Triple Crown (basketball)
The Triple Crown is a term in European professional club basketball that refers to a club winning their country's top-tier level national domestic league, primary national domestic cup, and the top-tier level European-wide continental competition (EuroLeague) in the same season. It is the highest accomplishment that a European basketball club can achieve during a season. Only 12 European basketball clubs have achieved the Triple Crown, on 22 different occasions.
All the Triple Crowns achieved
- In the 2000–01 season, there were two first-tier level European-wide champions: Maccabi Elite, that won FIBA's SuproLeague and Kinder Bologna, that won Euroleague Basketball Company's EuroLeague.
- Šarūnas Jasikevičius is the only player in the history of European basketball to have won the Triple Crown with his teams 4 times. The teams that won the Triple Crown in which Jasikevičius played are: FC Barcelona in 2002–03, Maccabi Elite in 2003–04 and 2004–05, and Panathinaikos in 2008–09.
Achievements by club
Triple Crown | Club | Seasons |
6 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1976–77, 1980–81, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2013–14 |
3 | Real Madrid | 1964–65, 1973–74, 2014–15 |
2 | Varese | 1969–70, 1972–73 |
Split | 1989–90, 1990–91 | |
Panathinaikos | 2006–07, 2008–09 | |
1 | Cibona | 1984–85 |
Olimpia Milano | 1986–87 | |
Partizan | 1991–92 | |
Olympiacos | 1996–97 | |
Virtus Bologna | 2000–01 | |
FC Barcelona | 2002–03 | |
CSKA Moscow | 2005–06 |
Achievements by national league
Triple Crown | League |
6 | Israeli BSL |
4 | Italian LBA |
Spanish Primera División / ACB | |
3 | Yugoslav FFL |
Greek GBL | |
1 | YUBA League |
Russian BSL |
"Small Triple Crown"
Second-tiers
In addition, five European basketball clubs have won their top-tier level national domestic league, their top-tier level national domestic cup, and the 2nd-tier level European-wide competition (FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup / FIBA European Cup, or EuroCup) in the same season – the so-called, "Small Triple Crown".
Season | Club | National League | National Cup | European Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|
1971–72 | Simmenthal Milano | LBA | Italian Cup | FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup |
1981–82 | Cibona | Yugoslav First Federal League | Yugoslav Cup | FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup |
1987–88 | Limoges | LNB Pro A | Tournoi des As | FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup |
1993–94 | Smelt Olimpija | Slovenian Premier A League | Slovenian Cup | FIBA European Cup |
2008–09 | Lietuvos Rytas | LKL | LKF Cup | EuroCup |
Third and fourth-tiers
Seven clubs, on eight different occasions, have won their top-tier level national domestic league, their top-tier level national domestic cup, and the 3rd-tier level European-wide competition (FIBA Korać Cup or FIBA EuroChallenge), or the 4th-tier level FIBA EuroCup Challenge / FIBA Europe Cup, in the same season.
Season | Club | National League | National Cup | European Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|
1976–77 | Jugoplastika | Yugoslav First Federal League | Yugoslav Cup | FIBA Korać Cup (3rd tier) |
1978–79 | Partizan | Yugoslav First Federal League | Yugoslav Cup | FIBA Korać Cup (3rd tier) |
1982–83 | Limoges | Nationale 1 | Federation Cup | FIBA Korać Cup (3rd tier) |
1986–87 | FC Barcelona | Liga ACB | King's Cup | FIBA Korać Cup (3rd tier) |
1995–96 | Efes Pilsen | TBL | Turkish Cup | FIBA Korać Cup (3rd tier) |
1999–00 | Limoges | LNB Pro A | French Cup | FIBA Korać Cup (3rd tier) |
2004–05 | Asesoft Ploiesti | Divizia A | Romanian Cup | FIBA Europe Cup (4th tier) |
2011–12 | Beşiktaş Milangaz | TBL | Turkish Cup | FIBA EuroChallenge (3rd tier) |