Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Anadolu Efes Istanbul is set to start a new era after reaching its biggest heights. Founded in 1976, Efes won its first Turkish League trophy in 1979 but did not become a true powerhouse until the 1990s, when head coach Aydin Ors led the team to five Turkish championships in six seasons as well as the 1993 Saporta Cup Final. Efes became the first Turkish club to win a European title, the 1995-96 Korac Cup. Efes was also the first Turkish team to reach the EuroLeague Final Four in 2000, a milestone it repeated in the 2001 SuproLeague. After several key losses and three playoff series defeats between 2013 and 2017, everything clicked. Head coach Ergin Ataman returned to Efes and put together a team for the ages, led by Shane Larkin, Vasilije Micic and Bryant Dunston.

 

Efes reached the championship game in 2019, losing against CSKA Moscow, and led both the 2019-20 Turkish League and EuroLeague regular seasons when they were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, the club’s ascent to the EuroLeague summit was successfully concluded with a championship game victory over FC Barcelona at the 2021 Final Four in Cologne. Micic was named both EuroLeague and Final Four MVP. Efes successfully defended the title in 2022, defeating Real in the championship game behind Final Four MVP Micic. Efes missed the EuroLeague playoffs in 2022-23 and then lost in the final game of the Play-In Showdown in 2023-24, but it has high hopes entering 2024-25, which will be Tomislav Mijatovic’s first full season as head coach.