup
and Saporta Cup
competitions lasted only one more season before folding, which was when ULEB launched the ULEB Cup
.
FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...
professional club basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
Champions' Cup for the 2000-01 season. Up until that season, there was one cup, the FIBA European Champions' Cup (which is now called 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...
), though in this season of 2000-01, the leading European teams split into two competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague and the ULEB
ULEB
ULEB was founded in 1991, with the aim to help in the cooperation and development of European professional club basketball leagues...
's Euroleague 2000-01
Euroleague 2000-01
The inaugural Euroleague season 2000-01 under the new ULEB authority started on October 16, 2000 with a regular season game between hosts Real Madrid and Olympiacos at the Raimundo Saporta Pavilion in Madrid, Spain, and ended with the championship finals game on May 10, 2001, at the PalaMalaguti...
.
European Champions' Cup Teams divided
The EuroleagueEuroleague
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...
(or historically called, the European Champions' Cup) was originally established by FIBA
FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...
, and it operated under its umbrella from 1958 until the summer of 2000, including the 1999-00 season. That was when ULEB
ULEB
ULEB was founded in 1991, with the aim to help in the cooperation and development of European professional club basketball leagues...
, short for the Union of European Leagues of Basketball, was created by the 24 richest European club teams, most of them from Spain, Italy and Greece.
Amazingly, FIBA had never trademarked the Euroleague name and ULEB simply used it without any legal ramifications because FIBA had no legal recourse
Legal recourse
A legal recourse is an action that can be taken by an individual or a corporation to attempt to remedy a legal difficulty.* A lawsuit if the issue is a matter of civil law* Many contracts require mediation or arbitration before a dispute can go to court...
to do anything about it, so they had to find a new name for their league. Thus, the following 2000-01 season started with 2 separate top European basketball competitions: the FIBA SuproLeague (known previously as the FIBA Euroleague up to that point) and the brand new ULEB Euroleague.
The rift in European club basketball initially showed no signs of letting up. Top clubs were also split between the two leagues: Panathinaikos, Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv (basketball)
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv B.C. is a professional Israeli basketball club based in Tel Aviv. The team plays in three leagues: the Euroleague, the Israeli Basketball Super League, and the Adriatic League....
, 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...
and Efes Pilsen stayed with FIBA, while Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos BC
Olympiacos B.C. , also known simply as Olympiacos and Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional basketball club, part of Olympiacos CFP, based in Piraeus. The basketball club, founded in 1931, is one of the most successful in Greece and a traditional powerhouse in European competitions...
, Kinder Bologna
Virtus Bologna
-Notable players: Marco Bonamico 9 seasons: '75-'76, '77-'78, '80-'86, '88-'89 Carlo Caglieris 6 seasons: '75-'81 Pietro Generali 6 seasons: '75-'76, '78-'83 Gianni Bertolotti 5 seasons: '75-'80 Terry Driscoll 3 seasons: '75-'78 Eric Luc Leclerc 1 season: '75-'76 Luigi Serafini 2 seasons: '75-'77...
, Real Madrid
Real Madrid Baloncesto
Real Madrid Baloncesto is a Spanish professional basketball team founded in 1932 as a division of the Real Madrid club. They play in the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto ....
, FC Barcelona, TAU Cerámica
Saski Baskonia
Saski Baskonia, S.A.D., known as Caja Laboral for sponsorship reasons, is a Spanish professional basketball club from the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain...
and Benetton Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso
Pallacanestro Treviso, more often known by its sponsorship name of Benetton Basket, or Benetton Treviso, is an Italian Serie A League professional basketball club from Treviso, the headquarters city of its longtime owner Benetton Group...
joined ULEB.
Format
The first phase was a regular season, in which the twenty competing teams were drawn into two groups, each containing ten teams. Each team played every other team in its group at home and away, resulting in 18 games for each team. The top 8 teams in each group advanced to the Round of 16, and the winners of this round advanced to the Quarter-finals. Both of the rounds were played in a Best-of-three playoff System. The winning teams of the Quarter-finals qualified to the Final FourFinal four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
, which was held in the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
Opened in 1984, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, often abbreviated as POPB or Bercy, is an indoor sports arena on boulevard de Bercy located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris...
, Paris on 10–13 in May 2001.
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | L | Diff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Panathinaikos |
18 | 13 | 5 | 113 |
| 2. |  CSKA MoscowPBC 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... |
18 | 12 | 6 | 53 |
| 3. |  Osiguranje SplitKK Split KK Split , KK Split CO for sponsorship relations is a basketball club from Split, Croatia. Currently, KK Split competes in the A-1 Liga and Krešimir Ćosić Cup.-History:... |
18 | 12 | 6 | 28 |
| 4. |  ÜlkersporÜlkerspor -History:Ülkerspor had been founded in 1975 but its basketball department was created in 1993 by buying a Turkish League spot from Nasaşspor. It won Turkish League titles in 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2006 with greats including Harun Erdenay, İbrahim Kutluay, Michael Anderson, Orhun Ene, Kevin Rankin and... |
18 | 11 | 7 | 62 |
| 5. |  ALBA BerlinALBA Berlin -Depth Chart:* Denotes injured player.-Championships:*German Championships: 8 *German Cups: 6 *Korać Cups: 1 -Notable players:- Season by season :-External links:... |
18 | 9 | 9 | 31 |
| 6. |  ASVEL Villeurbanne |
18 | 9 | 9 | 13 |
| 7. |  Rytas VilniusBC Lietuvos Rytas BC Lietuvos rytas is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League , the VTB United League, and the Eurocup... |
18 | 7 | 11 | -14 |
| 8. |  Śląsk Wrocław |
18 | 7 | 11 | -14 |
| 9. |  Montepaschi Mens SanaMens Sana Basket Mens Sana Basket, more frequently referred to as Montepaschi Siena, is an Italian League professional basketball club from Siena. More precisely, it is the now-autonomous basketball section of the comprehensive sports club Polisportiva Mens Sana... |
18 | 6 | 12 | -89 |
| 10. | Maccabi Raanana |
18 | 4 | 14 | -183 |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | L | Diff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
18 | 15 | 3 | 273 |
| 2. | Efes Pilsen |
18 | 13 | 5 | 92 |
| 3. |  KK PartizanKK Partizan Košarkaški klub Partizan is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club Partizan. The club competes in the Serbian League, Adriatic League and the Euroleague.... |
18 | 11 | 7 | -25 |
| 4. | Iraklis BC |
18 | 10 | 8 | -10 |
| 5. | Scavolini Pesaro |
18 | 9 | 9 | 76 |
| 6. | EB Pau-Orthez |
18 | 9 | 9 | 54 |
| 7. |  Telindus OostendeTelindus Oostende BC Oostende is a Belgian basketball team founded in 1970. It was previously known as Sunair Oostende then as Telindus oostende , Base Oostende and is now referred to as Telenet Oostende. The club has won 12 Belgian League titles, including a 6 year in a row sequence... |
18 | 8 | 10 | -66 |
| 8. | KK Krka |
18 | 7 | 11 | -86 |
| 9. | Bayer 04 Leverkusen |
18 | 6 | 12 | -65 |
| 10. |  Plannja Basket |
18 | 2 | 16 | -243 |
Round of 16
| Team #1 | Agg. | Team #2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 3rd leg* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (B1) Maccabi Tel Aviv |
2 - 0 | Śląsk Wrocław (A8) |
81 - 75 | 85 - 62 | – |
| (A4) Ülkerspor Ülkerspor -History:Ülkerspor had been founded in 1975 but its basketball department was created in 1993 by buying a Turkish League spot from Nasaşspor. It won Turkish League titles in 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2006 with greats including Harun Erdenay, İbrahim Kutluay, Michael Anderson, Orhun Ene, Kevin Rankin and... |
1 - 2 | Scavolini Pesaro (B5) |
91 - 81 | 83 - 96 | 85 - 88 |
| (B3) KK Partizan KK Partizan Košarkaški klub Partizan is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club Partizan. The club competes in the Serbian League, Adriatic League and the Euroleague.... |
1 - 2 | ASVEL Villeurbanne (A6) |
80 - 73 | 76 - 94 | 62 - 73 |
| (A2) 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... |
2 - 0 | Telindus Oostende Telindus Oostende BC Oostende is a Belgian basketball team founded in 1970. It was previously known as Sunair Oostende then as Telindus oostende , Base Oostende and is now referred to as Telenet Oostende. The club has won 12 Belgian League titles, including a 6 year in a row sequence... (B7) |
94 - 76 | 77 - 70 | – |
| (B2) Efes Pilsen |
2 - 1 | Rytas Vilnius BC Lietuvos Rytas BC Lietuvos rytas is a professional basketball club based in Vilnius, Lithuania playing in the Lithuanian Basketball League , the VTB United League, and the Eurocup... (A7) |
89 - 78 | 69 - 73 | 86 - 67 |
| (A3) Osiguranje Split KK Split KK Split , KK Split CO for sponsorship relations is a basketball club from Split, Croatia. Currently, KK Split competes in the A-1 Liga and Krešimir Ćosić Cup.-History:... |
2 - 0 | EB Pau-Orthez (B6) |
79 - 78 | 85 - 83 | – |
| (B4) Iraklis BC |
1 - 2 | ALBA Berlin ALBA Berlin -Depth Chart:* Denotes injured player.-Championships:*German Championships: 8 *German Cups: 6 *Korać Cups: 1 -Notable players:- Season by season :-External links:... (A5) |
78 - 67 | 77 - 88 | 75 - 86 |
| (A1) Panathinaikos |
2 - 0 | KK Krka (B8) |
82 - 65 | 84 - 79 | – |
Quarter-finals
| Team #1 | Agg. | Team #2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 3rd leg* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (B1) Maccabi Tel Aviv |
2 - 0 | Scavolini Pesaro (B5) |
80 - 69 | 84 - 77 | – |
| (A2) 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... |
2 - 0 | ASVEL Villeurbanne (A6) |
78 - 63 | 82 - 76 | – |
| (B2) Efes Pilsen |
2 - 1 | Osiguranje Split KK Split KK Split , KK Split CO for sponsorship relations is a basketball club from Split, Croatia. Currently, KK Split competes in the A-1 Liga and Krešimir Ćosić Cup.-History:... (A3) |
95 - 69 | 64 - 72 | 82 - 59 |
| (A1) Panathinaikos |
2 - 0 | ALBA Berlin ALBA Berlin -Depth Chart:* Denotes injured player.-Championships:*German Championships: 8 *German Cups: 6 *Korać Cups: 1 -Notable players:- Season by season :-External links:... (A5) |
87 - 77 | 71 - 69 | – |
Bracket
Maccabi Tel Aviv - CSKA Moscow
Panathinaikos - Efes Pilsen
Efes Pilsen - CSKA Moscow
Maccabi Tel Aviv - Panathinaikos
Regular Season MVP
Nate HuffmanNate Huffman
Nathaniel Thomas Huffman is a 7'1" American former professional basketball player, who played most of his career outside of the United States with Maccabi Tel Aviv.-High school and college career:...
(
Maccabi Tel Aviv )Final Four MVP
- Ariel McDonaldAriel McDonald
Ariel Rene McDonald is an American-Slovenian basketball player, playing the point guard position for the Italian club Montepaschi Siena...
(
Maccabi Tel Aviv )Two continental champions
In May 2001, Europe had two continental champions, Maccabi Tel AvivMaccabi Tel Aviv (basketball)
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv B.C. is a professional Israeli basketball club based in Tel Aviv. The team plays in three leagues: the Euroleague, the Israeli Basketball Super League, and the Adriatic League....
of the FIBA SuproLeague and Kinder Bologna
Virtus Bologna
-Notable players: Marco Bonamico 9 seasons: '75-'76, '77-'78, '80-'86, '88-'89 Carlo Caglieris 6 seasons: '75-'81 Pietro Generali 6 seasons: '75-'76, '78-'83 Gianni Bertolotti 5 seasons: '75-'80 Terry Driscoll 3 seasons: '75-'78 Eric Luc Leclerc 1 season: '75-'76 Luigi Serafini 2 seasons: '75-'77...
of the ULEB
ULEB
ULEB was founded in 1991, with the aim to help in the cooperation and development of European professional club basketball leagues...
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...
. The leaders of both organizations realized the need to come up with a new single competition. Negotiating from the position of strength, ULEB dictated proceedings and FIBA essentially had no choice but to agree to their terms. As a result, the Euroleague was fully integrated under ULEB's umbrella and teams that competed in the FIBA SuproLeague during the 2000-01 season joined it as well. It is today officially admitted that European basketball had two champions that year, Maccabi of the FIBA SuproLeague and Kinder Bologna of the ULEB Euroleague.
The current Euroleague is formed
A year later, ULEB and FIBA decided that ULEB's Euroleague competition would be the main basketball tournament on the continent, to be played between the top level teams of Europe. FIBA EuropeFIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...
would also organize a European league for third tier level teams, known as the FIBA Europe League
EuroChallenge
The EuroChallenge is the 3rd tier level transnational men's professional club basketball competition in Europe. It is organized and run by FIBA Europe...
competition, while ULEB would also organize its own second tier level league, combining FIBA's long-time 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...
and Saporta Cup
Saporta 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...
competitions into one new competition, 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 2005, ULEB and FIBA decided to cooperate with each other and have been jointly cooperating since then.
In essence, the authority in European professional club basketball was divided over club-country lines. FIBA stayed in charge of national team competitions (like the EuroBasket
Eurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...
, the FIBA World Championship
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...
, and Summer Olympics Basketball
Basketball at the Summer Olympics
Basketball has been a Summer Olympics sport for men consistently since 1936. Prior to its inclusion as a medal sport, it was held as demonstration event in 1904 and 1932, both in the United States. Women's basketball was played in the Olympics only since 1976....
) while ULEB took over the European professional club competitions. From that point on, FIBA's 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...
and Saporta Cup
Saporta 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...
competitions lasted only one more season before folding, which was when ULEB launched 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...
.