By Stelios Toromanidis/ info@eurohoops.net
In the summer of 2000, Europe’s leading club competition turned the page and entered a new era. Since then, 17 years have gone by, during which the basketball fans of the Old Continent and beyond have enjoyed a rich spectacle from amazing teams and excellent basketball players who star on the courts of the best basketball league, after the NBA.
Starting from the very first clash in the EuroLeague that took place in Madrid between Real and Olympiacos on 16 October 2000, up to last season’s final in Istanbul (21 May 2017) between Fenerbahce and Olympiacos, a total of 3.814 games have been played!
During this period, the organizing authority has tried seven different formats of conducting the league, always aiming for the best possible result and the pleasure of millions of fans of the competition.
The number of teams that have taken part in the modern era of the EuroLeague comes to 83, originating from 19 different countries, while 2.700 players have honored the competition with their presence!
Only four organizations have competed in all 17 seasons of the competition. Those are Barcelona, Olympiacos, Baskonia and Zalgiris Kaunas, who are the competition’s most… faithful companions. With two more appearances, the Blaugrana will become the first team to reach 400 games (!), followed with consistency by Olympiacos, CSKA Moscow and another seven teams that count more than 300 appearances in Europe’s top basketball fiesta.
The teams that count more than 300 games in the modern history of the EuroLeague:
| Pos | Team | Seasons | Games |
| 1 | Barcelona | 17 | 398 |
| 2 | Olympiacos | 17 | 393 |
| 3 | CSKA Moscow | 16 | 392 |
| 4 | Baskonia | 17 | 389 |
| 5 | Panathinaikos | 16 | 383 |
| 6 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 16 | 363 |
| 7 | Real Madrid | 15 | 344 |
| 8 | Efes | 16 | 343 |
| 9 | Fenerbahce | 16 | 337 |
| 10 | Zalgiris Kaunas | 17 | 311 |
The Army Team is the team that is at the top of the table with the most wins and the highest percentage of successful games in the competition, Barcelona is in second place, while a total of seven organizations count over 200 (!) wins and a win rate that is over 55% in the competition.
The teams that have over 200 wins and a win rate of over 55%:
| Pos | Team | Record (W-L) | % Percent of wins |
| 1 | CSKA Moscow | 304-88 | 77,6% |
| 2 | Barcelona | 274-124 | 68,8% |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 221-123 | 64,2% |
| 4 | Panathinaikos | 243-140 | 63,4% |
| 5 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 224-139 | 61,7% |
| 6 | Olympiacos | 241-152 | 61,3% |
| 7 | Baskonia | 229-160 | 58,9% |
Panathinaikos have the most titles in the modern era of the EuroLeague, as they count four wins of the coveted trophy, followed by CSKA Moscow and Maccabi Tel Aviv with three each, while Olympiacos and Barcelona have two titles each. Real Madrid, Fenerbahce, and Virtus Bologna round off the top eight teams that have at least one trophy in Europe’s top club competition.
EuroLeague Champions:
| Pos | Team | Euroleague Titles | Season |
| 1 | Panathinaikos | 4 | 2001-02, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2010-11 |
| 2 | CSKA Moscow | 3 | 2005-06, 2007-08, 2015-16 |
| 3 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3 | 2003-04, 2004-05, 2013-14 |
| 4 | Olympiacos | 2 | 2011-12, 2012-13 |
| 5 | Barcelona | 2 | 2002-03, 2009-10 |
| 6 | Real Madrid | 1 | 2014-15 |
| 7 | Fenerbahce | 1 | 2016-17 |
| 8 | Virtus Bologna | 1 | 2000-01 |
| Total | 8 Teams | 17 Titles | 17 Seasons |
With regard to the total number of appearances in the Final Four of the competition, CSKA Moscow is by far the most successful team, as they have twice (14) the ones Maccabi Tel Aviv and Barcelona have, who follow behind in the ranking with seven each. Overall, 15 organizations have taken part in the biggest annual fiesta of the EuroLeague at least once, while eight of them (a rate of 47.1%) left with the trophy!
Final Four appearances:
| Pos | Team | Final Four Appearances | Years |
| 1 | CSKA Moscow | 14 | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 |
| 2 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 7 | 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2014 |
| 3 | Barcelona | 7 | 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| 4 | Panathinaikos | 6 | 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012 |
| 5 | Olympiacos | 6 | 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 |
| 6 | Real Madrid | 5 | 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 |
| 7 | Baskonia | 5 | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014 |
| 8 | Siena | 4 | 2003, 2004, 2008, 2011 |
| 9 | Fenerbahce | 3 | 2015, 2016, 2017 |
| 10 | Benetton Trevizo | 2 | 2002, 2003 |
| 11 | Virtus Bologna | 1 | 2002 |
| 12 | Fortitudo Bologna | 1 | 2004 |
| 13 | Malaga | 1 | 2007 |
| 14 | Partizan Belgrade | 1 | 2010 |
| 15 | Lokomotiv Kuban | 1 | 2016 |
| Total | 15 Teams | 64 Appearances | 16 Years |
The best teams in the modern era of the EuroLeague based on a special ranking by Eurohoops
After presenting some important facts from the first 17 years of the EuroLeague, let’s take a look at which of the 83 teams in total stood out with their performances, their appearances in final phases and trophy wins, that resulted in them being a part of this special ranking by Eurohoops.
Before we present the 28 organizations that managed to enter the ranking (33.7% of all the participants), here is how we ranked the teams and highlighted the best. In fact, you have the chance to view the Top 10 in the form of a countdown (from the one that is in 10th place to the one at the top).
Method of ranking:
– For every trophy win, the team gets 10 points.
– Every finalist in the competition (2nd place) gets 7 points.
– For every 3rd place, the team gets 5 points.
– For every 4th place, the team gets 4 points.
– Every team that reached the quarterfinals gets 2 points.
Notes:
– For the first seasons of the competition in which there was no third place playoff, the teams that reached the semi finals got 5 points each.
– The teams that, in the first season (2000-01), chose to play in FIBA’s SuproLeague, were not included in the ranking. For the record, the champions of that competition were Maccabi Tel Aviv, Panathinaikos were the finalists, Efes and CSKA finished in 3rd and 4th place respectively, while Alba Berlin, Villeurbanne, Split and Scavolini Pesaro rounded off the rest of the top eight.
Spots 28-11:
| Pos | Team | Country | Achievements | Points |
| 11 | Virtus Bologna | Italy | 1 Trophy, 1 Final | 17 |
| 12 | Anadolu Efes | Turkey | 8 times in the Final Eight | 16 |
| 13 | Fortitudo Bologna | Italy | 1 Final, 1 Semi-final, 1 time in the Final Eight | 14 |
| 14 | Partizan Belgrade | Serbia | 1 time in the 4th place, 2 times in the Final Eight | 8 |
| 15 | Uniaja Malaga | Spain | 1 time in the 3th place | 5 |
| 16 | Lokomotiv Kuban | Russia | 1 time in the 3th place | 5 |
| 17 | AEK | Greece | 1 Semi-final | 5 |
| 18 | Valencia | Spain | 2 times in the Final Eight | 4 |
| 19 | Galatasaray | Turkey | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
| 20 | Crvena zvezda | Serbia | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
| 21 | Unics Kazan | Russia | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
| 22 | Prokom | Poland | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
| 23 | Olimpija Ljubljana | Slovenia | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
| 24 | Darussafaka | Turkey | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
| 25 | Dynamo Moscow | Russia | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
| 26 | Bilbao | Spain | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
| 27 | Scavolini Pesaro | Italy | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
| 28 | Olympia Milan | Italy | 1 time in the Final Eight | 2 |
No 10. Benetton Treviso (18 points)
No 9. Siena (23 points)
No 8. Fenerbahce (25 points)
