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50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008)
The 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors (2008) of FIBA European Champions Cup and EuroLeague history were awarded and chosen on February 3, 2008, in Madrid, Spain. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary since the founding of the inaugural season of the FIBA European Champions Cup, which is officially recognized as the predecessor of today's modern EuroLeague competition, which is the premier level men's basketball league in Europe. The list was made up of 35 players, 10 coaches, and 5 referees that were deemed to have contributed the most to the growth of the EuroLeague. It also included other nominees for each category. All together, 105 players, 20 coaches, and 12 referees in total were nominated. Contributors Players The following is the list of 35 awarded players. Coaches The following is the list of 10 awarded coaches. Referees The following is the list of 5 awarded referees. Other nominees that were not selected 70 Player nominees *Years in parentheses indicat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
FIBA European Champions Cup And EuroLeague History
Champions FIBA European Champions Cup for men's clubs – origins and early history (1958–1960) ''L'Équipe'' is widely credited for birthing the idea of a European club competition, first and foremost, in European football. Basketball was soon to latch onto the quickly successful idea, and the concept was discussed by FIBA, during the 1957 FIBA EuroBasket, in Bulgaria. Then FIBA Secretary General William Jones, set up a commission consisting of Borislav Stanković (Yugoslavia), Raimundo Saporta (Spain), Robert Busnel (France), Miloslav Kříž (Czechoslovakia), and Nikolai Semashko (Soviet Union), to come up with a proposal. The commission invited Europe's national basketball federations to send their national domestic league champions, L'Equipe donated a trophy, and in 1958, the ''FIBA European Cup For Men's Champion Clubs'', or, ''FIBA European Champions' Cup'', started, with the inaugural 1958 FIBA European Champions Cup season. Clubs from Eastern Europe (from th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Clifford Luyk
Clifford "Cliff" Luyk Diem (born June 28, 1941) is an American-born Spanish retired professional basketball player and coach, who played professionally in Spain and Europe from 1962 to 1978. He played college basketball for the University of Florida. He was drafted by the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), but never played a regular season game in the NBA. He signed with the Spanish professional team Real Madrid, helped Real Madrid become the dominant European basketball team of the 1960s, and is remembered for his trademark, old-school hook shot. Luyk was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991, and was chosen as one of the 50 most influential personalities to European club basketball over the previous half-century by the EuroLeague Basketball Experts Committee in 2008. Early years Luyk was born in Syracuse, New York, to a Dutch-born father and a Swiss-born mother. He attended Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School in Verona, New York, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Panagiotis Giannakis
Panagiotis "Notis" Giannakis (, ; born January 1, 1959), alternatively spelled Panayiotis Yiannakis or Yannakis, is a former Greek professional basketball player and coach. He is considered to be one of the greatest sportspeople of Greece. He started his senior career at the age of just 13 at Ionikos Nikaias and after noticeable success, he achieved extraordinary success as a player with Aris Thessaloniki from 1984 to 1993, in partnership with Greek basketball's biggest star Nikos Galis along with the rest of the squad, while achieving victory as the national team captain in EuroBasket 1987 in Athens, Greece's first major tournament win in non-Olympic sport which, along with Aris' extraordinary success, cultivated the sport in the country. At the end of his career, he won the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos in 1996 As head coach, he most prominently led Greece to its second European trophy in EuroBasket 2005 at Serbia and Montenegro, where a team of new and talented stars shone ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Toni Kukoč
Toni Kukoč (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of the first established European stars to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kukoč played for four NBA teams between 1993 and 2006, winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1996. He is a three-time NBA champion, having won championships with the Chicago Bulls in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Nicknamed "The Waiter” & “the Croatian Sensation," Kukoč is renowned for his versatility and passing ability. Although his natural position was small forward, the Kukoč played multiple positions and demonstrated court vision and an outside shooting touch that were seldom found in players of his height. He also enjoyed success in international play, winning Olympic silver medals in 1988 (playing for Yugoslavia) and 1992 (playing for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Dino Rađa
Dino Rađa (alternatively Radja, ; born 24 April 1967) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. He was a member of the Jugoplastika team of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which he helped to win two FIBA European Champions Cup championships ( 1989 and 1990). He spent three and a half seasons with the Boston Celtics, being one of the European pioneers in the NBA. Rađa was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991, and one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, as a member of the 2018 class. He was inducted into the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame, in 2022. Club career Split Rađa began his basketball life in his native town, as a junior at KK Dalvin. He moved to KK Split, which at the time went under the name of its longtime naming-rights sponsor Jugoplastika. At KK Split, Rađa starred alongside Toni Kukoč, while both were teenagers. The duo led the team to dominance of the FIBA Europe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Dražen Petrović
Dražen Petrović (; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s with Cibona and Real Madrid before joining the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1989. A star on multiple international basketball stages, Petrović earned two silver medals (Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament, 1988, Basketball at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament, 1992) and one bronze (Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984) at the Basketball at the Summer Olympics, Summer Olympic Games, a gold (1990 FIBA World Championship, 1990) and a bronze (1986 FIBA World Championship, 1986) at the FIBA World Cup, and a gold (EuroBasket 1989, 1989) and a bronze (EuroBasket 1987, 1987) at the FIBA EuroBasket. He was the FIBA World Championship MVP in 1986 and the FIBA EuroBasket MVP in 1989. With KK Cibona Zagreb, Cibona Zagreb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Krešimir Ćosić
Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first basketball player in the world to play all five positions. In 1996, Ćosić became only the third international player ever elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (the second male player). He is one of 62 people in the world that received the FIBA Order of Merit. In 2006, he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2007, he was also an inaugural member of the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Croatian Basketball Cup, and KK Zadar's home arena, are named after him. Ćosić was voted best Croatian athlete of the 20th century twice; by Croatian Sports News and by Croatian National Television. Ćosić was a notable church leader and missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Antonello Riva
Antonello Riva (born 28 February 1962) is an Italian former professional basketball player. At , he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions. During his playing career, he was nicknamed "Nembo Kid" (Italian version of Superman). Riva was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. In 2004, he was given an award to mark his being the top scorer of all-time in the top two Italian club league competitions. He is also the all-time leading scorer in the history of the senior men's Italian national team. He was named to the FIBA All-Time EuroStars Team in 2007. In 2008, he was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors. Professional career Riva started playing pro club basketball in the 1977–78 season. He played most of his career with Cantù (1977–1989, 1998–2002), with whom he won the FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague) twice, in the seasons 1981–82 and 1982–83. He also won an Italian League championship in 1981. He also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Mike D'Antoni
Michael Andrew D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951) is an American-Italian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While head coach of the Phoenix Suns, he won NBA Coach of the Year honors for the 2004–05 NBA season after the Suns posted 33 more wins than the previous season. He coached the New York Knicks starting in 2008 before resigning in 2012. He was hired by the Los Angeles Lakers seven games into the 2012–13 season. On June 1, 2016, D'Antoni was named head coach of the Rockets, and he received his second NBA Coach of the Year award for the 2016–17 season. D'Antoni is known for favoring a fast-paced, offense-oriented system. Guards Steve Nash and James Harden would win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award playing under D'Antoni's system. Playing career High school and college After playing high school basketball at Mullens High School, in M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Pierluigi Marzorati
Pierluigi "Pierlo" Marzorati (born 12 September 1952) is an Italian former professional basketball player. During his playing career, he was nicknamed "L'ingegnere volante" ( EN: "The Flying Engineer"). He is considered to have been one of the best point guards of all time in Europe, and was named the Mister Europa, in 1976. He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. In 2007, he was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame and enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors. Marzorati was inducted into the Walk of Fame of Italian sport in May of 2015. Club playing career Marzorati was one of the key players of the Cantù team (in which he played from 1969 to 1991), winning 2 Italian League championships (in 1975 and 1981), 2 FIBA European Champions' Cup (EuroLeague) titles (1982 and 1983), 4 FIBA Cup Winners' Cups (1977, 1978, 1979 and 1981), 4 FIBA Korać Cups (1973, 1974, 1975 and 1991) an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Dino Meneghin
Dino Meneghin (, ; born 18 January 1950) is an Italian former professional basketball player. He is widely considered to be the best Italian player ever, as well as one of Europe's all-time greats. A 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall center, Meneghin was born in Alano di Piave, Veneto (northeast Italy). On 20 November 1966, when he was 16 years old, he played in his first game in the Italian League, with Ignis Varese. He played the last game of his career at the age of 45. He holds the record for the most EuroLeague championships won by a player, with seven, when counting all formats of the competition's history, dating back to the inaugural 1958 season. In December 1991, the Spanish basketball magazine Gigantes del Basket, voted Meneghin the Best European Player of All-Time. In 2003, Meneghin became a Basketball Hall of Fame player. In 2006, he became a member of the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2010, he became a FIBA Hall of Fame player. Meneghin was inducted into the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Aldo Ossola
Aldo Ossola (born 13 March 1945) is an Italian former basketball player. During his playing career, at a height of 1.92 m (6'3 "), he was nicknamed nicknamed " Von Karajan", due to being a point guard with a great ability to direct the offensive rhythm and game tempo for his teams. On 3 February 2008, Ossola was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors, over the previous half-century, by the EuroLeague Basketball Experts Committee. In 2008, he was also inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball. Club career Ossola began his club playing career with the Italian League club Robur Varese, in 1962. He spent the 1964–65 season with the Italian League club Varese. He then played with the Italian League club Milano 1958, from 1965 to 1968. He returned Varese for the 1968–69 season, and he would go on to become a part of the club's legendary 1970s Ignis Varese era teams. With Varese, Ossol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
