The Copa del Rey de Baloncesto (

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: ''Basketball

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Cup'') is an annual cup competition for

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teams organized by Spain's top professional league, the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

History

Originally known as the ''Copa de España de Baloncesto'', was first played in 1933 and contested in its first editions only by teams from the provinces of

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and

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. It was the first nationwide basketball competition played in

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. During the

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, it was referred as the ''Copa del Generalísimo de Baloncesto'', before becoming the ''Copa del Rey de Baloncesto'' in 1977.

Format

Until the establishment of the ACB in 1983, the Cup was played in its latest rounds with double-legged series and its final as a single game in a neutral venue. In several seasons, there was a group stage as first round. From 1983 and 1986, a Final Four format was adopted. The two best qualified teams from the two groups of the

at the end of the first stage qualified for the tournament. Since 1987, the tournament was expanded to ''Final Eight'' format has been used. Since the league is played with a round-robin single group, the top seven teams at the end of the first half of the regular season from the Spanish League and the host one, if it is not between these teams, qualify for the tournament. The eight teams play a knockout tournament at one venue, over four days, eventually producing a winner. The ''Copa del Rey'' is one of the highlights of the Spanish sporting calendar.

Finals

Source: ; Linguasport. In Spanish.

Titles by team

Notes

References

External links

Anécdotas en blanco y negro
. ACB.com (in Spanish)
Winners by year

Search for historical results and statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copa del Rey Recurring sporting events established in 1933 1 1933 establishments in Spain