Fenerbahçe Men's Basketball

History

Previous names

Fenerbahçe (1913–2006, 2015–2017)

Fenerbahçe Ülker (2006–2015)

Fenerbahçe Doğuş (2017–2018)

Fenerbahçe Beko (2018–2026)

Fenerbahçe Tarfin (2026–present)

Early history and first titles

In 1913, Fenerbahçe S.K. established its first basketball team under the roof of an association sports club, but since there was no knowledge of basketball in the Ottoman Empire at that time and there was no team in the country, this attempt remained at the training level only. The branch, which was also interrupted by the Balkan Wars and World War I, was re-established in 1919 under the roof of Fenerbahçe S.K., this time under the supervision of an American instructor. However, this first serious basketball attempt in the country also died out on its own, as no other team could be found to play matches.

Also, In the second attempt in 1919, this time an announcement was made to the public by placing an advertisement in local newspapers in Istanbul."Our club has recently taken on a new identity and started playing basketball for the first time in our country under the supervision of an American instructor, and is proud of showing great success among its members in this regard"Eventually, under the initiative of Muhtar Sencer and Cem Atabeyoğlu, it was founded in its current permanent form in 1944 and achieved considerable success when the sport established itself in Turkey.

Fenerbahçe, who dominated the sport with notable players of the period such as Altan Dinçer, Sacit Seldüz, Hikmet Vardar, Erdoğan Karabelen, Yılmaz Gündüz and Mehmet Baturalp under the leadership of memorable coach Samim Göreç, became champions of the Istanbul Basketball League in 1954–55, 1955–56, and 1956–57. By defeating their rivals Galatasaray 55–47 on February 5, 1955, which was the first basketball game broadcast live on radio in Turkey, Fener celebrated their first championship. The club made a new breakthrough in amateur sports, after İsmet Uluğ, one of the former football players and boxers of the club became president in 1962, and won Istanbul League titles again in 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65 and 1965–66.

Fenerbahçe won Turkish Basketball Championship titles in 1957, 1959, and 1965 undefeated, just before the current professional Turkish Super League was founded in 1966, and made it to the European Champions Cup in 1960 and 1966.

They remained a solid team in the rest of the 1960s, but had mixed success in the following decades, especially the 70s and 80s. Those decades were dominated by the likes of Efes Pilsen and Eczacıbaşı, and later also Ülkerspor, who won most of the titles. As these teams belonged to notable corporations with a solid financial background and support, traditional sports clubs such as Fenerbahçe had difficulties keeping up with them.

1990s and 2000s

Fenerbahçe returned to the EuroLeague in 1992, but lost in the preliminary round. The club were back in the Turkish League finals in 1992, 1993, and 1995, but could not find a way to win the championship for some time. Fenerbahçe continued to have success in the late 90s. A third-place finish in the 1997–98 season allowed the club to return to the EuroLeague in 1998–99 season, and with players like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Marko Milič, Žan Tabak, İbrahim Kutluay, and the late Conrad McRae, Fenerbahçe advanced to the eighth-final playoffs, losing there to Real Madrid. İbrahim Kutluay won the EuroLeague top scorer trophy with an average of 21.4 points.

The club made it to the Saporta Cup quarter-finals in 1994–95. The following season Fenerbahçe reached the quarter-finals of the Korać Cup in 1995–96 and repeated this achievement in 2000–01. The early 2000s, however, were with very limited success. After Aydın Örs started as a coach in 2004, Fenerbahçe returned to the Turkish League semifinals and had a great return to European competitions, finishing in fourth place in the 2004–05 FIBA Europe League.

In the summer of 2006, the basketball club acquired a main sponsorship deal with Ülker, to form Fenerbahçe Ülker. After the sponsorship agreement, Fenerbahçe dominated the Turkish League and became the league champions two times in a row after 16 years and the team returned to the EuroLeague. After losing the Turkish League championship to Efes Pilsen in the 2008–09 season, in a closely contested playoff finals, Fenerbahçe became Turkish League champions again in the 2009–10 season, this time by defeating Efes Pilsen in the finals 4–2.

2010s

Fenerbahçe Ülker headed into the 2010–11 season with five new transfers: Engin Atsür, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Marko Tomas, Kaya Peker, and Darjuš Lavrinovič. With new head coach Neven Spahija, Fenerbahçe Ülker continued their domination in the Turkish League, winning both the Turkish Cup and the Turkish League, over long time rivals Beşiktaş and Galatasaray, respectively.

After two disappointing seasons, in 2011–12 and 2012–13 where Fenerbahçe Ülker finished in fifth place in the Turkish league, legendary coach Željko Obradović was then signed as the team's head coach, and the roster was strengthened with the likes of former Toronto Raptor Linas Kleiza, promising power forward Nemanja Bjelica, consistent center Luka Žorić, and hot Turkish prospects Kenan Sipahi and Melih Mahmutoğlu. Fenerbahçe became the Turkish League champions once again, after beating eternal rivals Galatasaray in the playoff's finals of the 2013–14 season. Success in the EuroLeague, however, continued to elude the team.

In the 2014–15 season, Fenerbahçe reached the EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in their history. In the quarterfinals, Fenerbahçe knocked out Maccabi Tel Aviv with three straight wins. In the semifinals, the team lost to Real Madrid, and eventually finished fourth. At the end of the season, the club's sponsorship agreement with Ülker ended. In the 2015–16 season, Fenerbahçe impressed in the EuroLeague Regular Season and Top 16, and qualified once again for the Final Four tournament, by eliminating the defending champions, Real Madrid, in the playoffs, again with a score of 3–0. During their first Final Four match against Laboral Kutxa, Fenerbahçe faced risking elimination once again before Kostas Sloukas made a game-tying lay-up to force the game into overtime, where Bogdan Bogdanović would help lead the team in overtime to win 88–77. The club became the first Turkish team to ever make it to the EuroLeague Final game. Their final opponent in the EuroLeague competition was CSKA Moscow. Fenerbahçe lost 101–96 after overtime.

In the following 2016–17 season, Fenerbahçe won their first European championship. The club beat Greek powerhouse Olympiacos 80–64 in the championship game of the Final Four, that was held in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe became the first and only Turkish team in history to win the EuroLeague title. Center Ekpe Udoh was named EuroLeague Final Four MVP. Following their European title, Fenerbahçe acquired a new main sponsor deal in the 2017 off-season. Doğuş Group signed a three-year contract with the club, worth an amount of €45 million, which guaranteed the club the largest name sponsorship deal in European basketball history.

2020s (present)

Fenerbahçe signed former Phoenix Suns head coach Igor Kokoškov to replace Obradović. Fenerbahçe underwent many changes during the post season, though managed to keep top players like Vesely and De Colo on the roster. The team greatly struggled in the EuroLeague, suffering many embarrassing blowout loses in the beginning, and fell quickly behind Anadolu Efes in the Turkish Super League standings, but with the late season signing of Marko Gudurić, the team greatly improved. A winning streak in the EuroLeague helped Fenerbahçe make the EuroLeague playoffs with a 20–14 record and 7th place in the regular season. In the playoffs, Fenerbahçe was swept by CSKA Moscow. In the Turkish Super League, Fenerbahçe returned to the finals and faced the 2021 EuroLeague champions Anadolu Efes, who easily swept Fenerbahçe in the finals. Despite signing a long-term contract, Kokoškov left Fenerbahçe during the summer.

During the off-season, Fenerbahçe signed Saša Đorđević as the new head coach. Fenerbahçe had higher expectations for the season than the previous year. In the EuroLeague, Fenerbahçe struggled, and for the first time since the 2013–2014 season, failed to make the playoffs – finishing in a disappointing 12th place, and coach Đorđević suffered much criticism. Anadolu Efes repeated as the 2022 EuroLeague champions. In the re-established Turkish Cup, Fenerbahçe was beaten by Anadolu Efes. In the Turkish Super League, Fenerbahçe got their revenge – they finished over Efes in the regular season standings, earning home-court advantage for the playoffs, and made the finals – in the finals, Fenerbahçe beat Anadolu Efes 3–1 to win the championship, their record breaking 10th Turkish League championship. Dimitris Itoudis replaced Đorđević during the summer, with a long-term contract with Fenerbahçe.

Under Itoudis, Fenerbahçe returned to the playoffs in the EuroLeague, with a 18-16 record, and took the first place Olympiakos to a full distance, going all five games before Olympiakos defeated Fenerbahçe. In the first match of the semi-finals of the 2022-23 Turkish Basketball Super League Play-Offs, Fenerbahçe defeated Anadolu Efes by 108–66, with a difference of 42 points. With this result, Fenerbahçe broke new record in its fierce rivalry against Efes. The yellow-navy blue team achieved its biggest victory in all the matches it played against its opponent in history, with a difference of 42 points. In addition, this result was the most different defeat suffered by Anadolu Efes in a Basketball Super League match. However, Efes rebounded and shocked Fenerbahçe with a 3–1 win in the semifinals – a disaster for Fenerbahçe.

International record

Fenerbahçe participated in European competitions numerous times throughout their history and became one of the most successful Turkish clubs ever. By winning the former Turkish Basketball Championship, the club represented Turkey for their first time in the FIBA European Champions Cup in 1959–60 and again in 1965–66. Some years later, they made it to the FIBA European Cup quarter-finals in the 1994–95 season. The following season Fenerbahçe reached the quarter-finals of the FIBA Korać Cup in 1996 and repeated this achievement in 2001. In the 1998–99 season of the FIBA EuroLeague, they reached the Top 16 stage, but lost there to Real Madrid. The club became fourth in the 2004–05 season of the FIBA EuroChallenge. The first major success in the modern era EuroLeague was achieved in the 2007–08 season, where Fenerbahçe reached the quarter-finals. The first Final Four participation in the history of the club followed some years later, in the 2014–15 season, when the team eliminated reigning European champions Maccabi Tel Aviv in the play-offs with three straight victories under the guidance of legendary coach Željko Obradović. In the semi-final game they lost against Real Madrid and eventually finished fourth. In the next season, the club reached the final of the competition with a convincing overall performance, again by eliminating the reigning champions (Real Madrid) with three straight wins, and lost dramatically against CSKA Moscow in overtime. Then eventually, in 2017, Fenerbahçe managed to win the EuroLeague trophy as the first and only Turkish club ever, in their own city, by defeating Greek team Olympiacos in the final game with a score of 80–64. From the quarter-finals onwards, the club eliminated their opponents in dominating fashion, first sweeping Greek team Panathinaikos with 3–0 wins despite the home-court disadvantage, and then defeating European powerhouses Real Madrid and Olympiacos with being behind only for a few seconds in total in the Final Four in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe, which finished the 2024–25 EuroLeague regular season in second place, beat Paris 3–0 in the Play-Off qualifiers, qualified for the Final Four held in Abu Dhabi, and beat Panathinaikos 82–76 in the semi-finals, making it to the EuroLeague finals for the fourth time, winning it against Monaco 81–70 and winning the EuroLeague for the "second" time.

Statistics in European competitions

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; L = Matches lost; PF = Points for; PA = Points against; PD = Point Difference; PCT = Winning percentage.

By team and by country

As of 25 May 2025

EuroLeague Finals

On 15 May 2016, Fenerbahçe became the first Turkish basketball club to play EuroLeague final and on 21 May 2017, became the first Turkish basketball club to won EuroLeague.

Matches against NBA teams

On 5 October 2012, Fenerbahçe became the first and only Turkish basketball club to win against an NBA team, having beaten the Boston Celtics by a score of 97–91 at the Ülker Sports Arena. By defeating the Brooklyn Nets 101–96 in Barclays Center on 5 October 2015, Fenerbahçe became the first and only Turkish basketball club and only third club in basketball history to win against an NBA team in the United States.

Players

Notable players

Italic written players still play for the club.

Honours

European competitions

EuroLeague

Winners (2): 2016–17, 2024–25

Runners-up (2): 2015–16, 2017–18

Fourth-place (3): 2014–15, 2018–19, 2023–24

Final Four (8): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024, 2025, 2026

FIBA Europe League

Fourth-place (1): 2004–05

Team honours

Triple Crown

Winners (1): 2024–25

National competitions

Turkish Basketball Championship / Turkish Super League

Winners (16): 1957, 1959, 1965, 1990–91, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26

Runners-up (16): 1954, 1956, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2008–09, 2018–19, 2020–21

Turkish Cup

Winners (10): 1966–67, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2024, 2025, 2026

Runners-up (5): 1993–94, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2014–15, 2022

Turkish Presidential Cup

Winners (8): 1990, 1991, 1994, 2007, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2025

Runners-up (11): 1985, 1988, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024

Turkish Federation Cup (defunct)

Winners (5): 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961

Runners-up (2): 1948, 1951

Regional competitions

Istanbul Basketball League (defunct)

Winners (7): 1954–55, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66

Runners-up (3): 1950–51, 1953–54, 1957–58

Season by season

crossed out written players are leave the club by cancelled contract or loaned out in regular season.

Sponsorship and kits

x Name sponsorship

1 Main sponsorship

2 Back sponsorship

3 Short sponsorship

4 Transportation sponsorship

5 Arm side sponsorship

(*) One Embraer 195 jet (TC-YAT) is painted with the club's livery

Home courts and museum

Museum

The Fenerbahçe Basketball Museum, which is the first and only basketball museum in Turkey, contains the entire history of the basketball team from 1913 to the present. The museum is located in the Ülker Sports Arena, the team's basketball hall. Previously located in the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Kadıköy, the club's headquarters, the trophies and all awards belonging to the basketball branch were transferred to this new museum, which was opened on November 18, 2022. The museum displays the trophies and awards of the men's basketball team, as well as the women's basketball team.

Trivia

First team to achieve the greatest success in European cups by clubs in Turkey (2016–17 season EuroLeague Champion)

First and only Turkish team to achieve the Triple Crown (2024–25)

First team to win the Turkish Cup (1966–67)

First team to win the Presidential Cup for 2 consecutive years (1989–90, 1990–91)

Only Turkish team to win against NBA teams (October 5, 2012 Fenerbahçe 97–91 Boston Celtics)

Turkish team with the most wins against NBA teams. It is the 4th team in Europe (2 Wins)

Only Turkish team to beat an NBA team in the Americas. In Europe, it is the 2nd team after CSKA Moscow (October 5, 2015 Brooklyn Nets 96–101 Fenerbahçe)

The Turkish team that finished the EuroLeague 1st round groups as the leader the most (3 times: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2015–16)

The Turkish team that won the most in a single EuroLeague season (28 wins in the 2018–19 season, 25 wins in the regular season, 3 wins in the play-offs)

The Turkish team that won the most at home in a single EuroLeague season (14 wins – 0 losses in the 2015–16 season)

The Turkish team that won the most in the same season in EuroLeague history, Maccabi Tel Aviv, CSKA Moscow, Olympiacos and Barcelona on the road

First Turkish team to advance to the EuroLeague finals (2015–16 season)