FC Barcelona Bàsquet (English: FC Barcelona Basketball), commonly referred to as FC Barcelona (Catalan pronunciation:[fubˈbɔlˈklubbəɾsəˈlonə]ⓘ) and colloquially known as Barça ([ˈbaɾsə]), is a professional basketball team based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is a part of the FC Barcelonamulti-sports club, and was founded on 24 August 1926, which makes it the oldest club in the Liga ACB. The team, which competes in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, is one of the most successful basketball teams domestically as well as internationally. Two times European champions, Barça completed a triple crown in 2003 by winning the season's league, cup and EuroLeague. Their home arena is the Palau Blaugrana, which was opened on 23 October 1971. They share the facilities with the roller hockey, futsal and handball teams of the club.
Founded on 24 August 1926, the club entered its first competition in 1927, playing in the Campionat de Catalunya de Basquetbol (Catalan Basketball Championship). During these early years, basketball in Catalonia was dominated by clubs such as CE Europa, Laietà BC and Société Patrie (later CB Atlètic Gràcia) and it was not until the 1940s that FC Barcelona became established as a basketball team. During this decade they won six Copas del Generalísimo de Baloncesto and were runners-up once. In 1956 they were founding members of the Liga Española de Baloncesto and finished as runners-up. In 1959 they won Spanish basketball's first-ever league and cup double.[1]
Decline in the 1960s
The 1960s and 1970s saw the team in decline. In 1961 the club president Enric Llaudet dissolved the team in spite of its popularity. However, in 1962, the club was reformed after a campaign by the fans. In 1964 the league's Primera División was cut from fourteen teams to eight and the club found themselves in the Segunda División after not finishing between the two first qualified teams in the relegation playoffs.[2] However they quickly returned to the top division after being crowned Segunda champions in 1965. During the 1970s the club was persistently overshadowed by its rivals Real Madrid and Joventut.
The club built on this success during the 1990s, winning a further four Spanish championships and two Spanish cups. They were still unable to win the European Cup despite playing in a further four finals in 1990, 1991, 1996 and 1997. They also made a record six EuroLeague Final Four appearances. The star player during this era was Juan Antonio San Epifanio.
Their persistence eventually paid off and in 2003, inspired by Dejan Bodiroga, Gregor Fučka, Šarūnas Jasikevičius and Juan Carlos Navarro, they won the EuroLeague, beating Benetton Treviso 76–65 in front of a packed Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.[4] They repeated the feat in 2010, defeating Olympiacos by a wide 86–68 in Paris,[5] and that October, they made further history when they beat the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers – including Kobe Bryant and FCB Bàsquet alumnus and Barcelona native Pau Gasol – 92–88 at the Palau Sant Jordi as part of the 2010 NBA Europe Live Tour. The match was also notable for being both a match-up between the reigning NBA and EuroLeague champions and the first time a European team had won against a defending NBA champion. Two FCB Bàsquet players in that game – captain Navarro and point guard Ricky Rubio – either had or went on to play in the NBA.
Recent years
In the following years, Barcelona would stay on top of Spanish basketball, playing almost all league and cup finals against rival Real Madrid. From 2012 until 2014, Barcelona managed to reach the Euroleague Final Four. However, it could not reach further than the semifinals. Barcelona won the Spanish Championship in 2014, but the next few seasons became absolute disasters, both in the Euroleague, and the Spanish League. However, the team saw a return to form in the Copa del Rey, which was won in 2018, in 2019 and in 2021 defeating Real Madrid on all three finals.[6] In 2021 the Spanish Championship was won for the 19th time—the first in seven years—and only a narrow defeat against Anadolu Efes in the championship game of the 2021 EuroLeague Final Four prevented the Catalan giants from winning the competition for the third time. On June 21 2023 Barça defeated Real Madrid 82–93 to win their 20th Spanish Championship.
Sponsorship naming
From 2004 until 2007 the club was sponsored by the Winterthur Group, a Swiss insurance company with offices in Barcelona since 1910, which led to the team featuring the birthplace of Joan Gamper, the club's founder, on their shirts. In 2006 the Winterthur Group was taken over by AXA, leading to a change in the club name. In the 2008–09 season, the club's sponsorship changed to Spanish insurer Regal (a division of Liberty Seguros, the Spanish subsidiary of American insurer Liberty Mutual). This sponsorship finished in June 2013.
On 7 October 2010, FC Barcelona, current champion of the Euroleague, became the first European team and the second FIBA in the History of Basketball to beat the reigning NBA champion, L.A. Lakers, for 92–88, in a match played at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. Pete Mickeal with 26 points and Juan Carlos Navarro with 25 were the best of the match. In the Lakers, Pau Gasol, former Barça player, was the best with 25 points scored.
On 5 October 2016 it faced the finalist of the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Barcelona lost the match by a narrow margin despite being reduced by the quantity and quality of their injured players. Two basketball players from the subsidiary -Stefan Peno and Pol Figueras - had to occupy the base position.
^A homegrown player is a player that played for at least three years before the age of 20 on a Spanish team. In Liga ACB, the team must register at least four homegrown players in rosters of 10–12 players or at least three homegrown players in rosters of 8–9 players. In EuroLeague, the team did not have any limitations regarding the number of homegrown players.
^A overseas player is a player from outside EEA, FIBA Europe or ACP states. In Liga ACB, the team may register at most two overseas players. In EuroLeague, the team did not have any limitations regarding the number of overseas players.
^In Liga ACB, the team may register under-22 players linked to the youth system. In EuroLeague, the team may register under-20 players linked to the youth system.
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