Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü

	Foundation	1976
	Arena	Basketbol Gelişim Merkezi
	Championships	Süper Ligi / EuroLeague
	Coach	Pablo Laso
	Famous players who have played for the club	Vasilije Micić / Shane Larkin / Bryant Dunston

Player to watch : Rodrigue Beaubois

In the world of French basketball, Rodrigue Beaubois occupies a unique position. A two-time EuroLeague winner, Turkish champion, winner of the Semaine des As, and 2011 NBA champion alongside Dirk Nowitzki… Yet he has never been selected for the French national team! And more generally, his name rarely comes up when discussing the best French guards of his generation. Yet, true to his nickname ‘French Rocket’, the combo guard possesses a playing style that is as explosive as it is versatile. Equally comfortable from the three-point line, his defence has also improved significantly over time.

The Guadeloupe native first played football before falling in love with basketball after watching an NBA match. The GuyMarga tournament MVP, however, planned to give up basketball at 16 due to a lack of a contract. Fortunately for us, Cholet opened its doors to him. After that, things moved very quickly: a debut in the French top flight, drafted 25th overall by OKC, 187 games played in the NBA, crowned with a championship ring, a return to Europe from 2013 to 2018, and finally a move to Anadolu Efes, where he won, among other honours, the MVP award for the 2021 Turkish Championship finals. An unusual career path for a player who is just as unique.

Playing style

The year 2025 has seen a flurry of coaching changes in the Turkish capital. With no fewer than four different head coaches in less than 365 days, Anadolu Efes has scoured the length and breadth of Europe in search of a conductor capable of leading its talented players. Weiler-Babb, Loyd, Cordinier, Swider, Papagiannis, Kai Jones… The club did indeed kick off its 2025–2026 campaign on the back of what many experts deemed the best EuroLeague off-season. However, things didn’t quite gel under Igor Kokoškov. Since then, it is Pablo Laso’s faster-paced style – based on aggression and individual initiative – that has taken Istanbul by storm.

The search for mismatches through a series of screens is also a typical Anadolu tactic. These screens also help create gaps in the opposition’s defence to finish near the basket. The three-pointer is present without being THE Turks’ main weapon, unlike, for example, horizontal cuts along the baseline. Defensively, the team relies on Weiler-Babb – the reigning DPOY – to deploy an ultra-aggressive perimeter line. However, this team switches very little.

Club history

Anadolu is one of the youngest clubs in the EuroLeague. Founded in 1976 following the takeover of Kadıköy Sports, Efes Pilsen Sports Club reached the Turkish top flight in just three years. Having only just been promoted, the Istanbul-based side ended their debut season in the Süper Lig with… the title! It was sheer madness, made all the more remarkable by the fact that they would be the only team to defeat Eczacıbaşı during its seven-year reign. This triumph led to their first appearance in the European Cup (C1). At the same time, they continued to cement their place on the national scene. Impressive performances capped off by back-to-back league titles (1983 and 1984).

Turkey knows Anadolu – now it’s Europe’s turn! Having made its debut in the 1986 President’s Cup, Pilsen Sports Club reached the quarter-finals of the 1990 Korac Cup (C3). Then, with the arrival of Aydın Örs during the 1991–1992 season, the club returned to the top of the Süper Lig despite finishing fourth in the regular season. The warning signs were clear, as the Istanbul side went on to secure the second title of their domestic three-peat with 40 wins and no defeats, followed by an unfortunate defeat in the 1993 European Cup (C2) final against Aris Thessaloniki (50-48). This was followed by a quarter-final in the 1994 Champions League (C1) and then the club’s first major season. In 1995–1996, the club achieved the domestic treble in Turkey, thanks in particular to the return of Petar Naumoski, knocked out Teamsystem Bologna in the semi-finals of the Korać Cup (C3) and then defeated Olimpia Milano in the final (146–145). This era would conclude with one league title, back-to-back National Cup wins, one President’s Cup, and two EuroLeague quarter-finals.

At the turn of the millennium, Efes moved on from the era of Petar Naumoski, Ufuk Sarıca and Volkan Aydın, before Aydın Örs resigned midway through the season. He was replaced in 1999 by his protégé, Ergin Ataman. With a new generation of players built around point guard Damir Mulaömerovic, the Turkish coach led the club to its first-ever EuroLeague (C1) Final Four, where they secured a fine bronze medal. The pattern repeated itself during the 2000–2001 campaign: the head coach’s departure, replaced at short notice by Oktay Mahmuti – a resurgence of the team – success in the domestic cup – third place on Europe’s biggest stage. This time, the head coach stayed for seven seasons. After just 26 years in existence, Pilsen Sports Club became the most successful team in the Turkish league by 2002. During his tenure, the capital’s steamroller continued to crush the competition on home turf, unlike in Europe where triumphs were becoming scarcer. A golden era marked by their incredible rivalry with Ülkerspor.

So far, the club’s history has been a success story. However, this smooth ride was marred by a few dark clouds around the 2010s. For the first time in 12 years, Anadolu failed to reach the Süper Lig finals under David Blatt in 2008. No success, but a treble! In the wake of Ergin Ataman’s return, the Istanbul side swept the board in Turkey. But no sooner had they arrived than they were gone again! From 2010 to 2014, the now ‘Anadolu Efes’ achieved little. It wasn’t until 2015 that the club won its first major trophy of the decade, thanks to new faces – such as Cedi Osman – led by Dušan Ivković.

It’s time to turn the page to Chapter 3 of Ergin Ataman’s story. We start gently with the 2018 National Cup. This was followed by the long-awaited league title after a 10-year hiatus, clinched in Game 7 against Fenerbahçe thanks to a massive shot from Shane Larkin in the dying seconds. This triumph followed on from the 2019 EuroLeague final defeat to CSKA Moscow (91-83). COVID merely delayed the tidal wave that was about to sweep across the Old Continent. The squad led by multiple MVP Vasilije Micić first took their revenge on the Russian giants in the semi-final (86-81), then crushed FC Barcelona in the final (86-81) to add the very first European title to their honours list. They did it all again the following year against Real Madrid (58-57). All this was accompanied by the corresponding trophies in Turkey. A clean sweep capped off by a final league title secured for Micić’s last dance. In the midst of a transformation, Anadolu Efes continues to invest relentlessly in order to rebuild a new, fully-armed squad as quickly as possible.

awards and honors

	EuroLeague (C1)	2021 / 2022
	Korać Cup (C3)	1996
	Turkish Champion	1979 / 1983 / 1984 / 1992 / 1993 / 1994 / 1996 / 1997 / 2002 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2009 / 2019 / 2021 / 2023
	Turkish Cup	1994 / 1996 / 1997 / 1998 / 2001 / 2002 / 2006 / 2007 / 2009 / 2015 / 2018 / 2022
	President’s Cup	1986 / 1992 / 1993 / 1996 / 1998 / 2000 / 2006 / 2009 / 2010 / 2015 / 2018 / 2019 / 2022 / 2024

Zoom : The Firsts Club

When looking back at the history of Anadolu Efes, one word keeps cropping up: first! The club is keen to remind us of this on its website. And one has to admit that the number of milestones achieved in Turkish basketball is indeed impressive:

– First Turkish club to win a European trophy (1996 Korać Cup)

– First Turkish club to reach the EuroLeague Final Four

– First Turkish club to host a EuroLeague Final Four (1992)

– First Turkish club to send a Turkish player to the NBA (Mirsad Türkcan – New York Knicks)

– First Turkish club to play matches against NBA teams in the United States (2006 – Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors)

– First Turkish club to be named ‘Europe’s Best Marketing Team’ by the EuroLeague (in 2010, 2013, 2017, 2020 and 2022)

The Number : 28 and 18

These are the number of two-point shots attempted (28) and made (18) by Kaspars Kambala on 30 October 2002 against FC Barcelona – two records in the modern history of the EuroLeague.