In its first season as reigning continental champion since 1995, Real Madrid went up and down in the 2015-16 Turkish Airlines Euroleague, combining brilliant wins with unexpected losses. Madrid started the season with a new title, the Intercontinental Cup, beating Bauru of Brazil. With some of its players tried after a long off-season with their national teams, Madrid did not have a good start of the Euroleague season, winning just 2 of its opening 7 games. That put Los Blancos with their backs against the wall, in need to win its last 3 regular season games to make it to the next round. Madrid downed Fenerbahce Istanbul, FC Bayern Munich and Strasbourg - setting a new assists record in this one, 36 - to reach the Top 16. Three consecutive road wins against Khimki Moscow Region, Brose Baskets Bamberg and Zalgiris Kaunas seemed to give Los Blancos a cushion but three consecutive losses left Madrid facing a do-or-die game against Khimki for survival in Top 16 Round 14. Madrid won 83-70, but it would be its last win in the 2015-16 Euroleague, as Fenerbahce swept their best-of-five playoffs series, dethroning the reigning champs.

Euroleague

Eurocup

History

Real Madrid comes off another great season in which the team conquered the Spanish double - league and cup titles - and added an Intercontinental Cup trophy for the first time since 1981. Madrid downed Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas in the Copa del Rey final and downed FC Barcelona Lassa in the Spanish League finals without the home court advantage, with Sergio Llull and Gustayo Ayon playing a stellar role for head coach Pablo Laso's team. For more than half a century, Madrid has been a reference in European basketball as it has accumulated a record nine continental titles. Its untouchable cache of 33 domestic league and 26 cup trophies says plenty about its status in Spanish basketball. Moreover, almost every time that Madrid has not played in Europe's top competition, it won a different continental trophy; its trophy case boasts four Saporta Cups, a Korac Cup and a ULEB Cup between 1984 and 2007 – all as stepping-stones back to the big time. Great players like Emiliano Rodriguez, Clifford Luyk, Wayne Brabender, Walter Szczerbiak, Juan Antonio Corbalan, Drazen Petrovic, Arvydas Sabonis and Dejan Bodiroga have turned Real Madrid into one of the most celebrated basketball clubs in the world. Madrid won four Euroleague titles between 1964 and 1968 to establish itself as a juggernaut and added more titles in 1974, 1978 and 1980. Even though it took the club 15 years to win it again, Madrid found success in other European competitions, too; it lifted the Saporta Cup trophy in 1984, 1989, 1992 and 1997 as well as the Korac Cup in 1988. With Sabonis aboard, Madrid won its eighth Euroleague title in 1995 by beating Olympiacos in the final. In 2007, Louis Bullock and Felipe Reyes helped Madrid to a new trophy, the ULEB Cup, and the Spanish League crown for the 30th time by besting Barcelona 3-1 in the finals. Madrid returned to the Final Four in 2011 and, with Laso as head coach, went all the way to the Euroleague Championship Game in 2013 and 2014, but lost against Olympiacos and Maccabi Electra, respectively. Madrid was loyal to its fast-paced, fun-to-watch basketball and gained the experience and toughness required to be almost unbeatable in decisive games in the 2014-15 season, arguably the best ever for Los Blancos. Madrid finally went all the way by downing Olympiacos Piraeus 78-59 to claim its ninth continental crown and its first since 1995. Andres Nocioni was chosen as the Final Four MVP and Felipe Reyes was an All-Euroleague First Team selection, while Sergio Rodriguez, Llull, Jaycee Carroll, Ayon and Rudy Fernandez all played major roles during the season, too. Coach Laso's team also lifted the Copa del Rey and the Spanish League trophies to conquer Los Blancos’ first Triple Crown since 1974. Three more titles came in the following 12 months and the next goal is, as always, ambitious - to become the first team to win 10 Euroleague titles, while trying to win every other trophy available, too.

Trophy Case